Supported Formats
Gerbtrace supports a range of PCB manufacturing file formats for import and visualization.
Gerber RS-274X
The Extended Gerber format is the industry standard for PCB layer data. Gerbtrace's parser handles the full RS-274X command set including:
- Standard and custom aperture definitions (circles, rectangles, ovals, polygons)
- Aperture macros with arithmetic expressions
- Interpolation modes (linear, circular CW/CCW)
- Region fills (G36/G37)
- Step-and-repeat (SR)
- Polarity control (LPC/LPD)
Supported extensions
.gtl, .gbl, .gts, .gbs, .gto, .gbo, .gtp, .gbp, .gm1, .gko, .gbr
These extensions follow common naming conventions. Files with non-standard extensions can be imported and manually assigned to the correct layer type.
Excellon Drill
NC drill files define hole positions and sizes for through-holes, vias, and mounting holes.
Supported features
- Tool definitions with diameter
- Drill hit coordinates
- Metric and imperial units
- Plated and non-plated drill files
Supported extensions
.drl, .drd, .xln, .exc, .ncd
Pick and Place (PnP)
Component placement files specify where each component is placed on the PCB.
Supported formats
| Extension | Format |
|---|---|
.csv | Comma-separated values |
.tsv | Tab-separated values |
.txt | Auto-detected delimiter (tab, semicolon, or comma) |
Required columns
- Designator (component reference)
- X coordinate
- Y coordinate
- Rotation angle
Optional columns
- Side (top/bottom)
- Value
- Package / footprint name
Column mapping is automatic via header text matching with manual override available. See SMD for convention details.
Bill of Materials (BOM)
BOM files list all components needed for assembly.
Supported formats
| Extension | Format |
|---|---|
.csv | Comma-separated values |
.tsv | Tab-separated values |
.txt | Auto-detected delimiter |
.xlsx | Microsoft Excel (first sheet) |
.xls | Legacy Excel (first sheet) |
Delimiter detection
For CSV/TSV/TXT files, the parser inspects the first 5 lines:
- If any line contains a tab, the file is tab-delimited.
- Otherwise, if any line contains a semicolon, it is semicolon-delimited.
- Otherwise, it is comma-delimited.
Quoted fields (double quotes) and escaped quotes ("") are supported.
See BOM File Format for the full column specification and examples.
Documents
PDF files can be imported and categorized for reference:
| Category | Use |
|---|---|
| Schematics | Circuit schematics |
| Drawings | Mechanical or assembly drawings |
| Datasheets | Component datasheets |
| Instructions | Assembly or test instructions |
PDF documents are viewable inline within Gerbtrace and available for download.
ZIP packages
Gerbtrace accepts ZIP archives containing any combination of the above file types. All files are extracted and auto-classified. This is the recommended way to import a complete PCB design package.