Allegro 16.3. I have created a simple two layer board with copper fill on top and bottom. This copper fill is my ground plane. I followed a manual that explained how to create the shape, assign a net name and create voids. Everything seems ok, I have several SMT footprints and through hole parts and several vias installed on the board. When I do the update DRC, it returns with no DRC errors detected. When I go to produce the artwork, I choose RS274x, select all films and create artwork. It returns an error:
ERROR: aborting film - Shape with first seg=(841.447 1910.321) [layer=TOP]
has a void with extents [(1771.492 748.691) (2223.750 978.392)] that touches
another shape with first seg=(25.000 25.000). Manually resolve problem.
I followed several of the posts on this forum to attempt to resolve this issue. I moved the entire ground fill (on the top only) away from all other components. This solved the problem. I can get the artwork with no errors. When I try to pin point the offending part, it seems every part on the board will cause the error above. I selected the "Global Dynamic Shape Parameters" menu and set the minimum aperture for gap to 500 mils, along with teh suppress shapes less than 500 mils. This solves the problem, I can get the artwork with no errors. However, my ground plane has shrunk from a 2 inch x 2 inch plane to about 1/8 inch by 1/8 inch in the lower right corner (this is not acceptable). The bottom ground fill does not have these problems. It also has no SMT parts on the bottom.
I know this must be a rookie mistake. But, I followed most of the fixes that were suggested on this forum and nothing works. I also tried to merge Shapes, but this does nothing. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks, Richard