What's new in GC-PrevuePlus 21.1.8
Mar 4, 2021
- Support for Gerber X3 Updates to IPC356 input
- Better dialog handling
New in GC-PrevuePlus 18.2.8 (Jun 6, 2018)
- #580 As a consequence of fixing Track #579 we also
- discovered an inconsistency when changing the aperture
- shape via the Properties page. The aperture table now
- appears with the aperture being investigated highlighted.
- The function previously defaulted to the first aperture in
- the list.
- #579 Resolved a crash when picking Rounded
- Rectangle as the Aperture Type via the New Tool dialog.
- #578 There was an inconsistency in the GC Extension
- API. The incorrect PackageType was set for the
- EPackage object.
- #577 Fixed a display issue for custom thermal reliefs
- that result in the thermals appearing to be out of order
- polygon segments.
- #576 When importing IPC-2581 data the Top and
- Bottom Components are sometimes defined as
- conductive layer type and in order to mimic this
- description we include the Part Layers as data layers
- within the Top and/or Bottom Signal layers. The user can
- drag and drop to place these layers on their own Physical
- Layer to better model component layers generated by
- GraphiCode ACE function.
- #575 Fixed a crash caused by an IPC-2581 file that
- had no pad information associated with a component pin.
- This issue is now handled gracefully.
- #573 Found an issue with unit handling in the
- Optimize Panel function that sometimes did not allow
- Panels defined in mm to be used when generating results.
- #571 Fixed a very annoying bug that appeared
- apparently randomly in very large datasets. Turns out
- GetData dialog pointer cast as a32 bit long. In very large
- datasets the max long value was sometimes exceeded,
- resulting in strange behavior. The pointer has been
- modified to 64 bit.
- #570 Rolled back an adjustment to Text Character
- height in the v18.1 release. This was causing text
- apertures to be converted to Custom apertures and thus
- losing the user the ability to edit the aperture in the
- future.
- #568 Fixed a conflict between the two units buttons
- displayed in the Modify Format Parameters for loading
- DXF / DWG files.
- #566 Fixed an issue that caused a crash in the
- Optimize Panel function when the Windows regional
- settings used commas instead of decimal points as whole
- number / precision differentiator.
- #561 Added an option to scale DXF / DWG data
- upon import to address really large datasets that exceed
- our extent boundary.
New in GC-PrevuePlus 17.2.6 Build 2017033017 (Aug 7, 2017)
- New Features:
- Insert Rout Tabs
- Measure from Grip Points
- Bug Fixes:
- Very shallow arc became a straight line in the 64bit build of the application.
- Added a list of option to the Options Tab under the Help > About dialog.
- The application now releases Gerber files once New Job has been run. The Gerber files are locked to ensure Reloading of a file is consistent but previously the file remained locked until the software was closed.
- Added the option to use Grip points as measurement points. In Measure mode the Grip points option generates five grip points for each selected entity.
- There is one Grip point in the center of the pad and four grip points at the corners of the entity extents. This allows measurements to be mad from the outside edge of one pad to the outside edge of a second pad (see above).
- Updated the Status bar to smoothly should progress. Previously the status bar was difficult to read due to flickering.
- Fixed an issue causing corruption errors to appear if a GWK contained empty BOM entries. The issue also appears with ODB++ files containing empty
- component entries.
New in GC-PrevuePlus 15.3 (Aug 7, 2015)
- New Features:
- Identify Copper:
- The Identify Copper function has been overhauled to
- provide a more robust algorithm for identifying and
- highlighting areas of copper pour and planes within a
- layer.
- Step Graduation:
- This function creates a step and repeat pattern with a
- graduating step distance based on an initial step distance
- plus an incrementing distance.
- Items Fixed since v15.2:
- This list is customer reported issues fixed for this release.
- #401 Expanded the number of allowable Physical layers to 256 in order to accommodate ODB++ files containing empty layers.
- #393 Fixed a longstanding issue that occurred during Data Creation. The issue prevented the direction of arcs being toggled.
