Gerber files show the arrangement of copper, solder mask, silkscreen, drill hits, and paste mask required to fabricate a finished circuit board. Use the Best Design Features With a PCB Gerber ViewerĪ PCB Gerber viewer is a convenient utility for viewing each of the layers in a PCB. Designers can create their project releases with Gerber files in Altium Designer, and they can quickly push data to their manufacturer. With Altium 365, a manufacturer can open Gerber files from two project revisions and compare them side-by-side.
Altium Designer includes a file generator for Gerber X and X2 formats and Gerber viewer features in the CAMtastic tool, but comparing Gerber files has long required an external application. Most EDA tools can take your circuit board layout and generate detailed Gerber files, including layer stack information and standard image input formats for copper layers, the solder mask, and silkscreen.
As part of a circuit board design review, manufacturers can use a Gerber viewer to inspect each layer of a printed circuit board and prepare stencils for each layer. Gerber files are among the most critical manufacturing files used in PCB fabrication processes. Your PCB design tools must be comprehensive, covering everything from schematic design and editing to layout and manufacturing preparation.
