OrCAD PCB Designer

• 3D Canvas Update
  • Full layer modeling: Including Dielectric, Soldermask, Pastemask, and Silkscreen layers
  • 2D to 3D communication: When both 2D and 3D Canvas are visible, actions on the 2D workspace will be shown on the 3D Canvas
  • Export Capability: HSF, HMF, OBJ, PLY, and STL formats, exported files can be viewed

• Rigid Flex (Watch Demo Video)
  • Stack up by zone: The new feature improves MCAD-ECAD co-design and provides faster, easier definition of stack-ups for rigid-flex rigid designs.
  • Inter design layer checks: The new inter layer functionality provides ability to check geometries between two different class/ subclasses for flex and rigid flex designs.
  • Arc routing - A new prototype feature to provide more efficient method to add routing during Add Connect by following an existing connect line or a route keep-in.
• Cross section editor- Redesigned Cross Section Editor based on the spreadsheet technology found in Constraint Manager to provide one stop shop for features requiring cross section for their setup.

• New padstack editor – Introducing modern user interface for convenient padstack creation with addition of new geometries and support for counter-bore/ counter-sink definitions and several new drill features.  (Watch Demo Video)

• Shape Edit Application Mode –Introducing new functionality that is a fine tuning editing environment to increase efficiency with shape boundary editing and simplifying actions such as sliding a shape edge or adding a notch etc.

• Color and Visibility enhancements – The Color Dialog box has been enhanced for better efficiency and ease of use for designers and the Visibility pane now provides access and control over layers other than the conductor layers.

• 64 Bit Support – Now available support for 64 bit OS with increase in memory size from 4GB to 18 Quintillion and support for Database sizes upto 3GB.

• More gains in performance for CPU intensive applications.
• ​Display segment over voids – A new command Segment Over Voids detects cline segments crossing adjacent plane layer voids. (Watch Demo Video)
• Spread Line between Voids – New command to provide semi-automatic solution to spread channel based clines with respect to adjacent plane layer voids.
• Via2Via Line Fattening- Users can increase line width between vias based on their definition of edge to edge clearance by using the “Line fattening” utility. (Watch Demo Video)
• Contour routing- Now available in both single and mutli-routing modes, contour hugging locks the current route to either the route keepin or adjacent cline.
• Group routing – User can now perform group routing by window selecting around a group of objects(Clines, Vias, Pins, Rats) and be able to change the control trace from its initial location to user defined and go into single trace mode to complete routes.
• Gloss Commands – Richer set of gloss commands like Eliminate Vias, Convert corners to ARC, Fillet and Taper traces and many more now available in OrCAD PCB Designer.
• Differential Pair Routing and DRC – Users can now define physical and electrical rules for Differential pairs complemented by routing support.
• ​Layer Set DRC and Routing – The new layer set functionality insures layer constrained nets are routed to wiring requirements by ‘locking routes’ to within the appropriate layer set(s) for the net based objects. (Watch Demo Video)

• Move Components with "Slide Etch" Option: New option designed to reroute etch attached to components being moved using conventional angles (45, 90).
• Dynamic Rat Suppression: When ‘Add Connect’ command is invoked, all rats except the active net are temporarily suppressed
• New Drafting Commands: Added the relative move & copy command to move and copy elements about a user specified axis
• Text Block Name Field: Select Text block by functional name (Assembly, Silkscreen, etc)
• Snap Pick Enhancement: Can now snap pick to pad edge, pad edge midpoint, and pad edge vertex

• STEP Update: Improved performance, fixed issues with export and import from MCAD tools
• Allegro Drafting Prototypes (Early Adopter Features):
  • Delete by line
  • Delete by rectangle
  • Offset copy
  • Offset move
  • Add perpendicular line
• Pastemask DRC Update: Shapes drawn on the package geometry, top and bottom subclasses are now factored into the DRC check
• Database Diary: Maintain a running log of comments with the design file (Available in OrCAD PCB Designer Professional ONLY)

