Polygon Pour

The Polygon Pour dialog.

Summary

This dialog allows the designer to specify the settings for a polygon pour. A polygon pour is a group design object - that is, it is made up of simpler primitive objects. Polygon pours are used to create either a solid or a hatched (lattice) area on a PCB layer, using either region objects, or a combination of track and arc objects. Also referred to as copper pours, polygon pours are similar to a region, except that they can fill irregularly shaped areas of a board as they automatically pour around existing objects, connecting only to objects on the same net as the polygon pour.

Access

The Polygon Pour dialog can be accessed prior to entering placement mode, from the PCB Editor – Defaults page of the Preferences dialog. This allows the default properties for the polygon object to be changed, which will be applied when placing subsequent polygon pours.

The dialog is accessed on running the placement command (Place » Polygon Pour).

During placement, the dialog can be accessed by pressing the Tab key.

After placement, the dialog can be accessed in the following ways:

• Double-clicking on a placed polygon pour object.
• Placing the cursor over a polygon pour object, right-clicking and choosing Properties from the context menu.
• Using the Edit » Change command and clicking once over a placed polygon pour object.

Graphical Tab

Polygon Pour dialog - Graphical tab. The image shows the various fill modes available.

Use the dialog's Graphical tab to modify graphical properties of the polygon pour object.

Options/Controls

Fill Mode

Click to choose the fill mode for the polygon pour. There are three modes available, each with their own advantages and roles:

• Solid (Copper Regions) - region based polygons result in far fewer objects being placed, making for: smaller files; faster redraws, file opening, DRC and net connectivity analysis; and smaller output files as the region object is fully supported in Gerber and ODB++. The dialog changes to present a graphical depiction of a solid polygon pour, with the following associated options:
  • Remove Islands Less Than - specify an area value, any islands of polygon whose area is smaller than this value, will be removed.
  • Arc Approximation - specify the maximum deviation from a perfect arc (curved edges are created from multiple short, straight edges).
  • Remove Necks When Copper Width Less Than - specify a width value, the polygon pour copper whose width is smaller than this value will be removed. Typically this is set to be no smaller than the smallest width track used in the design, or the smallest copper width supported by the fabricator.
• Hatched (Tracks/Arcs) - track/arc based polygons allow a hatched polygon to be created, by setting the Track Width to be smaller than the Grid Size. Note that they can also be solid by setting the Track Width to be larger than the Grid Size. The dialog changes to present a graphical depiction of a hatched polygon pour, with the following associated options:
  • Track Width - specify the width of track used to create the polygon.
  • Grid Size - specify the spacing, or grid that the tracks are placed on for the hatched polygon.
  • Surround Pads With - specify the shape used to surround the pads: Arcs or Octagons.
  • Hatch Mode - there are four modes available: 90 Degree, 45 Degree, Horizontal, or Vertical. When a hatch mode is selected, the polygon preview is shown in the dialog.
• None (Outlines Only) - outlines only polygons are simply track/arc polygons without the internal tracks and arcs. The dialog changes to present a graphical depiction of an outline only polygon pour, with the following associated options:
  • Track Width - specify the track width for polygon outline.
  • Surround Pads With - specify the shapes to surround the pads: Arcs or Octagons.

Properties

• Name - specify a suitable name for the polygon. As well as helping identify each polygon, the name can be used to target a specific polygon (or family of polygons) in a design rule, by using the IsNamedPolygon('YourPolyName') query keyword.
  • Auto Naming - enable this option to have automatic polygon naming applied to the polygon. Naming is based on the chosen naming template, specified using the Polygon Auto Naming Template field, in the Board Options dialog (Design » Board Options). The name is based on the layer, the connected net, and a unique numerical index.

• Layer - specify the layer on which the polygon is placed.
• Min Prim Length (Not available in the Solid Fill Mode) - specify how short the track/arc objects in the fill mode are allowed to be.
• Lock Primitives - enable this option to lock the primitives in the polygon. With this option enabled the polygon is treated as a group object, allowing the designer to manipulate it as a single object.
• Locked - enable this option to protect the region from being edited graphically.

