Formerly Known as GerbARX and GDSII, these tools have been combined as a single tool for use with Windows.

1. Gds To Dxf Converter Free
2. Gds To Dxf Converter

All, i would like to know whether there is software that can translate.gds file, which is cadence layout output file, to.dwg or.dxf file, which is an autocad format. DWG to DXF Converter Pro is a batch DWG and DXF bi-directional converter that allows you to convert DWG to DXF, DXF to DWG without the need of AutoCAD. It allows you to choose the AutoCAD version of the output DWG and DXF file. Key Features: 1. AutoCAD NOT required. Convert DWG to DXF, and DXF to DWG in batches.

With ACAM you may effortlessly create Gerber or GDSII translation code from DWG / DXF drawings. This is the most complete Gerber code generator in the world! Additionally, read Gerber and GDSII Stream files/code as Vector Artwork complete with supported layers.

A set of Utilities commands are included generally used in a drawing when your data needs work, modifications or cleanup, before you can output the Gerber data.

Gerber Program

Creates Gerber code from DWG and DXF drawings and reads Gerber code data into the design environment. Gerber automatically converts all variations of the drawing entities to Gerber code directly.This is the world’s only fully-automatic Gerber converter.

It creates the Gerber code in the time it takes to save a .DXF file.All conversion information and batch files are stored inside the drawing being converted for reuse.Any number of layers may be combined to make a plot and any number of plots may be combined in a run.

Gerberprocesses any level of nested blocks and attributes with no exploding required.Mirrored blocks or blocks with unequal X, Y scale factors are handled. It flashes any number of pads on the same layer or on multiple layers within the same block.All standard and custom fonts are converted with any style configuration.

Gerber Out Formats: Gerber 274D, 274X DWG / DXF CONSULTEK ECAM / CAM 350 ECAM1x, ECAM2x GerbARX GSI (AED) LAVENIR PADS-PCB WISE WISE x4.0 GRAPHICODE

Gerber In formats: DWG / DXF Gerber 274D, 274X GerbARX Pads-PCB Graphicode ECAM1x, ECAM2x, ECAM 3x Wise, Wise x4.0 Lavenir v2, Lavenir v3 Consultek Tango Cadstar

Features for Gerber Output:

• Automatically converts all variations of entities to Gerber code directly, No DXF files required.

• No need to close and open the drawings to run the program and view Gerber files.

• NC drill and NC route converter is built in.

• Optimizes the drill path.

• Enter an old drawing years later and simply pick GERBOUT to make a conversion. (GerbARX will remember the previous settings and make all Gerber files.)

• All conversion information and batch files are stored inside the drawing being converted.

• Batch files store and process unlimited numbers of standard user-output configurations.

• Makes Gerber Arrays.

• Work from inside paper space.

• Layer names may be picked from a list inside the drawing to add to SubBatches.

• Whole families of blocks are selected for automatic flash assignment based on setting the block name prefix in a special dialog box.

• Recursive Paint and Scratch Capability.

• Processes any level nested blocks and attributes with no exploding required.

• Mirrored blocks or blocks with unequal X,Y scale factors.

• Flashes any number of pads on the same layer or on multiple layers within the same block.

• Custom fonts are converted with any style configuration including True Type Fonts.

• Reads .SHX files. Text width may be fixed or can be set to any percentage of text height.

• Includes a powerful tool-set.

Features of Gerber Input:

• Read drill and route files.

• Auto recognition of Gerber 274D, 274X, NC drill and NC route files.

• Automatically reads Aperture Report files from other programs and Gerber editors.

• Convert multiple Gerber files to separate block within one DXF file.

• Assign unique layer names and colors to entities within the block.

GDSII Program:

Import a complete GDS II file (GDSIN) and use our advanced tools to import only Sub-cells or embedded cells (by Tree) into the EPDWIN environment to speed up the conversion. No need to import entire GDS file first and then only view/use desired data. (See GDSIN Details below)
Export a complete DXF/DWG drawing (GDSOUT) such as a BGA package or Lead Frame or single Die package with wires to a GDS II stream file format. Advanced Export options are available. (See GDSOUT Details below)

Importing GDS files into can be challenging and most GDS files contain embedded or nested cells. Importing the entire file can consume computer memory and resources plus can take more time.

Our GDS software gives the user abilities to select the cells to import instead of importing everything and then sort it out later. In one case the user may want to import (die package) only the top outline, bonding pads, pin and signal text and then ignore (do not import) all other remaining data. If the desired entities are embedded deep, they can still be extracted.

