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| -rw-r--r-- | README.rst | 30 | ||||
| -rwxr-xr-x | gerbolyze.py (renamed from gerbimg.py) | 0 |
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diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e0b0518 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.rst @@ -0,0 +1,30 @@ +Gerbolyze high-resolution image-to-PCB converter +================================================ + +Tooling for PCB art is quite limited in both open source and closed source ecosystems. Something as simple as putting a +pretty picture on a PCB can be an extremely tedious task. Depending on the PCB tool used, various arcane incantations +may be necessary and even modestly complex images will slow down most PCB tools to a crawl. + +Gerbolyze solves this problem in a toolchain-agnostic way by directly vectorizing bitmap files onto existing gerber +layers. Gerbolyze has been tested against both the leading open-source KiCAD toolchain and the industry-standard Altium +Designer. + +Produce high-quality artistic PCBs in three easy steps! +------------------------------------------------------- + +Gerbolyze works in three steps. + +1. Generate a scale-accurate preview of the finished PCB from your CAD tool's gerber output: + + .. code:: + + $ gerbolyze render top my_gerber_dir preview.png + +2. Load the resulting preview image into the gimp or another image editing program. Use it as a guide to position scale your artwork. Create a black-and-white image from your scaled artwork using GIMP's newsprint filter. Make sure most details are larger than about 10px to ensure manufacturing goes smooth. + +3. Vectorize the resulting grayscale image drectly into the PCB's gerber files: + + .. code:: + + $ gerbolyze vectorize top input_gerber_dir output_gerber_dir black_and_white_artwork.png + diff --git a/gerbimg.py b/gerbolyze.py index 9f79a52..9f79a52 100755 --- a/gerbimg.py +++ b/gerbolyze.py |