Moving the Origin?

Michael Sansom schrieb:

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

No, but you can work with relative coordinates after setting a MARK

somewhere.

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

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

Tilmann

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

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

news:i3g8v1$asc$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

Michael Sansom schrieb:

>

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

>

No, but you can work with relative coordinates after setting a MARK

somewhere.

>

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

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

>

Tilmann

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

"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.

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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

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.

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