Cadsoft Eagle 5 test drive:Filed under computers and internet, geek it yourself, robotics, electronics, Cadsoft Eagle, CadsoftEagle, circuit layout, CircuitLayout, software review, SoftwareReview 
The other day, Make:blog mentioned the new 5.0 release of Eagle. Cadsoft Eagle is the most popular circuit design and layout software among DIY'ers, and the program I use in all my projects. Today I designed a project with Eagle 5 and journaled my favorite updates. I also tested compatibility with the current and beta versions of Eagle3D, a 3D circuit board rendering program.
Eagle 5 installs to dedicated version 5 directory -- the new version won't overwrite a previous install. You still have full access to your original stuff if anything goes wrong.
When I start Eagle 5 it attempts network access; this might be an auto updater or license checker. It didn't complain when I permanently blocked access.
All my old schematics and circuit board files from Eagle 4.16r2 load in the new version. The board layout editor got a minor makeover with "web 2.0" pastel color shades.
Say goodbye to the awkward ALT+Backspace undo, because Cadsoft joined the rest of the world and standardized on CTRL+Z!!! Need I say more? Oh happy day!
Eagle now has right-click context menus in the schematic editor and the board layout editor. While context menus are ubiquitous (does your browser have it?), previous versions of Eagle pretend the right mouse button doesn't exist.
Another great feature is the properties editor. Component or connection properties can be configured in one place. These features were previously scattered over dozens of menus and icons.
Eagle3D 1.05 compatibility
Like a Firefox upgrade, it's important that all your favorite Eagle add-ons are compatible with the new version. For me, that's the ultra-cool 3D rendering script, Eagle3D. The 3D renderings that accompany my projects are made with Eagle3D 1.05, but I'll also test a new 1.1 beta version with Eagle 5.
First, I installed Eagle3D 1.05 in the same folder as Eagle 5 (C:\Program Files\EAGLE-5.0.0\Eagle3D). I also installed POVray (try MacMegaPOV for Mac) to render the files created by Eagle3D. If you're not familiar with how to use Eagle3D, or run .ulp files with Eagle, see the Eagle3D documentation and this illustrated tutorial.
I loaded a circuit board file and rendered it using the Eagle3D .ulp file intended for Eagle version 4.1. It worked normally, and generated a POVray compatible file.
New users often run into this error when rendering the their first Eagle3D .pov file with POVray:
Parse Error: Cannot open include file tools.inc.
File: C:\ ... DIYLife.com - MSP430 voice recorder - vc.pov Line: 117
Parse Warning: Check that the file is in a directory specified with a +L switch or 'Library_Path=' .INI item.
This means that POVray can't find the Eagle3D component libraries. You need to add Eagle3D to the POVray search path:
Eagle3D 1.1 beta compatibility
Next, I upgraded to the new 1.1 beta version of Eagle3D. The beta version was released on the Eagle3D mailing list.
I deleted my old Eagle3D folder and copied the new version to the same location. If you use a different location, update the Library_Path you specified in povray.ini. Be careful not to include multiple search paths for different versions of Eagle3D, the result will be unpredictable.
The interface of version 1.05 and 1.1 are nearly identical. The new version optionally generates SVG formatted vector graphics.
Eagle3D 1.1 generates a list of components it wasn't able to match to the 3D parts library. This is a helpful new feature that will help diagnose why certain parts don't render correctly.
Functionally, the new version performs similarly to version 1.05. It didn't render any more parts on my test board than the last version. The new version (above, right) excludes the water background, and I don't know how I feel about this yet -- the old background (above, left) was getting tired, but white is a bit jarring.
Verdict
I'm tentatively using the new versions of Eagle and Eagle3D. They've been solid for a few days, and backwards compatibility seems good. The new features in Eagle 5 make it much easier to use and more intuitive for beginners. Both versions of Eagle3D are compatible with Eagle 5, but I highly recommend the new 1.1 beta version. Eagle3D 1.1 is several years newer than its predecessor, has a larger parts library, and generates helpful reports.
by Cadsoft Eagle 5 test drive
The other day, Make:blog mentioned the new 5.0 release of Eagle. Cadsoft Eagle is the most popular circuit design and layout software among DIY'ers, and the program I use in all my projects. Today I designed a project with Eagle 5 and journaled my favorite updates. I also tested compatibility with the current and beta versions of Eagle3D, a 3D circuit board rendering program.
