PCB online Gerber viewer is a free Gerber viewing and editing software

PCB online Gerber viewer is a free Gerber viewing and editing software

Viewing modes

You can open the PCB online Gerber file viewer with PCB editor software in two modes: online or offline.

In online mode, you can open the software directly from the PCB editor software. The two are running at in same time. You can use them independently or each other for cross-checking purposes. For example, you can view the Gerber file in PCB editor software, change some information and then switch to online Gerber viewer to review how it affects the Gerber file. You can also check how your layout looks like after printing it out. Or you can do all three at the same time. You can save the layout to an external file (it is handy if you need to modify/edit it in another software) and then reload it to PCB editor software.

You must open the Gerber file with PCB editor software offline, then open the online Gerber viewer application separately. We use them independently, but no communication between them. Once you complete your layout in the PCB editor software, you can save it in Gerber file format. Then launch the online Gerber viewer application to view and check your layout in the Gerber file. It is also handy if you need to modify/edit it in some other software.

The following sections will show you how to use both modes, step by step.

Step 1: open PCB online Gerber viewer with PCB editor software

(1) Online mode:

Launch the PCB editor software you are using and load a Gerber file to open the layout

Go to view>More>Online Gerber Viewer, click it to launch it

The system will display the layout in the online Gerber viewer

(2) Offline mode:

Launch the PCB editor software you are using and load a Gerber file to open the layout

Optional: use the Plus icon to create a new folder and name it as you like

The system will display the in the online Gerber viewer

(3) Close online Gerber viewer:

Right-click the item highlighted in the following screenshot and selected Close from the popup menu

You will see the Gerber file in offline mode in PCB editor software. You can edit it there

Step 2: edit specs online

Select Online Gerber Viewer>Edit>Edit Spec to edit the single layer, multi-layer, Excellon drill file, or screen dump data.

You can use the following options to change any information you want:

The option arrow keys will allow you to zoom in for more details, so you can see exactly where it needs modification.

Step 3: print out the modified Gerber file

Select Online Gerber Viewer>File>Print, set printing options.

The system will print out the modified Gerber file automatically. Before printing, check if there is enough space on the paper to print it out, or you need to adjust page size in your printer driver settings.

We will refer the virtual printer to as “Gerber Viewer” by default, but you can change it to whatever you like in the Printer name:

The system will print out the Gerber file on paper:

The Gerber viewer automatically connects to the directory of the Gerber file on your computer and shows you the image of the printout:

Close online Gerber viewer:

Right-click the item highlighted in the following screenshot and select Close from the popup menu:

Note down your modified Gerber file in a location you can find it easily later.

Transfer your modified Gerber file to the PCB editor software, open it to review it.

Layout mode

2D Layout Viewer

You can open with online gbl file Viewer in the 2D layout view. It is useful to view your layout on a two-dimensional plane, without the PCB design software, by just using an online Gerber viewer. To do so, go to file>View>Online Gerber Viewer>2D Layout Viewer.

This view works similarly to Windows Paint, where you can draw lines and shapes with your mouse. If you have been making PCB layouts for a while, then this will be familiar to you. You can change the background color with the checkbox in view>Color>Back; enter a color code there.

The user interface is simple and easy to use. You can drag the screen around to look at the layout from different angles. You can also right-click on the screen or any object and select various options from the popup menu.

3D view

You can use a 3D Gerber viewer to see your design from all angles in this model. To enter 3D view, go to view>3D View or press the F3 key. You can use Alt+Arrow keys to pan around the screen, scroll up/down using the up/down arrow keys on the keyboard and rotate by pressing the left/right mouse button on it.

Zoom

Zooming in and out was a common function in the past. In 2D, you can use Ctrl-Z and Ctrl-Z to zoom in/out, respectively. In the 3D view, you can use the mouse wheel to zoom in, the Ctrl+Plus key to zoom out, or the Alt+Plus key to reset. You can also enter the value through the keyboard by pressing NumLock once and the letter you want to change next time.

Projection

This function works in the 3D mode that you can use to create a perspective view of your PCB layout. To enter projection view, go to view>Projection. If you want to restore the default setting, go to Projection>Preset and select default (keep existing settings).

The zoom must be off when entering projection view. You need to switch it on after entering the new settings.

