FlatCAM: 2D Computer-Aided PCB Manufacturing
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(c) 2014-2019 Juan Pablo Caram
FlatCAM is a program for preparing CNC jobs for making PCBs on a CNC router.
Among other things, it can take a Gerber file generated by your favorite PCB
CAD program, and create G-Code for Isolation routing.
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9.09.2019
- changed the triangulation type in VisPyVisuals for ShapeCollectionVisual class
- added a setting in Preferences -> Gerber -> Gerber General named Buffering. If set to 'no' the Gerber objects load a lot more faster (perhaps 10 times faster than when set to 'full') but the visual look is not so great as all the aperture polygons can be seen
- added for NCC Tool and Paint Tool a setting in the Preferences -> Tools --> (NCC Tool/ Paint Tool) that can set a progressive plotting (plot shapes as they are processed)
- some fixes in Paint Tool when done over the Gerber objects in case that the progressive plotting is selected
- some fixes in Gerber isolation in case that the progressive plotting is selected; added a 'Buffer solid geometry' button shown only when progressive plotting for Gerber object is selected. It will buffer the entire geometry of the object and plot it, in a threaded way.
- modified FlatCAMObj.py file to the new string format that will allow easier translations
- modified camlib.py, FlatCAMAPp.py and ObjectCollection.py files to the new string format that will allow easier translations
- updated the POT file and the German language
- fixed issue when loading unbuffered a Gerber file that has negative regions
- fixed Panelize Tool to save the aperture geometries into the panel apertures. Also made the tool faster by removing the buffering at the end of the job
- modified FlatCAMEditor's files to the new string format that will allow easier translations
- updated POT file and the Romanian translation
8.09.2019
- added some documentation strings for methods in FlatCAMApp.App class
- removed some @pyqtSlot() decorators as they interfere with the current way the program works
7.09.2019
- added a method to gracefully exit from threaded tasks and implemented it for the NCC Tool and for the Paint Tool
- modified the on_about() function to reflect the reality in 2019 - FlatCAM it is an Open Source contributed software
- remade the handlers for the Enable/Disable Project Tree context menu so they are threaded and activity is shown in the lower right corner of the main window
- added to GUI new options for the Gerber object related to area subtraction
- added new feature in the Gerber object isolation allowing for the isolation to avoid an area defined by another object (Gerber or Geometry)
- all transformation functions show now the progress (rotate, mirror, scale, offset, skew)
- made threaded the Offset and Scale operations found in the Selected tab of the object
- corrected some issues and made Move Tool to show correctly when it is plotting and when it is offsetting the objects position
- made Set Origin feature, threaded
- updated German language translation files
- separated the Plotting thread from the transformations threads
6.09.2019
- remade visibility threaded
- reimplemented the thread listening for new FlatCAM process starting with args so it is no longer subclassed but using the moveToThread function
- added percentage display for work done in NCC Tool
- added percentage display for work done in Paint Tool
- some fixes and prepared the activity monitor area to receive updated texts
- added progress display in status bar for generating CNCJob from Excellon objects
- added progress display in status bar for generating CNCJob from Geometry objects
- modified all the FlatCAM tools strings to the new format in which the status is no longer included in the translated strings to make it easier for the future translations
- more customization for the progress display in case of NCC Tool, Paint Tool and for the Gcode generation
- updated POT file with the new strings
- made the objects offset (therefore the Move Tool) show progress display
5.09.2019
- fixed issue with loading files at start-up
- fixed issue with generating bounding box geometry for CNCJob objects
- added some more infobar messages and log.debug
- increased the priority for the worker tasks
- hidden the configuration for G91 coordinates due of deciding to leave this development for another time; it require too much refactoring
- added some messages for the G-code generation so the user know in which stage the process is
4.09.2019
- started to work on support for G91 in Gcode (relative coordinates)
- added support for G91 coordinates
