Defining Schematic Break Wire Preferences for Altium Designer
The Schematic - Break Wire page of the Preferences dialog.
Summary
The Schematic – Break Wire page of the Preferences dialog provides controls related to the behavior of the cutting tool, when using the Break Wire feature. While the tool is labelled Break Wire, it can be used to break wires, buses, and signal harnesses.
Access
The Schematic – Break Wire page is part of the main Preferences dialog (DXP » Preferences) and is accessed by clicking the Break Wire entry under the Schematic folder, in the left-hand pane of the dialog.
Options/Controls
Cutting Length
The following options are available for controlling the length of wire that gets cut:
- Snap to Segment - choose this option to have the cutter snap to an entire wire segment .
- Snap Grid Size Multiple - choose this option to have the cutter sized to a defined multiple of the current snap grid. Enter a value for the multiplier in the field to the right, between 2 and 10 (inclusive).
- Fixed Length - choose this option to create a fixed-length cutter, the length of which is specified by entering a value in the field to the right.
Show Cutter Box
The following options are available for controlling the display of the cutter box (dotted rectangular box), while in Break Wire mode:
- Never - never display the cutter box.
- Always - always display the cutter box, irrespective of whether the cursor is over a wire segment or not.
- On Wire - only display the cutter box when the cursor passes over a wire segment.
Show Extremity Markers
The following options are available for controlling the display of extremity markers (at the ends of the cutter box), while in Break Wire mode:
- Never - never display the extremity markers.
- Always - always display the extremity markers, irrespective of whether the cursor is over a wire segment or not.
- On Wire - only display the extremity markers when the cursor passes over a wire segment.
Tips
- Options for the Break Wire tool can also be defined at the local document level (through the Break Wire Properties dialog) - these will be instantly reflected back at the preferences level.