NEWBERG, OR – WISE Software has released VisualCAM 2006 and GerbTool 15.1that are fully compatible with the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. In addition, the 15.1 release offers improvements to WISE Software’s Blind & Buried Via support during the import of IPC-D-356 data. There are also enhancements to the Test Fixturing capabilities (VisualCAM only), which reportedly allow for better End-Point Detection, the use of Solder Mask Data as test location filters, and more.
 
“WISE Software has always been committed to insuring the highest level of compatibility with the Windows operating system,” says Andy Wise, president of WISE Software Solutions Inc. “For this release we have made the necessary changes to our installation process to ensure that GerbTool and VisualCAM are being placed properly within the Vista environment. This includes making sure that all necessary drivers, for compenents like hardware keys and FlexLM, have been updated and tested for Vista compatibility.”
 
Blind & Buried Via Improvements: As design complexity continues to increase, so do the use of blind and buried vias. The 15.1 release offers improvements to the handling and association of external netlist information when an IPC-D-356 file is imported for comparison purposes. Users are said to receive a cleaner and more accurate display representation of their blind and buried via points and how they relate to internal layers. As the user cycles through their inner layers, they are shown only the external net points that pertain to those layers. Net points for blind and buried vias are represented with a unique marker that helps the user to distinguish them from a standard through-hole location.
 
Test Fixturing Enhancements: WISE has improved end-point detection to help eliminate unwanted or redundant testing of points on a given net. Algorithms have been improved so that, as a net traverses a board and passes through vias to other layers, these points are not inadvertently treated as the end of that net for that particular layer. VisualCAM will continue to track the net to see if it resurfaces elsewhere, thus allowing VisualCAM to continue its tracking and tag the true end point more accurately.
 
New Assembly Analysis: This release includes new Assembly Analysis features that reportedly provide a flexible method of checking the spacing between devices on the board. Multiple spacing checks are supported, including: 1) pin to pin, 2) pin to outline and 3) outline to outline. Selection of groups of devices or specific devices to participate in a check is simple and straightforward while still enabling the user to rapidly define a complex set of checks to meet their requirements. Additionally, sets of checks can be saved to external files.