ECAD basic support/setup

[MK_9323346]

Hello,

Can anyone guide me to a tutorial about the ECAD setup for Creo.

I am looking around in the CREO help section but that is far from clear and complete.

I want to do some ecad setup things in creo4.0 environment but I get stuck.

First off all the ptc help tutorial mention start a new assembly -> select the ECAD sub-type

Here I already run into the first issue the ECAD syb type is greyed out so not selectable.

I already understood that there are some ecad assembly start parts and ecad start parts that I should fine tune with a set of parameters. So that is clear. 

But then the default template contains only 2 default parameters. So not much of an example.

So a little guidance /tutorial would be welcome to clear out some questions like:

How does creo knows a assembly is a ECAD assembly?

The same question for the ecad part

Hoe do the parameters get translated into the IDF3.0  file?

....

[MikePhillips]

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to ECAD. In fact, I know very little.

As far as I know, you need license extension 262 (ECAD Collaboration) to enable the ECAD sub-type option. You should first check your license file and see if you have that extension available.

Mike

[tbraxton]

You do not need to worry about the ECAD subtype models if you are using IDF 3.0 they are not required when using Core Creo functionality to do ECAD/MCAD data exchange.

The ECAD collaboration is not required to access the ECAD/MCAD data exchange through IDF V3.0 interface. This is part of core Creo Parametric functionality. The ECAD collaboration extension adds/extends the functionality to support MCAD/ECAD data exchange but is not necessary. It may be a good investment depending on your situation and workflow.

Your question is wide/deep as this topic is quite involved and nuanced.  One of the main things you should work out if you will be using IDF 3.0 is how to manage the ecad_hint.map file. This is key to mapping your ECAD package symbols to accurate geometry representations within Creo for components placed on the PCB. You should define standards for your component orientation and origins as well that are shared with the ECAD symbols used by the PCB design team.

You can create ECAD start parts for both part (component) and assembly (PCBA) and they do have specific requirements with regard to CSYS orientation etc. For example, IDF assumes the x-y plane is the bottom of the PCB and that the z-axis goes through the thickness of the PCB. The IDF interface is what manages the parameters relevant to data exchange. You will need to create and define parameters for your PCB components (i.e. refdes) manually on the Creo side to function correctly via IDF.

[MK_9323346]

Ok I will check for the license.But for IDF export I can confirm this is not needed.

The part about the Ecad Hint map and board CSYS orientation we already figured out and all have it up and running. And we are able to do an IDF import and export.

But we are now using a standard asm for board assembly level and below we use a standard part to define the board size with the ecad areas

But we are now in the fine tuning process.

Like mentioned the components get translated into the IDF export but there are some other fields. That we would like to fine tune like the board name and for example and the component placed status. It looks that they come from parameters but at this moment we do not have them defined. So i would like to know should these be defined at asm or at part/board level. And as this is clear we would like to include this in some fixed start parts..

So some tutorial or guided instructions to figure out the details would be nice..

[tbraxton · Accepted solution]

Do you have a copy of the IDF 3.0 specification? If not get a copy of that spec. It documents all of the parameters etc. that are passed through the interface. Creo fully supports IDF 3.0.