pcb-rnd - user manual
7.1 IO plugins
7.1.2 io_pcb
Historically geda/PCB is the predecessor of pcb-rnd, but pcb-rnd has
switched native file format during the big data model rewrite (2016..2017).
This means the old geda/PCB file formats (board and element) are supported
only as alien file formats, with the usual alien format limitations.
At the moment pcb-rnd supports loading files up to geda/PCB version 4.3
(file version 20180318). This includes loading the latest additions of
blind/buried vias, center-specified pads and mask value in routing style.
When saving in this format, pcb-rnd will pick a much older format version,
see limitations below.
Extras in pcb-rnd:
- minor bugfixes so that numeric roundings on corner cases are better
- unlike geda/PCB, pcb-rnd won't crash on invalid bbvia span values but throw an error message with the coords and load the via as thru-hole
- pcb-rnd can save with different units
- pcb-rnd makes an effort to preserve the unit style so a load-save operation causes less changes to the file than in geda/PCB
- pcb-rnd has better support for ancient (pre-2000) file versions
Limitations in pcb-rnd:
- saving files: the newest geda/PCB file format version pcb-rnd can save is, 20100606; that already has polygon holes but:
- no center-defined pads so pad format is converted to line-based (in fact geda/PCB 4.3 also does this conversion on save)
- no blind/buried vias
- no mask value in routing style