SAN JOSE — Cadence Design Systems today unveiled an online applications store accessible within the latest rev (16.5) of its signature OrCAD Capture schematic design tool.
OrCAD Capture Marketplace “fundamentally changes the way PCB designers can access design data, stay informed and discover new resources, including apps to customize and extend the OrCAD environment,” the EDA software company said.
The company says the new tool provides printed circuit board designers “productivity through convenience,” or one-click, on-demand access to information, design data, and resources from across the Web. Users remain in their familiar design environment – OrCAD – yet can conduct research and locate materials, and access design- or OrCAD-centric white papers, data sheets and other documentation. Moreover, it offers an extensible, customizable design environment. The online store contains downloadable applications (apps) from Cadence and its channel partners, enabling enhanced control of their design processes and flows through new and enhanced features or capabilities.
By bringing content and resources directly to OrCAD Capture users, and pointing them to OrCAD-centric product and design information--including application notes, whitepapers, product tips and videos--ramp up time on new product features or design technologies can be minimized. Through apps or scripting customization, designers can apply automation to manual processes and complete design tasks faster. Difficult operations can be streamlined, and custom features that do not exist natively can be created or downloaded, further enhancing and extending the Capture environment.
"The OrCAD Capture Marketplace was designed with one goal in mind – advancing the capabilities of PCB designers by enabling access to the resources engineers need in a faster, more convenient and efficient manner,” said Josh Moore, senior product manager at Cadence. “We will continue building and evolving the marketplace, with more apps and more content, to help ensure engineers can quickly find what they need, when they need it.”
The printed circuit board and semiconductor design software company says OrCAD Capture Marketplace is closely aligned with its EDA360 strategy.
In a conversation with PCD&F editor in chief Mike Buetow, Moore explained the new concept.
PCD&F: What was the thinking behind OrCAD Capture Marketplace?
JM: The idea was to enable greater PCB design functionality – to provide all the apps and apps methodology on the site. It enables a level of unprecedented interaction with customer. It literally takes more than the individual user and individual tool to get a design done today. In the PCB space, as a designer, I can’t just design off the top of my head. I need parametric info, models, etc.
In fact, the tools haven’t kept up with the online databases. A user has to leave the tool to get that info. We want to provide users with purposeful information without leaving the tool. We embedded OrCAD-centric content within the Capture tool. This content can be accessed directly within Capture; users don’t need to fire up Explorer. We call this “productivity through convenience.”
In doing so, users can find components, discover new content. We often find that customers don’t know what they don’t know. Perhaps a customer in Germany has written an app note that the designer in Taiwan doesn’t know.
PCD&F: How will the online store work?
JM: The way the online store works is similar to an apps market on a mobile device. You go into the online store for apps, can read descriptions, view and submit feedback star ratings, watch movies, download items, etc. The environment allows users to customize and create new features and functions, and with the apps themselves, they can get them directly. These often might be one-off things. It allows full access to the architecture, GUI, etc. Users have been customizing using Skill for Capture, but it was incompatible, so we made [the apps] Tcl based.
PCD&F: The store includes links to printed circuit board fabricators and design service bureaus around the world. Will you charge for inclusion?
JM: No, we’re not charging for anything in this.
PCD&F: Who will maintain those listings?
JM: We have software to monitor to ensure there are no dead links. We will keep up with the relevancy of the content. If we find that an app is up and no getting traffic, we’ll take it down and replace it. For models or other PCB service or component info, it’s really just URLs or links included in the tools. We expect customers will start telling us which ones are most valuable to them.
PCD&F: If you don’t charge for it, how do you ensure that someone inside Cadence will want to maintain it?
JM: That’s why we expect it to take on a life of its own. Driving this is the hope to make Capture more sticky to users by allowing them to download and customize their environment.
PCD&F: If I’m an individual user and within a large OEM, can I still customize?
JM: If you know enough about Capture or how to write basic Tcl programming, you can customize your output, or BoM, or automate a feature just for your use. This is independent of your CAD support group. The benefit for bigger customers who have, through Skill, customized PCB Editor so that it doesn’t even look like PCB Editor anymore. I can see that same kind of augmentation.
PCD&F: How useful is the language when written by different users of diff nationalities?
JM: Everything is in English. It’s not a primary language for everyone in the world, of course, but because Capture is in English, they would have some experience with the language. Unlike a mobile device, all the apps will be related to some feature or function of OrCAD Capture.
PCD&F: Will every app have a movie?
JM: That’s actually one of our goals. As a minimum requirement we want each app to have a movie to help explain what it is and how it works, so people can figure it out without having to go into it blind. We have already ones for apps to develop custom BoM, annotation for test points, those things people already are generally familiar with.
PCD&F: Of the apps in the store, how much will be user-driven, vs. Cadence developed?
JM: Initially, all the apps will come from Cadence and our channel partners. Some partners already supply modules for Capture and PCB Editor. Cadence R&D are actively engaged in creating apps for this launch, developing features and functions that they had in the backs of their minds and now have an outlet for. Going forward, we expect customers will get involved in this. We already see this from those customers that create specialized features and apps to change and make their apps fit to offer.
Also, anything we provide will be freeware and open to users, so they can take it and make it their own.
PCD&F: Will Cadence vet submissions?
JM: We’re still a bit away from the launch, and are still putting together criteria for IP creators to ensure whatever goes up on the site does what it is supposed to. It’s not so different from the Skill repository sites we have online today. Customers today can go onto those support sites and download Skill enhancements and functions from that site. It’s a lot like that, but we are putting it into the tool, so you don’t have to leave the tool. It wasn’t the same to put them on the support page. This gives everyone immediate and embedded access when they need it the most.
PCD&F: How does Tcl differ from Skill?
JM: Tcl is an industry language; it’s a basic programming language. It’s very straightforward. The scripts for creating pages and apps basically make sense. The commands, GUI objects, database objects: all have some Tcl API that marries the language with the command, so you can query and output the language. So if you understand BASIC and how Skill interacts with PCB Editor, it shouldn’t be a great leap to work in Tcl.
PCD&F: When will the online store be available to users?
JM: By the end of the second quarter.
