Applied Parameters: Mode=Cut_Polygons|ContextObject=Polygon
Summary
This command is used to slice the polygon pour currently under the cursor, into two or more separate polygon pours.
Access
This command is accessed from the PCB Editor by right-clicking over a placed polygon pour, and choosing the Polygon Actions » Slice Polygon Pour command, from the context menu.
Use
First, ensure that the cursor is positioned over the polygon pour that you wish to slice.
After launching the command, you will enter slice mode (which is essentially line placement mode). To slice the polygon:
- Starting outside the boundary of the polygon, click, or press Enter, to anchor the starting point for the slicing line (the first track segment).
- Move the cursor to define the track segment and click, or press Enter, to anchor the end point for this first segment, which is also the start point for the next connected segment.
- Continue to position the cursor and click, or press Enter, to anchor a series of vertex points that define the series of connected track segments.
- Once the slicing line has been placed across and out the other side of the polygon, right-click, or place Esc, to terminate line placement.
- Repeat steps 1-4 to slice the polygon pour further, as required.
- When you have finished all required slicing, right-click, or press Esc, to terminate slicing - a Confirm dialog will appear asking if you wish to split 1 polygon into x polygons. Click Yes to effect the split(s).
Press the
Tab key to access the
Line Constraints dialog, from where you can change the width of the slicing line as required.
Note that split polygon sections are not actually marked as modified, so a repour of modified polygons will not have any effect. To finalize the split(s) - and to visually see them in the workspace - you will need to manually repour, either by selecting the polygon 'portions' and using the
Repour Selected command, or by using the
Repour All command.
Placement Modes
While placing track segments there are 5 available corner modes, 4 of which also have corner direction sub-modes. During placement:
- Press Shift+Spacebar to cycle through the 5 available corner modes: 45 degree, 45 degree with arc, 90 degree, 90 degree with arc, and Any Angle.
- Press Spacebar to toggle between the two corner direction sub-modes.
- When in either of the arc corner modes, hold the
or
keys to shrink or grow the arc. Hold the Shift key as you press to accelerate arc resizing.
- Press the 1 shortcut key to toggle between placing 1 segment per click (the first 5 images just below), or 2 segments per click (the last image in the set just below). In the first mode the hollow track segment is referred to as the look-ahead segment.
- Press the Backspace key to remove the last vertex.
![](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/250951/Pcb_Obj-Track_TrackCornerMode_45Arc.webp)
![](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/250951/Pcb_Obj-Track_TrackCornerMode_90Arc.webp)
![](/documentation/sites/default/files/wiki_attachments/250951/Pcb_Obj-Track_TrackCornerMode_NoLookAhead.webp)
Press Shift+Spacebar to cycle through the 5 available corner modes, press Spacebar to toggle the corner direction, press the 1 shortcut to
toggle placement between 1 segment or 2 segments.
Tips
- As the slicing line is the same color as the polygon pour, it helps if the polygon is repoured with the Fill Mode set to None (Outlines Only) before starting the slicing process, so the slicing line can easily be seen.
- While attributes can be modified during placement (Tab to bring up associated properties dialog), bear in mind that these will become the default settings for further placement unless the Permanent option on the PCB Editor – Defaults page of the Preferences dialog is enabled. When this option is enabled, changes made will affect only the object being placed and subsequent objects placed during the same placement session.