Bridging the ECAD and MCAD Worlds

In 2008, with Altium Designer version AD6.8, Altium revolutionized how the ECAD world interfaces with the MCAD world. Viewing the electronics from a 3D perspective allowed these 2 worlds to talk. Desktop EDA has enhanced this capability through its ECAD/MCAD integration products that work nicely with Altium Designer, Mentor PADS, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, and Inventor.

There is more to the interaction between ECAD and MCAD than simply passing 3D graphics. ECAD and MCAD tools serve their respective domains, and what's essential to one domain may not have an equivalent or bearing on the other. Understanding these translation issues is key to making this bridge work.

Though our primary intent in this video is to show you the power of Desktop EDA, we invite you to this webinar to learn about the nuances of bridging the communication between the ECAD and MCAD worlds.

This presentation will provide the following:

• An overview of methods of communication between ECAD and MCAD
  

• A brief history of the various interchange formats (IDF, IDX, and live interaction)
  

• A primer on library management as it relates to 3D
  

• A demonstration of the Desktop EDA tools between Altium and SolidWorks to re-enforce the presentation's concepts.
  

Our guest presenter is Roger Castro, a 45-year veteran in engineering, of which 25 years have been focused on PCB-related issues. He is well-versed in electrical and mechanical concepts and is pleased to have this opportunity to speak on this subject candidly. He is an expert in Desktop-EDA's toolset in addition to Altium Designer and SolidWorks.

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