Solid Region

Examples of the various types of placed region objects
Examples of the various types of placed region objects

A solid region, also known as a region, is a polygonal-shaped primitive object that can be placed on any layer. A region can have any number of sides and vertices (corners). It can be placed on a signal layer to define an area of solid copper to be used to provide shielding or to carry large currents. Positive regions can be combined with tracks or arc segments and be connected to a net. In the PCB Library editor, regions can be used to create custom pad shapes on copper layers or special mask shapes on the solder and paste masks. On non-electrical layers, regions can be used to define custom shapes for tasks such as logos.

A solid region can be configured to be positive, for example, placed as a copper region or negative, for example, placed as a polygon pour cutout. By placing it as a negative on the multi-layer, it can be placed as a board cutout. When placed as a negative, a region can create a cutout (void) in a polygon pour. In this mode, the region will not be filled with copper when the polygon is poured. When used as a negative region for a board cutout (by placing it on the multi-layer), it defines an area that becomes a hole through the finished board. Board cutout regions are transferred to Gerber and ODB++ files for manufacturing purposes through the use of a dedicated Rout layer.