• New “Slide”: A new “slide” command utilizes a move-intersect algorithm that delivers smoother, more predictable, and localized edits
• IPC-2581 Support: PCB Editor now supports the export of design data for manufacturing using the open industry-standard IPC-2581 format
• Productivity Enhancements: Additional enhancements for ease-of-use and productivity include:
  • Fix Cline segments
  • Create parameterized rectangular shapes with rounded or chamfered corners
  • Overlay net names within clines, pins, shapes, and flow lines
  • DRC by window
  • Align components top, bottom, or center using DFA rules
  • Spread or compact aligned components using + or – buttons
  • Highlight all nets associated with a component
  • Identify film records associated with artwork, IPC-2581, PDF out, and visibility using just one form
  • Use pastemask-to-pastemask DRC to check against the package geometry
  • Select by “lasso” or “path”
• New Design Defaults: New designs can be automatically seeded with default template design, just default units and accuracy, or a template design containing anything including units and accuracy, parameters (including colors), constraints, and physical data
• Database Diary: Maintain engineering and design notes as part of the database
• Significant Display Performance Improvements: OpenGL has been optimized to improve display performance along with several new enhancements, including new net highlight method, embedded net names, and new display option that overlays net names on clines, pins, and shapes
• Moving Elements Enhancements: Permits select elements to be moved outside present class/subclass structure (limited to lines, line segments, text, and rectangles)
• Artwork Control Form and Drill Updates: Several new updates include:
  • RS274X supports output of shape with voids overlapping other shapes
  • Film name lengths increased from 17 to 46 characters
  • Artwork suppresses Null pads when unused pad suppression is enabled
  • photoplot.log generates a warning if un-defined line width is set to 0
  • Initial artwork parameters default to same unit type as board
  • Creating new drill data reports the number of holes

Thieving Updates: New thieving enhancements include add thieving to “all layers” in a single execution, add thieving by a “rectangle selection”, and add thieving to all soldermask layers

• 3D Viewer: The new 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 is also supported in pre-selection mode, making it possible to display HDI via structures or isolated sections of the board
• Flip Design: You can now view the layout of the PCB from the bottom side. In addition to viewing, design edits such as moving silkscreen text can be performed while in this mode
• Enhanced Pad Entry: Interactive etch editing has been enhanced to improve the transitioning of clines exiting and entering a padstack. The enhanced pad entry works on circle, rectangle, and oblong pads by exiting perpendicular to a pad edge, or exiting out a radius at an angle that does not produce an acute angle
• Pastemask Clearance DRC: Pastemask-to-pastemask clearance check helps ensure there is sufficient solder paste gap between objects, preventing paste from shorting to other objects
• Multi-Threading Support for DRC: Multi-threading support is integrated with the DRC system and supported on dual and quad configurations
• Productivity Enhancements: Productivity enhancements include an enhanced windowing operation that permits a polygon selection window, customizable datatips through a user-configuration interface, and the measurement of the separation between any two objects, regardless of the layer, by the Show Measure menu
• Jumper Support: New methodology supporting jumpers in the Etch Edit environment
• Drawing Origin Display: A new interactive command allows you to easily locate and display the drawing origin in the canvas
• Color Dialog Update: Subclass forms within the Color dialog can be increased in vertical length by selecting the “Hide Palette” button located at the bottom of the form
• Display Pin Number Update: Pin number display is now aligned with top- and bottom-layer visibility
• Negative Plane Sliver DRC: New DRC to detect small, undesirable web of copper between two objects on a positive or negative layer that can result from the placement of two pin or via objects in close proximity to each other
• Route Keepout—Pin Detection: New DRC check to detect the presence of a pin within the boundary of a Route Keepout shape
• Route Keepout—Allow Shapes Options: Define Route Keepout area to permit shapes within that defined area
• Dynamic Shapes Performance Improvements: ~25% performance improvements in shapes performance for more complex designs

• Usability/New Use Model
• PCB Editor User Interface
• Color and Visibility Enhancements
• Physical and Spacing Constraint System
• New PCB Editor Application Modes
• Miscellaneous PCB Editor Enhancements
• OrCAD Layout Translator Updates