- working in plotting the CNCjob generated with G91 coordinates
3.09.2019
- in NCC tool there is now a depth of cut parameter named 'Cut Z' which will dictate how deep the tool will enter into the PCB material
- in NCC tool added possibility to choose between the type of tools to be used and when V-shape is used then the tool diameter is calculated from the desired depth of cut and from the V-tip parameters
- small changes in NCC tool regarding the usage of the V-shape tool
- fixed the isolation distance in NCC Tool for the tools with iso_op type
- in NCC Tool now the Area adding is continuous until RMB is clicked (no key modifier is needed anymore)
- fixed German language translation
- in NCC Tool added a warning in case there are isolation tools and if those isolation's are interrupted by an area or a box
- in Paint Tool made that the area selection is repeated until RMB click
- in Paint Tool and NCC Tool fixed the RMB click detection when Area selection is used
- finished the work on file extensions registration with FlatCAM. If the file extensions are deleted in the Preferences -> File Associations then those extensions are unregistered with FlatCAM
- fixed bug in NCC Tools and in SolderPaste Tool if in Edit -> Preferences only one tool is entered
- fixed bug in camblib.clear_polygon3() which caused that some copper clearing / paintings were not complete (some polygons were not processed) when the Straight Lines method was used
- some changes in NCC Tools regarding of the clearing itself
2.09.2019
- fixed issue in NCC Tool when using area option
- added formatting for some strings in the app strings, making the future translations easier
- made changes in the Excellon Tools Table to make it more clear that the tools are selected in the # column and not in the Plot column
- in Excellon and Gerber Selected tab made the Plot (mark) columns not selectable
- some ToolTips were modified
- in Properties Tool made threaded the calculation of convex_hull area and also made it to work for multi-geo objects
- in NCC tool the type of tool that is used is transferred to the Geometry object
- in NCC tool the type of isolation done with the tools selected as isolation tools can now be selected and it has also an Edit -> Preferences entry
- in Properties Tool fixed the dimensions calculations (length, width, area) to work for multi-geo objects
1.09.2019
- fixed open handlers
- fixed issue in NCC Tool where the tool table context menu could be installed multiple times
- added new ability to create simple isolation's in the NCC Tool
- fixed an issue when multi depth step is larger than the depth of cut
27.08.2019
- made FlatCAM so that whenever an associated file is double clicked, if there is an opened instance of FlatCAM, the file will be opened in the first instance without launching a new instance of FlatCAM. If FlatCAM is launched again it will spawn a new process (hopefully it will work when freezed).
26.08.2019
- added support for file associations with FlatCAM, for Windows
25.08.2019
- initial add of a new Tcl Command named CopperClear
- remade the NCC Tool in preparation for the newly added TclCommand CopperClear
- finished adding the TclCommandCopperClear that can be called with alias: 'ncc'
- added new capability in NCC Tool when the reference object is of Gerber type and fixed some newly introduced errors
- fixed issue #298. The changes in postprocessors done in Preferences dis not update the object UI layout as it was supposed to. The selection of Marlin postproc. did not unhidden the Feedrate Rapids entry.
- fixed minor issues
- fixed Tcl Command AddPolygon, AddPolyline
- fixed Tcl Command CncJob
- fixed crash due of Properties Tool trying to have a convex hull area on FlatCAMCNCJob objects which is not possible due of their nature
- modified Tcl Command SubtractRectangle
- fixed and modernized the Tcl Command Scale to be able to scale on X axis or on Y axis or on both and having as scale reference either the (0, 0) point or the minimum point of the bounding box or the center of the bounding box.
- fixed and modernized the Tcl Command Skew
24.08.2019
- modified CutOut Tool so now the manual gaps adding will continue until the user is clicking the RMB
- added ability to turn on/off the grid snapping and to jump to a location while in CutOut Tool manual gap adding action
- made PlotCanvas class inherit from VisPy Canvas instead of creating an instance of it (work of JP)
- fixed selection by dragging a selection shape in Geometry Editor
- modified the Paint Tool. Now the Single Polygon and Area/Reference Object painting works with multiple tools too. The tools have to be selected in the Tool Table.
