GDSPLOT for Windows

version 5.10

GDSII Plotting Software

Artwork Conversion Software, Inc.

GDSPLOT/W
Copyright
Copyright 1999-2001 by Artwork Conversion Software, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced without the prior written consent of Artwork Conversion Software, Inc., 417 Ingalls St., Santa
Cruz CA 95060

GDSPLOT is protected by both United States copyright law and international treaty provisions. Therefore this
software must be treated just like a book, with one exception. We authorize you to make archival copies of the
software for the purpose of backing up the software to protect your investment in it.

The phrase “just like a book” means that this software can be used by any number of people and may be freely
moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location
while it is simultaneously being used at another. This copy of the software may not be used by two different
people at the same time in different places without violating our copyright.
Warranty
We warrant the physical media and documentation to be free from defects for a period of 30 days from ship-
ment. We further warrant that this product does substantially what the data sheet describes it will do. For a peri-
od of 30 days from shipment we will accept the return of the software and refund your purchase price if you find
it does not perform as specified. You agree to examine and test the software within the 30 day limit. We will
not accept returns after the 30 day limit.

In no event shall Artwork be held liable for any loss of profit, expense incurred or other commercial damage
arising from your use of the software.
Governing Law
Artwork Conversion Software, Inc. is a California corporation and this warranty shall be interpreted and gov-
erned by the laws of California.
Attorneys Fees
In case of litigation arising from the licensing or use of this software the prevailing party shall be entitled to rea-
sonable attorney fees and all costs of proceedings incurred in the litigation.
Trademarks
GDSPLOT is a trademark of Artwork Conversion Software, Inc. DXF is a trademark of AutoDesk Co.. Other
trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Acknowledgements
GDSPLOT was written by Siu Nin Law with assistance from Eric Chan and Jaime Mendez. Documentation by
Steve DiBartolomeo and Jeff Warrick.

ii Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
Large File Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1
Integrate Into Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1
Supported Plotters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1
GDSPLOT Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2
Chapter 2 Installation Guide
Please see the special insert for Installation topics and page numbers.
Chapter 3 Running GDSPLOT for Windows
What to know before running GDSPLOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-1
Resources Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-1
Starting the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-2
GDSPLOT Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-2
Select GDSII File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-3
Select Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-3
Dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-3
Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-3
Configure Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Working Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Resource Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Raster Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
GDSII Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Plot Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Output Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Enhanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-4
Reverse Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-5
Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-5
Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-5
Plot Header 3-5
Plot Label 3-5
Data Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6
AREF Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6
Boundary/ Path Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6
Text Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-6
Font Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7
Font Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7
Nesting Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-7
Plot/Page Definition(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
Plot Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
Manual Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
Scale or Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
Scale Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
Calc. Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-8
Plot Area (in) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9
Origin (User Units) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9

Table of Contents iii

 Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9
Layers Selection Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9
Output File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9
Setup Plotter Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-9
Setup Layer Fills and Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-10
GDS Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-10
Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-10
Fill Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-10
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-11
Saving and Loading Map Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-11
Start Plotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-11
View GDSII Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-12
Chapter 4 Configuring Plotters Output
Setup Plotter Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-1
Plot Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-1
Plotter Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-1
Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Print to File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Advanced Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
RTL Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-2
Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Raster Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Plotter Setup String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
PCL Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Compression Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Raster Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Plotter Setup String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
Page Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
Margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-4
Chapter 5 GDSPLOT Reference
Layer Fill Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-1
Modifying the Fill Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2
Sample Fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2
Special Via Fill Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3
Selecting Layer Fill Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3
How Colors Add Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-4
Outline Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-4

iv Table of Contents
Appendix I Technical Support
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-1
Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-1
WEB Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-1
FTP Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-1
Dropping Files at the FTP Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-2
Picking up Files from the FTP Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-2
Zip Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-2
Zip Password Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-2
Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-3

Table of Contents v
Chapter 1
Introduction tp GDSPLOT
GDSPLOT was developed to take advantage of the new genera-
tion of large format color inkjet plotters. These plotters cost ten
times less than their electrostatic counterparts. We’ve developed
new plotting software that also costs ten times less than software
required to drive electrostatic plotters.This new Windows version
also takes advantage of today’s modern workstations equipped
with powerful Pentium CPU’s, Windows NT 32 bit OS and large
hard disks.

GDSPLOT rasterizes very large GDSII files on the workstation.

It then puts the raster data, usually in a compressed format, into a
plot queue which drives the plotter.

The advantage of this is that the plotter will run at its maximum rate when fed raster data. If one attempts to
send the plotter vector data such as HPGL, the plotter’s built in computer may take hours to rasterize the data,
making it unavailable to others during this process. On a large network of workstations there is normally extra
resources available that can be used for rasterization purposes.

Large File Capacity

When we designed GDSPLOT we did so with the express intent that this program would be used to plot very
large GDSII files. We arranged the program so that the user could define as many plots as he needed in advance,
using a menu driven front end - then launch the plotting engine and let it run.

Integrate into Framework

We also constructed GDSPLOT so that a design framework can generate the necessary resource files and launch
the plotting engine as a background process. Of course if you intend to build such a front end, please contact us
and we will give you whatever support is required to do this effectively.

Supported Plotters
HP Design Jets - 250/350/500/650/750/800/1050/5000

HP Desk Jets - 550C/660C/820C/1600C

HP Laser Jets - Series III, IV, V

Calcomp Inkjets - Techjet Family

Encad - NovaJet Pro (36 and 50 inch)

Selex

OCE

Introduction to GDSPLOT 1-1

1-2
GDSII GDSPLOT BLOCK DIAGRAM
FILE
demo1

gdsplt rstrize rtlport

GDSPLOT (converts (converts
(USER (converts RTL
GDSII to GDSX to raster to (Raster)
SHELL) raster) RTL)
gdsbatch.bat GDSX)

demo1.job
points to filenames
contains info about
GDSII structure's
location in file and
dependence tree.
parallel
or
rpltcfg (raster serial
demo1.cfg demo1.map
plotter config) parallel or serial
port sender
(DOS only)
contains fill pattern
Contains names of plot.cfg
structure and layer and color for each
GDSII layer.
lists to plot. Font
scaling and files. contains plotter
configuration info

RESOURCE FILES xgdsplot creates demo1.cfg from "Select Structure/Layers" menu

demo1.map from "Setup Layer Parameter" menu
plot.cfg from "Setup plotter Parameters" menu.

