I have a DIY CNC router that I use to make PCBs. I'm noticing the Eagle layout files use dotted traces on the bottom and top layers. I think these dotted lines are not actual traces but more likely used for demarcation of different areas on the PCB. In the future is it possible to create the PCBs with these dotted lines in a different layer? The problem I'm having is this, I have to spend some time to edit the brd files and remove these dotted traces in Eagle before I can send them to the gcode program. Another possibility would be to have 2 versions of the PCB one for the etching crowd and one for people like me that make their boards with a router.
Sorry if this has this been mentioned before, I did a search and did not turn up anything.
You should be able to see layer those traces are on, and then not include that layer in the gerber output.
Eagle is really powerful - it has a LOT of features that aren't used by the hobbiest but are there for serious manufacturers.
Not sure what you mean by dotted traces.
I'm not sure that two versions would be useful - the extra traces would be bad too for those of us who are stuck etching (very jealous of your milling abilities byt he way)
As PaulS suggests, these extra traces are most probably on another layer besides the top and bottom layers - by default 1 and 16.
Before I make a printout of the finished board for etching I turn off all layers except the top, bottom, dimension, pads and via layers.
Maybe post a screenshot of these extra dotted traces?
I have been educated on the dotted traces. Jay has informed me that I need to use the “Rats Nest” function and it will “fill” in the sections.
Jay is a regular on www.cnczone.com and has helped me quite a bit.
What is your router doing?
Cool.
Yep filling in polygons using the "ratsnest" tool is one of those trademark Eagle non-intuitive things.
By the way you can change the outline of the polygon from dotted to solid if you want. Just use the Change->Style tool and choosing "Continuous". This of course has no effect on the filled in polygon, only the view when it's in the outline state.
On that Single Sided Serial Arduino board, they have negative text in the polygon pours. I've never seen this and would like to know how to do this?
Can anyone educate me on how to do this?
Jay
http://picasaweb.google.com/jay.couture/Circuit#5408119838448663954
Is the photo of what I'm referring to.
When you put text on the bottom layers it has to be mirrored. There's two ways I have done it:
- When you create the text, type in what you want, then select the bottom copper or silkscreen layer before placing the text and it will flip the text automatically. or
- If the text already exists, change its layer to one of the bottom layers. If it doesn't flip automatically, use the 'mirror component' tool on it after you have changed the layer.
I think you are missing my point. The text that appears in that screen capture is negative space. Or to put it another way, it's as if they subtracted the text from the pour ... I know all about mirroring, spinning, etcetera ... how do I duplicate the absence of the pour in the shape of text ? 
Most interesting is that the text is "invisible" until you click the ratsnest button to calculate the fills.
Jay
Hmm, now I get what you're seeing. I'd have to play around with that and see. I'm thinking maybe text on the copper layer with a zero line width so it's invisible and the polygon fill avoids it. Not sure that would pass the DRC though. Maybe a hollow font?
Do you have the Eagle file with that in it? We can pick it apart and see how it was done.
It's on layer 42 bRestrict. They used the proportional font. Disable all layers except 42 and you can see it.
I'm not sure what happens when this project is exported to CAM. I've never had to do anything with the Restrict layers before. So it either just shows up in your copper layer, or you have to do something specific to get it into the copper - probably just include it in the bottom copper when you create that Gerber.
Looks like the text is on the bRestrict layer.
I hid all other layers and used the info tool on the text... (this will probably look crap, should have made it a white background - too lazy to change now)
Ah clever ... thx for ferreting that out. If you click on Bret's link to the CNCZone post, you'll see that it does indeed mill out the bRestrict text. This will be cool to add to some of my future projects.
Jay
Depending on your CNC software, you may also be able to put your "negative" text on some other layer that gets exported/imported directly as a milling path... (normally the CNC software has to compute outlines of the copper layers to create a milling path, so having something go direct to milling path is comparatively easy, as long at the line width matches some tool width.)