- remade the TclCommand Paint to work in the new configuration of the the app (the painting functions are now in their own tool, Paint Tool)
- fixed a bug in the Properties Tool
- added a new TcL Command named Nregions who generate non-copper regions
- added a new TclCommand named Bbox who generate a bounding box.
23.08.2019
- in Tool Cutout for the manual gaps, right mouse button click will exit from the action of adding gaps
- in Tool Cutout tool I've added the possibility to create a cutout without bridge gaps; added the 'None' option in the Gaps combobox
- in NCC Tool added ability to add multiple zones to clear when Area option is checked and the modifier key is pressed (either CTRL or SHIFT as set in Preferences). Right click of the mouse is an additional way to finish the job.
- fixed a bug in Excellon Editor that made that the selection of drills is always cumulative
- in Paint Tool added ability to add multiple zones to paint when Area option is checked and the modifier key is pressed (either CTRL or SHIFT as set in Preferences). Right click of the mouse is an additional way to finish the job.
- in Paint Tool and NCC Tool, for the Area option, now mouse panning is allowed while adding areas to process
- for all the FlatCAM tools launched from toolbar the behavior is modified: first click it will launch the tool; second click: if the Tool tab has focus it will close the tool but if another tab is selected, the tool will have focus
- modified the NCC Tool and Paint Tool to work multiple times after first launch
- fixed the issue with GUI entries content being deselected on right click in the box in order to copy the value
- some changes in GUI tooltips
- modified the way key modifiers are detected in Gerber Editor Selection class and in Excellon Editor Selection class
- updated the translations
- fixed aperture move in Gerber Editor
- fixed drills/slots move in Excellon Editor
- RELEASE 8.96
22.08.2019
- added ability to turn ON/OFF the detachable capability of the tabs in Notebook through a context menu activated by right mouse button click on the Notebook header
- added ability to turn ON/OFF the detachable capability of the tabs in Plot Tab Area through a context menu activated by right mouse button click on the Notebook header
- added possibility to turn application portable from the Edit -> Preferences -> General -> App. Preferences -> Portable checkbox
- moved the canvas setup into it's own function and called it in the init() function
- fixed the Buffer Tool in Geometry Editor; made the Buffer entry field a QDoubleSpinner and set the lower limit to zero.
- fixed Tool Cutout so when the target Gerber is a single Polygon then the created manual geometry will follow the shape if shape is freeform
- fixed TclCommandFollow command; an older function name was used who yielded wrong results
- in Tool Cutout for the manual gaps, now the moving geometry that cuts gaps will orient itself to fit the angle of the cutout geometry
21.08.2019
- added feature in Paint Tool allowing the painting to be done on Gerber objects
- added feature in Paint Tool to set how (and if) the tools are sorted
- added Edit -> Preferences GUI entries for the above just added features
- added new entry in Properties Tool which is the calculated Convex Hull Area (should give a more precise area for the irregular shapes than the box area)
- added some more strings in Properties Tool for the translation
- in NCC Tool added area selection feature
- fixed bug in Excellon parser for the Excellon files that do not put the type of zero suppression they use in the file (like DipTrace eCAD)
- fixed some issues introduced in NCC Tool
20.08.2019
- added ability to do copper clearing through NCC Tool on Geometry objects
- replaced the layout from Grid to Form for the Reference objects comboboxes in Paint Tool and in NCC Tool
19.08.2019
- updated the Edit -> Preferences to include also the Gerber Editor complete Preferences
- started to update the app strings to make it easier for future translations
- fixed the POT file and the German translation
- some mods in the Tool Sub
- fixed bug in Tool Sub that created issues when toggling visibility of the plots
- fixed the Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Romanian translations
18.08.2019
- made the exported preferences formatted therefore more easily read
- projects at startup don't work in another thread so there is no multithreading if I want to double click an project and to load it
- added messages in the application window title which show the progress in loading a project (which is not thread-safe therefore keeping the app from fully initialize until finished)
- in NCC Tool added a new parameter (radio button) that offer the choice on the order of the tools both in tools table and in execution of engraving; added as a parameter also in Edit -> Preferences -> Tools -> NCC Tool
- added possibility to drag & drop FlatCAM config files (*.FlatConfig) into the canvas to be opened into the application
- added GUI in Paint tool in beginning to add Paint by external reference object
- finished adding in Paint Tool the usage of an external object to set the extent of th area painted. For simple shapes (single Polygon) the shape can be anything, for the rest will be a convex hull of the reference object
- modified NCC tool so for simple objects (single Polygon) the external object used as reference can have any shape, for the other types of objects the copper cleared area will be the convex hull of the reference object
- modified the strings of the app wherever they contained the char seq so it is not included in the translated string
- updated the translation files for the modified strings (and for the newly added strings)
- added ability to lock toolbars within the context menu that is popped up on any toolbars right mouse click. The value is saved in QSettings and it is persistent between application startup's.
