Eagle vs DipTrace

[alparent]

Any comments?

[waltk]

Diptrace - easier to learn, just as functional (IMHO).

[Hides-His-Eyes]

I haven't heard of diptrace; I assume it gives standard gerbers, etc... Does it export to any other standard formats?

[waltk]

I haven't heard of diptrace; I assume it gives standard gerbers, etc... Does it export to any other standard formats?

Yeah, about 10 other formats.  I only use it print my own toner transfer images, so I haven't tried them. There's a free version that's limited to about 300 pads (no limit on board size).  If you're curious, just download it and check it out (Google DIPTRACE).

[defaced]

Never tried diptrace.  But if there's one thing that makes Eagle nice, is that many people use it and post their libraries all over the net.  Making parts libraries before you can start  your build is real kill joy. 

[waltk]

Making parts libraries before you can start  your build is real kill joy.

Diptrace comes with libraries containing about 100,000 components.  I've only had to make my own parts for a couple special-purpose things (and even then it was easy to copy an existing component and modify it).

It's true that more people use Eagle, but every time I've tried use/learn it, it's been an exercise in frustration.  Couldn't seem to do the most basic and obvious things.  Maybe that's more a function of the effort I was willing to put into it, but since I'm already pretty good with Diptrace, the learning curve for Eagle just looks too steep.

[cloudscapes]

Ive only ever used Diptrace, so I can't compare.

didn't take me long to learn, though. couple hours.

making your own pattern/component set is so worth it.