What layers need to be turned on before you start the process of converting it to what SparkFun wants? I know it says to turn on layers 29 30 but what else?
I think at least you want:
Top, Bottom
tStop, bStop
Pads
Vias
Dimension
tPlace
tNames
tValues
Drills
If you have bottom-mounted components , probably add bPlace, bNames, and bValues.
If you have components that require special drilling/milling, include Holes/Milling as appropriate.
If you have SMT parts, you’ll probably want tCream/bCream as appropriate (i think – i’m not too familiar with SMT parts).
If you’ve marked areas as restricted, you probably want tRestrict, bRestrict, and vRestrict.
I’m basing the above on my one PCB design and the descriptions of the layers from Build your own Printed Circuit Board by Al Williams.
I have been using
1 - Top
16 - Bottom
17 - Pads
18 - Vias
20 - Dimension
21 - tPlace
22 - bPlace
23 - tOrigins
24 - bOrigins
25 - tNames
26 - bNames
27 - tValues
28 - bValues
29 - tStop
30 - bStop
and my boards are turning out without problems.
My understanding is that tCream and the bCream stand for top Solder Cream and bottom Solder Cream. They should not be turned on since they are for specifying where you cutouts should be made in the solder paste stencil. You want to turn on the tStop and the bStop which stand for top Soldermask Stop and bottom Soldermask Stop. This will stop the soldermask from being applied to the top and bottom pads.