3D visualization for clearance check in PCB Design - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Concept Flow

Component Data (Position & Size) --> Calculate Centers --> Compute 3D Distance --> Compare with Clearance Sum --> Result: Clear or Not Clear

We start with component positions and sizes, find their centers in 3D space, calculate the distance between these centers, then check if this distance meets the required clearance to decide if components are clear.

Formula

Clearance_Check = IF(Distance_3D(U1_center, U2_center) >= (Clearance_U1 + Clearance_U2), "Clear", "Not Clear")

This formula checks if the 3D distance between two component centers is at least the sum of their clearance distances, returning 'Clear' if yes, otherwise 'Not Clear'.

Step-by-Step Trace

Step	Expression	Evaluates To	Explanation
1	Calculate U1 center: (X + Width/2, Y + Height/2, Z + Depth/2)	(12.5, 16.5, 2)	Add half size to position for center
2	Calculate U2 center: (X + Width/2, Y + Height/2, Z + Depth/2)	(17, 19.5, 2.5)	Add half size to position for center
3	Distance = sqrt((17-12.5)^2 + (19.5-16.5)^2 + (2.5-2)^2)	5.43 mm	3D Euclidean distance between centers
4	Sum clearances: 2 + 2	4 mm	Add clearance distances of both components
5	Compare distance >= clearance sum: 5.43 >= 4	TRUE	Distance meets clearance requirement
6	IF condition result	"Clear"	Components have sufficient clearance

Final result is 'Clear' indicating components meet clearance requirements.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Value
U1_center	(12.5, 16.5, 2)
U2_center	(17, 19.5, 2.5)
Distance_3D	5.43 mm
Clearance_U1	2 mm
Clearance_U2	2 mm
Clearance_Sum	4 mm
Clearance_Check_Result	"Clear"

Key Moments

How do we find the center point of a component in 3D?

What formula calculates the distance between two points in 3D?

What determines if two components are 'Clear'?

Sheet Trace Quiz - 1 Questions

What is the 3D center point of component U1?

A (12.5, 16.5, 2)

B (10, 15, 0)

C (15, 18, 4)

D (7.5, 13.5, 2)

Key Result

3D clearance check uses component positions and sizes to find centers, then measures distance between centers to verify if clearance requirements are met.

Transcript

We start by calculating the center points of each component by adding half their dimensions to their positions. Then, we compute the 3D distance between these centers using the Euclidean formula. Next, we sum the clearance distances required by each component. If the distance between centers is at least this sum, the components are considered clear. Otherwise, they are not clear. This process helps ensure components on a PCB do not interfere with each other in 3D space.