Introduction to GDSPLOT
 Windows Installation

Hardware/OS Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2

Supporting DLL’s and Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-2
Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Components to Install . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Host ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Sentinel Parallel Port Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Floating Network License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Key Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
Modifying the Key Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
The Hardware Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
Damage to the Hardware Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-4
Hardware Key Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
Parallel Port Switch Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
Host ID Locking - Replacing the Hardware Key with your Network Card . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
Getting your Host ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5
Common Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-6

Artwork Conversion Software, Inc.

417 Ingalls St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 426-6163
support@artwork.com
Chapter 2
Windows Installation
Installation of Artwork’s Windows based programs is the same for all applications. We use Install Shield to uncom-
press files from the CD or Internet download and copy them to the directory of your choice, install required DLL’s,
create the program group, update the registry and install the example files. You attach the “hardware key” to the par-
allel port and enter the “key strings” to complete the installation.

Hardware/OS Requirements

! Pentium Class or higher CPU.

! 64 Mbytes RAM recommended.
! 256 color display with at least 800 x 600 resolution. Our dialog boxes will not be
fully visible on a 640 x 480 display.
! 5-10 Mbytes of disk space.
! Windows 95/98/NT4/Windows 2000.
! Mouse or other pointing device.
! Parallel Port for the Hardware Key or Network Card for MAC address locking.

Supporting DLLs and Drivers

!MFC DLL’s. This is a set of DLLs that support Microsoft’s Foundation Class. They are auto-
matically tested for and installed as needed in the Windows directory.

! WinG libraries. Some of our newer programs use Microsoft’s new WinG libraries to signifi-
cantly increase display performance. Again, the install program checks for their presence and
installs them if needed.

! Sentinel Driver for NT. Since our programs cannot access the parallel port directly on NT a
special driver provided by Rainbow(our key mfg) must be installled. This is automatically
installed1 if you have selected Hardware Key (Sentinel) Locking and you are running on NT.

1: Some users have machines set up in a way that they do not have write privileges to certain directories including the Windows system directory.
In that case it may not be possible for the Install Shield program to load drivers such as the Sentinel Driver. If this occurs you need to arrange with
your system administrator to run the installation again with full privleges.

2- 2 Windows Installation
Installation Procedure
1 Insert the CD into your drive

2 Double click on the setup.exe (or on the self extracting .exe for
downloads)

3 Follow the screen instructions and prompts. You can select the
drive and directory where the programs will be installed.
Example files are usually installed in a subdirectory called exam-
ples under the program directory. You can override the default
Figure 2-1. When the Destination Folder
Menu comes up, the user can choose where
the program will be installed.

selections. by pressing Browse... and choosing a new destination.

Components

You can also select which components to install. Normally you do

not need to install the examples during an upgrade.

Figure 2-2. This screen shows an example of

how the user can select which components to
install.

Security

There are three different types of security:

Host ID - a unique serial number is derived

from your network card’s MAC address (note
on NT machines with two network cards this
can fail)

Sentinel Parallel Port Key - a Sentinel-C

dongle is attached to one of the parallel ports.
This provides a unique serial number for the
application.

Floating Network License - a license

server runs a program known as a license
manager. The LM gets requests from the Figure 2-3. The Installation Licensing Schemes Menu.
application over the network and returns per-
mission to execute.

Windows Installation 2-3

When you purchase our software you select which type of licensing to use. The keycodes that are generated reflect
the type of licensing. During the Install you must enter the type of security to be used.

Key Strings
If this is your first installation please type or paste them into the
box provided. If you are updating or otherwise overwriting the
execs you should not need to re-enter the key strings a second time
as long as you install into the same directory as before.

EVdYjWJ OJDGffR YDNXcJM UNXcUdV OXTUXMi MTNeRWX cDFRPKL

Figure 2-4. The Install Keys menu.
Our key strings consist of 7 groups of 7 characters. No numerals
are used so it is impossible to confuse the letter “l” (larry) and the
number “1” (one) or the number “0” (zero) and the letter “O”
(Oscar). Please pay attention to upper and lower case since these do make a difference.

If possible obtain your keystrings by email so that you can paste them into the box. Typing is prone to errors.

The key string you entered is stored in a file called ACS.KEY. The key file must be located in the same directory as
the executables. Inside the file you will find an entry such as:
!#ACS EVdYjWJ OJDGffR YDNXcJM UNXcUdV OXTUXMi MTNeRWX cDFRPKL

Modifying the Key Strings

If you need to modify a key string after the program is installed
you can do so from the Help pulldown within your application as
shown here:

Or you can use a text editor such as the notepad to directly edit the
ACS.KEY file. Either approach will work.

The Hardware Key

Figure 2-5. The Install Keys menu can also
be accessed from the Help pulldown.
Artwork’s programs can be secured using a hardware key that
attaches to the parallel port. The key will work on LPT1, LPT2 or
LPT3. If a printer was attached to the port re-attach it behind the
key. The printer must be turned on for the key to work.

Damage to Hardware Key

The Iomega parallel port ZIP drive is known to damage the Sentinel-C key when attached behind it. If you must
use the parallel Iomega Zip drive get a second parallel port and put the hardware key on a separate port.

The keys are fairly rugged; however we have found that moving them from machine to machine on a daily basis will
eventually damage the key either through static electricity or by breaking a pin. Accidentally inserting a key into a
serial port could also burn out the key since serial ports can have +12 and -12 volts on some pins.

