A method and apparatus for translating a Gerber data file into a data format
usable
by vision software through a process whereby a first Gerber data element is selected
and examined to determine if the shape represented by that element intersects with
any other shapes. Each shape intersecting the selected element is merged into a
single data object with the selected element. This process is repeated for each
element describing the printed circuit board layout. The consequence of this procedure
is that complex geometries that had been represented as the intersection of many
simple geometries are represented as individual data objects.
