Software Companions - Gerber Viewers and Converters

GerbView
Frequently Asked Questions

Purchase and Licensing

Can I evaluate GerbView before I buy it?

A fully functional evaluation copy can be downloaded from our web site. The downloaded product will run in evaluation mode for a period of 30 days. If you want to continue to use the product after this period, you're required purchase a license.
Download a 30-days trial now


Does the purchase of a single license entitle the purchaser to install the software on, for example, on one office computer and one portable?

Yes, we do permit a single authorized end user to make a second copy for end user's exclusive use on a second computer as long as only one (1) copy of the purchased software is in use at any one (1) time. No other end user may use the software under the same license at the same time for any other purpose.


What kind of license models are available for GerbView?

Currently only perpetual licensing is available. In this license model you pay a one-time fee for the software.
You may pay an annual fee to receive software maintenance that covers free support and free software updates.
For all new licenses the first year of software maintenance is included for free.
You may read more about software maintenance here.


I've installed GerbView on a computer as admin. Whenever anyone else logs in and opens the program, it states that it is an evaluation version. How do I correct this?

To solve this you can use a license file. If a license file is found, GerbView will not ask for a serial number. You can create this license file yourself. The file must be named gerbview.lic and have to be placed in the same directory as the gerbview.exe executable. The file must be a text only file (e.g. created by Notepad), and must contain only two lines. The first line holds the owner or company name, and the second line holds the serial number you've received from us.
Example license file contents:

Your company name
GB5-FF-99999-AAAABBBB

Where can I find the end user license agreement?

Converting Gerber Files and Other Formats

How can I convert my legacy (RS-274D) files to extended Gerber?

Please take a look at the Converting RS-274D Gerber files to extended Gerber format tutorial.


How can I combine positive and negative layers into a single Gerber file?

You will find an article online that describes how you can use GerbView to combine positive and negative layers into a single Gerber file.


How can I convert files using the command line interface?

You will find a description of all available command line parameters here.

Support

Do you have a list of available tutorials?

You can find a list of GerbView tutorials here.


Do you have a support forum?

Yes we have and You can find additional questions and answers in this forum:
https://forums.softcomps.com

You can report software issues (bugs and problems) using the following link:
https://forums.softcomps.com

Installation

Do you have any instructions for a 'silent installation' so that it can be rolled out via the network?

The installation program supports the following parameters:

/SILENT
Instructs Setup to be silent. When Setup is silent the wizard and the background window are not displayed but the installation progress window is. Everything else is normal so for example error messages during installation are displayed and the startup prompt is (if you haven't disabled it with the '/SP-' command line option explained above).

/VERYSILENT
Instructs Setup to be very silent. When a setup is very silent the wizard, background window and the installation progress window is not displayed. Everything else is normal so for example error messages during installation are displayed and the startup prompt is (if you haven't disabled it with the '/SP-' command line option explained above).

A complete list of all available command line parameters can be found here.


Do you have a list of supported operating systems?

GerbView are fully compatible with the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 7
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 10
  • Windows 11
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Supports Terminal Server and Citrix