Electronics Design <-> Solidworks

Hello all,

What is the best (or one that is available with SolidWorks) interface/
format to use for exchanging data with the PCB/ System designers? This
should preferably work both ways. But one that imports into SolidWorks
will do for the moment.

Regards,

mvk

 

Vinodh, as a sometimes PCB designer (most times just a SolidWorks
mechanical designer) I don't know why you'd even try translating data
from one the other. The SolidWorks data would certainly be useless a
PCB designer except for size and placement of major components, which
they can easily get from a DXF file (which is easily generated from
SolidWorks in Drawing mode). If you have component height concerns
because the enclosure designed in SolidWorks has some restrictions, then
simply make Sketches with outlines and notes on the "dummy" PCB (Part)
in SolidWorks of the areas with height restrictions. Editing the PCB
while in the Assembly you can Convert entities from the enclosure to the
open Sketch on the dummy PCB.

Now if you have component placement or height issues caused by the
layout in the PCB design package just export the silkscreen plus top
layer pads to DXF from there (you can, can't you?) and Open the DXF file
in SolidWorks as a Part sketch. Your PCB design package isn't going to
contain component height data anyway (is it?) unless you enter it
manually as a miscellaneous component data attribute. It's easy enough
to massage the DXF to include that information using freeware or
cheapware like IntelliCAD or TurboCAD, etc., and then that info gets
pulled into SolidWorks with the DXF.

If there happens to exist a decent tool to translate between SolidWorks
and your PCB design software you're likely to spend as much time dealing
with complexities of the translator as you would communicating the
necessary design criteria from your PCB designers to your SolidWorks
designers ANYWAY. Tell us your reasons for wanting to find such a
translator. I'm really curious as to why you'd want one.

Mark 'Sporky' Stapleton
Watermark Design, LLC
www.h2omarkdesign.com

 

Mark,
Well, you didn't ask me, but mind if I take a stab at it. My situation may
have been unique but I did find a need to use CircuitWorks to translate some
PCB data (for some enslosure design). The PCB designer was reluctant to
provide drawings or dxf files because of the "extra work". He was willing to
part with the IDF files though. CircuitWorks shows great promise -
unfortunately the PCB designers software was lacking some critical data that
would have allowed CircuitWorks to do it's job. I ran some tests using
output I obtained from somewhere else and it worked well. I'd be surprised
if you hadn't heard of it, and equally surprised that you wouldn't see some
benefit from it.

Just for grins - I started out as a PCB designer in the late 70's. Anyone
remember mylar, registration pins, red and blue pencils, burnishing tools,
and crepe tape? Head down at the light table, working a "puzzle" all day
long?

What a blast that was. Too bad computers screwed it up for all of us (old
timers).

Richard

 

----------------
Well, certainly there might be benefit from it -- I can see that -- and
I HAVE heard of it (although I had forgotten the name), but I presume
that it costs something. Right? Not cheap? And not necessary, or
shouldn't be necessary if you're working with people in your own
organization, which of course wasn't the case in your scenario (and
might not be the case for Vinodh also).
----------------

----------------
I remember those times well. That's how I started out also, and also in
the late 70s. Orcad '386 in the mid to late 80's was an improvement in
SOME ways and was worse than hand-taping in others. Their Windows
version -- at least after the advent of NT and 95 - was a much bigger
improvement, if you didn't mind having to work around bugs all the
time. Protel and then PADS got me going much faster and much better . .
.. but even that was a while back. What surprises me is that good
layout/schematic software doesn't cost $199 by now instead of $3,000 to
$10,000, and that you can't get good Gerber editing software for free or
nearly free (it can be as expensive as good layout software).

'Sporky'

 

Mark, I'm not Vinodh, but I'll give you my answer.

I could design my products on a drafting board, but I find it much faster
and easier to do it with SolidWorks. (Well, most of the time...) Same thing
goes for designing products around PCAs or PCAs to go into products,
especially when the product is small and non-rectangular and clearances are
tight. It goes a lot faster and easier with good software on both ends and a
decent translator in the middle.

But it's a lot easier to have the parts drop in to the correct location
automagically.

Again, it's a lot faster and easier to just look at the parts than it is to
create drawings. Not having to update the drawings when things change, as
they are always inclined to do, is a big plus.

But it's a lot easier to just build the part in SW in the proper orientation
and with the proper origin. This is especially true for oddly shaped parts
(as so many of the "interesting" ones always seem to be). Import the PCA and
check for clearances. Piece of cake.

This is a valid concern. But when you do the two-way interaction a lot, it
pays off quickly to work out the complexities up front. We use desktop-eda
and it was relatively cheap when we bought it 5 or so years ago. I think it
has paid off nicely. (It may not be the right solution for someone coming
into the field now, but we haven't seen much reason to look at the
alternatives.)

I hope I got my reasons across in a way that makes sense to you.


Jerry Steiger
Tripod Data Systems
"take the garbage out, dear"

 

IDF is the way to go and CircuitWorks is the way to use it. You have
the oppertunity to use actual models of the components (instead of
'skyscrapers') and it provides an IDF export facility back to your PCB
system. There is a problem if you are using PADS as your pcb system,
but a dedicated translator exists (more money).
I see that SolidWorks 2005 has an IDF import facility (cut down
CircuitWorks), but will not allow export.

 

Sporkman! (and others),

I apologise if my question was unclear. I merely wanted a means to
import PCB geometry (with mtg. holes and such and connectors along
with, maybe some major components). In reverse, (SW -> EDA), maybe
"they" should be able to import the PCB outline/ mtg holes and reliefs
and "hole one" positions.

Regards,

mvk

PS: till now we use hardcopies both ways and it's getting to be a pain
to check as PCB's are becomming larger (currently running 19" x 18"!)

 

Vinodh,

The latest version of Desktop-EDA < http://www.desktop-eda.com.au > is
bidirectional, in a limited way. It has trouble importing an arbitrary PCA
from SW because of limitations (only lines and arcs are allowed for board
outlines, for example, no splines) and conventions. The way our PC designers
work is to export a simple place holder board from Protel, modify the board
in SW, keeping the restrictions in mind, then pull it back into Protel.
Eventually they export the populated board to SW. At that point all Hell
breaks loose and we do a few rounds of back and forth (often just describing
the changes rather than going through export/import) to get everyone back on
the same page.

Jerry Steiger
Tripod Data Systems
"take the garbage out, dear"