AD18+ - how to convert layer e.g. mechanical2 to keepout-layer? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Kanc1erz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 10:19:24 am
content: Hi, is there any possibility to fix this weird keepout managment?My colleague created an housing drawing (dwg), which I imported to AD and it is on mechanical 2. Now I would like to convert pcb edges and mounting holes edges to keepout layer, but I cannot. I now I can draw them on my own (P->K->T/U), but the shape of the board is quite vivid...Did anyone cope with this issue?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 11:44:21 am
content: i'm not entirely sure what you mean, but the keepout layer in Altium was changed in recent versions.So this maybe why you are having issues.In older versions you could use the keepout layer like any other layer, but not in the newer versions. It's more of a special layer with limited access.I don't use this newer version myself, so my knowledge of it is limited. But..Instead of trying to move it to the keep-out layer try right click on the tracks/holes and tick the "keepout" tickbox.eg, Keep them on mech2 but tick their keepout property.

author: Kanc1erz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 11:58:30 am
content: I completely don't understand the move with changing the KO layer.... WHY? It was working completely fine...I don't also understand what you mean with this ko tick?I will open this project in older AD, convert as I want, and then go back to the new one....

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 12:15:59 pm
content: Quote from: Kanc1erz on April 05, 2019, 11:58:30 amYeah, i'm not sure i understand your problem either, So my solution maybe wrong.I am assuming you upgraded Altium sometime in the past and the method you have been using for keepout layer no longer works in the new version.In the newer version of Altium you cannot move things to keepout layer. The keepout system works differently.I think if you open an old project in the new version it works fine, but you are blocked from adding any more items to the keepout layer. Since that is not how the newer version works.Keep in mind that i'm trying to give advise about an Altium version i have only used twice myself. So i'm not 100% sure i am giving you good advice.This is how to get to the Keepout Tickbox for a track.

author: Fgrir
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2019, 07:03:23 pm
content: In AD18 I don't think you can access the keepout property directly anymore. Maybe you want this...

author: Kanc1erz
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2019, 09:28:23 am
content: This.Thanks a lot!

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 08:22:46 pm
content: Somewhere around AD17 (or maybe 18) they added a design rule for board edge clearance, which means you don't actually need to have the board outline primitives on the keepout layer to establish your copper-to-edge clearance. This simplifies things a lot, because this rule responds not just to the board outline, but also to cutouts, so you don't have to draw the same object on multiple layers to get rules to work right. You can simply draw the board outline, draw your cutouts, and apply one rule to get the required copper clearance. So as a result the keepout layer can instead just be used for actual keepout purposes as opposed to bodging around the lack of a board edge clearance rule.Of course they didn't NEED to change the way that the keepout layer works, but Altium gonna do what Altium does.