Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 12 replies
  • Subscribers 178 subscribers
  • Views 5411 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Moving the Origin?

Former Member

Is there a way to move the origin (0,0) in Eagle?

 

-Michael

 

Parents Reply Children
  • in reply to Former Member

     

    "Tilmann Reh" <usenet2007nospam@autometer.de> wrote in message

    news:i3h8eq$nle$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

    Doug schrieb:

    >

    (Quoting order fixed)

    >

    >>> It's also no problem to move your whole design to work with another

    >>> origin (DISPLAY ALL, GROUP everything, then MOVE).

    >>

    >> That is not so easy if you have a number of locked parts.

    >

    It's always better to choose the correct origin etc. /before/ doing

    placement and/or layout...

    >

    Tilmann

     

    I agree.

    But things change after one begins layout.

     

     

     

  • in reply to Former Member

    Tilmann Reh wrote:

    Doug schrieb:

     

    (Quoting order fixed)

     

    >>> It's also no problem to move your whole design to work with another

    >>> origin (DISPLAY ALL, GROUP everything, then MOVE).

    >> That is not so easy if you have a number of locked parts.

     

    It's always better to choose the correct origin etc. /before/ doing

    placement and/or layout...

     

    Tilmann

     

    Absolutely agreed.  I like to put the bottom left-hand corner of my

    board at (0,0).  However, late in the game I found that I had to add

    break away tabs/rails on the left and right side of the PCB (I hadn't

    planned on this).  If I don't move the board or re-locate the origin

    I've got gerber files with negative coordinates - which probably is just

    fine, but as a matter of practice I avoid it.  So, while I agree that it

    is best to choose the right origin at project start, sometimes reality

    intervenes.

     

    That said, even if you have locked parts I don't think moving the origin

    is a huge problem.  All you are doing is mapping old coordinates -> new

    coordinate by adding/subtracting some constant to the old X,Y numbers.

    This works quite well if you specify that locked parts can't be moved

    but they CAN have their coordinates remapped.  If you think about it,

    moving the origin is actually easier than the alternative if you have

    locked parts.  To do a move you've got to unlock the parts, move

    everything, then re-lock parts.  If you allow coordinate re-mapping (but

    not moving) on locked parts you just specify the new origin and you're done.

     

    I can tell you that several PCB layout systems do allow the origin to be

    relocated and it is a handy feature.

     

  • in reply to Former Member

    On 8/6/2010 11:13 AM, Michael Sansom wrote:

    Tilmann Reh wrote:

    >> Doug schrieb:

    >>

    >> (Quoting order fixed)

    >>

    >>>> It's also no problem to move your whole design to work with another

    >>>> origin (DISPLAY ALL, GROUP everything, then MOVE).

    >>> That is not so easy if you have a number of locked parts.

    >>

    >> It's always better to choose the correct origin etc. /before/ doing

    >> placement and/or layout...

    >>

    >> Tilmann

    >

    Absolutely agreed. I like to put the bottom left-hand corner of my board

    at (0,0). However, late in the game I found that I had to add break away

    tabs/rails on the left and right side of the PCB (I hadn't planned on

    this). If I don't move the board or re-locate the origin I've got gerber

    files with negative coordinates - which probably is just fine, but as a

    matter of practice I avoid it. So, while I agree that it is best to

    choose the right origin at project start, sometimes reality intervenes.

    >

    That said, even if you have locked parts I don't think moving the origin

    is a huge problem. All you are doing is mapping old coordinates -> new

    coordinate by adding/subtracting some constant to the old X,Y numbers.

    This works quite well if you specify that locked parts can't be moved

    but they CAN have their coordinates remapped. If you think about it,

    moving the origin is actually easier than the alternative if you have

    locked parts. To do a move you've got to unlock the parts, move

    everything, then re-lock parts. If you allow coordinate re-mapping (but

    not moving) on locked parts you just specify the new origin and you're

    done.

    >

    I can tell you that several PCB layout systems do allow the origin to be

    relocated and it is a handy feature.

    doesn't the Pos Coord checkbox in the CAM processor do what you are

    looking for?

