Eagle ground plane showing as all black in Gerbv's Export (as PDF) but not its display

[tedj1]

Hi.  When I include a ground plane in a copper layer and run Cam Processor, the gerbers look fine in Gerbv.  But when Gerbv Exports the visible layers as PDF, the ground plane area appears all black, with the exception of a drill layer at the top of the layer stack.  Can anyone tell me why this happens and how to work around it?  Thanks.

[jorge_garcia]

Hi @tedj1 ,

I hope you're doing well. You might get a better response from posting on the gerbv forums since this issue is really related to the way the GerbV exports to PDF.

If you need a PDF of the gerber data, you can get what you need by only turning on the layers you want in a specific PDF file, then go File > Print. Make sure the printer is set to Print to File(PDF). You can also set it to print in black and white.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[tedj1 · Accepted solution]

As long as you guys at Autodesk are aware that something about Eagle's gerber export screws up gerbv's operation so as to produce erroneous output when using ground pours (polygon-ratsnest), then I'm satisfied.  If you mean gerbv layers, then I'm already doing that.  If you mean pdf layers in gerbv's pdf product, then may I ask what viewer allows you to choose pdf layers to view?  Thx

As it is, I found a work-around by using 'GerbV Portable' also available at GitHub.  I've written the author of the gerbv viewer informing him of the error.  I suppose GerbV Portable is slightly more sophisticated/correct in its interpretation of Eagle gerber output than gerbv is.  I know little about pdf structure.  Cheers.

[one-of-the-robs]

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@tedj1 wrote:

As long as you guys at Autodesk are aware that something about Eagle's gerber export screws up gerbv's operation so as to produce erroneous output when using ground pours (polygon-ratsnest),

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I'm a little confused as to exactly what you're doing. If I design a board with a ground pour using a polygon, then generate the Gerbers using the CAM processor, then I can't re-create your problem with gerbv. However, I also don't get the pour on a separate layer to allow me to not show it. So there's something you're doing (in Eagle, I think) that I'm not getting.

[tedj1]

Attached is the Gerber that's showing the anomaly.  I'm using Gerbv 2.6a.  Should look fine in display.  Should look like a monotonic block when exported to PDF.  Regards.

P.S. I'm still curious what PDF viewer allows the display of selected PDF layers.  I've never encountered one.  Can anyone point me to the viewer you're talking about?  Thx

[tedj1]

Hi jorge.  Thanks for your suggestion.  Can you tell me what pdf viewer you use that supports selectable layers for view/print?  I've never met one.  As far as I can tell, neither the Adobe viewer nor Chrome can do that.

[one-of-the-robs]

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@tedj1 wrote:

Attached is the Gerber that's showing the anomaly.  I'm using Gerbv 2.6a.  Should look fine in display.  Should look like a monotonic block when exported to PDF.  Regards.

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Looks fine in display (not using your zipped gerbv because I'm on Linux, but using gerbv already installed)

Looks identical in the .pdf from your zip.

Is that not what you're seeing?

[one-of-the-robs]

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@tedj1 wrote:

Can you tell me what pdf viewer you use that supports selectable layers for view/print?

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I don't think that's what Jorge meant, though I can see how you might misread it that way. I think what he meant was:

- in Eagle, in the board editor, activate only the layers you want in the PDF

- Use the Eagle "print" tool to generate the PDF

- switch the layers back to your normal configuration (or to the set for your next PDF...)

[tedj1]

No, I'm seeing the correct display.  But when exporting to PDF, that produces just a monotonic block.

Tried your Eagle-based print idea, robs.  Seems to work too.  Though, frankly I recommend 'GerbV Portable'.  That app just... doesn't show the error.  Cheers.