2- 4 Windows Installation
Hardware Key Conflicts

Our hardware key may or may not work in conjunction with other keys on the same port. Sometimes the order in
which they are attached can make a difference. If you encounter a conflict the best solution is to put our key on
a second parallel port. Generally speaking the Rainbow Sentinel hardware key does not work on the same parallel
port together with other Rainbow Sentinel keys but does work on the same port with Rainbow Pro and SuperPro
keys.

You can also avoid the hardware key altogether by using hostid locking to your network card’s MAC address as
described later in this chapter.

Parallel Switch Box?

A parallel switch box can also be used to select between two keys - however this may be of limited value if you need
to toggle between two programs since our program does check the key during program operation and not just at start
up.

Host ID Locking - Replace the Key with Your Network Card!

Artwork has developed a technique to lock its Windows based software to a network card installed in the computer
instead of using a hardware key (dongle). From the network card’s MAC address we derive a hostid which substi-
tutes for the dongle’s serial number.

Getting Your HostID

You can use the program called hostinfo.exe to get the hostid of your machine..
If it is able to read the hostid you will see a screen as follows:

You need to send us the Hostid address of your machine. You can cut and paste
this into your email tool or into notepad or other text editor as needed.

In general, it will be able to get a reading if you have a network card installed and
TCP/IP services enabled.

Hostid Locking does not always work even if you have a network card installed.
It depends on Windows winsock.dll services and there are configurations where
networking is configured in a fashion that prevents our program from obtaining a
valid MAC address. For more details check our WEB site at
Figure 2-6. The Host Info Menu.
www.artwork.com/support/index.htm.

Windows Installation 2-5

Common Problems and Solutions
Here are the most common installation problems reported by our users and the solution. Please go through this list
prior to calling tech support.

Problem: Program runs in demo mode because it cannot find a valid key string.

Reason The key string file is missing. Look for the file called ACS.KEY . If not present you
can run the key install from the Help pull down on your program.

Reason The key string file is not located in the same directory as the executables. Using the file
manager make sure that the key string file ACS.KEY is located in the same directory as the exe-
cutable. If you have more than one translator from Artwork insure that you have an ACS.KEY
file in each executable directory and that each ACS.KEY file contains the correct key strings for
that program.

Reason The keystring is typed in incorrectly. Fix it with a text editor or re-enter from the Help
pull down. For example, we have noticed many users do not type in the blank space between
each group of characters.

Reason The keystring and the program executed do not match. Find out why. You may have
entered a key string for a different program. Remember that different Artwork Windows’ pro-
grams should be installed in different directories.

Reason The keystring and the hardware key serial number do not match.

Problem: The hardware key is attached but cannot be read.

Reason Another hardware key is on the same parallel port and is interfering. Our hardware keys
will work on LPT1:, LPT2: and LPT3:. Try moving one key to another port.

Reason The printer is attached behind the key and turned off thus shunting the key. Turn on the
printer.

Reason certain laptops have non standard parallel ports that don’t work. No easy solution here.

Reason The hardware key is not attached to the parallel port but to some other port.

Reason The hardware key has been damaged - usually either a pin is bent or cracked or static
electricity has killed it. This is most likely if it is often moved from machine to machine.

Reason You are running on Windows NT and Install Shield could not install the Sentinel drivers
because your system directory is read/execute only. Solution: Get your sysadmin to run the
Install Shield program using his logon which should have full privledges.

Reason The hardware key is not attached at all.

2- 6 Windows Installation
Chapter 3
Running GDSPLOT for Windows
GDSPLOT for Windows assumes that the GDSII files you need to plot are large and will take a significant
amount of time to rasterize. You will not want to wait around infront of the computer while the rasterization is
running. The basic procedure is to define everything about the plot first, define as many plots as you will need
and launch the software.

What to Know Before Running GDSPLOT/W

■ Path/name of the GDSII stream file.

■ Structure to plot.

■ Layers to plot.

■ Colors and fill patterns.

■ Plot text? If so, height of each font type.

■ Paper size and orientation.

■ Output device: file, local printer, network printer.

If you are unable to answer any of these questions you should either contact someone who does, or run some
experiments on small files to determine the proper setting prior to running a large and time consuming file.

Resources Needed

RAM - A workstation with a minimum of 64 MB RAM. If your GDSII files are large or if you are going to
make a very large page area then more RAM will speed things up.

Disk - At least 100 MB of disk space for the plot spooler. Raster files are large; a 36 x 44 inch page requires a
raster file of 64 MB.

Plotter - A printer or plotter properly installed and configured.

Running GDSPLOT 3-1

To start GDSPLOT for Windows click on the icon:

GDSPLOT is controlled from a main button menu. Each button either opens another dialog box or starts an
action. These topics will each be discussed in more detail throughout this chapter.

GDSII File Structure

Clicking on this button opens a file selection box enabling
you to select the GDSII file to plot. When the file is select-
ed, GDSPLOT/W will scan the stream file. It will then pop
open the structure selection dialog and enable you to
select the structure you wish to plot.
This button enables you to select the structure to plot. You
can scroll through the structure names and highlight the one
to plot. You can also click on Info to see the structure’s data
extents or on Dependence to see the structure’s hierarchy.

Configure Options Plot/Page Definitions

This opens a dialog box that
enables you to select the various
plotting options. RAM memory
allocation, plot headers, legends
and rulers, array plot rules and
path plot rules. Once set, your
choices are stored in a configura-
tion called plot.cfg and can be
used again from job to job until
changed.
Setup Plotter
Parameters
This button pops open a series of
boxes that enable you to define
the plotter’s page size, orientation,
margins, plotter driver, output port
and DPI.
Start Plotting
Fires up the plotting engine.
Display Log Info
This button pops open a text box
that enables you to scroll through
the log file generated by the plot
job.
This button pops open a dialog
box that enables you to define
one or more plots. You control the
plot window, the layers to plot and
scaling.
Setup Layer Fills and
Colors
This button pops open a dialog
box that enables you to create a
table of layers vs. fill patterns. You
also setup the layer vs. line width,
color and linetype. Once such a
table is setup, it can be used
again and again for plotting.
These files are called MAP files.
Figure 3-1. GDSPLOT Main Menu.
View GDSII Data
Launches the GDSVU Program.
Help
Brings up the Help Menu.
Exit
Exits the Program.
About
Opens a box displaying the pro-
gram version and date.