Eagle 5 installs to dedicated version 5 directory -- the new version won't overwrite a previous install. You still have full access to your original stuff if anything goes wrong.
When I start Eagle 5 it attempts network access; this might be an auto updater or license checker. It didn't complain when I permanently blocked access.
All my old schematics and circuit board files from Eagle 4.16r2 load in the new version. The board layout editor got a minor makeover with "web 2.0" pastel color shades.
Say goodbye to the awkward ALT+Backspace undo, because Cadsoft joined the rest of the world and standardized on CTRL+Z!!! Need I say more? Oh happy day!
Eagle now has right-click context menus in the schematic editor and the board layout editor. While context menus are ubiquitous (does your browser have it?), previous versions of Eagle pretend the right mouse button doesn't exist.
Another great feature is the properties editor. Component or connection properties can be configured in one place. These features were previously scattered over dozens of menus and icons.
Eagle3D 1.05 compatibility
Like a Firefox upgrade, it's important that all your favorite Eagle add-ons are compatible with the new version. For me, that's the ultra-cool 3D rendering script, Eagle3D. The 3D renderings that accompany my projects are made with Eagle3D 1.05, but I'll also test a new 1.1 beta version with Eagle 5.
First, I installed Eagle3D 1.05 in the same folder as Eagle 5 (C:\Program Files\EAGLE-5.0.0\Eagle3D). I also installed POVray (try MacMegaPOV for Mac) to render the files created by Eagle3D. If you're not familiar with how to use Eagle3D, or run .ulp files with Eagle, see the Eagle3D documentation and this illustrated tutorial.
I loaded a circuit board file and rendered it using the Eagle3D .ulp file intended for Eagle version 4.1. It worked normally, and generated a POVray compatible file.
New users often run into this error when rendering the their first Eagle3D .pov file with POVray:
Parse Error: Cannot open include file tools.inc.
File: C:\ ... DIYLife.com - MSP430 voice recorder - vc.pov Line: 117
Parse Warning: Check that the file is in a directory specified with a +L switch or 'Library_Path=' .INI item.
This means that POVray can't find the Eagle3D component libraries. You need to add Eagle3D to the POVray search path:
- Open POVray and make sure you have a .pov file open.
- Go to tools->edit master povray.ini. Povray.ini opens in a text editor.
- Add the path to your Eagle3D files at the very bottom of povray.ini. This is the folder where Eagle3D was installed earlier. I added this line to the end of my poyray.ini, but use your own install location: Library_Path="C:\Program Files\EAGLE-5.0.0\Eagle3D\povray"
Eagle3D 1.1 beta compatibility
Next, I upgraded to the new 1.1 beta version of Eagle3D. The beta version was released on the Eagle3D mailing list.
I deleted my old Eagle3D folder and copied the new version to the same location. If you use a different location, update the Library_Path you specified in povray.ini. Be careful not to include multiple search paths for different versions of Eagle3D, the result will be unpredictable.
The interface of version 1.05 and 1.1 are nearly identical. The new version optionally generates SVG formatted vector graphics.
Eagle3D 1.1 generates a list of components it wasn't able to match to the 3D parts library. This is a helpful new feature that will help diagnose why certain parts don't render correctly.
Functionally, the new version performs similarly to version 1.05. It didn't render any more parts on my test board than the last version. The new version (above, right) excludes the water background, and I don't know how I feel about this yet -- the old background (above, left) was getting tired, but white is a bit jarring.
Verdict
I'm tentatively using the new versions of Eagle and Eagle3D. They've been solid for a few days, and backwards compatibility seems good. The new features in Eagle 5 make it much easier to use and more intuitive for beginners. Both versions of Eagle3D are compatible with Eagle 5, but I highly recommend the new 1.1 beta version. Eagle3D 1.1 is several years newer than its predecessor, has a larger parts library, and generates helpful reports.
by Cadsoft Eagle 5 test drive
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