- #389 Datamatrix image now correctly orientated to allow all readers to interpret.
- #388 Fixed an issue causing a crash of the software during PADS ASCII input.
- #387 Now correctly displaying features from PADS ASCII input due to poorly formatted output.
- #123 Scrollbars now correctly behave within the graphics window.
- #122 Resolved an issue with a crash caused by a user-created toolbar within all products.
- #102 Similar issue to #76. Aperture list conversion failed. The issue was caused by upgrading to a newer development environment.
- #92 Resolved problem whereby GC-Prevue failed to close correctly, leaving an open instance in the Task Manager.
- #76 Importing aperture list using Aperture List Assistant previously caused crash. Issue fixed.
- #67 Fixed issue related to isolation of polygon pattern.
New in GC-PrevuePlus 15.2 (Aug 7, 2015)
- New Features:
- Merge Job:
- A new option has been added to the Merge Job function to make it easier to Merge two or more GWK files depending upon the process required.
- Merge Job for Production:
- This is the functionality previously available. The merging of jobs to create working panels containing different PCB boards requires a single Top Signal Physical layer containing the data layers of the individual PCB boards. Using this method data layers from like physical layers will be merged into a single physical layer. For example the data layers for the Bottom Silkscreen from the job being merged will be added to an existing Bottom Silkscreen physical. This results in a single Bottom Silkscreen physical layer containing data from multiple boards.
- NEW:
- Merge Job for Comparison:
- In other cases data from two different GWK files is required to be compared in order to find differences between revisions or original v modified data. In order to aide in this task the Merge Job for Comparison function simply adds new physical layers to the existing GWK. The physical layer type and other attributes are retained upon merging allowing Layer Comparison to easily identify.
- It is important to understand that Merging data using the comparison method possibly results in multiple physical layers which can negatively affect many other functions (Extract Netlist, DFM etc). It is advised that GWK files created as a result of this function are used for comparison only and not for generating production data.
- Create QR Codes, Datamatrix codes:
- The ability to create and add QR codes, Datamatrix codes and Barcodes has been implemented. The code is initially created as a Custom aperture so that the code can be exported to Gerber and DXF/DWG files.
- Network Lock File:
- An option has been added to create a lock file when opening a file from a network location. The option is located under Tools > Customize > Save and is simply an On / Off checkbox.
- When this option is On, opening a GWK from a network location will generate a Lock file alongside that GWK preventing another user from overwriting that file. The second user will receive a message when opening the GWK informing the user of who is editing that file. The Save button is then de-activated (the GWK can be saved with a different name however). Once the original user closes down the GWK, the lock file is removed.
- Floating license support for Windows Server 2012:
- The license management software for floating (network) licensing has been updated to provide support for Windows Server 2012R2. The current version is now v11.16
- Items Fixed since v15.1:
- This list is customer reported issues fixed for this release.
- #379 Updated .NET components so that vertical scroll bar correctly displayed in the Panel Optimzer.
- #375 Importing a ZIP file, then importing a second ZIP file resulted in a Disk Full error. This has been resolved by correctly flushing the temporary files.
- AlphaNumeric_Numeric. More complex Reference Designators were currently being handled.
- #339 The Apply Layer settings now correctly applies Layer colors using the RGB settings.
New in GC-PrevuePlus 15.1 (Aug 7, 2015)
- NewFeatures:
- Jump to Data Center:
- Dragging a box around data displays the pop-up dialog allowing Zoom In, Select Inside etc. A new function has been added called Jump to Data Center. This function jumps the crosshair to the center of the extents of the selected data.
- ODB++ Package Outline:
- If present, the Package outline is displayed from the ODB++ database. The outline is displayed on a separate layer within the corresponding Part Physical layer. The package outline in created as a custom pad so that the center of the outline can easily be found. If the trace segments are required then the pad can be exploded using the Explode Custom Pad function.
- Items Fixed since v14.4:
- This list is customer reported issues fixed for this release.
- #362 Plated status of drill not correctly assigned from ODB++ file. Problem caused by additional spaces within a specific file.
