Arc & Full Circle

Two placed Arcs: on the left is a Full Circle Arc, on the right is an Arc selected for editing
Two placed Arcs: on the left is a Full Circle Arc, on the right is an Arc selected for editing

An arc is a primitive design object. It is essentially a circular track segment that can be placed on any layer. Arcs can have a variety of uses in a PCB layout. For example, they can be used when defining component outlines on the overlay layers, or on a mechanical layer to indicate the board outline, edges of cutouts, etc. They also can be used to produce curved paths while interactively routing. Arcs can be open or closed to create a circle (often referred to as a full circle).

As well as the standard arc, there is a second type of arc available referred to as a keepout arc. These can be placed on a signal layer to create a layer-specific barrier or no-go region. Refer to the Keepout page for more information.