The new features permit several edits or imports into the panel editor, including panel templates and Gerber, mill and drill data. It also permits rotating or mirror images and symbols, and rotating panels.

In a press release, Rick Almeida, president of DownStream. said, "The enhancements to the panelization functionality addresses the different methodologies used by CAD designers and CAM engineers to create panels."

Customers with valid maintenance agreements will receive v.8.5 at no charge. The update will be available mid-March from downstreamtech.com. It will also be demonstrated next week at PCB Design Conference West in San Jose.

The PADS Export module now supports PowerPCB version 4.0 ASCII export, supporting up to 64 electrical layers and 250 total layers. In addition, PowerPCB version 3.0 ASCII files are fully supported. New DFF commands support general spacing and width checking on one layer. The minimum gap command finds all clearances smaller than specified for all flashes, traces and coppers, including gap violations created by voids and polygons against themselves. The minimum width command finds all copper widths smaller than specified for all flashes, traces and copper, including poured copper. Important enhancements in these commands include coverage of all copper features and checks for clearance violations between polygons edges of the same polygon outline.

The File Export Gerber command has been updated to give users more control over the plotter commands in the Fire 9XXX. For Fire 9XXX headers for Gerber output, the File Export command allows users to specify general mirror settings, emulsion side and axis swap settings. Finally, a new outline feature reportedly exports any data set to ACAD or SolidWorks. This feature is used for both stencil creation and for modeling in third party software.

The company is offering select configurations at "substantial" savings to new users.