3-2 Running GDSPLOT

 Select GDSII File

Click on the desired GDSII file to highlight it

and press Open. The Work Dir. sets the cur-
rent directory as the one where files will be
read from and written to.

Figure 3-2. The Select GDSII File Menu.

Select Structure
This menu enables one to select the structure to plot. GSDII is a hierarchi-
cal database and is organized into structures. Scroll through the structure
names until you see the one you wish to plot - normally it is the top level
structure that contains the rest of the database.

Dependence
This button pops open a scrollable window that shows the hierarchy
beneath your selected structure.

Info
The info button pops
open another box
that shows the struc-
ture extents.

Figure 3-3 and 3-4. The

Structure Selection and Structure
Information dialog boxes.

Figure 3-5. The Structure Dependencies Window.

Running GDSPLOT 3-3

Configure Options
This menu enables one to configure GDSPLOT’s
options. Options that rarely if ever changed are grouped
in this menu - these options are stored in the default loca-
tion c:\plot.cfg.

Working Directory
This is where GDSPLOT files will be read from and
written to. Click the Browse button to choose a different
directory.

Resource Control
GDSPLOT uses as much RAM memory as possible -
you can control the allocation of memory between two
major areas - RAM memory allocated towards storing
GDSII polygon data and RAM memory allocated for
storing the image bitmap. The program handles any
polygon overflow by writing the extra data to disk - of
course disk is always slower than RAM. It also handles
any shortfall in image memory by only imaging a plot Figure 3-6. The GDSPLOT Configure Options Menu.
band that will fit into memory. It can subdivide any page
size into small bands that fit into the raster memory - it
stores the band to disk and then works on the next sec-
tion of the page.

Raster Memory
RAM (in Mbytes) used to store raster data for the image.

GDSII Memory
RAM (in Mbyes) used to store GDSII boundary data. The sum of Raster Memory + GDSII Memory should be
about 40 Mbytes less than total installed RAM so that Windows 95/NT has enough RAM for the OS and for run-
ning the GDSPLOT program.

Plot Control
Items grouped in this area control the appearance of the plot.

Output Control:
Enhanced
GDSPLOT will repeatedly rasterize each data structure in the position where it is placed. This
avoids snapping the entire structure’s bitmap to the nearest pixel grid point. This slows
GDSPLOT significantly so only select this option if you detect objectionable moire banding in
your plot.

Normal
GDSPLOT caches bitmaps of data structures and inserts the bitmap whenever the structure is
reused. Fast and efficient.

3-4 Running GDSPLOT

Configure Options (Plot Controls cont...)

Reverse Background
Select this option when you want the background to
be black instead of white. This option is used
occasionally when creating backlit plots for
tradeshow exhibits. Otherwise do not use it as it
puts much more ink on the page.

Legend Figure 3-7. The Plot Control Section of the

Configure Options Menu.
Turn this option on if you would like to see a layer
legend across the top of your plot. Normally quite
useful in helping you to identify the fill pattern
associated with each layer.

Ruler
Turn this option on if you would like GDSPLOT to draw a ruler all around the plot. Useful for locating items on
your plot.

Plot Header
Turn this option on if you would like GDSPLOT to print a short header across the top margin of the plot sum-
marizing the GDSII file name, structure name, magnification, data extents and layers plotted. Normally quite
useful.

Plot Label
Enter a string here (about 32 chars max) to that will be printed in the plot header. Use it to identify or otherwise
annotate your plot.

Rulers Plot Header Plot Label Legend

Figure 3-8. Examples of Rulers, Plot Header, Plot Label and Legend
which are set in the Plot Control section of the Configuration Menu.

Running GDSPLOT 3-5

Configure Options cont...
Data Control
Items grouped in this window control how certain GDSII
data is plotted.

AREF Mode Control: Figure 3-9. The Data Control section of the
Configuration Menu.
Outline
Any array references (AREFs) are plotted only as Figure 3-10.
an outline of the array’s extents.

Outer Row/Column
Shows the outer rows and columns only.

Full
Each array element is plotted. This is the Default
setting for this option. Outline Outer Row/Column Full

Magic
Check this box if your GDSII file was generated by Magic or other programs derived from
Magic. These programs appear not to adhere strictly to the Calma definition of array references
and GDSPLOT uses a different approach to interpreting the array rotation and mirroring com-
mands.

Boundary/Path Control:
Solid
Paths are plotted in a solid color and stand out from boundaries.

Outline
Paths are plotted normally and cannot be discriminated from outlines (default).

Trace
Only the path’s centerline is plotted Text Display

a) Trace b) Fill c) Outline

Figure 3-11. The various path and boundary plotting modes.

Text Display
This option toggles the display of text in the drawing on/off. On = strings of GDSII text are plotted (default)
Off = strings of GDSII text are not plotted. Some drawings have so much text annotation that it obscures the
data. The GDSII text entity includes a magnitude value, reference point, and rotation angle. A font reference is
attached to each string of text. It is important to note that the actual font data is not part of the GDSII stream
file. GDSPLOT must use its own font file to plot text. To change a font press the Font Control button to open
a new dialog box.

3-6 Running GDSPLOT

Configure Options cont...
Font Selection
This dialog box enables the user to scale up or
down each GDSII font. Default settings for Scale
Factor are 1. If your text appears too big or too
small in GDSVU or after plotting, adjust the Scale
Factor in this menu.

GDSII supports up to four fonts: FONT 0, FONT Figure 3-12. The Font Selection dialog box which
1, FONT 2 and FONT 3. However, it is important can be accessed by pressing the Font Control button
on the Configure Options Menu.
to note that there is no actual font information
included in the GDSII stream file. Since there is no
standard font we have created our own font files
which are found in the file GDSVU.FNT.

