Methodology of creating an object database from a Gerber file

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.