Postbox

What's new in this version:

Enhancements: Numerous new functions for the RBA and pya API Some highlights:
- "Texts" for text collections (similar for Edges/EdgePairs/Region)
- New modes for blending layout files - see GitHub issue #666
- New function Cell#transform - see GitHub issue #598
- New functions for Image (read, write, clear)
- New functions for Region and Edges correlating with the new DRC features
- Multi-cell hierarchical copy/move of trees - will maintain shared instances
- RBA: iterators are now automatically made available as Enumerable
- All functions having a void return specification now return self (allows chaining)
- More functions for manipulating selections (LayoutView#select_all etc.)
- Spline interpolation code available in new "Utils" namespace
- QByteArray support, mapping to Python byte arrays
- MainWindow#set_key_bindings, MainWindow#get_key_bindings, MainWindow#set_menu_items_hidden etc.
- New class RecursiveInstanceIterator (similar to RecursiveShapeIterator, but acts on instances)
- Deep vs. flat operations do not always flatten out now (flat vs. deep does however)
- Global transformations for inputs
- Enhancements: New DRC features Some highlights:
- Better support for texts - "text layers"
- Combined AND+NOT feature for separating regions into inside and outside part
- "max_vertex_count" and "max_area_ratio" configuration options
- "forget" for memory optimization
- Shielding is optional now for some DRC functions
- "interact" now has a count filter
- In verbose more, figure counts and more information is printed
- Generic DRC function and complex DRC operations: for details search "Universal DRC" in documentation
- "not_opposite" and "rect_filter" options for some DRC functions
- "enclosing" (selects polygons entirely enclosing others)
- New filters for polygons: squares, non_squares, area ratio, bbox aspect ratio
- More intuitive specification of projection limits ("projecting < 2.um")
- "with_holes" and "without_holes", also with count
- Density check is included now ("with_densitiy", "without_density")
- "split_..." functions give interacting/non-interacting sets in one step
- Better support for generic transformations as Matrix2d and Matrix3d
- "fill" and "fill_with_left" functions for dummy fill
- NO "connected" feature yet. Sorry. Had to drop it to finish this release
- Enhancements: new LVS features Some highlights:
- Improved netlist and LVS result browser (infinite-depth browsing)
- Improved circuit match algorithm
- Case insensitive handling of object names for SPICE netlists
- Probe feature fixed in flat mode
- "connect_explicit": for details search "connect_explicit" in documentation
- Enhancements: New features for images Some highlights:
- New menu item: show and hide all images - see GitHub issue #535
- False color nodes now can have a left and right color allowing color steps
- Persistance of images through a special file format: "lyimg" (XML based)
- Enhancements: LEF/DEF reader Some highlights:
- Support for layer map files
- More complete spec support (e.g. FILL, MASK, FOREIGN, DO/BY/STEP ...)
- Several bug fixes, e.g. routing layer switch for VIAs
- Some functions also act on the transient selection (less mouse clicks)
- Enhancements: Layout editing and rulers Some highlights:
- Object properties now are changed without having to commit the dialogs
- Dockable editor options windows
- "Recently used" list
- A "distribute objects" feature (Edit/Selection/Distribute)
- Snap highlighting
- Mouse tracking cursor indicates grid- and object-snapped location
- Enhancements: Help browser
- Bookmarks
- Search in page (Ctrl+F)
- Enhancement: Improved fill tool The fill tool now also supports skewed fill pattern repetitions
- Enhancement: Ability to utilize a LayoutView as a Widget Standalone instantiation of a LayoutView object is supported now. So it becomes possible to create custom MainWindow UIs and embed a layout view there.
- Enhancement: Improved layer and cell list filtering and searching
- Enhancement: Experimental 3d (called 2.5d) view of layout For details search "2.5d View" in documentation.
- Enhancement: Improved performance on sea of instances for OASIS files Iterated OASIS instances are stored and handled in a leaner way in viewer mode
- Enhancement: Buddy scripts can concatenate files with "+" for input Concatenation happens by "blending files". Beware of the risk this implies. A new option "--blend-mode" has been introduced for supporting overwrite, skip and variant formation in case of cell name conflicts. See buddy script help.
- Enhancement: Layer maps now support n:m layer mapping This allows mapping n input layers to one logical layer (merging) and also one input layer to m logical ones (clone layer). This applies to the buddy scripts and layer maps inside KLayout's reader.
- Enhancement: include mechanism for easy include of files into DRC/LVS scripts This is a plain text substitution feature. Don't use it for Ruby or Python scripts (the preferred way is still require/import). But it's a quick way to include partial DRC and LVS scripts without having to worry about variable scope. For details see "Including other files" in the documentation under: KLayout User Manual/Design Rule Check (DRC)/DRC Runsets.

Fixed:
- Fixed an issue with QByteArray/QVariant transformation in Qt binding
- PCB gerber import: Incorrect handling of D02 operations.
- Proper handling of comments in RVE DB reader
- Bug in the "smooth" function
- Deep mode DRC: separation from "inside" gives wrong errors
- Internal error on net extraction

Enhancement:
- LVS could not do "connect_implicit" with global nets
- Plain transformation of cell missing
- RBA/PYA: Provide event when a net is selected in the netlist browser
- True support for text objects in DRC/LVS (text layers)
- Edges#extents, Texts#extents and EdgePairs#extents now work hierarchically in deep mode. In DRC, this means, "extents" is a deep-enabled method now
- Image handling enhancements
- Enhanced API for ObjectInstPath
- Difficult to select specific labels for net name assignment in net extraction. Solution involves a more elaborate handling of texts through "text layers
- A separate search range can be specified for box selections now
- Technology specific libraries: library name resolution based on technology
- Controlling the way a layout reader integrates cells into an existing layout