ECAD related Document Types ECAD Neutral

[MarcosSuarez]

Hello ECAD users

We started the implementation of Windchill in our company a couple of weeks ago.

In our company, we use Zuken CADSTAR for schematic and PCB. Well, CADSTAR ist not supported with a WGM, so we need to use the ECAD Neutral.

Right now, i'm trying to identificate what each of the ECAD related CAD Document types does.

ECAD related CAD Document Templates

• ECAD - BOM Attributes Mapping <= mapping file between Windchill BOM and ECAD Software
• ECAD - BOM Filter Definition <= Filter file for BOM, like Attrivutes we don't want to map to Windchill
• ECAD - Content <= ? don't know what this one does
• ECAD - Content Definition <= document pointer, like "in this folder is a file is a *.pdf file. Use it as content"
• ECAD - Documentation Data <= ? don't know what this one does (Blueprint PCB Software)
• ECAD - Drawing <= <= ? don't know what this one does
• ECAD - Manufacturing Data <= ? don't know what this one does (CAM350 Software)
• ECAD - MCAD Exchange Data <= Derived Data , we use it for IDF data
• ECAD - Packaged View <= ? don't know what this one does

Hope someone can explain what the other document types do. I'm specially interested in ECAD - Content. Whats the difference to ECAD - Content Definition?

Best regards

M.Suarez

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[ptc-4639020]

I hope to be following up with documentation soon but for now I hope this helps.

• ECAD - BOM Attributes Mapping <= mapping file between Windchill BOM and ECAD Software
  DAVE: Mapping the fields ( Column Headers)
• ECAD - BOM Filter Definition <= Filter file for BOM, like Attributes we don't want to map to Windchill
  DAVE: Correct
• ECAD - Content <= ? don't know what this one does
  DAVE: this document is a container for data that is created from the ECAD database and associated to a design .
  Example:
  MFG data, Test Data, ASSY data.
• ECAD - Content Definition <= document pointer, like "in this folder is a file is a *.pdf file. Use it as content"
  DAVE: I would describe that as the instruction of what to collect and attach to Content.
  Example
  Content = MFG data,
  Content Definition = from this location c:\abc\desin\output\ collect *.GER, *DRL, drill .pdf.
• ECAD - Documentation Data <= ? don't know what this one does (Blueprint PCB Software)
  DAVE: Blueprint-PCB is a documentation tool from Downstream Technologies http://downstreamtech.com/
  the document is a container for Blueprint-PCB
• ECAD - Drawing <= <= ? don't know what this one does
  DAVE: this is kind of a generic document container you may want to collect misc. document and have them be checked in.
• ECAD - Manufacturing Data <= ? don't know what this one does (CAM350 Software)
  DAVE: CAM350is a Gerber management/visualization tool from Downstream Technologies http://downstreamtech.com/
  the document is a container for CAM350
• ECAD - MCAD Exchange Data <= Derived Data , we use it for IDF data
  DAVE: you are using it as expected.
• ECAD - Packaged View <= ? don't know what this one does
  DAVE: I don’t have firsthand knowledge but looking into it.

[MarcosSuarez]

Hi Dave,

thank you for your reply.

greetings Marcos

[sclaes]

Marcos,With regard to your ECAD data model question;

I gave a discussion last year at PTC Live. This Presentation might be of use to you and your team for some good graphic presentation of how the items configure and interact.

Regards,

Scott Claes info@claes.biz www.claes.biz

[NickD]

Hi Scott, and others earlier in the thread...

Your presentation PDF from 2013 does not mention the two Types: ECAD Manufacturing & ECAD Documentation , and the associated CAD Document Templates: ECAD Manufacturing Data & ECAD Documentation Data, which seem to have been added specifically for use with CAM350 and Blueprint PCB applications respectively.  I think they were added in v10.2 (maybe in v10.1), but they were not there in v10.0.

On pages 17 of your presentation PDF you describe the inherent problem of needing to have a CAD Document associated with the (PCB)Assembly Part, and the icon shown on your diagram for that CAD Document looks a little bit like the one now defined for the ECAD Documentation Type in v10.2, superimposed on a generic document.  I assume this document is where there would be assembly or test instructions for things like calibration adjustments, loading firmware, applying labels or conformal coatings, fitting screening can lids, etc. that would typically be done after the board has been through reflow ?

