#6
Post
by Tomg » 20 Jun 2017, 14:15
Unfortunately, DipTrace does not have a parametric environment so you will not be able to move objects around by assigning dimensions. DipTrace dimensions do not do the driving; they are "passive" and are driven by the objects they measure. To move a component (other than dragging it with the mouse), click on it to select it and enter new coordinate values (X,Y) in the Properties panel on the upper-right side of the screen. An alternate method would be to right-click on the component (not its pads), choose Properties... in the pop-up menu and enter the desired X and Y values in the lower-left side of the Component Properties dialog window. Component coordinates specify the location of the component's origin. To view a component's origin, right-click on it (not its pads), select Pattern Origin in the pop-up menu and choose Show in the fly-out menu. The component origin will appear as a small gray "+".
Since the imported copper object is not a singular "component", you will have to move it by changing the grid size, selecting/highlighting the desired object(s) and then using the arrow keys. Notice that I centered the copper object(s) around my CAD program's origin (0,0) when creating the drawing. This means that it should import into the DipTrace Design Area at the same location (0,0) as long as your version of DipTrace is not too old. The following procedure is one way to work with different grid sizes and it might introduce to you one particular grid feature you may not have been aware of...
1) Enter a grid size of 0.24mm at the top of the screen.
2) Select View in the Main Menu, choose Y Grid Size in the drop-down menu, click on Custom... in the fly-out menu, enter 1.25mm in the Grid Size dialog window and select OK.
3) Select/highlight the imported object(s).
4) Press the right-arrow key once. This should move it to the right 0.24mm.
5) Press the up-arrow key once. This should move it up 1.25mm. The center of the imported object(s) should now be located at (0.24,1.25).
6) To reset the grid back to the normal X/Y ratio, select View in the Main Menu, choose Y Grid Size in the drop-down menu and click on Identical with X in the fly-out menu.
Another way to move the special object around would be to import it into the pattern editor instead and save it as a new "pattern". Then place the new "pattern" into the PCB layout, give it the desired coordinates and perform an "Ungroup Component" on it to turn it back into an ordinary copper object.
I hope this helps ease some of the pain.
Tom