Open an ODB++ board archive in TRACE

Choose the complete product-model archive

In TRACE, press Ctrl+O (Cmd+O on macOS) and select the archive containing the ODB++ product model. Supported containers include ZIP, gzip-compressed tar (commonly .tgz or .tar.gz), plain tar and compress(1) tar (.tar.Z). A .gz file is useful here when its contents are a tar archive.

Select the archive as a whole; the normal file chooser opens archives, not an extracted product-model folder. The reader looks for ODB++ structure such as the layer matrix, step data and board profile, so a generic ZIP or unrelated file with a familiar extension is not enough.

What TRACE shows

TRACE reads the selected board step, component references and placements, packages and pins, nets, units and board profile. In 1.3.3 the 2D view also draws copper pads, copper lines and arcs, and drilled holes. Select a net to highlight its connected pins. When the product model contains several steps, TRACE chooses a board step with the most components that does not repeat another step; the other steps are named in an import note. Panel and array steps are not expanded.

The view is intentionally partial. Copper pours, text, fonts, solder mask and silkscreen are not read or drawn. Rectangle, square and circular pads retain their size; other contours appear as their enclosing rectangle and are counted in the import note. Review that note for skipped layer files or geometry before using the view.

Validation scope and archive limits

The ODB++ reader was checked against 39 ZIP exports written by kicad-cli 9.0.9 from open designs. Some exports were compared with their source boards and IPC-2581 outputs. No ODB++ file written by a vendor's own software was tested, so this evidence does not establish coverage for every writer or product-model variant. See the support table for the full validation record.

• The selected archive must be no larger than 64 MiB. Import also has bounded limits on expanded streams, entries and retained files.
• Encrypted ZIP archives and ZIP compression methods other than stored or deflate are refused.
• Untrusted absolute, drive-letter and parent-directory paths are not followed; unsafe entries are reported. The archive is read locally and its extracted contents are not written to disk.
• If the archive is damaged, lacks the required ODB++ structure, or exceeds a limit, TRACE refuses it with a format-specific explanation.

Use the board with its schematic and PDFs

ODB++ is the board input here; TRACE does not treat it as a native schematic. Attach a supported KiCad, EAGLE or Altium schematic for reference/net cross-probing. Add a schematic PDF or datasheets in Documents to search their text alongside the board. Scanned PDF recognition is optional and runs with bundled English OCR; it does not create an ODB++ netlist.

1. Open the ODB++ archive and inspect the import note for the chosen step and any approximations or skipped layers.
2. Search a component reference or net, select it and compare its logical connection with the copper drawing.
3. Attach a supported schematic and/or PDFs in Documents; search the document text for the same reference or net name.
4. Keep measurement notes on the relevant component or pin. TRACE leaves the original archive unchanged.

Import and document search are local. Optional network features are separate and explained in Getting started. Windows x64 is the stable package; macOS on Apple silicon and Linux x86-64 remain experimental.

ODB++ is a trademark of its owner. Product names identify file formats only; TRACE is not affiliated with any format owner.