Key Features:

• Abbreviates arrays to enable reading large files (substitutes a simple rectangle for all but one cell in the array)

• Pre-scans GDSII file and allow selective conversion by cell or by layer

• Show GDS II cell structure in Tree view or sorted alphabetically

• Option to convert regular polygons to circles.

• Imports data type information

GDS OUT:

When exporting a design to a GDS II file format, the user will require many advanced options or may only need to export entities by layer. We have included many tools in response to customer's requirements over the years to make available to all customers and has been successful for countless conversion needs.

Key Features:

• Arc Vectorization Length and angle Control.

• Etch Compensation sets a negative or positive etch compensation value globally or on any individual layer.

• Automatically removes voids by splitting closed boundaries that have voids into multiple closed boundaries with no voids.

• Convert Text to Paths optionally

• Automatically Create Arrays

  • Creates arrays where possible in nested hierarchies

• Allow Rotated References

  • If disabled, a non-rotated cell will be substituted

• Allow Scaled References

  • If disabled, a non-scaled cell will be substituted

• Saves and loads configuration settings from a file

• Creates multiple paths if pre-set maximum segment count is exceeded

• Output precision selectable

• Output zero-width entities using a settable width

• Preserve entire block hierarchy, or flatten entire drawing.

• Map layers to GDS and assign layers and data types.

Utility Commands (Partial List):

• VECTARC
  Converts arc shapes created with multiple vectors into smooth polyline arcs.
  

• TTFIX
  Adds breaks to the outlined text made with TTconv.

• TRCONV
  Converts polylines that have a width to outlines (closed 0 width polygons) or double lines.

• SSGET
  Creates a Selection Set of entities using filtering by type and/or property for further processing. This command is very useful when trying to isolate multiple entities to be replaced.

• PCBLTYPE
  Facilitates the setting of linetypes for polylines to change their output appearance. Provides various controls for the display of CDS Polylines.

• MRCLEAN
  Cleans an imported or non-EPD drawing of unwanted entities in preparation for design reuse or to reintelligize.

• MAKEEDGE
  Makes composite zero width polylines around overlapping entities using a zero width polyline.

• JOINCHK
  Checks to see if the beginning of the line is at the same point as the end of the line.

• FLOOD
  Fills closed 0-width boundaries with voids using thick polylines.

• FIXPOLY
  Changes polylines with multiple widths and abrupt width changes into polylines with single widths or into multiple polylines.

• FILLEDGE
  Converts closed polygon boundaries (which may contain arcs) to thick polylines.

• FILLBLK
  Fills 0-width Polyline boundaries inside block insertions with multiple thick polylines.

• DNUT2CIR
  Converts Polyline Donut circle shapes to real Circle Objects.

• DCODE
  Identifies and locates specific DCODES on a gerber file read into with GerbView or Gerb2CAD.

• CIR2DNUT
  Converts real Circle Objects to Polyline Donut circle shapes.

• BOWTIE
  Finds and fixes bow-tied solids and traces and zero-width solids and traces.

• AUTOJOIN
  Joins adjacent polyline, line and arc segments to form closed polyline objects. This command is used to clean-up imported design DXF files (design Re-Use).

• ARCVECT
  Vectorizes arc segments in a closed polyline.

• APERWIZ
  Reads in an aperture list from another source and makes it compatible with the Gerb2CAD software module.

By Simon Garrison, Applications Manager - Numerical Innovations
It is estimated over 10%-15% of all electronic layouts (for PCB's, RF, IC/MEMs, etc) are still designed using Mechanical CAD tools (like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, ProE, etc). Why?
The power of MCAD tools (like AutoCAD) are that they support a wide array of entities types which can be used to easily construct electronic designs from the simplest PCB to the most complex IC/MEMs circuit. Designers generally choose to layout their designs in MCAD when existing EDA/Layout tools do not possess the capabilities to meet unique geometrical requirements. Once the layout is completed and a DXF file is outputted; they will attempt to convert to a manufacturing format (such as Gerber data, GDS-II, ODB++, NC, etc.) – seems simple enough right? Wrong! This approach usually results in an astonished look on the designers face, when they view their converted manufacturing files and discover those files are not worthy of sending out for fabrication... Why?
This has been a mystery which has plagued designers and mask makers for well over 20 years, and the purpose of this article is to help explain common problems and how to solve them.
FACT: Most Fabricators & Mask shops won’t touch your DXF data with a 10 foot pole and ask that you provide them only with the manufacturing formats (such as Gerber data, GDS-II, ODB++, NC, etc.) – which is probably why you are reading this article in the first place :)