- #350 Added additional plugin functionality for Parts in terms of displaying assigned Reference Designator, Part Number and Pin Number.
- #338 Loading a DXF or DWG file with a very large radius arc (so large that the center point sits outside our addressable space) now allows the arc to be vectored in order to be able to display. The settings controlling the precision of the vectoring are found by Modifying Format Parameters for the DXF/DWG file.
- #314 Contour issue was causing an incorrect image to be generated when exporting RS-274X file at micron precision. Fixed.
- #308 Fixed an issue caused by zero length arcs in DWG file. The arcs were incorrectly being interpreted as circle.
New in GC-PrevuePlus 14.4 (Aug 7, 2015)
- New Features:
- Center Part Centroids:
- This function allows Parts with datum points that are not set to the center of the part extents to be modified. Some input formats may contain part information where pin 1 or some other point has been set as the part datum point the centroid). To modify the datum point to the center of the footprint extents previously required the part to be exploded and re-taught. For all selected parts, this function will reset the centroid to the footprint extents. Note: If only one part of many on the board is selected, all parts using the same unique package style will be modified also.
- Virtual Copies to Real:
- This function converts virtual step and repeat patterns to real pad and trace data. The function works when in Layers (Panelize) mode and on layers containing selected data. All virtual panels will be converted.
- GerberX2 drill updates:
- With the new GerberX2 specification, drill information can also be supplied as a Gerber layer of round pads. If this is the case, and it is possible to do so, drill layers are automatically created during the import process in the Holes/Routs section. This is particularly useful when dealing with blind and buried drill layers as the correct layer structure and drill stacks are created automatically. Drill layers will not be created if signal layers are missing or the information provided within the GerberX2 files is not explicit.
- Layer Setup:
- The ability to rename layers using the Apply Layer Settings function has been added. Now, based on all or part of an incoming filename the Name, Layer Type, Side, Pad and Trace color and layer order can be set using customer specific INI files. See example.ini for further information. The file is located in the Examples directory of the installation directory.
- Items Fixed since v14.3:
- This list is customer reported issues fixed for this release.
- #333 Fixed a small bug in the C pad construction algorithm.
- #332 Arcs with centerpoints outside the GraphiCode addressable space are now vectorized when supplied within a DXF or DWG file.
- #331 Missing layers within an RS-274X file. Problem caused by multiple zero length polygon segments being defined as the first polygons on the layer. Layers now display correctly.
- #330 Pin 1 centroids can now be reassigned to the center of the pad extents (see above).
- #329 Virtual step and repeat patterns can now be converted to true data (see above).
- #328 Contour handling of zero length polygon segments updated. The result of this issue was a sketched feature not being converted to a pad. Fixed.
- #327 RS-274X file without %MO*% format string now loads correctly when the now deprecated G71 command is present. The file is now longer legal Gerber but the intention is understood.
- #326 Implemented the updated description of blind and buried drill layers within the GerberX2 specification.
- #322 Fixed an issue where a sliver was not being detected in the dataset.
New in GC-PrevuePlus 14.3.6 (Jul 12, 2014)
- Gerber X2 Support
- Select based on attributes
- Auto update layer properties
New in GC-PrevuePlus 14.1.6 (Feb 14, 2014)
- PADS ASCII Import
- Selection within an area
New in GC-PrevuePlus 13.4 (Feb 14, 2014)
- DXF Step and Repeat support
- EMF file output
New in GC-PrevuePlus 13.3 (Feb 14, 2014)
- More Undo for Editing functions
- Added Redo function
New in GC-PrevuePlus 12.2 (May 29, 2012)
- RS-274X import
- On Line Help Updated
- Fixed various customer reported issues
New in GC-PrevuePlus 12.1 (May 29, 2012)
- BOM Import
- Reordering Data streamlined
- Fixed various customer reported issues
New in GC-PrevuePlus 11.4 (May 29, 2012)
- New Licensing
- New GraphiCode Flex Server
- Streamlined Trial version
- Fixed various customer reported issues