CAD E N C E O R C A D P C B D E SI G N E R

PLAC E A N D R O U T E

DATASHEET
Cadence OrCAD PCB place-androute technology is available in the following products: Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer Basics Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer with PSpice
Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer helps companies stay competitive in todays electronics marketmanaging the challenges of shorter design cycles, tighter project goals, and faster time to market. Scalable and production-proven in every EDA industry, OrCAD PCB Designer meets the needs of layout designers as they progress through the design cycle, from netlist to placement and routing through to manufacturing.
The powerful, tightly integrated PCB design technologies include design capture, librarian tools, PCB editing/ routing, and optional analog/signal integrity simulators. Easy-to-use and intuitive, they offer exceptional value and future-proof scalability to the Cadence Allegro series of PCB design products. OrCAD PCB design solutions contain everything needed to take a PCB design from concept to production. A fully integrated design flow includes Constraint Manager, design capture, component tools, a PCB editor, and an auto/interactive router as well as interfaces for manufacturing and mechanical CAD. A common database architecture, use model, and library offer fully scalable PCB solutions for both Cadence OrCAD and Allegro products, giving engineers the ability to expand as their designs and design challenges increase in complexity. OrCAD PCB Editor is an easy-to-use PCB layout editing tool for creating simple to complex PCBs. Based on productionproven Allegro PCB technology, OrCAD PCB Editor offers a wide array of powerful features to speed designs from placement and routing through to manufacturing. Included in the OrCAD PCB Designer Basics, OrCAD PCB Designer, and OrCAD PCB Designer with PSpice suites, OrCAD PCB Editor increases productivity, shortens design cycles, and helps engineers quickly ramp up to volume production.
Figure 1: OrCAD PCB design suites provide a complete place-and-route environment including interactive and automatic routing, cross-probing, and constraint management
Dynamic shape capability offers real-time copper pour plowing/healing functionality during placement and routing iterations.
DISPLAY AND VISUALIZATION
The built-in 3D viewer is available in all PCB Editor products. The 3D environment supports several filtering options, camera views, graphic display options such as solid, transparency and wireframe, and mouse driven controls for pan, zoom, and spinning the display. 3D viewing also supports the display of complex via structures or isolated sections of the board. Multiple display windows can be opened using the context sensitive command structure, and 3D images can be captured and saved in JPEG format.
Figure 2: Constraint Manager allows definition, management, and validation of physical/spacing constraints, as well as design rule checks, through an easy-to-use spreadsheet interface

BENEFITS

Proven, scalable, easy-to-use PCB editing and routing solution that grows as needed Tight, front-to-back application integration increases productivity and ensures data integrity A comprehensive feature set and a seamless PCB design environment delivers a complete solution to take a design from concept to production Automatic and interactive etch editing delivers intelligent automation to maintain user control while maximizing routing productivity Dynamic shapes technology offers realtime copper pour plowing/healing to eliminate manual, error-prone voiding and rework

a wide range of todays design and manufacturability challenges. OrCAD PCB Editor provides a powerful and flexible set of floorplanning tools and shapebased shove/hug interactive etch creation/ editing. Interactive, shape-based, anyangle, push/shove routing allows users to quickly solve interconnect challenges.
The flipboard capability flips the design about its Y axis inverting the design database in the canvas. This flip reorganizes the display of the design such that what was displayed as top through to bottom becomes bottom through to top. Having a true bottom side view from within the CAD system is essential for hardware engineers when debugging a board in the lab, or for assembly/test engineers on the manufacturing floor. Flipboard is not just limited to viewing; design edits can also be performed while in this mode.

FEATURES

EDITING TECHNOLOGY
At the heart of the OrCAD PCB design suites is OrCAD PCB Editor, an interactive environment for creating and editing simple to complex, multi-layer PCBs. The extensive feature set addresses
Figure 3: Constraint worksheets provide a spreadsheet interface that enables users to define, manage, and validate design rules

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OrCAD PCB DESIGNER PLACE AND ROUTE