1. Understand the file format basics:

DXF/DWG Format :
DXF stands for Drawing Exchange Format, and it is a format for transferring drawings between Computer Aided Design systems. DXF is widely used as the de facto standard in the engineering and construction industries. The DXF format is a tagged data representation of all the information contained in an AutoCAD® drawing file. Tagged data means that each data element in the file is preceded by an integer number that is called a group code. A group code's value indicates what type of data element follows. This value also indicates the meaning of a data element for a given object (or record) type. Virtually all user-specified information in a drawing file can be represented in DXF format. DWG is essentially a binary version of DXF which tends to be smaller and cause less parsing errors during conversions.
Gerber Format :
To figure out the problems and how to overcome them, first lets look that the format you want to convert your AutoCAD drawing to: Gerber. The Gerber format is well over 35 years old and is simply an ASCII text file containing X,Y coordinates, and shapes (i.e apertures/dcodes). For more information about Gerber, visit the following link: http://www.numericalinnovations.com/pages/gerber-format
GDS-II Format:
GDSII is a binary file format created in the 1970's which is classified as a 'data interchange format', used for transferring mask-design data between the IC designer and the fabrication facility. GDS-II can only support simple physical objects such as Polygons, Paths, Rectangles, and Instances (for hierarchy). FACT: Unlike the older Gerber and GDSII formats, every year you can expect there’s going to be a new release of AutoCAD and with each release there are usually changes to the entity types, DXF format, which continuously pose compatibility issues and other problems.
ODB++ Format:
ODB++ is the most intelligent PCB data exchange format available today, capturing all CAD/EDA, assembly and PCB fabrication knowledge in one single, unified database. Originally developed by Valor Computerized Systems for use in its own PCB CAD/CAM systems, Genesis 2000, Enterprise 3000 and Trilogy , ODB++ has already become widely accepted as the de facto industry standard, providing unprecedented power to PCB design, fabrication and assembly, with the flexibility to expand as required. In parallel, ODB++ is providing most of the technological basis for the new IPC2581 standard for data exchange in the PCB fabrication and assembly industry.

2. When possible, keep your Drawings simple (Using 5 Fundamental Entities)

The easiest way to convert DXF to manufacturing formats (such as Gerber data, GDS-II, ODB++, NC) is to keep things simple. DXF files support hundreds of various entity types (like Hatches, Blocks/Inserts, 3D objects, Tapered Polylines, TrueType fonts & Multiline-text, Splines, Regions, plus Model/Paper Space considerations, and much more), so the question remains how do we convert those fancy entity types into simple manufacturing formats which only contains X,Y coordinates, and shapes – Simple, for best results create your layouts using the 5 fundamental DXF entities that will lead to successful conversions.
What are the 5 fundamental DXF entities?
Polylines (or LW Polylines), Circles, Text, Blocks, Inserts. Believe or not, you can create just about any PCB/RF layout using only these 5 entities, and they most closely represent objects in Manufacturing data.
Polylines (or LW Polylines): A series of connected lines and arcs than may have varying widths. This is the most common entity used to construct a PCB/RF layout and is used in about 80% of the layout. Polylines with width are used to draw traces (i.e. tracks) to connect pads. Polylines with 0-width are commonly used to create filled boundaries. Polylines may also be used to created square and donut pads.
Circles: Most commonly used to draw round pads.
Text: Used to draw silkscreen and labels. Typically using stick fonts which are AutoCAD compiled fonts (SHX) provide the best results, and are output as trace segments in manufacturing data. TrueType fonts are acceptable provided your conversion tool can output them as simple polygons.
Blocks / Inserts: Typically used to create a hierarchy in your design, and provide an optimized method to add repeated entities into your drawing. Blocks are essentially individual drawings that are inserted into a parent drawing. During the insertion, blocks can be rotated, scaled, and transformed in any direction. Blocks can be inserted multiple times as and array using Minsert (Multiple Inserts) which allows an array of blocks either rectangular or polar.

