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Cadence Allegro and OrCAD: What's New in Release 17.2-2016 Quarterly Incremental Release (QIR) 3

Cadence Allegro and OrCAD: What’s New in 17.2-2016 QIR 3 (HotFix 016)

This document describes the new features and enhancements in Cadence® Allegro® and OrCAD® products in release 17.2-2016 Quarterly Incremental Release (QIR) 3. The products covered are:

■ Allegro PCB Editor on page 2

■ OrCAD Capture on page 47

■ PSpice on page 49

■ Allegro EDM on page 59

■ Allegro Pulse on page 69

■ Allegro Constraint Manager on page 74

April 2017 1 Product Version 17.2-2016


Allegro PCB Editor

This section describes the new features and enhancements in Allegro® PCB Editor in release 17.2-2016 QIR 3.

■ Allegro® PCB Symphony Team Design Option on page 3

■ 3D Canvas Updates on page 4

■ 3D Canvas Features on page 5

■ Dynamic Ratsnest on page 15

■ Route Keepout Net Exceptions on page 16

■ Padstack Editor XML Import on page 20

■ Import File Manager on page 26

■ Relative Grid on page 33

■ Multi-Destination Paste on page 36

■ Route Clearance View on page 44

■ Miscellaneous Enhancements in PCB Editor on page 45

■ RF PCB Enhancements on page 46



Allegro® PCB Symphony Team Design Option

Allegro® PCB Symphony Team Design option allows you to connect to a common database to perform collaborative design activities. In this solution, each team member sees the design updates in real time without generating or importing design partitions. Whether there is a formal project team or an ad hoc team, designers can share their current design and invite other designers to join or assist.

This concurrent design environment is available with the following products along with the Symphony Team Design product option:

■ Allegro PCB Designer

■ Allegro Package Design L (using SiP Layout XL)

■ SiP Layout XL

Symphony Team Design Functionality Enhancements

In this release, the team design functionality has been enhanced. You can now perform some additional tasks in the following areas:

Placement

■ Component swapping

Shape Editing

■ Move, copy, change, and spin of dynamic and static shapes

Manufacturing

■ Test Point Generation (Test Prep)

❑ Manually add, delete, or move test points including test pad replacement and testing directly on a cline.

❑ Quickly scan and highlight untested nets and zoom the display to the extents of a net for adding test points.

❑ Add, delete, or modify test point related properties on nets and symbols.



❑ Set test point parameters, such as test point label display, selective padstack replacement, and test point spacing requirements.

General

■ Add or remove FIXED property across all the selected object types without running Property Edit command multiple times.

■ Copy and paste objects to multiple destinations. Objects pasted are automatically snapped to the center of pins, vias, and to the dangling end points of clines.

For more information, see Allegro User Guide: Getting Started with Symphony Team Design.

3D Canvas Updates

3D Canvas is still an unsupported prototype feature but new functionality continues to be developed along with the refining of existing features.This is the third phase of major 3D improvements planned for the new 3D Canvas and many additional features are still in development. The following illustration displays a PCB in new 3D Canvas.



3D Canvas Features

3D Canvas functionality delivered in different releases are:

17.2 Phase I

The first phase, introduced with the 17.2 hotfix4 release, includes a graphics engine upgrade, collision detection, etch layer visibility controls, and cross-probing to the 2D canvas.

17.2 Phase II

The second phase, started with the 17.2 hotfix9 release, introduces interaction between the 2D workspace and the 3D Canvas, support for some industry-related export file types, and full layer modelling that includes mask, silk, and dielectric layers.

17.2 Phase III

In the third phase, existing features are improved and new features are included, such as preferences dialog, representation of the actual thicknesses of zones, ability to move components in the 3D space while interacting between the 3D Canvas and the 2D workspace, support for exporting 2D PDF along with export dialog, and addition of visibility layer controls for planes, masks, silk, and dielectric layers.

