Rule Mobile · Support

CopperScope Support

Open your board. Inspect its source data. Get help when a file needs a closer look.

CopperScope 1.0 · macOS 13 or later

CopperScope runs on macOS 13 or later. It includes native application binaries for Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Board processing and export work offline. No CopperScope account is required.

Open a board or project

Choose File > Open or press Command-O. You can also drop a supported file onto the canvas.
For Gerber artwork, select the registered layer and drill files together, or open their folder.
For an unencrypted ZIP, select the supported board or manufacturing layer set. Add its PDF reference if supplied. Expand RAR archives before opening their files.
Choose Import details to check the source format, geometry, layers and scale.

File compatibility

The contents determine support. A .brd, .cad or .pcb extension does not identify one universal format. Changing a filename does not convert a board.

Source	Current coverage
Cadence Allegro .brd	Qualified 15.x, 16.3, 16.5, 16.6 and 17.2 layouts. Source-record checks determine acceptance.
GenCAD .cad	Qualified GenCAD 1.4 component, pin, net and artwork records.
PADS .pcb	Binary revision 0x2026, including supported routing and relative pad-definition artwork.
Legacy boardviews	Supported plain and encoded legacy layouts, plus BRDOUT contact records. Some contain contacts and nets without copper routing.
XZZ .pcb or .cad	Qualified XZZPCB V1.0 source inspection. Physical reference diagrams require an established or user-supplied calibration.
Gerber	Supported RS-274X and X2 commands, including apertures, macros, regions, arcs, polarity, transforms, step-and-repeat and bounded aperture blocks.
NC drill	Unambiguous units and coordinate formats, drill hits and supported straight G85 slots.
ZIP	Classic, unencrypted Stored or Deflate archives with supported source files.
PDF	A local schematic or reference pane. PDF does not import PCB geometry.

Common artwork suffixes include .gbr, .ger, .gerber, .gtl, .gbl, .gts, .gbs, .gto, .gbo, .gtp, .gbp, .gko, .gml, .gm1, .gm2, .pho and .art. Drill suffixes include .drl, .xln, .xnc, .exc and .tap. CopperScope also checks declared artwork stored under shared board or numeric layer suffixes.

EAGLE binary or XML, modern KiCad, gEDA PCB design, PADS ASCII, OBDATA_V002, IPC-2581 and ODB++ are not imported in this release. A newer or different revision within a supported family can contain unsupported records.

Open manufacturing exports from Altium Designer

In Altium Designer, use File > Fabrication Outputs to generate Gerber or Gerber X2 artwork and ASCII NC drill files. Keep their units, coordinate precision and origin aligned. Open the registered layer and drill files together in CopperScope.

CopperScope reads supported Gerber and ASCII NC drill records from those exports. Available net, component and pin attributes depend on the exported data. Direct Altium .PcbDoc import is not included. See Altium's fabrication-output documentation.

Navigate and inspect

Pan and zoom: drag or use two-finger trackpad scrolling to pan. Pinch or use the mouse wheel to zoom around the pointer.
Fit: press Command-0.
Flip: press Space. Available opposite-side copper moves forward.
Rotate: turn the view in 90-degree steps. Generated inspection labels stay upright. Source silkscreen rotates with the artwork.
Find: press Command-F. Search a component or net, select a suggestion and press Return.
Inspect: select a component for its available metadata and pin list. Select a trace or pin to highlight its net. Press Escape to clear the selection.
Layers: use group eyes to hide and restore layers. Option-click an eye to solo it; repeat to restore. Adjust color and opacity from the layer controls.

Open View > Float Layers for a movable palette. Drag its lower-right grip to resize it. Drag the docked sidebar divider to change its width. Display aliases, colors and visibility stay separate from the source design.

Measure and calibrate

Press M to measure between two points. The cursor snaps to supported geometry. Hold Option for a free point. Switch the unit control between mm, mils and inches.

Some XZZ files begin in drawing units. Use View > Calibrate Reference Scale when you have a known physical distance. Pick two points within one displayed face and enter the distance. CopperScope saves the reference for that exact file and selected area. A reference calibration does not establish fabrication holes, plated via spans or a complete physical copper stack.

Export and print at the right scale

SVG and PDF exports use physical scale 1:1 when the source supplies a physical scale. Calibrated XZZ exports are reference diagrams with their calibration basis identified. Choose Board profile, All registered artwork, Current view or Custom crop. Inspect the dimensions before saving. Board and profile scopes include a 1 mm margin. Camera rotation does not change source export coordinates.

Available export options mirror bottom copper, include searchable component references, or subtract validated imported drill holes and straight slots. Missing geometry cannot appear in an export. Inspection markers do not become manufacturing artwork.

File > Export Layers as SVG saves separate registered layers, including hidden source layers. File > Export BOM / Placements CSV saves available component metadata and source placements. Missing values stay blank. XZZ reference scenes do not provide a registered assembly placement export.

Press Command-P for native printing. Actual Size uses 100% scale. Fit to Page creates a scaled documentation print marked as not 1:1. The reference ruler scales with the drawing and labels a distance on the board.

For a distance estimate after uniform resizing, use:

Board distance = measured diagram distance × labeled reference distance ÷ measured reference-bar length.

For a footprint check, print a 1:1 PDF at 100%, turn off fit-to-page, and measure a known reference with a ruler. Printer settings can change the result.

View a schematic beside the board

Choose File > Open Schematic Reference, use the Reference control, or drop one PDF. Search selectable text and jump to a numbered page. The PDF remains a visual reference; it does not automatically link schematic symbols to board nets.

Enable Finder previews

Open CopperScope once after installation. Select a supported board or artwork file in Finder and press Space.

macOS 15 or later: System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions > Quick Look.
macOS 13–14: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions > Quick Look.

Enable CopperScope Preview. Quick Look uses the same source-format limits as the app.

When a file does not open

Confirm the archive is expanded or is a supported unencrypted ZIP.
Check the opening alert. It identifies supported or unsupported source families when possible.
Use Copy Details and send the details with the steps that failed.
If the project includes registered Gerber and drill exports, open that layer set.

A download page saved with a board suffix is not a board file. A renamed file remains in its original internal format. If artwork appears incomplete, check hidden layers and Import details before reporting missing geometry.

Contact Rule Mobile

Use Help > Submit Feedback or email info@rulemobile.com. The app fills in its version and your macOS version. You review and send the message yourself.

Include:

App version and build from About CopperScope.
macOS version and Mac model.
Source format or copied import details.
Steps, expected result and actual result.
A screenshot that shows the issue.

No board is sent automatically. Share files only when you have permission. Remove confidential project names, net names and documents from screenshots or attachments. A minimal nonconfidential sample can help reproduce an import issue.

Support: Rule Mobile App Development and Engineering · info@rulemobile.com

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