DipTrace 3.1 release

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novarm44
DipTrace Lead Developer
Posts: 466
Joined: 08 Jun 2010, 23:24
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DipTrace 3.1 release

#1 Post by novarm44 » 28 May 2017, 23:46

Hi All,

We have published version 3.1 today.
You can download it from http://diptrace.com/download-diptrace/
Updated libraries are already included into program downloads.
Updated STEP 3D models should be downloaded separately at http://diptrace.com/libraries-and-3d-models/
Please download single file (exe or zip), download by categories will be updated shortly.

If compare to 3.0, the new features are:
- Length matching rules.
- Real-time Length Comparison table.
- Layer Stackup table.
- Using Layer Stackup and Pad Signal Delay for trace length and differential pair phase calculation.
- Meander tool for any trace, easy resizing and moving of meanders.
- Improved phase tune tool.
- Align objects.
- Switching measurement units with a shortcut in any dialog box (Shift+U by default).
- Hotkeys for selecting sheets in Schematic and for the Measure tool in Pattern Editor.
- Moving all selected trace segments simultaneously (bus editing).
- Permanent Net Highlight option.
- Altium ASCII Import (Schematic, PCB, libraries).
- Eagle XML Import (Schematic, PCB, libraries).
- ODB++ output - version 8.1 added.

New Libraries (11,813 new component and 345 new patterns):
- Atmel - MCU, PLD, FPGA, RF, Interface, Memory, Power Management and Sensors added.
- Microchip - MCU and DSC added.
- NXP-Freescale - MCU, MPU, DSP and RF added.
- QORVO(RFMD) - RF and RFID added.
- Renesas - Diodes, Thyristors, Transistors, DAC, MCU, Amplifiers, Comparators, Memory and Power Management added.
- ST Micro - MCU, Memory and Sensors added.
- Texas Instruments 2,3 - Transistors, Interface, Linear, Logic, Power Management added.
New STEP 3D Models (1,726):
Batteries, CAP, Con Batteries, Con Power, Con RF & Coaxial, Con TB Headers, Crystals, DFN, Diodes, Diodes Bridge, Displays, Inductors, Misc, Potentiometers, Sensors, Sip

Regards,
Stanislav Ruev
DipTrace Team

Tomg
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Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#2 Post by Tomg » 29 May 2017, 04:42

Thanks for all of your hard work on continually improving Diptrace. Here are a few quick, preliminary observations I have made which may or may not be of interest to developers and/or users...

Bugs fixed in v3.1
1) PCB Layout editor trace length dragging in Edit Traces mode works again.
2) PCB Layout editor via conversion no longer results in erroneous DRC flag.
3) Pattern Editor circular array renumbering works properly.
4) Pattern Editor no longer ignores imported DXF file origin.

Bugs carried over to v3.1
1) Pattern Editor Zoom Extents tool ignores dimensions.
2) PCB Layout editor Zoom Extents tool ignores component markings, dimension text and circular PCB outlines.
3) PCB Layout editor DXF Import tool Convert to: Pads fails.
4) Pattern Editor ignores PCB Layout editor Route Keepout color change.
5) Distance between BGA pad edge (0.5 mm diameter) and its fanout via edge (0.5mm diameter) is off by 0.26 mm.
6) Layer viewing order is incorrect.
7) PCB Layout editor neck-down fails when routing from component pin to unconnected end of same-net trace.
8) Schematic Editor's Replace Part tool erroneously clears Manufacturer and Datasheet fields.
9) Grid Size entry box at top of screen accepts and displays values too small for Diptrace to process.
10) Schematic Editor Zoom Extents tool ignores pins and component markings.

Minor annoyance
1) Can't eliminate meander completely if trace is off the grid. Not a big deal, though, as turning off the grid will solve the problem.

