CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

9 September 2003

Product News

Cadence Ships OrCAD 10.0 Release, Increasing Productivity for Windows-Based PCB Designers

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. ( http://www.cadence.com/ ) announced the shipment of its OrCAD® 10.0 release, with new features, improved tool integration and enhanced technologies designed to boost productivity and reduce time to market for PCB designers. With a competitive base price of $1,355 and new solutions suites, the OrCAD 10.0 release demonstrates strong and continuing Cadence® support for its OrCAD product line and user community.

Following the success of OrCAD Unison suite, the OrCAD 10.0 release addresses specific design tasks of both PCB designers and electrical engineers with the introduction of three new Unison design suite configurations:

•  OrCAD Unison EE consists of OrCAD Capture® for design entry and PSpice® A/D for analog and mixed-signal simulation;

•  OrCAD Unison PCB includes OrCAD Capture for schematic referencing, OrCAD Layout® for PCB place and route, and SPECCTRA® for OrCAD autorouter; and

•  OrCAD Unison Ultra guides designers through the entire design, from schematic entry and simulation, to board layout and routing.

The ease of use and intuitive capabilities of every application within these suites enable utilization right out of the box.

"OrCAD Capture 10.0 is a big advancement over previous versions," said Roy Vandermolen, staff engineer, Moog Aircraft Group, Salt Lake City. "The new features infuse Capture with a higher level of sophistication and capability, and have added streamlining and ease of use that significantly improve an already great product."

Key features of OrCAD 10.0 release-OrCAD Capture / Capture CIS offers several design reuse enhancements that can further help to enhance the lead in productivity and usability:

•  Support of the latest OrCAD Layout design reuse function, enabling PCB designers to reuse placement and routing information from one set of components on other identical sets of components in OrCAD Layout.

•  OrCAD software allows users unlimited undo/redo to remove any of their prior actions even after their schematic design has been saved. A Label State command gives users flexibility to try "what if" scenarios.

•  The part editor now enables users to move a logical pin name independently from a physical pin number. Pins can also be copied and pasted as a group or moved as a group.

PSpice A/D-advanced simulation for analog and mixed-signal environments:

•  Simulator enhancements include support for BSIM3.2 models expanding types of integrated circuits that can be used in a design and Tabrizi Core models for leveraging datasheet parameters directly with non-linear magnetic ferrite models.

•  Model support has been expanded to include BSIM3.2 models and supplies parameterized models to be simulated with PSpice A/D. These include models for BJTs, JFETs, MOSFETs, IGBTs, SCRs, magnetic cores and toroids, power diodes, bridges, operational amplifiers, opto-couplers, regulators, PWM controllers, multipliers, timers, and sample-and-hold circuits.

•  A single dialog box enables users to create simulation profiles or import existing simulation settings into a new profile simplifies the creating, tracking and usage of model libraries, stimulus files. It also includes files which can be assigned to the global, design, or user level and stored as a reusable, configurable profile.

•  Improved integration with Capture enables simpler schematic design to simulation flow and use models.

OrCAD Layout-Complete rules-driven layout from simple to complex PCBs:

•  New design reuse functionality in OrCAD Layout enables "cut and paste"-type capabilities that retain the linkage between OrCAD Capture schematic data and OrCAD Layout board data. It enables quick and easy creation of reuse modules for circuit replication.

•  OrCAD Layout now directly outputs Valor's ODB++ and thus creates accurate and reliable manufacturing data for high-quality, Gerber-less manufacturing.

•  An added Library Catalog Tool helps create and print catalog files, enabling the editing and customizing of catalog files before being printed. Hard copy documentation is now simplified.

Four service packs for this release are scheduled until the OrCAD 10.5 version release, planned for the fourth quarter of 2004.

"Strategically, OrCAD perfectly complements our offerings in the personal productivity market. It enables us to offer tools for all levels-from novice to expert-and truly makes us a comprehensive provider," says Charlie Giorgetti, corporate vice president and general manager of the Cadence PCB Systems Division.

The OrCAD online community, launched in March 2002 and located at http://www.orcadpcb.com/ , has more than 60,000 monthly visitors and over 6,500 members. Its website serves as a valuable resource for designers and engineers to learn, discuss and collaborate on issues relevant to Windows-based PCB design. The open discussion boards are the most frequented and active section of the site.

A new http://www.orcad.com/ website was launched in June 2003 to support the personal engineering market. While http://www.orcadpcb.com/ addresses the community, http://www.orcad.com/ provides general OrCAD information, gives an overview of the design suite's underlying technologies, and offers a number of downloads.

OrCAD 10.0 is available now. Prices range from $1,355 for the introductory package to $7,996 for the high-end suite. For availability and pricing outside of North America, please contact your local Cadence office or distributor. A complete list of value-added resellers (VARs) can be found on http://www.orcad.com/contacts .

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