Keeping Up-to-Date

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Recent Changes to the Site

Regular visitors need to know the recent changes:-

• 30 Aug 2011
  • Issue Status: A Graphical Footprint Library that includes a Degree Turned Round point generated an invalid footprint library rejected during Rats-nest build. We have only a single report, and there is a simple text edit workaround. A development update to DRAFT and correction to the WIRE (Rats nest) documentation is provided should the problem becomes a nuisance.

   

• 8 May 2011
  • Issue Status: New issue Vutrax 13.4b is available now. Changes include:-
    • VTXHELP 4.00a & HTMLVIEW 1.00a
      Complete replacement of help and tutorial viewers to regularise features on all Windows and Linux Platforms.
      Known Problem: Minimal Linux systems with very few fonts may initially display slowly while rescaling.
    • PLOT 17.11a
      Drill chart abnormality fixed.
    • SEE 11.4a
      The text editor can search backward Shift+F3 or from the menu - particularly useful if you overshoot.
      Spelling checker dictionary updated.
    • VTXSHELL 5.11a
      Error handling tidied up and meaningful 'if errorlevel ...' now available for wider range of internal commands.
    • VTXLIB11
      Menu system correct (was functional from command line)
    • VTX2IDF 2.01a - Vutrax to IDF converter
      (Optional interface) Various corrections and updates.
    • VUTRAX.MNU 10.15a
      Some help buttons in Menu system dialogues were badly targeted.
    • DRAFT 39.07b - Interactive Graphics
      Does not store scroll wheel zooms and similar in lists.
      The track measurement facilities now inspect explicitly selected signals for overlaying traces that might confuse the measurement, and offer various options.
      Linux only: Local menu on some items & multiple region groundplane specification fixed.

   

• 12-14 June 2010
  • Issue Status: New issue Vutrax 13.4a is available now. Changes include:-
    • DRAFT automatic panning completely revised.
    • Linux version resolved issues with insufficient access permission in UBUNTU 10.04
    • Linux version resolves untidy closedown of some utilities. DRAFT for Linux
    • Linux version Groundplane fill interpretation compatible with Windows version.
    • New facility for creating Bare Board Test output to IPC-D-356
    • Back Modify/Annotate enhancements to preserve user preferences
    • Detailed documentation of changes can be found in the installed or updated product at Vutrax 13.3a to 13.4a from (Help > What's New)

   

• 14 May 2010
  • Linux users upgrading to or making a fresh install into Ubuntu 10.04 will find that the Vutrax installed desktop icons have no image and don't work. This will be fixed in the next issue.
    Meanwhile for each launcher needed:-
          Right Click > Properties > Permission tab
            Select the Execute check box & Close.
    The image will appear & the launcher will start working.

   

• 11 June 2009
  • Issue Status: Rats nest building (WIRE) ignores degree turns of pads in the library.
    Workaround description in Issue Status and development fixes at Windows Updates or Linux Updates

   

• 2 May 2009
  • Issue Status: Vutrax 13.3a is now available for download. New features include
    • DRAFT - NEW feature can interactively or automatically create Concertinas & Zigzags including automatic bus length matching. A tutorial is included.
    • DRAFT - Alter (reverse) Direction feature of the banding line to work along routes in your preferred direction. Direction is preserved for selecting the next segment and style.
    • Clarification of mixed coordinates units in dialogue boxes.
    • Changes to mouse wheel in various modes and explicit user options
    • VTXSHELL manager include 'IF DEFINED ...', a filter KEEPLINE for extracting lines by pattern matching, and Linux per-command access to standard command shell functions.
    • Introduction of a text Clipboard Manager. In Linux this also provides inter-working for text clips between the various standard clipboard schemes.
    • Finalised update to Interface module for VTX2IDF.
    • Support for forthcoming release of Windows 7 (based on Beta releases).
    Customers with maintenance contracts should contact the office for an updated configuration file.

   

• 15 Nov 2008
  • Issue Status: Update to Interface module for VTX2IDF
    This is a Alpha update for Windows only that includes
    • VTX2IDF 2.00 Dev C a completely re-written module for 3D modelling output.
    • TOOLBOX 12.03 Dev D changing DXFTOVTX handling of SPLINES, and CREATELIB formatting and device orientation problems.
    • MENUVTX 10.15a
      for compatibility with the new VTX2IDF menus.
    
    More details can be found in Windows Updates

   

• 27 Oct 2008
  • Issue Status: Setting dimensions in DRAFT dialogues for coordinates not matching the current drawing may be inaccurate. Avoidance and workarounds provided.
  • Issue Status: Installation with Fedora 10 Alpha 1 is not possible with the standard selection of fonts. Existing customers are advised not to upgrade to Fedora 10 until Vutrax 13.3 can be installed.

   

• 18 Aug 2008
  • SAN 215: Installation may fail on Linux Fedora Core 9 and similar variants. Workaround for this and help system.

   

• 28 July 2008
  • Issue Status: PLOT photoplotting butt-ended axial lines may use an overlarge square pad to flash along the line if it is made available. Fix available as Vutrax 13.2a Update 2 Beta 3
  • Issue Status: CNCTOOL (used by PLOT for Gerber-274X) may generate an internal error diagnostic if a tool is selected but not used (very unusual occurrence). Fix Available as Vutrax 13.2a Update 2 Beta 3.
  • Issue Status: TOOLBOX 'DXFTOVTX' leaves out curves drawn as SPLINEs. Preliminary fix available on request.
  • Issue Status: TOOLBOX 'CREATELIB' (Create Library from a legacy Artwork) may fail to generate correct library items for some outlines. Preliminary fixes available on request.
  • Issue Status: PRINTFRM using a printer font (.FDF) filename which includes any white space causes an error. Workaround provided.

   

• 12 Apr 2008
  • Issue Status: CNC drill output may produce an unexpected error message 'Coordinate Suppress 1'. Explanation or workaround provided.
  • Issue Status: Menu selected Text Print Font definitions error if Vutrax is installed on a path including spaces. Workaround provided.

   

• 24 Mar 2008
  • Issue Status: PLOT in Pen, Photoplot & Postscript styles draws thin lines instead of leaving our lines designated Zero width with Butt-end. Includes workaround for Vutrax 13.1a & 13.2a.
    Fix for Vutrax 13.2a is at Windows Updates or Linux Updates
  • Issue Status: DRAFT 'Postscript' output (and thus Linux printer output) omits or misdraws the ELONG pad shape.
    Includes workaround for Vutrax 13.1a & 13.2a.
    Fix for Vutrax 13.2a is at Windows Updates or Linux Updates

   

• 8 Mar 2008
  • Issue Status & Bulletin 36: Vutrax 13.2a is now available for Windows and Linux. Bulletin 36 provides an outline of the new features.

Vutrax Bulletins

• Bulletin 36 Mar 2008
• Bulletin 35 Feb 2007
• Bulletin 34 April 2006
• Bulletin 33 November 2003
• Bulletin 32 August 2002
• Bulletin 31 April 2001
• Bulletin 30 March 2000
• Bulletin 29 March 1999
• Bulletin 28 April 1998