Pleasant discovery
1) It is nice to see the text entry dialog window pop-up after double-clicking on the text. If I remember correctly, that seems to be a different response from past versions. If so, let me just say that it is a very welcome change to the program.
Last edited by Tomg on 29 May 2017, 11:32, edited 6 times in total.
Tom

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KevinA
Posts: 639
Joined: 18 Dec 2015, 08:35

Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#3 Post by KevinA » 29 May 2017, 08:09

When I installed DipTrace 3.1 beta I installed it along side of DipTrace 3.0, seems to work. I discovered that the Microsoft Programs and Features application removal function only had one DipTrace to remove which was the last installed DipTrace 3.1 beta. After removing 3.1 beta I discovered the installer/uninstaller application in the DipTrace 3.0 folder which allowed me to uninstall 3.0.
After installing DipTrace 3.1 RELEASE into C:\Program Files\DipTrace31 I downloaded and ran the models3d.exe file, later, much later, I found the 3D files in my C:\Users\Kevin\Documents\DipTrace31\models3d
Which is where I wanted them to end up but I have no idea how they got there!
Even though the installer put the 3D files where I needed them DipTrace could not find them, it was looking in the default directory of C:\Users\Kevin\Documents\DipTrace\models3d

Tomg
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Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#4 Post by Tomg » 29 May 2017, 08:33

I had a similar uninstaller experience.
Tom

novarm44
DipTrace Lead Developer
Posts: 466
Joined: 08 Jun 2010, 23:24
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Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#5 Post by novarm44 » 29 May 2017, 09:22

When you install models - by default it is installed to C:/Program files/DipTrace/models3d and DipTrace has this folder to find models is set by default. But you can easily change folder during 3d model installation process and add more folders where to search for 3D models at Tools/3D Preview/Pattern and Model Search. We also plan to add special script to 3D model installer to let it add 3D model installation folder to DipTrace settings.

We did tens of different fixes by user comments in this update, but not all of course as have thousands of them. From now we plan to spend month or two just for fixes and then will make small update to 3.1, however not all wishes will be implemented as many of them just not acceptable for our software, and polishing each and every small thing may take all of our time which we can spend to make net ties, teardrops, cross-probing, pin/gate swap, interactive router, etc. I will take your comment into account and investigate all items, but:
6) Layer viewing order is incorrect.
Active signal/plane layer is always on top, other layers under it may have different order - they are drawn not by layers, but by objects. We can change this, but I'm not sure it is necessary and what to draw first after active layer if active one is inner.
8) Moving hierarchical pin on hierarchical sheet does not update pin order of related hierarchical block on main schematic.
It should be update manually by right click on block and selecting Update item, otherwise it may make a mess when you just move the pin around, and switch to the main sheet after that.
3) PCB Layout editor DXF Import tool Convert to: Pads fails.
I remember a few days ago while fixing one of the bugs I was able to import pads with ease, but I will check - maybe not all shapes are recognized, something not clear with settings, or else.
1) Can't eliminate meander completely if trace is off the grid. Not a big deal, though, as turning off the grid will solve the problem.
I will correct this. I'm turning off the grid with hotkey while eliminating meanders at the moment, but that should be changed.

Tomg
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Posts: 2024
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#6 Post by Tomg » 29 May 2017, 09:49

novarm44 wrote:"...Active signal/plane layer is always on top, other layers under it may have different order - they are drawn not by layers, but by objects. We can change this, but I'm not sure it is necessary and what to draw first after active layer if active one is inner..."
Depending on which layer is selected, I suppose it would be easy getting caught up in a sort of "Merry-Go-Round" situation if you're not careful. Kind of like a feedback loop. Anyway, just for your amusement, I've attached a DipTrace PCB file below named "layer_view_order.dip" that makes it easy to see where different layers end up according to which layer has been selected.
novarm44 wrote:"...Moving hierarchical pin on hierarchical sheet does not update pin order of related hierarchical block on main schematic. It should be update manually by right click on block and selecting Update item, otherwise it may make a mess when you just move the pin around, and switch to the main sheet after that..."
Thanks for the tip. I didn't even know about that option.
novarm44 wrote:"...I remember a few days ago while fixing one of the bugs I was able to import pads with ease, but I will check - maybe not all shapes are recognized, something not clear with settings, or else..."
I could be using incorrect settings, but one process involving the exporting of a DXF file out of and back into the PCB Editor seemed to work. However, using files straight from Geomagic Design or Fusion 360 did not work with the same settings selected.
novarm44 wrote:"...Can't eliminate meander completely if trace is off the grid. Not a big deal, though, as turning off the grid will solve the problem..." "...I will correct this. I'm turning off the grid with hotkey while eliminating meanders at the moment, but that should be changed.
Thank you for the quick responses and thanks again for improving the program.