3. Understand how to Fill Boundaries generated from MCAD

A filled boundary in manufacturing formats (such as Gerber, GDS-II, ODB++) typically represents areas where metal will be present. Most MCAD tools (like AutoCAD) do not support filled boundaries and instead only display object outlines or wire-frame.
FACT: The most common reason Designers have problems when converting their DXF to manufacturing formats (such as Gerber, GDS-II, ODB++) is directly tied to the fact MCAD tools typically do not display filled boundaries correctly -- thus a Designer must visualize how their layout will be filled -- even though their MCAD tools is displaying outlines & wire-frames only.
How do I create a filled area in my Manufacturing data?
To create a filled area, first draw a closed, continuous boundary (with 0-width polyline) that does not self-intersect. Remember manufacturing formats (such as Gerber, GDS-II, ODB++) have stringent fill rules: All boundaries must be continuous, with no overlapping or self-intersections (like a bow-tie). The direction is typically not significant for filled boundaries (i.e clockwise or counter-clockwise).
Using JOIN: The Boundaries in my Manufacturing data are still not filled, why?
Most likely your boundaries are not closed & continuous (as described above). In many cases you may have a drawing which consists of individual line and arc segments – which are not continuous. We recommend that you convert those boundaries to Closed, 0-width polylines using the command “Pedit” and then select “Join”. We offer two conversion tools: FAB 3000 and ACE 3000 which have built in join tools that instantly connect all adjacent lines/arcs and convert them to closed boundaries. See movie tutorial 'FAB 3000: Using Join and DeEmbed'

4. Understand COMPOSITE Fill. Determine what areas should be Dark or Clear (i.e. Island).

To understand composites, we first recommend checking out an article from the ACE 3000 help manual called Composites 101

Gds To Dxf Converter Free

Depending on the manufacturing format you're outputting to composites will be handled different.
Gerber / ODB++ Format: In the Gerber and ODB++ format, there is no such thing as island/hole detection. Fortunately both formats directly support Composites which allow you to explicitly define what to make clear or dark using the gerber commands “LPD” (Layer Polarity Dark) and “LPC” (Layer Polarity Clear). The most reliable way to define a composite, is to create separate DXF layers for each polarity change. For example: If you require a dark rectangular boundary with many clear holes, you should create two layers:
One layer which contains only the rectangular boundary, and a second layer which only contains the holes. During DXF conversion you can create a composite gerber merge and assign the polarity for each layer.
GDS-II Format: GDS-II doesn't support Composites (Dark/Clear), it only supports simple Polygons/Rects/Paths, so you must use a boolean engine to add 'cutlines' that connect inner holes with outer boundaries.
What is Polygon De-Embedding?
Some conversion tools will have a featured called “Polygon De-Embedding”, where the conversion tool will decipher which objects are contained inside of other objects and logically try to determine what should be an island or hole and then explicitly output that information to the manufacturing format file.
Should I use Solid Hatch to composite fill an area?
Solid hatches look good in AutoCAD because they are the one of few entities in AutoCAD that appeared filled (on the AutoCAD screen). But remember a solid hatch is drawn on top of your existing drawing, causing duplicate data in the DXF, and results from a Gerber conversion can be messy because of the duplicate objects. If you must use solid hatches, please make sure your conversion software supports solid hatching and has the ability to detect islands/holes when necessary.

Tutorial Demonstrations using ACE 3000, FAB 3000, and EasyGerb

Using ACE Translator 3000 to convert DXF to Gerber, GDSII, and more.

DXF to Gerber, GDSII, and more.	Converting DXF to Gerber (for a microwave coil)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev94IaLu0ek	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Wpv4kW06Y

Gds To Dxf Converter

Using FAB 3000 to convert DXF

Easily Convert DXF to Gerber	FAB 3000: Import DXF, use join and export to gerber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1e1igE30nlw	http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pW4TyMKtnUU

Use EasyGerb to output Gerber files, while directly inside AutoCAD

Using EasyGerb 5 Inside AutoCAD to export Gerber files.	Generate Composite Layers using EasyGerb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qQVM7arXIvs	http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ooKU7E21lyo

Checkout the User Forum for more assistance and answers to frequently asked questions about DXF conversions and more.

ACE Translator Forum: http://forums.numericalinnovations.com/?forum=106289
FAB 3000 Forum: http://forums.numericalinnovations.com/?forum=106290
EasyGerb Forum: http://forums.numericalinnovations.com/?forum=106292
Have more questions? Feel free to contact us directly: support@numericalinnovations.com
http://www.numericalinnovations.com