On pages 18 of your presentation PDF you say "The PTC solution for this is to allow the optional use of Blueprint PCB data files to be the primary cad objects associated with the Assembly WTPart.  The WGM will also manage CAM350 data as a CAD document if needed."

So what should we do if we don't have the Blueprint PCB or CAM350 applications, just our suite of Mentor Graphics PCBCAD applications ?  Is there another appropriate type of ECAD Document (or ECAD Derived Object, as shown in your 2014 PTC Live Global presentation, CUST253...) to use instead for a CAD Document that can be associated via a Contrib' Image link with the (PCB)Assembly Part ?

Also, on a related point, is the only way to get the Contrib' Image link between the PCB Part and ECAD Board Document, to use Edit Associations (on the Board Document) in a Workspace ?  I did find that the Owner link between the (PCB)Assembly Part and the Schematic was created automatically during the Generate BOM / BOM Manager steps in the new ECAD Check-in process, so I was surprised that it did not do the equivalent for the PCB Part and ECAD Board Document as well.  I see that in your 'ECAD_client_install.pdf' file you recommend setting a Preference for ECAD users: Operation - CheckIn Operation - Auto Associate upon Check in = YES, but this Preference cannot be set selectively for each CAD application, and we have accepted the default of NO to suit work with MCAD applications, and hence a conflict arises for a few of our users who use both MCAD and ECAD tools.  Does the missing link only get made automatically if this Preference is set to YES ?

Best regards,

Nick Drought

[pcox]

Nick,

Your implementation sounds very similar to mine.  A few differences:

1) You're using Mentor, I use Cadence

2) You're on 10.2, I'm on 10.1

Other than that, it sounds like we're implementing (or trying to implement) very similar systems and processes.

We use the ECAD - Content CAD Document type to add derived data when we check in the PCB board file.  It gets associated to the bare-board part as content, and then we're able to upload to that automatically through the use of a ECAD Content Definition that points it to a specific file and location in the design being uploaded.

As for your related question, yes, the Auto Associate upon Check in = YES is what creates and maintains that link.  We have a few users with similar issues, and they have to change that setting, depending on what they are working on.  We try to just keep the number of users working on both ECAD and MCAD to a minimum.  This is made easier though in 10.2 (which you're on) than in 10.1.  Our users have an additional step to go "Manage BOM" to link the bare-board to the assembly.  That's take care of in the 10.2 import design process.

I hope that helps.

~ Pat Cox

[NickD]

Hi Guys,

You both listed 9 categories, but in v10.2 we see 12 different categories available for "ECAD" in New CAD Document until an Authoring Application is selected or set to ECAD Neutral, then the list drops to either 1 or 8, as shown on the screen grabs below.

You have omitted ECAD - Hook Definition from your list for ECAD Neutral, and included the two which were added in v10.2 and are only applicable if the Authoring Application is set to Blueprint PCB or CAM350 instead of ECAD Neutral.

The list of 8 categories for ECAD Neutral divides into two Types sets of 4 each for ECAD Derived and ECAD Definition, which should help make sense of what they can and should be used for - or at least I think it does for the ECAD Definitions...

What is still confusing me is that it looks like 'ECAD - Content Definition(s)' can be added to either the main design documents (Board & Schematic) or to any ECAD derived documents, and whilst I appreciate the versatility I don't know which approach is best (one, the other, or some mixture).

From some initial testing it appears that ECAD derived documents can actually be made independently (and potentially linked to a source design later) or made dependently during the optional 'New ECAD Design' wizard steps (and potentially unlinked later...), but in any case as they are separate Windchill documents they must have unique name/number (as defined by the OIR), and they can still be checked in & out, and edited/iterated independently.  If they were made dependent can this be prevented ?

I have some old notes that suggest that ECAD derived documents are a legacy from v9.1 and don't need to be used in v10.x.  Is this true ?

Can anyone share an explanation of the pros and cons of using ECAD derived documents compared with only using ECAD Content Definitions to store the derived files as Attachments on the main design documents ?  Or is there some good reason to use a mixture of both ?

Also, as I asked earlier in the thread, which kind of CAD Document do people associate with the (PCB)Assembly Part, instead of a Blueprint PCB 'ECAD-Documentation Data' ?

thanks in anticipation,

Nick