Layer Stack Legend

Created: June 23, 2021 | Updated: October 13, 2021 | Applies to version: 21

This document is no longer available beyond version 21. Information can now be found here: Layer Stack Legend for version 24

Parent page: Draftsman Objects

A placed Layer Stack Legend for a board design that features two internal layers and blind Via Drill Pairs with Back Drilling enabled.

Summary

A Draftsman Layer Stack Legend is an automated graphic composite of the project's internal board structure, which also includes the physical layer specifications as defined in the PCB editor's layer stack. The Layer Stackup Legend's visual style and included information are all configurable in the Properties panel.

Availability

A Layer Stack Legend object is available for placement in a Draftsman document as follows:

Choose the Place » Layer Stack Legend command from the main menus.
Click the button in the view objects drop-down menu on the Active Bar located at the top of the design space. Click and hold an Active Bar button to access other related commands. Once a command has been used, it will become the topmost item on that section of the Active Bar.
Right-click in the drawing design space then select Place » Layer Stack Legend from the context menu.
Click the Layer Stack Legend () entry in the Drawing Views toolbar (View » Toolbars » Drawing Views to enable).

Placement

After launching the placement command, board layer stack data is retrieved from the source PCB file, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and the generated Layer Stack Legend is attached to the cursor. Move the cursor to the desired position then click to confirm the placement.

Note that layer stack data is retrieved from the PCB document specified in the Source section of the Properties panel when in Document Options mode. To change the panel to that mode, deselect all objects in the design space (click in free space).

Graphical Editing

The position of a placed Layer Stack Legend may be graphically changed by selecting the table in the design space then dragging it to a new location. Note that the Layer Stack object cannot be graphically resized, but will automatically scale to accommodate the font style/size and stack graphic dimensions as specified in the Properties panel.

The default settings for the Layer Stack Legend are available in the Draftsman - Defaults page of the Preferences dialog.

Non-Graphical Editing

Properties page: Layer Stack Legend Properties

The non-graphical method of editing a Layer Stack Legend is available in the Draftsman Properties panel, which provides a range of editable properties, style, and design content settings for placed Draftsman objects.

The Properties panel when a Layer Stack Legend is selected.
The Properties panel when a Layer Stack Legend is selected.

To open the Properties panel and access the properties of a placed Layer Stack Legend:

After selecting the Layer Stack Legend object, select the Properties panel from the Panels button at the bottom right of the design space or select View » Panels » Properties from the main menus.
Double-click on the Layer Stack Legend object in the design space.
Right-click on the Layer Stack Legend then select Item Properties from the context menu.

If the Properties panel is already active, click on the Layer Stack Legend object to access its properties in the panel.

The Layer Stack Legend properties can be accessed prior to entering placement mode from the Draftsman - Defaults page of the Preferences dialog. This allows the default properties for the Layer Stack Legend object to be changed, which will be applied when placing subsequent Layer Stack Legends.

Editing Multiple Objects

The Properties panel supports multiple object editing, where the property settings that are identical in all currently selected objects can be modified.

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