Eagle import utility

Thread Starter

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
I just updated to Eagle 5.4 and on the download page under "Miscellaneous" is a program "eagle_pcb-power_tools5_02beta.exe"

That program is supposed to enable importing all sort of file formats, including dxf, gerber, wmf, bmp, gif and jpg. It also includes "several dimension tools."

Has anyone tried it?

Does it make setting dimensions for pcb milling, like for slots, holes, etc., easier?

John
 

Thread Starter

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
UPDATE

I downloaded and installed that utility on a test machine. Here are some first impressions:

1) It is a demo version, which is not disclosed on the Eagle site. The full version is available from Puresoft.com. I have no interest in the software and hope that is not considered spam. That site is a bit hard to find. The price for the light version, which I assume is compatible with the free version of Eagle is £47, and the version for the non-profit license is £99.

2) Limitations of the demo version are not clearly stated. There is no help file. I found the limitation to be so great as to make it hard to evaluate.

3) I could not find anything regarding dimensioning.

4) The image import did work smoothly. But with a limitation of 100X100 pixels, its use would seem to be rather limited. Someone with a nice logo might find it useful. It generates a script that can be run from within Eagle to place the image on either a schematic or board.

5) Did not have any DXF files on the test system, so no comments about importing them. That would be the one element I would find useful, if it is not too limited in the demo.

6) The installation and uninstallation went smoothly. :D

I will try the dxf feature later, if I get time. I fear the demo limitations (whatever they are) would probably limit the usefulness beyond what I would need, based on the image limitations. At the price for this add-on, I would expect it to double the utility of Eagle, which it doesn't.

John

Edit: Tested DXF import. It worked quite nicely. Object was created in Ashlar-Vellum (vc6), converted to dxf, and imported. Dimensions imported correctly using the Eagle tool, which was a surprise, considering I usually have trouble with DXF conversions from vc6 files. The object was 1 X 2". I could not tell from that what the limits were for the demo version. It is nice to be able to import into an Eagle board an outline drawn with a real CAD program. Then place components and route normally.
 
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