# BrdParser

**Repository Path**: mbsr/brd-parser

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: BrdParser
- **Description**: No description available
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: GPL-3.0
- **Default Branch**: main
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2025-06-20
- **Last Updated**: 2025-06-20

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# .brd Parser Tool

This repository provides a library to parse `.brd` files generated by Cadence's [Allegro suite][cadence-allegro][^1] of PCB design tools. It also contains a few tools to demonstrate using the core library, such as a GUI viewer.

## Usage

The main goal of this library is to write an example decoder that can eventually be integrated into other tools. However, to assist with the development, there is a (mediocre) GUI viewer that can show what was parsed in the files.

### Prerequisites

The only dependency is [Qt6][qt6], which is used in the GUI viewer only.

* On Mac, Qt6 can be installed using Brew: `brew install qt6`
* On Ubuntu, Qt6 can be installed using Apt: `sudo apt install qt6-base-dev libgl1-mesa-dev`

### Build

GCC >= 12 or Clang is required.

```shell
$ git clone git@github.com:jeffwheeler/brd_parser.git
$ cd brd_parser
$ mkdir build
$ cd build
$ cmake ../src/
$ make
```

### Run tools

The GUI will open a graphical view of a PCB:
```shell
$ ./brd_gui/brd_gui [.brd filename]
```

For example, opening the [BeagleBone AI design][bb-ai] (distributed under the terms of the [CC-BY-4.0 license][bb-ai-license]) and showing layer *LAY8* looks like this:

<img src="/docs/images/BeagleBone-AI.png" width="600" alt="BeagleBone AI .brd viewed in brd_gui" />

The command line tool will output an HTML file with some random information about the PCB, confirming the file was successfully parsed:
```shell
$ ./brd_cli/brd_cli (.brd filename) > out.html
```

### Run tests

```shell
ctest -j10 --output-on-failure
```

## Decoding Methodology

This library was written with **no access any to Cadence software.** It was written 100% by hand-decoding the binary file format found in freely-available design files (see [`test/data/`][test-data] for examples). I have never once even opened the free Allegro Viewer to assist in decoding these files.

This is the output of hundreds of hours of staring at the binary data in a hex editor and finding patterns.

[^1]: Cadence and Allegro are trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

[cadence-allegro]: https://www.cadence.com/en_US/home/tools/pcb-design-and-analysis/pcb-layout/allegro-pcb-designer.html
[qt6]: https://www.qt.io/product/qt6
[bb-ai]: https://github.com/beagleboard/beaglebone-ai
[bb-ai-license]: https://github.com/beagleboard/beaglebone-ai/blob/master/LICENSE
[test-data]: https://github.com/jeffwheeler/brd_parser/blob/main/src/test/data/CMakeLists.txt