p.s. I added one more bug item to the previous list: Schematic Editor Zoom Extents tool ignores pins and component markings.
Attachments
layer_view_order.dip
(112.24 KiB) Downloaded 59 times
Tom

rick.curl
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Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#7 Post by rick.curl » 31 May 2017, 02:50

novarm44 wrote:When you install models - by default it is installed to C:/Program files/DipTrace/models3d and DipTrace has this folder to find models is set by default
I just installed 3.1 on a Windows 8.1 system. I verified that Diptrace is installed in the Program Files directory and not the Program files (x86) directory, but when I installed 3D models the default directory was Program files (x86). I corrected it according to your post at 16:22 above. When I started PCB layout and tried to view one of my designs in 3D it couldn't find any 3D models. I checked Tools>3D Preview>Patterns and Models search and found that by default it was looking in C:\Diptrace\Models3D. I corrected it to C:\Program Files\Diptrace\Models3D and all is working fine now.

I'm liking the new release. Thanks for continuing to make DipTrace better!

-Rick

mbelectronicdesign
Posts: 33
Joined: 19 Oct 2014, 01:56

Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#8 Post by mbelectronicdesign » 01 Jun 2017, 02:56

Two quick questions:

1. Does 3.1 fix the display issues of tiny icons when using 4k displays?

2. I downloaded the new 3.1 3D models file but during install, I noticed that it was going to extract them into C:\Program Files (x86) and I'm on 64 bit so I changed to C:\Program Files. It then went ahead and installed with a success message (eventually). Now I see the 3D files are under C:\Program Files\DipTrace\models3d but the new ones all appear in folders like _General or Antennas and they all seem to be in .step format. It looks like the old .wrl files are still there in the top level of C:\Program Files\DipTrace\models3d. Questions:
a. Should I delete all the .wrl files in C:\Program Files\DipTrace\models3d and just use the .step ones in the sub folders?
b. Does this mean that Diptrace has changed over to use .step files now?

Thanks

farley
Posts: 157
Joined: 15 Sep 2011, 09:28

Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#9 Post by farley » 04 Jun 2017, 02:49

1. On my 4k monitor the icons are tiny when using the 64-bit version (DipTrace 3.1). I have not discovered a way to change their size.

2. I only use components and patterns I create myself so I don't have the DipTrace 3D models installed. However . . .

a. If the .wrl models are in their own directory it should not be a problem to leave them installed (assuming you've got the storage space). The .wrl models are OK for viewing but, as far as my experience has been, not good for much else. Use the STEP files for any new parts you create.

b. STEP files are (more or less) the industry standard for communicating 3d models between different mechanical CAD systems with incompatible file formats. All 3d CAD systems I'm aware of import and export STEP files. It makes good sense for DipTrace to adopt STEP files for 3d data interchange. I'm not aware of any mechanical CAD system that supports .wrl files in a usable fashion.

mbelectronicdesign
Posts: 33
Joined: 19 Oct 2014, 01:56

Re: DipTrace 3.1 release

#10 Post by mbelectronicdesign » 05 Jun 2017, 00:40

Farley,

Thanks for the input. You can solve the tiny icon issue by installing the 32 bit version. From your reported experience, it sounds like they did not fix this issue in 3.1 so, on my 4k Dell laptop, I will stick with the 32 bit version for now.

I agree that .step files are the de facto standard. My question to Diptrace was seeking confirmation that all the old .wrl files have all been converted to .step files. I suspect this is not the case for everything and, so far, I've kept the .wrls along with the .steps (in their folder structure). I think it would also cause an issue for PCB designs that I already have when opening them and trying to do a 3D view if the .wrl files were not there.

FYI, I use FreeCAD to design my component models and then export them to .step (with colors); FreeCAD is free, has a bit of a learning curve, but it's stable and powerful. As you infer, .step files are ubiquitous for components these days and Diptrace handles them very well.

Ted

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