• Ignore On-Line Violations - enable this option to ignore on-line violation checks for this polygon. This option can be used when making design modifications that will create a violation (and potentially slow the PC down while performing on-line DRC). Alternatively, shelve the polygon before starting the design changes, then unshelve and repour the polygon when finished.

Net Options

• Connect to Net - assign a net to the polygon pour. The polygon will automatically connect to pad and via objects that belong to the same net, in accordance with the applicable Polygon Connect Style design rule. It will pour over other kinds of objects in that net, according to the chosen setting from the drop-down:
  • Don't Pour Over Same Net Objects - select this option for the polygon to pour around all other objects, regardless of the net they belong to.
  • Pour Over All Same Net Objects - select this option for the polygon to pour over all objects on the same net as the polygon (that are within the polygon's area). For example, existing routes on that net will be completely covered by the polygon.
  • Pour Over Same Net Polygons Only - select this option for the polygon to only pour over existing polygon objects on the same net as this polygon. The polygon will pour around all other objects, regardless of the net they belong to.
• Remove Dead Copper - enable this option to remove any isolated area of polygon copper that does not connect to the specified net. Note that a polygon that is not connected to a net is considered to be Dead Copper, so will be completely removed if this option is enabled.

Outline Vertices Tab

Polygon Pour dialog - Outline Vertices tab.

Use the dialog's Outline Vertices tab to modify the individual vertices of the currently selected polygon pour object. You can modify the locations of existing vertices, add new vertices, or remove them as required. Arc connections between vertex points can be defined, and support is also provided for exporting vertex information to, and importing from, a CSV-formatted file. You can even adjust the position of the polygon pour object by globally applying delta-x/delta-y values to all vertex points.

Options/Controls

• Vertices Grid - the main region of the tab lists all of the vertex points currently defined for the polygon pour, in terms of:
  • Index - the assigned index of the vertex (non-editable).
  • X - the X (horizontal) coordinate for the vertex. Click to edit.
  • Y - the Y (vertical) coordinate for the vertex. Click to edit.
  • Arc Angle - the angle of an arc that is drawn to connect this vertex point to the next. By default, connections are straight line edges, with this field remaining blank. Click to edit, and enter an arc angle as required. Entry of a positive value will result in an arc drawn counter-clockwise. To draw a clockwise arc, enter a negative value.

• Add - click this button to add a new vertex point. The new vertex will be added below the currently focused vertex entry (as distinguished by a dotted outline around a cell in its row) and will initially have the same  X,Y coordinates as the focused entry.

• Remove - click this button to remove the currently selected vertex entries in the list. This command will be unavailable if there are only two vertices present for the polygon pour.

• Menu - click this button to access a pop-up menu containing the following commands:
  • Edit - right-click on a coordinate cell (X or Y) for a vertex, or its associated Arc Angle cell, and use this command to edit the value in that cell. Alternatively, click directly on the cell.

• Add - use this command to add a new vertex point. The new vertex will be added below the currently focused vertex entry (as distinguished by a dotted outline around a cell in its row) and will initially have the same coordinates as the focused entry.
• Remove - use this command to remove the currently selected vertex entries in the list. This command will be unavailable if there are only two vertices present for the polygon pour.

• Copy - use this command to copy the content of the selected cells in the list to the clipboard (alternatively use Ctrl+C).
• Paste - use this command to paste the content of the clipboard into the list, starting at the selected cell (alternatively use Ctrl+V).
• Export to CSV - use this command to export all vertices to a CSV-formatted file (*.csv). The full list will be exported. There is no need to select anything prior to launching this command. Use the subsequent Export Outline Vertices dialog to determine where and under what name the file is to be saved.
• Import from CSV - use this command to import vertices from a CSV-formatted file (*.csv). Use the Import Outline Vertices dialog to browse to and open the required CSV file. The contents of the file will completely overwrite existing vertices.

• Select All - use this command to quickly select the entire grid contents of the list.
• Select Column - use this command to quickly select the entire column in which the currently focused cell resides.
• Move Up - use this command to move the selected vertex upward in the list.
• Move Down - use this command to move the selected vertex downward in the list.
• Move By XY - use this command to move the entire polygon pour object. The Move By dialog will appear in which you can enter the increment value to be applied to each vertex point X and Y coordinates.