Font Height
The Calma GDSII system allowed a font to have any size. However, the height of the characters is not passed to
the GDSII file, so GDSPLOT has no idea how large the text should appear on the plot. Therefore, we enable the
user to set a scale factor for each of the four fonts. We assume that the font height = 1GDSII user unit; i.e., if
you are working in microns, the basic font character height is 1 um.

If the original designer used a font height = 100 um for FONT 0, then any text assigned to FONT 0 will appear
100 times too small on the plot. You can correct this by setting a font scale factor = 100. We recommend using
the GDSVU program to make sure the text height is correct rather than making numerous test plots. GDSVU
will display the text on the screen in the same manner that GDSPLOT prints the text. Once you have adjusted
the scale factor on screen it will plot correctly.

Text Color and Line Weight

Text gets its color and line weight from the outline color and outline type for the layer it belongs to.

Nesting Level
To get an overall view of a chip without going into too much detail it
is often useful to control how many levels of hierarchy are displayed.
By selecting only 1 or 2 levels, data further down is not shown. 0 =
all levels.
Figure 3-13. The Data Control sec-
tion of the Configure Options Menu.

Nesting Level = 1
Nesting Level = 2
Nesting Level = 3
Figure 3-14. Various Nesting Level Examples.
Nesting Level = 4

Running GDSPLOT 3-7

Plot/Page Definition(s)
This menu enables the designer to define his plot - the
plot window, the scale factor and the layers to plot. It
must be accessed for each new plot.

Plot Window
This is the area of the chip to be plotted.

Auto
Tells GDSPLOT to calculate the extents of the
selected structure.

Manual
enables the user to enter his own extents (in the
GDSII units) so that a particular portion of the
chip can be plotted. Figure 3-15. The Plot/Page Definition Menu.

Manual Window (User Units)

Enter the lower left and upper right coordinates of the
area you wish to plot. Example: Lower Left: 1250, 2250
Upper Right 2500, 4250. Note: Can only be used when
Plot Window is in Manual mode.

2900,2600 Figure 3-16. Example of Plot Window - The GDSII file

demo5 has extents 0,0 to 2900,2600. If you specify the
1450,1300 top structure and Automatic plot window (far left),
XGDSPLOT will calculate the extents and plot that area.
To plot a quarter of the chip select manual plot window
0,0 0,0 (left) and enter the coordinates of the corners of the
Plot Window Auto Plot Window Manual area to plot.
XGDSPLOT ill l h
Scale or Fit
Scale
Enter a non zero positive value. For example you might want to plot your chip at 200X. Click
on Scale and enter 200 for the Scale Factor.

Fit
Let GDSPLOT calculate the scale factor that will fit the extents of the area to the available page
size. GDSPLOT will select a scale factor that maximizes the size of the plot for a given page
size.

Calc Area
This button only works if you have selected a fixed scale factor. It then multiplies the plot window by the scale
factor and displays the size of the plot in inches. For example, suppose your chip is 7500 x 7500 um square.
You would like to plot your chip at 500X. Enter 500 in the Scale Factor window and press Calc.

3-8 Running GDSPLOT

Plot Page Definition(s) cont...

Plot Area (in)

The Plot Area will be shown as 147.64 x 147.64 inches. (Obviously you would need to plot this using multiple
36 inch strips on most plotters....).

Origin (User Units)

Enter a value here (in chip units, typically um) to move the plot origin. Normally this is not needed but has been
occasionally used to align two independent plots.

Layers
GSDPLOT gives you several methods of selecting the layers to plot:

Include
If the include button is selected you can enter a list of layers
to plot or enter = to plot all layers. If you wish to enter a
list, separate each layer number with a comma:
1,2,3,8,22,63. Figure 3-17. The lower
section of the Plot/Page
Definition Menu.
Exclude
If you have many layers to plot but want to exclude one or
more layers click on the Exclude button. Then enter the list
of layers not to plot. For example, if you wish to plot all
layers in your design except for layers 54 and 63 then click
on Exclude and enter in the box 54,63. You can’t mix an
include and an exclude list - use one or the other.

Layer Selection Dialog

If you would rather use a dialog box to select your layers then press
on the Select button. A dialog box will open enabling you to select
layers to plot by clicking on them. First select the proper mode -
include or exclude. Next, highlight each layer you want to add to
the list. Then click on Apply and check the selection window to
verify that the correct layers are in your list. Finally hit OK to con- Figure 3-18. Include/Exclude
tinue. Layers Menu.

Output to File
Normally the output of GDSPLOT is set in a different menu - the plotter configuration menu and all plots are
output to the same printer or file. However there are occasions when you might wish to send plots to a particu-
lar file or device. For example, if you are defining multiple plots and want the raster data stored in a file then
you would give each plot definition a different file name - otherwise each succeeding plot would overwrite the
previous plot data.

Setup Plotter Parameters

Please see Chapter 4 (Configuring Plotters Output), where this topic is discussed in detail.

Running GDSPLOT 3-9

Setup Layer Fills and Colors
Each GDSII layer can be assigned a color fill pattern for the interior region and a line color, line weight and line
type for the boundary outlines. This information is stored in a file with a .map extention. Once a map file has
been created and saved it can be used over and over again and will be found in the Working Directory.

GDS Layers
This column shows the GDSII layer number. If a
layer’s checkbox is selected then it contains data and
will be displayed in the plot. To deselect it click the
check box off and that layer will not be displayed. If
the layer number is grayed out there is no data on that
layer.

Color
The boxes in this column indicates the outline color and
line type used to plot boundaries. To change the out-
line/color or type double click on the layer’s Color
box. The Pick Color/Line Type dialog will pop open:
Click on the desired color to set the outline color.
Click on the desired linetype to set a continuous or
dashed line. Select a line weight from the available
options. Line weights are measured in plotter pixels so
the DPI of your plotter will affect the visible width.
Figure 3-19. The GDSPLOT
Layer Table.

