ASCII Text

LinkCAD can import geometry data from simple ASCII text files containing coordinate lists.

Format Summary

Property	Value
Extensions	.txt, .asc
Encoding	ASCII
Import	✓
Export	—
License	Basic

File Format

ASCII text files contain polygon vertex coordinates, one vertex per line, with X and Y values separated by whitespace, tabs, or commas:

0.0 0.0
100.0 0.0
100.0 50.0
0.0 50.0
0.0 0.0

200.0 0.0
300.0 0.0
300.0 50.0
200.0 50.0
200.0 0.0

Polygons are separated by blank lines.

Import Options

Option	Description	Default
Units	Coordinate units	Micron
Delimiter	Column separator (space, tab, comma)	Auto-detect

Common Workflows

ASCII → GDSII

Convert coordinate data from simulation tools, scripts, or spreadsheets into GDSII mask layout.

ASCII → DXF

Import coordinate lists into a DXF-compatible format.

Technical Notes

• Each polygon should close (last vertex = first vertex) or will be auto-closed
• Blank lines or specific markers separate individual polygons
• This is a simple import path for programmatically generated geometry
• For more structured text-based layouts, consider GDS-TXT instead

CLI / Command-File Options

These option keys can be used on the command line or in command files.

Import

Key	Type	Description
AsciiInScalingUnits	int	Scaling unit enum (see Units)
AsciiInScalingValue	int	Scaling value
AsciiInType	int	Geometry type — 0=polygon, 1=wire
AsciiInWidth	int	Wire width (when AsciiInType=1)