National Instruments Graphical User Interface Ultiboard - Manual (Page 147)

Chapter 5 Working with Traces and Copper
© National Instruments Corporation 5-3 NI Ultiboard User Manual
6. Click the next pad in the net. Continue in this way from pad to pad,
clicking the points on the board where you must route the trace around
obstacles.
7. When you place the final trace in the net, cancel trace placement by
either pressing <E
SC
> twice or by right-clicking and selecting E
SC
from the pop-up menu that appears twice.
Narrowing/Widening Trace Width On-the-Fly
On occasion, it may be necessary to change the width of a trace segment
(for example, when placing it in a narrow area between pins). You can
change the width of a trace segment on-the-fly as detailed below.
Complete the following steps to change the trace width on-the-fly:
1. Begin placing the trace as detailed above.
2. Click to place a trace segment, right-click and select either Widen or
Narrow from the pop-up that appears.
3. Continue placing the trace and left-clicking to anchor trace segments.
The width of the trace segments either increases or decreases by 10%
of the width of the previous trace segment, depending on whether you
selected Widen
or Narrow.
Tip If you want to increase or decrease the next segment by more than 10%, right-click
and select either Widen or Narrow multiple times.
Note You will not be able to exceed the Max Width value for the net as set in the Nets
tab of the Spreadsheet View, or set a width lower than the Min Width value.
Placing a Trace: Follow-me Method
While you must avoid obstacles such as other traces when placing a manual
trace, a Follow-me trace avoids most of the obstacles that lie along a trace’s
route.
Note Refer to the Placing a Trace: Manual Method section for information about manual
trace placement.
Complete the following steps to place a Follow-me trace:
1. Choose a copper layer.
2. Choose Place»Follow-me.
3. Click a pad on the board. The net the pad is connected to is highlighted,
and the pads in the net are each marked with an X.