New DipTrace Beta (June 5th 2014)

[sleemanj]

Novarm has released a new beta...

Main innovation is completely new library management system . It is still not completed and should include categories (3 levels, already done, but not in UI yet) and fast search in filter (these features will not be in 2.4, but in one of minor updates). Also 2.4 beta doesn't support low vertical resolution for its new component/pattern panel - we will make automatic panel reconfiguration in final verson. (...)

http://www.diptrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9887


Edit to add: the new library system is a VAST improvement, really nicely done.  Filtering could be faster though.

[BloodyCactus]

is it stable? worth running over the latest current 2.3.1?

[John Coloccia]

Did they add a feature so that the libraries used can be a relative path from the schematic?  I miss that.  I haven't downloaded the beta because I'm using DipTrace in production and don't have a toy computer hanging around to test it out with.

[DerekG]

I haven't downloaded the beta because I'm using DipTrace in production and don't have a toy computer hanging around to test it out with.

That's wise as the January/February beta release had quite a few bugs in it & it messes with the windows config files which meant I had to  reinstall last year's full release after uninstalling the beta.

So ............ I too am interested in how polished this latest beta is.

[sleemanj]

FWIW I had no problems with the jan/feb release at all, but I am using linux so maybe that had something to do with it.

No problems with the latest one either so far.

Sent from my HTC Dream using Tapatalk 2

[DerekG]

No problems with the latest one either so far.

What improvements (over last year's full release) do you like the most?

[xygor]

Looks like 2.4 is out of beta and is released!

[DerekG]

Looks like 2.4 is out of beta and is released!

I have been working with the last 2.4_beta version on the PCB side for the past 9 days (was only out for a few weeks before being bumped to a full release).

I am making some changes to earlier boards & can say the screen drivers are very much improved & the grab & move bugs seen in the February beta release have been fixed.

I see there has been a lot of work done in picking up existing library components in the schematic package. This was well overdue.

More intuitive than Altium but I miss Altium's keyboard shortcuts which surely are not that hard to implement. I should make a list of the Altium shortcuts that I use & send them on to the DipTrace Team in the hope they might be implemented in the next beta release.

Overall, this new version represents a fantastic bang for your money.

[BloodyCactus]

upgraded to 2.4 its nice. the new library interface is nice, can see everything at a glance. have not looked to see if it can be hidden or minimised or something yet.

but yes, real, re-defineable keyboard shortcuts are whats really missing, like the last piece of the puzzle.

so far, working fine under wine/linux.

[PedroDaGr8]

I am REALLY liking this new version of DipTrace. The library manager was a sorely needed upgrade. They even took some of the hassle out of part creation (with respect to how you name and manage libraries). The inclusions of the STEPS/IGS files for 3D models is a big help as well. Overall its a definite move in the right direction. Plus this is the first version to use the new Delphi library which will eventually allow them to make a native OS X branch, it doesn't bother me personally but I know that it does affect some of the users on here.

[PedroDaGr8]

upgraded to 2.4 its nice. the new library interface is nice, can see everything at a glance. have not looked to see if it can be hidden or minimised or something yet.

but yes, real, re-defineable keyboard shortcuts are whats really missing, like the last piece of the puzzle.

so far, working fine under wine/linux.

I have posted this as a feature request on the DipTrace forum here:

http://www.diptrace.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9986

Chime in if you are actually interested because the more people that support this, the quicker they will add it.

[Falcon69]

Has anyone noticed that the origin seems to change?

I can lay a bunch of parts and traces.  When I add new parts and come back and move traces, etc. I've noticed that the origin has changed and all the traces and parts are now off and I have to go back and re-align them.

[sleemanj]

Has anyone noticed that the origin seems to change?

I can lay a bunch of parts and traces.  When I add new parts and come back and move traces, etc. I've noticed that the origin has changed and all the traces and parts are now off and I have to go back and re-align them.

No can't say as I have, not unless I specifically move the origin.

It can be a bit funny about snapping to grid if something is off-grid, and you may not have the part origin where you expect it, in that case, I just say to heck with it, hit F11 to turn the grid off, move the part where it needs to go, and F11 to turn the grid on again.  Remember you can move parts with the arrow keys for fine control, the more you zoom in, the more fine the movement.

NB: You should be using Version 2.4 now, it was released end of July.  Just in case you were still using the Beta.

[Falcon69]

yes, using the new version. downloaded it just the other day.  But still having the problem, don't know why.  Maybe I am moving the entire grind of parts without realizing it.

[PedroDaGr8]

yes, using the new version. downloaded it just the other day.  But still having the problem, don't know why.  Maybe I am moving the entire grind of parts without realizing it.

This is something I would post to the DipTrace forums. If you truly think it's a bug, they will either let you know what you are doing wrong or make sure it gets fixed in one of the future versions. It's one of many things I like about them, they actually read their forums for a assistance and improvements.

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