Figure 3-20. The Pick Color/Line

Type dialog.

Fill Patterns
Double clicking on the layer’s Fill box will pop open
the Fill Pattern Palette window. This dialog box
shows all of the available fill patterns. Click on the fill
pattern you want to assign to the particular layer.

Figure 3-21. The Layer Fill Pattern Palette Menu.

3-10 Running GDSPLOT

Setup Layer Fills and Colors (cont...)
Description
Give a description to a layer if you feel there is something of significance on it. Whatever is typed to describe
the layer will appear in the plot under the layer legend. Note: The Legend option must be turned On in the
Configure menu for the description to appear on the plot.

Page up - Moves the layers to be selected up the page (16 layers at a time). You can also use
the scroll bar to go up or down the page.
Page Down - Moves the layers to be selected down the page (16 layers at a time). You can also
use the scroll bar to go up or down the page.
Home - Moves the layers to be selected to the beginning of the page.
End - Moves the layers to be selected to the bottom of the page.

#Layer Map Begin

0 103 7 1”
1 80 1 1”poly
Saving and Loading Map Files 2 82 2 1”metal 1
3 83 3 1”
The settings you choose in this dialog box must be 4 84 4 1”
saved to a file before exiting. If you do not speci- 5 85 5 1”
6 86 6 1”
fy a file name they are stored in a default file 7 87 7 1”
called gdsplot.map. You can specify a file name 8 96 1 1”
9 98 2 1”
such as cmos.map. Then when you go to plot 10 99 3 1”
another cmos chip with the same fill patterns per 11 100 4 1”
layer you can load cmos.map and all layer assign- 12 101 5 1” Figure 3-22. The map file format
13 102 6 1”
ments will be read from that file. 14 103 7 1” column 1 = GDSII layer
18 84 4 1” column 2 = fill pattern number
19 85 5 1” column 3 = line color
20 86 6 1” column 4 = line type
#layer map end column 5 = description

Start Plotting
Once done configuring the options of GDSPLOT,
press the Start Plotting button on the main menu to
begin the plotting process.

You will notice the percentage bar as shown above

Figure 3-23 and 3-24. The GDSPLOT Display
Log (above) and Plotting percentage bar (right).
which tells the status of the plot. When the plotting
is complete a Plot Log File will be shown like the
example to the right. You can also get this file by
pressing the Display Log Info button on the main
menu.

Running GDSPLOT 3-11

View GDSII Data
Once you press this button on the main menu the GDSII file will be shown in GDSVU very similarly to the
example below.

Figure 3-25. A typical GDSII file as seen through GDSVU.

3-12 Running GDSPLOT

Chapter 4
Configuring Plotters Output
Setup Plotter Parameters
This dialog box is used to configure the plotter type, page size, margins, and destination. Normally you only
need to configure this information once; GDSPLOT stores the information in a configuration file (plot.cfg) and it
is used over and over unless you need to change it.

Figure 4-1 thru 4-3. GDSPLOT Main Menu (left/top) which has
opened the Setup Plotter Parameters box (left/bottom). When
pressing Plot Setup, The Plot Configure dialog opens (above).

Plot Setup
Plotter Type
Select the data format for your plotter

Data Format Type of printer/plotter

RTL HP and Calcomp inkjets: Deskjets, DesignJets, Techjet.

EPSON The native language for inkjet plotters and compatible devices.
PCL HP Laser printers and compatibles.
TIFF A raster format used to import into DTP applications.
BMP Windows Bitmap for importing into DTP applications .
PostScript II Advanced form of Postscript for many color/bw printer/plotters. We
take advantage of PS II’s compressed bitmap to support all types of data
formats.
Postscript The original Postscript. Some data formats don’t plot that well using
PostScript.
OEM Driver Windows method of supporting other printers by creating an intermedi-
ate BMP file and pumping it through the Windows printer driver for
these devices. Not as efficient as an internal RIP but enables support of
devices that don’t support the above mentioned languages.

Configuring Plotters Output 4-1

Printer
This is the destination printer. You can select from the list of installed Windows printers. The printer can be
local or a network printer. Once you have selected a printer here, GDSPLOT will store the selection and use it
each time you plot - it will not use the system default printer.

Print to File
If you wish the plot data to be sent to a file, click on this button.

Advanced Setup
This menu lets you specify more specifically the plotter driver. For example if you selected RTL for HP Inkjets
this driver lets you specify HP 650C (for DesignJet family) or HP 550C (for the DeskJet family). You can also
specify the plotter’s DPI and any leading or trailing strings you may need to control the plotter or printer.
Generally such strings are not needed unless you need to switch a plotter from one mode to another prior to
sending it plot data.

RTL Advanced Settings

This dialog box is used to set up plot-
ting for HP inkjets ranging from the
500C up to the Design Jet 750C.
Please not that if you are using the
larger plotters GDSVU/W is really only
intended for plots up to B size and may
run very slow if you attempt to select
very large page sizes.

Figure 4-4. The RTL Advanced Settings dialog box.

Colors
There are many variations of RTL (raster transfer language) and we have attempted to write different flavors for
different devices. If you see your printer / plotter in the list, select it. If not pick the following:

HP650C Color - Use this driver for HP 650C, 750C, 2500, 1050,
1055, 450, 350 and other large format color inkjets.
TechJET GT Color - Use this driver for Calcomp’s family of wide
format inkjet plotters. While this driver actually produces RTL it has
been optimized for the TechJet. Also you should set DPI=360. The
Techjet can adapt to any DPI setting but 360 will give you the best
resolution.
TechJET GT Black and White - Use this driver for Calcomp’s fam-
ily of wide format inkjet plotter for output in Black and White.
Color (DeltaY) - Generic RTL output - use as needed for special
devices; uses seed row compression.