     

  • in reply to Former Member

    Gary Gofstein schrieb:

     

    On 8/6/2010 11:13 AM, Michael Sansom wrote:

    >> Absolutely agreed. I like to put the bottom left-hand corner of my board

    >> at (0,0). However, late in the game I found that I had to add break away

    >> tabs/rails on the left and right side of the PCB (I hadn't planned on

    >> this). If I don't move the board or re-locate the origin I've got gerber

    >> files with negative coordinates - which probably is just fine, but as a

    >> matter of practice I avoid it. So, while I agree that it is best to

    >> choose the right origin at project start, sometimes reality intervenes.

    >

    doesn't the Pos Coord checkbox in the CAM processor do what you are

    looking for?

     

    Yes, so at least for /this/ reason there's no need to move neither board

    nor origin.

     

    So if that was the real question behind the OP, there simply is no problem.

     

    Tilmann

     

  • in reply to Former Member

    Doug schrieb:

     

    >> It's always better to choose the correct origin etc. /before/ doing

    >> placement and/or layout...

    >>

    >> Tilmann

     

    I agree.

    But things change after one begins layout.

     

    Agreed - but if such things change, these parts shouldn't be locked.

     

    Locking parts is for mechanically really fixing something - normally due

    to external constraints. It doesn't make any sense to place them /not/

    at their final position... (resp. to lock them if they are not at their

    final position)

     

    Tilmann

     

  • in reply to Former Member

    Michael Sansom schrieb:

     

    >> It's always better to choose the correct origin etc. /before/ doing

    >> placement and/or layout...

     

    Absolutely agreed.  I like to put the bottom left-hand corner of my

    board at (0,0).  However, late in the game I found that I had to add

    break away tabs/rails on the left and right side of the PCB (I hadn't

    planned on this).  If I don't move the board or re-locate the origin

    I've got gerber files with negative coordinates - which probably is just

    fine, but as a matter of practice I avoid it.  So, while I agree that it

    is best to choose the right origin at project start, sometimes reality

    intervenes.

     

    That is not a problem at all (see other answers). Placement of origin

    resp. board outlines is probably a matter of personal preferences... I

    often try to achieve some symmetry related to the case where the board

    shall fit in, or simply related to the board center. So, most of my

    boards use negative coordinates. Using the appropriate CAM switch, the

    board houses will never know. image

     

    That said, even if you have locked parts I don't think moving the origin

    is a huge problem.  All you are doing is mapping old coordinates -> new

    coordinate by adding/subtracting some constant to the old X,Y numbers.

     

    Yes, it wouldn't be a problem at all - but currently, it simply is not

    available in EAGLE. So we have to "avoid the need" to move the origin.

     

    I can tell you that several PCB layout systems do allow the origin to be

    relocated and it is a handy feature.

     

    Fully agreed. (But I think other issues are much more urgent...)

     

    Tilmann

     

  • in reply to Former Member

    Tilmann Reh wrote:

    Gary Gofstein schrieb:

     

    >> On 8/6/2010 11:13 AM, Michael Sansom wrote:

    >>> Absolutely agreed. I like to put the bottom left-hand corner of my board

    >>> at (0,0). However, late in the game I found that I had to add break away

    >>> tabs/rails on the left and right side of the PCB (I hadn't planned on

    >>> this). If I don't move the board or re-locate the origin I've got gerber

    >>> files with negative coordinates - which probably is just fine, but as a

    >>> matter of practice I avoid it. So, while I agree that it is best to

    >>> choose the right origin at project start, sometimes reality intervenes.

    >> doesn't the Pos Coord checkbox in the CAM processor do what you are

    >> looking for?

     

    Yes, so at least for /this/ reason there's no need to move neither board

    nor origin.

     

    So if that was the real question behind the OP, there simply is no problem.

     

    Tilmann

     

    That was in fact the question and I'm glad that this feature is

    available in the CAM processor.  Thanks for reminding me.

     

    That said, I think there is still value in being able to relocate the

    origin in the Eagle layout tool.  Reason being, if I spin this board in

    the future I always need to remember to set the Pos Coord checkbox on

    this design, whereas if I had the ability to relocate the origin I could

    do it once and forget about it.  Plus (and I accept that this many not

    be a valid reason to many people), I just find it aesthetically more

    pleasing to have the origin at the lower left hand boundary of the

    board.  It certainly facilitates placing components that have to be in

    an absolute X,Y position relative to the corner of the PCB.

     

    I've corrected the issue by doing a move so it is not a problem anymore.

      I had just grow used to the ability to move the origin in other layout

    packages and missed it.

     

    Thanks for the help,

     

    -Michael