INTERACTIVE ETCH EDITING

The routing feature of the OrCAD PCB Editor provides powerful, interactive capabilities that deliver controlled automation, while maximizing routing productivity. Real-time, shape-based, or any-angle push/shove routing addresses a wide array of routing challenges. Routing modes include shove-preferred, hug-preferred, or hug-only. The shove-preferred mode constructs the optimum interconnect path while the real-time, shape-based router takes care of dynamically pushing obstacles. Routes automatically jump over obstacles such as pins or vias. The hug-preferred mode is the perfect solution when a databus needs to be constructed. In hug-preferred mode, the router contour follows other interconnects as a priority and only pushes aside or jumps over obstacles when there is no other option. The hug-only option performs like the hug-preferred mode, but without the push-and-shove aggression on other objects. The realtime, embedded, shape-based routing engine optimizes the route by either pushing obstacles or following contours while dynamically jumping over vias or component pins.
Figure 4: OrCAD PCB Editor provides a powerful environment for floorplanning and auto/ interactive interconnect routing

CONSTRAINT MANAGEMENT

Constraint Manager displays physical/ spacing and same-net rules along with their status (based on the current state of the design) in real time and is available at all stages of the design process. Constraint worksheets provide a spreadsheet interface that enables users to define, manage, and validate the different rules in a hierarchical fashion. The constraint management system is completely integrated with OrCAD PCB Editor, and constraints can be validated in real time as the design process proceeds. The result of the validation process is a graphical representation of whether constraints pass (highlighted in green) or fail (highlighted in red). This approach allows designers to immediately see the progress of the design in the spreadsheets, as well as the impact of any design changes. The Constraint Manager included with OrCAD PCB Editor also includes worksheets for DRC and design properties management.

designer can assign components or subcircuits to specific rooms during design entry or floorplanning. Components can be filtered and selected by reference designator, device package/ footprint style, associated net name, part number, or the schematic sheet/page number.
FLOORPLANNING AND PLACEMENT
OrCAD PCB Editor includes a powerful and flexible set of placement capabilities, both interactive and automatic. The
Figure 5: 3D viewing supports the display of complex via structures or isolated sections of the board

DYNAMIC SHAPES

Dynamic shape technology offers real-time copper pour plowing/ healing functionality. Shape parameters can be applied at three different levels: global, shape instance, and objectlevel hierarchies. Traces, vias, and components added to a dynamic shape will automatically plow and void through the shape. When items are removed, the shape automatically fills back in. Dynamic shapes do not require batch autovoiding or other post-processing steps after edits are made.
interactive interconnect routing. Designed to handle routing challenges from simple designs to high-density PCBs requiring complex design rules, SPECCTRA for OrCAD uses powerful shape-based algorithms to make the most efficient use of the routing area. The results are increased completion rates, higher productivity, and shorter design cycle times. SPECCTRA for OrCAD provides two powerful tools for interconnect routing: a route editor and an autorouter. Both can route up to six signal layers concurrently with no restriction on the number of components, component pins, or nets.
SALES, TECHNICAL SUPPORT, AND TRAINING
The OrCAD product line is owned by Cadence Design Systems, Inc., and supported by a worldwide network of Cadence Channel Partners (VARs). For sales, technical support, or training, contact your local Cadence Channel Partner (VAR). For a complete list of authorized Cadence Channel Partners (VARs), visit www.cadence.com/Alliances/ channel_partner.

PCB MANUFACTURING

A full suite of phototooling, bare-board fabrication, and test outputs, including Gerber 274x, NC drill, and bare-board test in a variety of formats can be generated. Cadence supports the industry initiative toward Gerber-less manufacturing through an ODB++ interface. The ODB++ data format creates accurate and reliable manufacturing data for high-quality Gerber-less manufacturing.

FUTURE-PROOF SCALABILITY

Unlike other PCB solutions, Cadence PCB design solutions have the ability to grow with changing design needs and future technology challenges. Based on Allegro PCB design technology, OrCAD PCB design solutions provide the security of scalability to meet those challenges easily. Features and technologies are shared across the OrCAD and Allegro product lines. This allows design suites to be easily upgraded and expanded without the need to translate databases or libraries, learn new applications, or change use models.

