OrCAD

2011: OrCAD 16.5

The American company Cadence Design Systems released the new version of a system of design of OrCAD 16.5 printed circuit boards in May, 2011. Now OrCAD 16.5 supports 32-and 64-bit Windows 7, and functionality is significantly expanded by means of Allegro Performance regarding a task of rules of design Constraint Manager, topological design of PCB Editor and the analysis of integrity of signals of SI. Also in sets of end-to-end design of OrCAD PCB Designer three basic configurations appeared:

• Lite;
• Standard;
• Professional.

But the main innovation of OrCAD 16.5, undoubtedly, can be considered new unique and the product OrCAD Capture Marketplace, the first in the market of a CAD. This specialized Cadence Design Systems portal available means of the circuit editor of Capture 16.5 comprises information on new features and systems capabilities, video lessons, libraries of components and many other useful resources. New opportunities of OrCAD Capture Marketplace are given by two main advantages:

• performance improvement using new tools: through a unified environment of design developers can conduct a research and search of the necessary materials thanks to access to the last achievements of the industry of printed circuit boards and advanced technology of OrCAD 16.5 at the level of one click;
• flexibility of a development environment: access to new online store gives the chance to engineers to find and download additional applications which expand standard opportunities of OrCAD 16.5 due to integration into the program of new tools and functions. For each application there will be a detailed description and the short video presentation.

Earlier developers always had to look for the necessary information using external programs browsers which are far from a route and the concept of design. Now this process is closely integrated into the general route of development of printed circuit boards. All necessary libraries: characters of UGO, seats, Spice and IBIS models, technical descriptions can be found on the new Cadence Design Systems portal. Information exchange between users, free user Tcl-applications for Capture 16.5, forums, the presentations – all this considerably expands possibilities of design and accelerates adaptation of developers to new features of OrCAD 16.5.

Official deliveries of the new version of OrCAD 16.5 are planned for May 23, 2011.

2012: OrCAD 16.6

2013: Quarterly Incremental Release 3

Cadence Design Systems Inc company. released the next, third, quarter updating for the Allegro and OrCAD software packages.

In its structure number of corrections and improvements.

OrCAD Capture

• in the circuitry editor function of alignment of components appeared;

• through the Place Part panel update handler function of contents of library is available now if in it components were changed or are added new by the removed administrator.

OrCAD PCB Editor

• the full-function feature to load 3D models of components and mechanical parts in the STEP format for visual control of gaps is added. The STEP model can be added directly in the editor of characters or the editor of topology. The special variable of steppath specifies a way to STEP libraries of models on a local disk of the user or the server. The ready topology can be exported in the STEP format to a mechanical CAD now. At the same time different options of export for control of the size of the general STEP model of a payment are supported;

• the new technology of autointeractive trace Auto-Interactive Breakout (AiBT) is added. Its essence is that the program depending on actions of the user automatically creates conductors on both ends of the bus or the interface. At the same time lines of chains on a payment should be united in the general sheaf. At trace the mode when the user on one screen can see both ends of a sheaf at the same time is supported;

• the new instrument of trace Auto-Interactive Add Connect (AiCC) is added. This command works in two modes – manual and automatic. The manual mode differs in nothing from the standard Add Connect command. At start of the automatic mode the user draws a curved line on route of laying of the route in the beginning, and then this curve will be transformed to the ready route;

• the new Detune command allows to delete result of fine tuning of the single route or several routes longwise. This function is very convenient if it is necessary to transfer routes or to change restrictions on delays.