Snap to Grid

You can superimpose the grid over your layout to make drawing the tracks easier. The grid is not visible when working directly on the design, but you will see it in editing mode or viewing the design. It is useful for making sure your track widths and spacing’s meet their manufacturing tolerances. To set up a grid:

Go to view>Grid and select Grid (in v0.16, the grid is not available by default, you need to select it from view>Grid menu or View>More>Grid). It will add a blue grid line to the layout.

To remove the grid, repeat step one but choose Grid (Off) instead.

If you have made changes to your layout and want to view them again with a grid on, go to view>More>Grid and select Grid (Recalculate).

To change the size of your grid, go to view>Tools. There are many sizes available. If you want to calibrate your grid, go to view>Tools>Calibrate grid.

The grid display will only update if you zoom the view in or out or change your layout.

You cannot edit the directly in the design view. 2 ways are available to do it:

Use view>Snap to Grid command to overlay a grid over the design.

Use the Traces command to draw a rectangular grid that you can edit. The grid cells will appear as you draw and will also appear when you turn off the grid.

You must draw the rectangle within your design view. It must completely fit within the boundaries of your layout (not outside and not overlapping any object). It cannot extend past the last line or first line of the design.

Alignment

This function is useful for aligning objects on the same layer in the same direction. To align something vertically, choose View>Alignment and select Vertical or Horizontal. For horizontal alignment, choose View>Alignment and select Horizontal. To align objects in an angle to cross each other, select view>Alignment, select Angle or Normal, and click on your track or object. You can use our button to do it.

The define button is at the bottom of this dialog. You can click on the button to open the following dialog:

Line up two grids with each other. The first grid is the one that goes through your reference point. Suppose you want to align objects vertically or horizontally with each other, drag-and-drop one of them into the first column. Then drag the second object into any column, and click the Match with First/Second Grid button if needed.

The Angle alignment is useful when you want to align objects at an angle to cross each other. For example, making a wire track on the bottom layer with 45-degree alignment will cross another wire track on the top layer.

Import Layout

If you are working on another layout in the PCB editor, I recommend you import your layout with this function to check your design easily. To import your layout, go to file>Import Layout. The ‘Import Layout’ dialog will appear. Then go to the directory where you saved your design and select the file.

Export Layout

You can export your layout in Gerber or Import it into another PCB editor with this function. To export, go to file>Export Layout… The ‘Export Layout’ dialog will appear. Select the target directory where you want to save it, then enter a name for your file in Output File. You can also select the output format through File Format.

Snap Resolution

The resolution determines the minimum increment that tracks. You can change it by going to view>Tools or enter a value for this parameter directly into the toolbar. Set this value in one mil (1/1000 inches). The default setting is one mil, and there is no other significant increment. The highest possible setting will be 0.0187” (8 mils).

Draw Mode

To switch between the various drawing modes, go to view>Draw Mode. There are also options for scaling the view. The choices are Independent or Relative scaling. With independent scaling, you scale each object separately to see whether they are in proportion to one another easily. Relative scaling scales everything according to its distance from the viewport (the boundary around your layout) and does not take objects into account that are outside of it (i.e., off-screen).

To switch to a different drawing mode, check the appropriate checkbox above the list, and select a drawing mode from the drop-down menu. There are also options for scaling the view. The choices are Independent or Relative scaling. With independent scaling, you scale each object separately to see whether they are in proportion to one another easily. Relative scaling scales everything according to its distance from the viewport (the boundary around your layout) and does not take objects into account that are outside of it (i.e., off-screen).

Line Style

To change the line style, go to view>Line Style. There are many types of lines available. Please visit view>Line Style for details.

Text Style

To change the text style, go to view>Text Style. There are three text styles available, each with different options. For more information on how to use them, refer to the Text section of this tutorial.

Hatch Pattern

To change the hatch pattern, go to view>Hatch Pattern. There are many types of hatch available. Please visit view>Hatch Pattern for details.

Layer

To change the layer, go to view>Layers or click on the Layer button in the toolbar. The layers dialog appears, then you can use it to switch between layers, set the layer color and properties.

Layer Color

You can use the view>Layer Color command to change the color of your active layer. The Layer Color dialog appears, then you can choose either Solid Color or Gradient. If you choose Gradient, you need to set Start and End colors.