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CAD Implementations
A number of
CAD vendors now support IDX or have plans to do so. Here’s a quick look at some of them.
Cadence. Support for IDX is built directly into Allegro 16.5 as a standard feature. Versions 1.2 and 2.0 of IDX are both supported. Importing and exporting IDX files in Allegro is similar to importing and exporting IDF files, including the ability to configure export filter settings
(Figure 3). Importing an IDX change file brings up a form that lists all the proposed changes. Selecting an item from the list previews the change in the design so you can see the effect of the change before accepting it. Similarly, when exporting changes, a form is displayed showing all the changes made since the last synchronized state of the design. You can choose which items to include in the IDX change file from this form.
As with the IDF, Allegro also provides a batch executable command for exporting IDX files from the Allegro command line or from an OS command prompt. A batch command for importing IDX files is not provided because importing requires users to preview, accept, and reject changes.
Dassault Systèmes (Catia). Dassault Systèmes is working to implement IDX for its CATIA Circuit Board Design and CATIA Flexible Board Design products. The IDX interface will be implemented by a DS Development Partner, CadCam Design Centar D.O.O.
CATIA currently manages PCB exchanges through IDF 2.0 and 3.0 in CATIA Circuit Board Design and CATIA Flexible Board Design. With CATIA V6, collaboration and
synchronization between electrical and mechanical PCB designs is ensured by IDF file sharing. To improve this sharing, IDF files are saved directly within the V6 Platform, ensuring full synchronization at all times, and efficient traceability of design changes.
Dassault Systèmes (SolidWorks). Solidworks support for IDX is provided by the CircuitWorks add-in included with SolidWorks Premium 2012. The CircuitWorks add-in supports both IDX versions 1.2 and 2.0, as well as Mentor PADS .asc files and all versions of the IDF.
CircuitWorks sets up a common folder for exchanging IDX files with ECAD and constantly monitors this folder, sending notifications whenever a new IDX file comes in. If a common folder cannot be set up, CircuitWorks can be configured to automatically email IDX baseline and change files.
Once a baseline is established and an IDX change file is imported, proposed changes can be viewed and accepted or rejected. A one-button operation updates the SolidWorks design with the accepted changes and exports an IDX change file for synchronizing with ECAD. CircuitWorks maintains a model tree showing the history and status of all changes (Figure 4).
Mentor Graphics. Mentor’s ECAD-MCAD Collaborator (EDMD) supports IDX versions 1.2 and 2.0 for the Expedition Enterprise, BoardStation XE and PADS design flows. The ECAD-MCAD Collaborator provides a 3D visualization environment to review, accept, and reject IDX change proposals from MCAD. Detailed 3D models of electronic and mechanical parts can be imported to help evaluate the effects of the proposed changes. Mechanical packaging data can also be imported so that a complete product assembly with multiple PCB databases can be built completely within the PCB environment.
The ECAD-MCAD Collaborator also allows dynamic view following with the PCB tool. If a part is moved in the PCB tool, the 3D view updates in real time. Panning, zooming and layer display changes in the PCB tools also dynamically update in the Collaborator.
PTC. Creo, PTC’s suite of design software, and Pro/Engineer Wildfire both support IDX.
IDX support for Creo Parametric, PTC’s 3D parametric design app, is provided with the ECAD-MCAD Collaboration Extension (ECX), available beginning with Pro/Engineer Wildfire 5.0. ECX supports both versions 1.2 and 2.0 of IDX.
With ECX, IDX baseline files can be exported or changes proposed for exporting in an IDX change file. One could either manually select the changes to propose from the Creo Parametric assembly or use the compare functionality to propose all changes made since a previous saved version of the board assembly.
When importing IDX files, Creo View ECAD Validate lets you select the proposed changes from a transaction list and preview them in the Creo Parametric assembly. Once it’s been decided which changes to accept or reject in the transaction list, they can be approved to update the assembly and then saved in a new IDX file for ECAD to synchronize the design accordingly.
Creo View ECAD, PTC’s standalone visualization app for ECAD, also supports importing both versions 1.2 and 2.0 of IDX for graphical visualization.
Siemens PLM. NX 8 provides support for IDX through a fully-embedded application called NX PCB Exchange. NX PCB Exchange is developed by Maya Heat Transfer Technologies, an OEM technology partner with Siemens PLM Software.
NX PCB Exchange currently supports baseline IDX version 1.2 transfers. However, NX PCB Exchange also has the ability to compare, preview, and accept/reject changes in IDF files. This functionality will be extended in the near future to support incremental IDX changes. IDX 2.0 files will also be supported.
Zuken. Zuken supports IDX for CR-5000 with the Zuken Interchanger for Creo. As the name suggests, the Zuken Interchanger for Creo is currently optimized for use with Creo Parametric and was developed cooperatively with PTC. Over time, as CAD industry support for IDX matures, Zuken expects to use it with other MCAD systems as well.
The Zuken Interchanger for Creo supports IDX version 2.0 and can exchange both baseline and change files. It also provides filtering capabilities when exporting from CR-5000 so that designers can limit the number and type of design objects included in the resultant mechanical model.
Summary
IDX represents a major step forward in integrating PCB layout and mechanical design permitting collaboration through incremental data exchange. It’s the first ECAD/MCAD data exchange format to provide this capability. As with any new data exchange format, there will likely be implementation issues and missing functionality to resolve over time. The good news is IDX is designed to change and grow as design collaboration needs evolve. A critical mass of CAD vendors now support IDX, so the first test of a standard – acceptance – has been met. Many vendors have committed significant time and resources to develop their IDX-based collaboration solutions, and they want these solutions to work for their customers.
Dave Kehmeier is an MCAD/ECAD integration consultant and developer of the IDF (liaiseintegration.com); This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