Figure 4-5. The various
color options available
from the Colors pulldown
menu of the RTL
Advanced Settings dialog
box.
Color (TIFF) - Generic RTL output - use as needed for special
devices - uses TIFF compression.
Black and White (TIFF) - Use for monochrome inkjets with TIFF
compression.

4-2 Configuring Plotters Output

Size
Note: This option is greyed out and not available because it is set in the Plot/Page Definitions Menu.

DPI
Dots per Inch. Most HP inkjets run at 300 dpi. However the Calcomp Techjet family should be set to 360 dpi.

Raster Buffer
Note: This option is greyed out and not available because it is set in the Configure Options Menu under
Resource Control.

Plotter Setup String

A string of characters or escape sequences that will be preattached. This is used to control the plotter’s behavior.
Some of our specialized drivers include the setup strings so you won’t need to add any.

Trailer
A string that is appended to the RTL file.

PCL Advanced Settings

Compression types
Black and White (Delta Y) - uses what HP
calls a seed-row compression mode. Black
and White.
Black and White (TIFF) - PCL output in TIFF
compression mode.

Size
Note: This option is greyed out and not avail-
able because it is set in the Plot/Page
Figure 4-6. The PCL Advanced Settings dialog box.
Definitions Menu.

DPI
Dots per Inch. LaserJets are normally 300 or 600 dpi.

Raster Buffer
Note: This option is greyed out and not available because it is set in the Configure Options Menu under
Resource Control.

Plotter Setup String

A string of characters or escape sequences that will be preattached. This is used to control the plotter’s behavior.
Some of our specialized drivers include the setup strings so you won’t need to add any.

Trailer
A string that is appended to the RTL file.

Configuring Plotters Output 4-3

Page Setup
Page Size
Use the Page Setup dialog box to define the size of
your plotter or printer’s page. For roll fed plotters
such as the HP 750C, set the page size to Custom;
the Width is the width of the roll (36 inches), and
the length can be set quite long - GDSPLOT will
feed only as much paper as needed by the image.
Figure 4-7. The GDSPLOT Page Setup Menu.
GDSPLOT comes with standard default page sizes:
(A-E inches) and (A4-A0 mm). When choosing a
standard page size the user cannot make changes to (Direction of Paper Flow)
the page parameters. Use Custom if you wish to Right Margin

set your own parameters.

Bottom Margin
The standard default page sizes are as follows:

Top Margin
Page Width
Letter 81/2 x 11
Legal 81/2 x 14
Tabloid 11 x 17
Left Margin
A 81/2 x 11
B 11 x 17 GDSPLOT Plotter Coordinates
C 17 x 22
D 22 x 34
E 34 x 44
A4 210 x 297
Chip Extents ( x > y )
A3 297 x 420
A2 420 x 594 Right Margin
A1 594 x 841
Figure 4-8. The Page Size A0 841 x 1189
pulldown from the Page Setup

Bottom Margin
Menu.
Top Margin

Orientation
If your chips are normally wider than they are tall set the orientation to land-
scape. If they are tall and narrow set the orientation to portrait. If you want Left Margin

GDSPLOT to autorotate the page to find the best fit (only works when Plotted Portrait Orientation
scale=Fit to Page) then set orientation to Auto Rotate. Right Margin

Margins
Bottom Margin
Top Margin

You can set each margin individually as needed. Most printers and plotters
cannot image to the very edge of the page.

Left Margin
Plotted Landscape Orientation

Figure 4-9. Examples of various ori-

entation settings.

4-4 Configuring Plotters Output

Chapter 5
GDSPLOT Reference
Layer Fill Patterns
Layer Fill patterns are stored in a resource file called colfill.pat. The table below shows the contents of the
colfill.pat as supplied by Artwork.

Figure 5-1. To generate

a color plot of this file
use the colors.gds file we
provide with colors.map

GDSPLOT Reference 5-1

Modifying the Fill Patterns
While the majority of our users are satisfied with the standard patterns we provide, it is possible to create your
own fill patterns. This is done by modifying or appending to the file called colfill.pat.
Each fill pattern in colfill.pat is defined as an array of pixels. Arrays can be 4x4, 8x8, 16x16 or 32x32. Each ele-
ment in the array can take on one of the following values:

R Red
G Green
B Blue
C Cyan
Y Yellow
M Magenta
K Black
White Figure 5-2.

Diagonal Blue Lines Orange Dot Fill

Sample Fills
The first user definable index number starts at 32 (0-31 are reserved for internal use) and continues to 1024. The
index number is preceded by the # sign in column 1. It is immediately followed by as many lines as required by
your array (4,8,16,32).

#32
RRRR
GGGG
RRRR
GGGG

#33
.......R
......R.
.....R..
....R...
...R....
..R.....
.R......
R.......

When creating the array, one ought to attempt to make the symmetrical in both X and Y so that it tiles cleanly.
See the example of an incorrect fill pattern. Such a pattern will work but may appear jagged when plotted.

Figure 5-3. The pattern shown at left will not tile symetrically and
appears jagged on the plot.

5-2 GDSPLOT Reference

Special Via Fill Patterns
GDSPLOT supports a special fill pattern designed specificaly for via and contact layers. The patterns are not
bitmapped but vector patterns that scale with the size of the contact. These patterns were devised to be “trans-
parent” so that stacked vias or contacts can be seen in the plot.

Figure 5-4. Examples of several

Special Via Fill Patterns.