AUTOMATIC ROUTING

OrCAD PCB Designer and OrCAD PCB Designer with PSpice both include SPECCTRA for OrCAD, the marketleading PCB solution for automatic and
2010 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cadence, the Cadence logo, Allegro, OrCAD, PSpice, and SPECCTRA are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All others are properties of their respective holders. 21416 04/10 MK/DM/PDF

CADENCE OrCAD PCB DESIGN SUITES

DATASHEET

Cadence OrCAD PCB design technologies are available in the following suites: Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer Basics Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer with PSpice Cadence OrCAD EE Designer Cadence OrCAD EE Designer Plus
Cadence OrCAD PCB design suites combine industry-leading, production-proven, and highly scalable PCB design applications to deliver complete schematic entry, simulation, and place-androute solutions. With these powerful, intuitive tools that integrate seamlessly across the entire PCB design flow, engineers can quickly move products from conception to final output.
To stay competitive in todays market, companies must move their designs from engineering to manufacturing within evershrinking design schedules. Available as standalone products or in comprehensive suites, Cadence OrCAD personal productivity tools have a long history of addressing PCB design challenges, whether simple or complex. The powerful, tightly integrated PCB design technologies include OrCAD Capture for schematic design, various librarian tools, OrCAD PCB Editor for place and route, PSpice A/D for circuit simulation, OrCAD Signal Explorer for signal integrity analysis, and SPECCTRA for OrCAD for automatic routing. Easy to use and intuitive, these tools bring exceptional value and future-proof scalability to the Cadence Allegro system interconnect design platform to grow with future design demands. OrCAD PCB design suites provide integrated front-end design and simulation technology (Cadence OrCAD EE Designer) as well as an integrated back-end place-and-route design solution (Cadence OrCAD PCB Designer) to boost productivity and accelerate time to market.

BENEFITS

Future-proof scalability with tiered and segmented technology meets a wide array of PCB design challenges and requirements
Figure 1: OrCAD PCB design suites provide a complete place-and-route environment including interactive and automatic routing, cross-probing, and constraint management
Solutions can be tailored to specific design needs and budget requirements, maximizing investment with a low cost of entry and ownership Production-proven and easy-to-use PCB design solutions boost productivity and help meet project schedules Tightly integrated applications provide a seamless data flow, ensuring integrity
is done without the need to translate databases or libraries, learn new applications, or change use models.

PARTNERSHIPS/ ECOSYSTEM

Cadence understands the complex PCB design challenges of todays competitive market and the need for tailored solutions and support. Through our worldwide network of Cadence Channel Partners (VARs), were able to better serve a broader customer base with superior sales, support, and service.

FEATURES

PRODUCTION-PROVEN
OrCAD PCB design technologies combine production-proven OrCAD and Allegro technologies into comprehensive frontto-back solutions. Utilized in every market segment and production environments at leading high-tech companies, OrCAD PCB design technologies are proven to help meet aggressive schedules and technology goals in todays challenging design environments.

Figure 2: Constraint Manager allows definition, management, and validation of physical/spacing constraints, as well as design rule checks, through an easy-to-use spreadsheet interface
SALES, TECHNICAL SUPPORT, AND TRAINING
The OrCAD product line is owned by Cadence Design Systems, Inc., and supported by a worldwide network of Cadence Channel Partners (VARs). For sales, technical support, or training, contact your local VAR. For a complete list of authorized VARs, visit www.cadence. com/Alliances/channel_partner. PSpice A/D PSpice OrCAD Advanced PCB Analysis Editor SPECCTRA for OrCAD

SCALABILITY

Unlike other PCB design solutions, OrCAD PCB design suites can grow with future design needs and technology challenges. They provide a feature-rich, fully scalable solution that can be expanded and upgraded as PCB challenges and the level of design sophistication grows. OrCAD PCB design suites combine both time-proven and new OrCAD technology, and they reflect the Cadence commitment to and investment in powerful, easy-touse PCB design technology. Technology is shared across the OrCAD and Allegro product lines, so the design suites can easily be upgraded from the OrCAD line to the Allegro platform. This migration
Collaboration with third-party vendors/ OEMs extend OrCAD and Allegro PCB design solutions, providing complementary and custom design capability. This ecosystem leverages the strengths and synergies of Cadence and third-party technologies for the best possible solution and value to customers. OrCAD Capture OrCAD PCB Designer Basics OrCAD PCB Designer OrCAD PCB Designer with PSpice OrCAD EE Designer OrCAD EE Designer Plus

Optional Optional

Table 1: OrCAD PCB design suites offer the flexibility to choose a solution tailored to meet specific design needs * Limited database (layers, components, connections)
2010 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cadence, the Cadence logo, Allegro, OrCAD, PSpice, and SPECCTRA are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All others are properties of their respective holders. 21383 03/10 MK/DM/PDF