17.08.2019
- added estimated time of routing for the CNCJob and added travelled distance parameter for geometry, too
- fixed error when creating CNCJob due of having the annotations disabled from preferences but the plot2() function from camlib.CNCJob class still performed operations who yielded TypeError exceptions
- coded a more accurate way to estimate the job time in CNCJob, taking into consideration if there is a usage of multi depth which generate more passes
- another fix (final one) for the Exception generated by the annotations set not to show in Preferences
- updated translations and changed version
- fixed installer issue for the x64 version due of the used CX_FREEZE python package which was in unofficial version (obviously not ready to be used)
- fixed bug in Geometry Editor, in disconnect_canvas_event_handlers() where I left some part of code without adding a try - except block which was required
- moved the initialization of the FlatCAM editors after a read of the default values. If I don't do this then only at the first start of the application the Editors are not functional as the Editor objects are most likely destroyed
- fixed bug in FlatCAM editors that caused the shapes to be drawn without resolution when the app units where INCH
- modified the transformation functions in all classes in camlib.py and FlatCAMObj.py to work with empty geometries
- RELEASE 8.95
17.08.2019
- updated the translations for the new strings
- RELEASE 8.94
16.08.2019
- working in Excellon Editor to Tool Resize to consider the slots, too
- fixed a weird error that created a crash in the following scenario: create a new excellon, edit it, add some drills/slots, delete it without saving, create a new excellon, try to edit and a crash is issued due of a wrapped C++ error
- fixed bug selection in Excellon editor that caused not to select the corresponding row (tool dia) in the tool table when a selection rectangle selected an even number of geometric elements
- updated the default values to more convenient ones
- remade the enable/disable plots functions to work only where it needs to (no sense in disabling a plot already disabled)
- made sure that if multi depth is choosed when creating GCode then if the multidepth is more than the depth of cut only one cut is made (to the depth of cut)
- each CNCJob object has now it's own text_collection for the annotations which allow for the individual enabling and disabling of the annotations
- added new menu category in File -> Backup with two menu entries that duplicate the functions of the export/import preferences buttons from the bottom of the Preferences window
- in Excellon Editor fixed the display of the number of slots in the Tool Table after the resize done with the Resize tool
- in Excellon Editor -> Resize tool, made sure that when the slot is resized, it's length remain the same, because the tool should influence only the 'thickness' of the slot. Since I don't know anything but the geometry and tool diameters (old and new), this is only an approximation and computationally intensive
- in Excellon Editor -> remade the Tool edit made by editing the diameter values in the Tools Table to work for slots too
- In Excellon Editor -> fixed bug that caused incorrect display of the relative coordinates in the status bar
15.08.2019
- added Edit -> Preferences GUI and storage for the Excellon Editor Add Slots
- added a confirmation message for objects delete and a setting to activate it in Edit -> Preferences -> Global
- merged pull request from Mike Smith which fix an application crash when attempting to open a not-a-FlatCAM-project file as project
- merged pull request from Mike Smith that add support for a new SVG element: