Trace Optimizer
PCB includes a flexible trace optimizer. The trace optimizer can be run
after auto routing or hand routing to clean up the traces.
- Auto-Optimize
- Performs debumpify, unjaggy, orthopull, vianudge, and viatrim, in that
order, repeating until no further optimizations are performed.
- Debumpify
- Looks for U shaped traces that can be shortened or eliminated.
- Unjaggy
- Looks for corners which could be flipped to eliminate one or more
corners (i.e. jaggy lines become simpler).
- Vianudge
- Looks for vias where all traces leave in the same direction. Tries to
move via in that direction to eliminate one of the traces (and thus a
corner).
- Viatrim
- Looks for traces that go from via to via, where moving that trace to a
different layer eliminates one or both vias.
- Orthopull
- Looks for chains of traces all going in one direction, with more traces
orthogonal on one side than on the other. Moves the chain in that
direction, causing a net reduction in trace length, possibly eliminating
traces and/or corners.
- SimpleOpts
- Removing unneeded vias, replacing two or more trace segments in a row
with a single segment. This is usually performed automatically after
other optimizations.
- Miter
- Replaces 90 degree corners with a pair of 45 degree corners, to reduce
RF losses and trace length.