Re: gEDA-user: PCB GTK version...

[Xtian Xultz <xultz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Em Ter 26 Jul 2005 16:02, Dave McGuire escreveu:
> On Jul 26, 2005, at 2:56 PM, Xtian Xultz wrote:
> > Sorry Dave, I forgot about that. PCs and Macs have 3d accelerated
> > graphics,
> > what kind of machine do you use?
>
>    I use a Mac for "regular" tasks and a couple of Sun UltraSPARC
> systems for CAD work, including PCB.  My graphics hardware was selected
> for high resolution and fast 2D operations, not 3D, because printed
> circuit board layout is a 2D task.

I disagree with you. PCB design is a mechanical task. Of course, a lot of 
electronic, phisics, etc, skills are needed, but one important characteristic 
is the mechanical part. For example, my most recent project is made by two 
boards, like a sandwich (which remebers me that I am hungry, its time to 
dinner :D ), and was difficult to draw because some big components (like a 
Molex connector, electrolitic capacitor, etc) couldnt be below the second 
board, so I had to choose where to put the components, how the upper board 
should be, etc etc. And of course, I need to take care about ground loops, 
EMC, etc. Of couser I did the work in gschem and pcb, but if I could render 
the board in a 3D view, placing both boards togheter, that would make my job 
much more easy (and probably I would not did an error where two mounting 
holes didnt fit). So, I disagree that pcb design is a 2D task, I allways must 
take care about the third dimension... and 3D visualization, in my opinion, 
is a needed feature. 
The 3D vizualization that Kicad gives (I need to study a little more about 
that amazing open source tool, maybe do one or two works with him) is far 
from perfect or completely usefull, but is a good start.

>    GTK itself puts more graphics processing load on the system than does
> the core functionality of PCB.  That strikes me as quite odd.  Nothing
> about PCB is 3D.

Yeah, I agree. But GTK is so... beatifull :D

> > But what doesnt get out of my mind, is thinking that if you want to
> > use a
> > software that is graphically intensive, is not a good idea to use a
> > machine
> > that isnt.
>
>    Of course you're correct...but there's a big difference between 2D
> operations and 3D operations, and good 2D performance and good 3D
> performance seem (inexplicably) to be mutually exclusive.
>
>              -Dave
>
> --
> Dave McGuire             "I wonder what 'Error Code 1' means. That's
> Cape Coral, FL            what it said when it started smoking."
> -Jonathan Patschke