Import .gbr (Gerber) path vs polygon for D01 drawn objects

DavidJHutchins

All data created during the import Gerber process appears to be polygons,
even though the Gerber D01 records are basically path segments with specific aperture widths

A simple polygon for a horizontal segment has 64 points vs. a simple path has 2 points plus the width value

Wouldn't paths more closely match the Gerber data format & result in smaller design file sizes?

Matthias

Well ...

First of all in RS274X there are zillion of different apertures and even customized ones, so there is not just round paths. Second there is "erase mode" and finally, the goal of the PCB import is providing the bridge between PCB and VLSI layout data for feeding it into EM simulators or verification tools - and that is finally always polygon data. Even round-ended paths in GDS are very exotic.

Matthias