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Gerbv-2.0.0 released!

Hello!

This is to announce the release of gerbv-2.0.0! Gerbv is an open source Gerber file (RS-274X only) viewer for Linux and other unix flavors. Besides viewing Gerbers, you may also view Excellon drill files as well as XYRS (pick-place) files. For more information, browse to gerbv's web site:

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Gerbv is allied with the gEDA Project, an open-source collaborative which has produced an end-to-end tool chain for PCB design on Linux and other unices. The gEDA Project's website is here:

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Gerbv release 2.0.0 represents a a whole new look for gerbv. Most importantly, the layer control GUI has been made much more powerful through the outstanding work of Julian Lamb. Julian has also re-worked the GUI's button and menus to make them more convenient to use. We are certain that you will find gerbv-2.0.0 even easier to use than before because of Julian's amazing work!

Other changes include:

  • Julian Lamb incorporated the cairo graphics library into gerbv, thereby enabling export to a variety of different output file formats, including PDF, PS, SVG, and PNG. (GDK rendering remains available as a configure option for older Linux systems.)
  • Cairo rendering also supports "transparency mode", showing you which layers are underneath other layers.
  • Drill parser rewrite by Joerg Wunsch giving better support for internationalization and formats.
  • Added report windows showing statistics of Gerber and drill codes used (as well as CAM errors) by Stuart Brorson.
  • Parser improvements from Stefan Petersen and Julian Lamb.
  • Aperture handling improvements from Stefan Petersen.
  • A new unit test suite (and nightly test runs) by Dan McMahill.
  • Improved autodetection of file-type by Stuart Brorson.
  • Improvements in the graphical rendering of pick-and-place files.
  • Export of images from the command line (cairo only).
  • Complete implementation of the Gerber spec.
  • Open multiple layers at once in File->Open dialog.

Gerbv's homepage is on SourceForge:

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There you will find a bug database, a feature request database, the CVS repo and a commit mailinglist.

To download gerbv-2.0.0, go to

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and grab gerbv-2.0.0.tar.gz

To install gerbv do this:

  1. tar zxf gerbv-2.0.0.tar.gz
  2. cd gerbv-2.0.0
  3. ./configure
  4. make && make install

Interesting configure options are:

--help : Lists all configure options.

--disable-cairo : Use GDK only for graphics rendering.

--disable-exportpng : Disable compilation of export of PNGs.

--prefix= : Install to dir .

--with-maxfiles : Set maximal number of files (default 20).

--enable-unit-mm : Change default unit in status bar to mm from inch.

Thank you for using gerbv-2.0.0!

-- The gerbv team

Reply to
Stuart Brorson
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On Jan 13, 7:26 am, Stuart Brorson wrote: [....]

[....]

I used this one and it did seem to compile OK. As is often the case, they demand that you have a very new version of the various libraries so if you are using an old install you are likely to spend a feew days trying to get all the libraries up to date enough.

Reply to
MooseFET

Nice to hear. Congratulations.

Robert H.

Reply to
Robert

Is there a ersion for Windoz?

Reply to
Robert Baer

Robert Baer wrote:

*gEDA and Windoze*
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*-not-*-*-*-*-*-*-more-clueless-*-*-*+zz+*-*-*-gEDA-*-under-Windows-*-*+qq-qq+*-*-*-*-*-a-Thankless-Job Look at the bottom of the **this way** page linked there.
Reply to
JeffM

Note that while gerbv is affiliated with gEDA, it is a separate project.

Reply to
DJ Delorie

Geeze, there is a knoppix screensaver for windows that boots up knoppix under qemu within windows.

I'd bet it would work under that. I also have a Knoppix release on my USB thumb drive that already has gEDA in it.

Reply to
ChairmanOfTheBored

In article you wrote: : Stuart Brorson wrote: :> This is to announce the release of gerbv-2.0.0! Gerbv is an open source :> Gerber file (RS-274X only) viewer for Linux and other unix flavors. Besides :> viewing Gerbers, you may also view Excellon drill files as well as XYRS :> (pick-place) files. For more information, browse to gerbv's web site: :>

:>

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: Is there a [v]ersion for Windoz?

Short answer: Not yet.

Longer answer: Getting it to run on Windows is an ongoing project undertaken by certain members of the gerbv team. The program is built on GTK, which is portable to Windows. Also, some of the developers have take the effort to include the necessary MingW32 stuff to facilitate execution on Windows. As I understand it, gerbv currently builds and starts on Windows, but has severe bugs, and so is not ready for official release.

If you feel brave, download the code from CVS and try hacking on it under MigW32 on a Windoze box. Patches are always welcome, and getting more people working on a Windows port means that one will be available sooner.

Cheers,

Stuart

Reply to
Stuart Brorson

[...]

Congratulations - gerbv is great! Nice to see it is still being improved.

Hopefully it will appear in debian.

--

John Devereux
Reply to
John Devereux

DJ Delorie wrote:

Right. The *thankless job* part WRT Windoze, however, seems to carry over.

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?group_id=33921%26package_id=131878+gerbv.windows+inc+inc+inc+2004-10-19 (The most recent version is from 2004.) . . Re: *Knoppix* (mentioned elsewhere) Another alternative to a native Windows port:
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*-Knoppix-like-CD-with-gEDA-*-*+Quantian+Cygwin+Win-2000-or-XP+Gtk.libraries+MinGW+qq+*-distro-*-*-providing-open-source-scientific-and-engineering-apps+recent.improvements (Expect somewhat dated versions of the software on that bootable CD.)

Reply to
JeffM

I wasn't disputing that ;-)

Reply to
DJ Delorie

Knoppix Live DVD is Debian, and it is in there.

I am practically certain that it would be in the set included in other Debian Live DVD distros as well, not to mention many Live CDs. Hell, some Live CDs are directly targeted at EDA.

Reply to
ChairmanOfTheBored

[2 weeks later....]

Whoohoo!

I ran gerbv just now and debian has automatically updated it to V2.0.0.

Good job, graphics are beautiful, works very nicely.

I don't know if you could always load Excellon drill files as well as gerbers - but I just noticed this feature (and have already found an error in the file I was about to send off).

--

John Devereux
Reply to
John Devereux

In sci.electronics.cad John Devereux wrote: : I ran gerbv just now and debian has automatically updated it to : V2.0.0.

: Good job, graphics are beautiful, works very nicely.

Thanks for the compliments! The program shows off the abilities and professionalism of the gerbv team.

: I don't know if you could always load Excellon drill files as well as : gerbers - but I just noticed this feature (and have already found an : error in the file I was about to send off).

You have been able to load and display both Excellon drill files -- as well as pick-and-place files -- for some time. This ability is not new in gerbv-2.0.

However, we *have* made the code which autorecognizes Gerbers vs. drill vs. pick-place files more robust. Therefore, you can reliably do "File -> import layer", click on a file, and gerbv will figure out what type of file it is and then parse it appropriately.

Also, you can now do "Analyze -> analyze drill files" and get a report showing (amongst other things) what drills you are using in your design, and how many times they are used. This can be useful when dealing with a fab house with a limited drill set, or a charge when you go over some number of allowed drills.

Cheers,

Stuart

Reply to
Stuart Brorson

Yep, I can just do file-open, and select all the gerbers and excellons at once. They all get read into different coloured layers, with the CNC drill file(s) appearing as circles of the appropriate size.

Thanks for the good work, and the Debian packaging.

--

John Devereux
Reply to
John Devereux

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