274-D Gerber data requires a separate aperture list be imported before the design files. This command allows you to import an aperture list file.
If you import an aperture list into a design that already has apertures defined, all D-codes that were previously defined will be remapped to new D-codes and an internal remapping table will be created. Therefore, any Gerber files subsequently imported with the Import|Gerber command will have their D-codes remapped accordingly. This procedure of importing an aperture list followed by one or more basic Gerber files may be repeated as many times as needed, as long as there is room for more apertures. The Import Wizard makes easy work of importing multiple sets of Gerber files, each with their own aperture list, in one simple session.
Tip: If you are importing a VisualCAM Aperture List (.map file), any custom apertures are imported as moirés. Use the Custom Ap button in the Aperture Setup dialog box to load or define your custom apertures. Use of 274-X, or saving your data as a VisualCAM database (.vcam file), will avoid this issue.
Select the File|Import|Aperture List command. The Import Aperture List dialog box appears.
In the Filename box, specify the file to import. Click the browse button if you need to search for the desired file.
Choose the aperture list Automatic Conversion Rule (ACR file) to use from the Format list. If you are not sure which format to choose, select the Auto Detect option to have the format determined automatically.
All ACR files that are provided with VisualCAM are in the Apconv folder. If you have an ACR file that you would like to appear in the Format list, see Options|Configure for information.
If no ACR file exists, you can either create your own using a text editor, or create one interactively in VisualCAM. You can also Edit an existing file, by clicking the Edit Converter button. See Creating an Aperture List Converter.
When you are finished making your selections, click the OK button. Your apertures are imported/converted, and are added to the Aperture Table, where they can be viewed and edited.
VisualCAM provides an interactive ACR File Creator that allows you to quickly create an aperture converter file.
In the Import Aperture List dialog box, click the New Converter button. The Create Aperture List Converter dialog box appears. The name of the aperture list being imported appears at the top, and your current aperture list is displayed in the Format 1 tab.
Your aperture list appears in a spreadsheet, and default column names are provided at the top. These columns are not automatically matched to the aperture list; you must reorder and resize the columns to match the aperture list contents.
To move a column header, click it with your mouse and drag it to the correct location.
The column header width should exactly match the width of the aperture list columns. Click on the left or right edge of the column header and drag it to the appropriate location.
If you wish to delete a column header, right-click on it and select Delete Column from the shortcut menu. Note that once you delete a column, it can always be added again later (it appears as an Add command in the right-click menu).
If you have a column of information in your aperture list that you wish to be ignored, right-click on the column header currently above it, and select Add Skip Column from the shortcut menu. A header titled "Skip" now appears above the contents.
If you find that you have an aperture list that contains mixed definitions, where not all aperture types use the same column format, see the Mixed Format Definitions section, below, for details on how to manage these types of lists.
Specify the Delimiters used to separate the columns in your aperture list.
Select the Units of measure for your aperture list.
If you have any lines in the aperture file, such as headers comments, specify in the Initial Lines To Ignore box how many lines at the beginning of the file should be ignored by the aperture converter. Also specify, in the Comment Text box, the symbol that leads any comment lines that may be intermixed with your aperture information.
Right-click on the shape names in your aperture list, and select the corresponding shape from the right-click menu. (Note that "Therm45" is a Thermal whose spokes are rotated 45 degrees.) VisualCAM automatically recognizes all D-codes with the exact same shape name. The recognized aperture definitions are then listed in the Matched Apertures list. All recognized D-codes are also colored red in the Aperture File view. Continue defining the shapes until they are all listed.
Any apertures that are not matched will not be defined. After importing your 274-D files, you will need to use the Setup|Apertures command to define those apertures.
When you are finished, click the Save Converter button to save your ACR file in the Apconv folder. The dialog box closes and your converter appears in the Format list of the Import Aperture List dialog box.
Mixed Format Definitions
An aperture list that contains mixed definitions, such as the one below that has only an X size for D-code 10, and X and Y size for D-code 11, and X, Y, and rotation value for D-code 12.
|
D10 |
ROUND |
.010 |
INCH |
|
|
|
D11 |
RECT |
.010 |
.020 |
INCH |
|
|
D12 |
THERM |
.090 |
.060 |
45 |
INCH |
If you have a similar case, you can create multiple Format types to handle the information.
Create the column definitions for the first type of format (e.g. D-code 10's format), as instructed above in steps 1-4.
Right-click on the Shape type (e.g. ROUND), and select the matching shape definition from the right-click menu. VisualCAM immediately recognizes all other D-codes with identical shapes, turns the text for those D-codes red, and lists them in the Matched Apertures list. Continue matching all shapes until you are finished.
Right-click on the Format 1 tab, and select Add Format from the shortcut menu. A Format 2 tab appears. The D-codes that have already been recognized based on the Format 1 definitions are listed in gray text.
Modify the column headers so that they are appropriate for the second type of formatting (e.g. D-code 11's format) and repeat the same steps as you did for Format 1. You can create as many Format types as necessary to convert your entire aperture list.
When you are finished, click the Save Converter button to save your ACR file in the Apconv folder. The dialog box closes and your converter appears in the Format list of the Import Aperture List dialog box.