todbot posted tutorial on vector graphics in circuits from Illustrator to Eagle:
Eagle is a great cross-platform, free-for-non-commercial-use tool for many of us designing own own circuit boards. But it has a pretty glaring omission: the ability to import vector artwork to use as board outlines, logos, etc. You can import bitmaps via the finicky “import_bmp.ulp” ULP add-on, but bitmaps can’t work for board outlines. So we struggle with Eagle’s rudimentary vector drawing tools or have boring rectangular or circular boards. I think I’ve found a way to robustly transfer vector artwork from Illustrator to Eagle. Below I show an “amoeba” vector shape in Illustrator being converted and used as a board outline in Eagle.
Via Adafruit.
Cool!
If only the traces can be this ‘odd’ shaped. I tried once to make a ring shaped pcb, but I didn’t got the traces right :( Perhaps I write someday a script to do that.
I know it’s just an example to show the method, but remember boards are edge routed with a tool bit that has some fixed diameter. So there is some minimum radius that your fab house will allow on inside angles. The perfectly sharp included angles on the outline in this example cannot actually be produced (by any vendor I know about).
Excellent point, John. A professional version of this ULP would need to account for the limitations in a parameterized fashion.
Now who shows us how to do that without Illustrator?
Gimp or Inkscape anyone?