Generate Output Files

Modified by Jason Howie on Mar 17, 2015
Contents
Other Related Resources
Bill of Materials (Dialog)
Schematic Print Properties (Dialog)
PCB Printout Properties (Dialog)
PCB 3D Print Settings (Dialog)
Gerber Setup (Dialog)
Gerber X2 Setup (Dialog)
NC Drill Setup (Dialog)
ODB++ Setup (Dialog)
Electrical Rules Check Setup (Dialog)

Parent page: WorkspaceManager Dialogs

The Generate output files dialog.

Summary

This dialog allows the designer to configure and generate manufacturing outputs from the current board design, in a batch-style release process. To fabricate a printed circuit board there are a variety of files needed in specific formats, such as Gerber, Gerber X2, NC drill, or ODB++. You also need to be able to generate documentation outputs, such print-type outputs to Windows printers, and tabular output suitable for the Bill of Materials.

PCBWorks has built-in support for all of the output types needed, including Microsoft Excel format output with support for Excel templates.

Before generating outputs from your design, it is important to liaise with the fabricators and board assembly houses to ensure output data is generated in the format and to the precision that both suits your design and works with their requirements.

Access

The dialog is accessed by clicking Project | Project Actions | , from the main menus of any editor.

Options/Controls

Outputs List

This, the main region of the dialog, presents a listing of all supported output types that may be generated from the design. Output types are grouped into the following categories:

  • BOM - this category offers the following output types: Bill of Materials.
  • Documentation - this category offers the following output types: Schematic Prints, PCB Prints, PCB 3D Print.
  • Fabrication - this category offers the following output types: Gerber Files, Gerber X2 Files, NC Drill Files, ODB++ Files.
  • Assembly - this category offers the following output types: Assembly Drawings.
  • Validation - this category offers the following output types: Electrical Rules Check.

Each specific output type is presented with the following fields:

  • Output Generator - the type of output generator, the name of which indicates the type of output that will be generated.
  • Configure - click this button to access an associated dialog with which to configure the currently selected output generator. The dialogs involved are:
  • Status - the current state of the output. The following possible states exist:
    •  - the output is currently in the process of being generated.
    •  - the output has generated successfully. For an ERC report, there are either no errors, or the level of those errors falls within the specified maximum tolerated error level for that report.
If the output can not be generated successfully, an error dialog will appear alerting you to the fact that validation has failed. For the validation-based ERC output, this means errors exist within the source design documents that are causing certain check(s) to fail. For a standard output, the output could not be generated successfully. Perhaps Fatal Errors exist when performing a pre-generation compile, or something is amiss in the configuration of the associated output generator.
  • Enabled - indicates whether this output type is to be included in the batch generation of outputs (enabled), or not (disabled).

Right-Click Menu

The following commands are available from the right-click context menu for the dialog:

  • Configure - use this command to access an associated dialog with which to configure the currently selected output generator.
  • Disable - use this command to disable the currently selected output generator, excluding it from the batch release process.
  • Enable all - use this command to quickly enable all output generators, including all in the batch release process.
  • Disable all - use this command to quickly disable all output generators, excluding all from the batch release process.
  • Open Document - use this command to open the generated output for the currently selected output generator. This command will only be available provided output has been successfully generated for that particular output type.
To access the right-click menu, ensure the cursor is over the area occupied by the output type entries, and not in blank space beneath.

Additional Buttons

Below the list, the following buttons are available:

  • Generate - click this button to go ahead and run the release process. The Electrical Rules Check validation report will be run first (if enabled), checking the electrical/drafting validity of the captured source design. All other defined (and enabled) outputs are then run. These are the manufacturing outputs from which the physical Item will be produced to exist as a tangible product which can be bought and sold.
Generated output is stored under the \Default Configuration folder - a child folder of the directory containing the project file. Separate sub-folders therein will be generated to contain specific output as applicable for BOM, ERC, Gerber, GerberX2, NC Drill, and ODB. In addition, certain output will be available from the Projects panel (including BOM and HTML-based ERC report).
A PDF document will be generated, named [<ProjectName>.PrjPcb] <ProjectName>.pdf. This will contain entries for the following generated output (where enabled): Electrical Rules Check, BOM, Schematic Prints, PCB Prints, PCB 3D Print, and Assembly Drawings.
Each time a release is performed, the previously generated output(s) will be deleted, replaced afresh with the enabled, and newly generated output(s).
  • View - after output generation, and with a specific output type selected in the list, click this button to open that output for viewing.

 

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