gEDA-user: autorouter fixes and enhancements

[Harry Eaton <bumpelo@xxxxxxxxx>]

   A bunch of fixes and enhancements to the original pcb autorouter
   should now be available in the git repository. Here is a short how-to
   for using the autorouter

   (1) turn off visibility of any layers you don't want the router using

   (2) turn of via visibility if you don't want it to use any new vias

   (3) Use only plain rectangles for power/ground planes that you want
   the router to use [use the rectangle tool!]

   (4) Make at least one connection from any plane you want the router to
   use to the net you want it to connect to.

   (5) draw continuous lines (on all routing layers) to outline keep-out
   zones if desired

   (6) use routing styles in the netlist to have per-net routing styles

   (7) set the current routing style to whatever you'd like the router to
   use for any nets not having a defined route style in the netlist

   (8) disable any nets that you don't want the autorouter to route
   (double-click them in the  netlist window to add/remove the *)

         NOTE: If you will be manually routing these later not using
   planes, it is usually better to let the autorouter route them then rip
   them up yourself afterwards. If you plan to use a ground/power plane
   manually, consider making it from one or more pure rectangles and
   letting the autorouter have a go at it.

   (9) create a fresh rat's nest. ('E' the 'W')

   (10) select "show autorouter trials" in the settings menu if you want
   to watch what's happening

   (11) Choose "autoroute all rats" in the connection menu.

   [12] if you really want to muck with the router because you have a
   special design, e.g. all through-hole components you can mess with
   layer directional costs by editing the autoroute.c source file and
   changing the directional costs in lines 929-940. and try again. Even
   more mucking about with costs is possible in lines 4540-4569, but it's
   probably not such a good idea unless you really just want to
   experiment.
   In keeping with the tradition of nothing good being said about the
   router, let the complaints flow.
   harry


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