Selecting Layer Fill Patterns

Selecting the proper fill patterns for plots is not always obvious. Most first time users select fill patterns that are
too dense resulting in dark or black plots.
We offer the following general guidelines:

metal layers - for scale factors on the order of 100 to 200x use a 25% fill with no outline such as 102 magenta or
103 cyan. By selecting these patterns you will be able to clearly visualize data under the metal as well as metal
crossover. For higher magnifications such as 300-500X you might want to go to an even less dense pattern - say
54 magenta or 55 cyan with an outline.

nwell or pwell - usually no fill is used for these layers. If the magnification is high enough, set these to no fill,
and used a dotted or dashed outline only. You may wish to use an outline weight of 2 pixels at larger magnifica-
tions.

n+ or p+ - use a very light yellow pattern such as 100 yellow.

contacts and vias - for low magnifications (100 to 200 x ) use a solid black fill unless there are large contact
areas under the pads (this will make your pads solid black.). If there are large contact areas under the pads use
the special via fill patterns 16,17 and 18. For large magnifications use 16,17 and 18.

active area - use a fill pattern such as 25% green (99).

glass - usually do not plot at all this layer.

pad openings - use an outline only or a cross hatch pattern to show the pad openings.

poly - use a light red fill such as 25% red (98) at low magnifications with no outline.

How Colors Add Up

When several colors are placed on the same page pixel the sum adds up per the rules of CYMK addition where
CYMK are the primary printing colors. The table below shows the resulting pixel color.

GDSPLOT Reference 5-3

 Figure 5-5.

Outline Types
The plotting of each boundary outline is controlled by the line color and linetype parameter. Available colors are:

0 White 4 Yellow
1 Black 5 Blue
2 Red 6 Magenta
3 Green 7 Cyan

Outline types are divided into 4 groups - 1 pixel wide, 2 pixels wide, 3 pixels wide and 4 pixels wide.

Figure 5-6. GDSPLOT

Linetypes.

5-4 GDSPLOT Reference

Appendix I
Technical Support
If you have problems running our software please contact us so that we are aware of the types of problems you have
encountered and can correct them. We also encourage suggestions about new features.

Artwork Conversion Software, Inc.

417 Ingalls St.

Santa Cruz, CA 95060-3500

Tel (831) 426-6163

Fax (831) 426-2824

Email
You can contact us at support@artwork.com

This email address is distributed to several users. You can attach small files to your email. If your attachments are
large, we prefer that you ftp them to us. If you do attach files please use MIME attachment so that we can automati-
cally detach them.

WEB
We maintain an information area at http://www.artwork.com. In addition to the basic datasheet, there is a page that
reports the upgrade revision status, and a method of picking up the latest release for registered users. We suggest that
you visit the WEB site regularly. A new page for each product: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) will be in place.

FTP Site
We prefer that you send us problem files or examples via ftp. The procedure is as follows:

1.) Gather the relevant files together (mask files, dxf, gerber, aperture list etc...)

2.) Create a readme.txt file identifying yourself, your phone, fax and describing the problem. Files sent to us
without a readme.txt associated with them are deleted!

3.) Compress the files into a single zip file using PKzip, Winzip or equivalent. If you are worried about
privacy or security you can use a password and send us the password by email, voice or fax. If your
coming from a UNIX system you can also use gzip or tar and compress.

4.) Never send us a self extracting archive ending in .exe. We delete these files immediately - too much risk
of a virus.

5.) ftp the file to us at ftp.artwork.com - follow the directions on the next page.

Technical Support A1-1

FTP Directions
Login = anonymous
Password = email address
Change directory to pub/put_in_here
Change to binary mode and put the file in this directory
We also place updates and newly released software on our ftp site. It is accessible both via the WEB page and direct-
ly. Files for download are available from the get_from_here directory.

Sample ftp dialog - dropping off a file

ftp: ftp.artwork.com IP = 205.179.74.10

login: anonymous only anonymous login is allowed

password: your_email_address

> cd pub/put_in_here We’ve set up a special directory to put

stuff to us.

> binary set ftp’s transfer protocol to binary

> put filename.zip put the desired file zip file.

> bye sign off.

Picking up files from the ftp site

ftp: ftp.artwork.com artwork.com’s IP address is 205.179.74.10

login: anonymous only anonymous login is allowed

password: your_email_address

> cd pub/get_from_here/mtools under get_from_here are various

directories of interest to us.

> binary set ftp’s transfer protocol to binary

get mtools.sunos.v209.zip all files are zipped using a password

you will need to contact artwork by mail
to obtain the unzipping password.

>> bye sign off.

A1-2 Technical Support

WEB Support
Updated Software can be easily downloaded
Manuals in PDF format can be downloaded and printed
The web address for this program is http://www.artwork.com/gdsii/gdsplot/index.htm

What’s the Current Version of the Software?

Go the the home page and click on the category for your software. You will find an index page for your program with
an entry called Revision History. Click on Revision history and you will find the version number, date and a list of
bug fixes or enhancements.

Download the most Recent Version

If you decide that you want to update you can download the latest version with a click.

Installs are password protected. You need to email us (support@artwork.com) to get the installation password. At that
time your support status will be checked and only customers under support are given the password.

Technical Bulletins and Solutions to Common Problems

There is a support page (www.artwork.com/support/index.htm) where we’ve tried to post detailed bulletins on the
most commonly asked questions and problems. These solutions are normally done in HTML and soon will be avail-
able in PDF.

ZIP Compression
Most of the UNIX files we make available on our ftp site are compressed using the ZIP protocol. UNIX users can
download by anonymous ftp the ZIP programs. Don’t attempt to download UNIX files onto a PC and unzip them there
- the filenames will generally be modified and the install will no longer work.
/pub/get_from_here/util/sunos_zip.tar for SunOS 4.1.x
/pub/get_from_here/util/solaris_zip.tar for Solaris 2.x

/pub/get_from_here/util/hp700_zip.tar for HPUX 9.0x

/pub/get_from_here/util/aix_zip.tar for IBM AIX 4.1

You can install these in your usr/local/bin directory so that they are easily accessible.

Our zip files are password encrypted - to unzip them you must provide the correct password. The password changes
regularly. Please call or email us to obtain the password.

Many public domain versions of unzip such as gzip do not support passwords. If yours is such we recommend that
you download the ones we have provided.

For program updates you must be under support to obtain such a password.

Technical Support A1-3