Draftsman Document Options

The Draftsman Document Options dialog.

Summary

The Draftsman Document Optionsdialog allows designers to define options settings for a PCB Draftsman document. Note that the document options apply the entire drawing document, whereas the Sheet Properties settings apply to individual document sheets (pages). Both the Document Options and Sheet Properties are saved with the current Draftsman document.

Access

From the toolbar, select Tools » Document Options.

Options/Controls

General Tab

• Source – the PCB file source data that the drawing is synchronized to.
  • The PCB Document menu offers a choice of all boards that are available in the current project, where a new selection will redefine the link between the drawing document and PCB.
  • The Top/Bottom Assembly Layer menus allow the selection of any board Mechanical Layer as the source of component Geometry and RefDes positioning. This alternative component data applies when the AssemblyDrawing option is selected as a component’s Geometry Source or Location source in the Component Display Properties dialog.
• Grids – the grid color and distance between grid divisions (Size), and how the divisions are grouped into fine and coarse lines (Multiplier).
• Variants – how components that are not fitted in currently selected board Variant are shown (hidden or as a definable mesh fill style). Select the board Variant option by choosing from the Variation menu (under View) in the Board Assembly View mode of the Draftsman Properties panel.
• Zones – the positioning rules that apply to the alpha numeric indicators for the zone divisions in the document border.
• Scale, etc – set the scale of newly placed document Views, and the Font, and Sheet/border color properties for all sheets in the current document.

Parameters Tab

• Add/Remove parameters – use the Add and Remove button to create or delete Custom Parameters.
• Parameter Filtering – check the System/Project/PCB Parameter options to filter the displayed list (Custom Parameters are always listed). Note that all but Custom Parameters are read-only, and marked with an asterisk suffix (*).

Snapping Tab

• Vertices – the corners of rectangles, ends of lines or sections, etc.
• Line centers – the center point of lines.
• Circle centers – the center point of defined circles.
• Grid – the grid divisions, as defined by the Grids settings under the dialog's General tab.
• Boundaries – the extended lines for edges or centers of objects.
• Snapping Distance – defines a distance zone in which the snap binding operates.

Line Styles Tab

• Dash Patterns – the line/spacing definitions for the dashed Line options, in units of 0.02mm (when in metric mode). For example, a pattern Value of 20,10,20 defines a repeating 0.4mm, 0.2mm and 0.4mm dash arrangement, with a cycle length of 1mm (50 units). A custom dashed line option can be created through the Add button, and removed with the Delete button.
• Line Thickness – the weight or thickness of the available Line style options. Use the Reset button to restore the default values

Units Tab

• Measurement Unit – set the document Primary/Dual measuring unit type and format.
  • The Primary Units and Dual Units menus define the type of units that will be displayed in the current document's drawing objects. Both unit types are shown on the drawing if they are enabled as the Primitive Default setting for that object, which can be overruled by the enable settings in the Properties panel for the object.
  • The Decimal Separator menu offers a choice of characters to be used as the decimal format separator.
• Precision – set the standard measurement precision accuracy and tolerance definitions (number of significant digits to the right of the decimal point, with the last digit rounded) for drawing documents. The tolerance display for a selected measurement can be enabled in the Draftsman Properties panel, by choosing a Tolerance Type option in the panel's Tolerance section.
  • The precision settings for the Primary measurement unit can be defined for both its Nominal displayed value and for its optional Tolerance value.
  • The precision settings for the Dual (other) measurement unit can be defined for both its Nominal displayed value and for its optional Tolerance value.