Electronics associativity

[cdspk]

I'm trying to show how CAD across all the disciplines covered by our technology undergrads but am struggling with electronics. I can see the harness/loom elements can be designed in the asm but can pcbs be designed and associativity maintained in both directions in a top down approach? pcbs fit to enclosures or enclosures fit to pcbs? I've reference toimporting Intermediate Data Format (IDF) circuit board files (.emn, .brd, .bdf, .idb) but can't see the module links, Cheers, Sean

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[DeanLong]

You can make anything and everything associative to one another. The age old question is/was/always will be;how much associativity is too much associativity in data sets? There is always a point of diminished usefulnessrelative tothe amount of associative "links" within any given data set.

ECADand MCAD have traditionally been happy siblings when it comes to concurrent development. Typically the "hard" geometry has been the link between each discipline, I.E. board outlines, mounting holes, component heights,flux depth etc.... because that is where the important hand holding must occur.Again typically, what happens on the board itself with regard to trace routing and solder masks and all the goodies that make theelectronics work aredesigned in other software that is written especially for that type of design.

Not sure if I have given insight or muddied up the water for you.

[BrentDrysdale]

Hi Sean,
The IDF (2 or 3) interface allows import of information from ECAD design
packages (e.g. Cadence) into ProE/Creo but it also allows export of
ProE/Creo information to the ECAD package. In the old days you needed a
special module for this but I think some functionality is included as basic
now. There is a very nice but very expensive bidirectional ProE module
call ECX (which uses the latest IDX standard) but we were not prepared to
pay for that level of functionality.

Things that you can share using IDF in either direction are:

- PCB outline and thickness.
- Holes (plated through and non plated through)
- Component placement (uses coordinate systems for location and
orientation)
- Component mapping. This is where you make a ProE model of the
electronic item when the shape or function is important to the MCAD side of
things. You then need to manage the mapping between the two packages.
From what I saw the ECAD packages just made 2.5D representations of only
an outline and height and if you don't use mapping then this is what comes
in to ProE.
- Component designation.
- Component placement area and height restrictions and Routing
restrictions

Hope this helps.



Regards,
Brent Drysdale


On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 12:26 AM, Sean Kerslake <->
wrote:

> I'm trying to show how CAD across all the disciplines covered by our
> technology undergrads but am struggling with electronics. I can see the
> harness/loom elements can be designed in the asm but can pcbs be designed
> and associativity maintained in both directions in a top down approach?
> pcbs fit to enclosures or enclosures fit to pcbs? I've reference to importing
> Intermediate Data Format (IDF) circuit board files (.emn, .brd, .bdf, .idb)
> but can't see the module links, Cheers, Sean
>