The main enhancements made to 3D Canvas in this release are:

Isometric View (Default)

In this release, visual changes are made to the canvas. By default, the loaded design appears in an isometric view for better articulation of the 3D nature of the canvas and the design. For



easy access, the isometric view is mapped to the NumLock key 1. The following image displays the new 3D Canvas window.

Updated and New Panes

In the 3D canvas, two new panes: Messages and Options are added, and the Visibility pane is upgraded. The Messages pane broadcasts both information and error messages.



The Visibility pane now includes layer controls to quickly turn-on or off the Conductor, Plane, Mask, and Dielectric layers. This mimics the behavior of the Visibility pane on the 2D canvas.

All the panes in the 3D Canvas now allow movement and groupings. This behavior of the panes is identical in the 2D workspace.



Preferences Dialog

This release introduces a new Preferences dialog within the 3D Canvas window. This dialog is similar to the Setup – User Preferences in the PCB Editor.

The three preferences added in this release are:

■ Display: sets the default background color of the 3D Canvas window.

■ Messages: controls the display of the new Messages pane.

■ Interactive: controls the communication between the 3D Canvas and the 2D workspace. When disabled, any changes made to the PCB design in the 3D Canvas will not be propagated back to the 2D design.

These settings persist between designs and sessions until changed.



Display of Silkscreen Text, Rectangles, and Shapes in 3D Canvas

In the previous release, component silkscreen outlines (lines) were visible. In this release, text (both reference designators and free text) is also visible on the 3D Canvas.

Rectangles drawn on the silkscreen layer are now shown on the 3D Canvas. They are unfilled and the line width is derived from the Undefined line width setting in the Artwork form.



Support for shapes is also the part of this release but presently, all shape types (filled, cross-hatched, and unfilled) are shown as filled on the 3D Canvas.

2D PDF and Export Dialog

The Export feature of the 3D Canvas has also been enhanced. A new Export dialog is added that can export a 2D PDF file. In the earlier releases, by default, the exported file was saved



into the working directory of the original design. You can now choose the file type, the file name, and specify the destination directory.

The export functionality exports a 2D PDF of the visible design. The 3D Canvas export feature exports only the visible objects on the canvas. You have the power and flexibility to only export the view required for sharing. This applies to all the export file types and not just for 2D PDF.

The following image is of an exported file imported into an PDF Viewer. Notice that the cover that is typical of this sample design is not shown.



3D to 2D Move Command

In the earlier releases, when the 3D Canvas was introduced, it was possible to select a component on the 3D Canvas and view the highlighted component in the 2D design. In this release, this 3D to 2D interaction has been enhanced. You can move a component in the 3D Canvas and that change is reflected and updated in the 2D design.

Consider the following points when working with this feature:

■ Only one component can be moved at a time

■ The movement of the selected component is limited only to the x and y planes

■ The 2D workspace is updated only after the component movement is completed on the 3D Canvas

To invoke the command, right-click a component and choose Move from the pop-up menu. When the command is active, you can choose appropriate actions from the Options pane. The command provides options to select what actions (on the 2D design) should occur to any etch that is attached to the component being moved. These choices are identical to the options you have when moving components in the 2D design space.

When a component is selected, it first turns red, but now when in Move, the originally selected component also changes to a lighter transparency. A copy of the component attaches to the mouse cursor. Moving the cursor to a new location and clicking it in the canvas



places the component. This action triggers an update to the 2D design. The Undo option, if needed, can be used, but only from the PCB Editor (referred as 2D Editor).



Zone Aware 3D

Display of zones in the 3D Canvas was limited and always showed one thickness even if different thicknesses were specified for the zones in the 2D design. Zones now display actual thickness as specified in the Cross Section Editor.

Miscellaneous Updates to 3D Canvas

In this release, improvements in the 3D Canvas makes it more consistent with the 2D editor. Some of the minor changes include:

■ Design units are added to the Status bar

The units reflect those of the original 2D design

■ X, Y, and Z locations are added to the Status bar

The points of reference shown are either of the mouse when it is in a free state or of a selected component during the Move command.

■ Mouse controls are updated



Revised to be consistent with the 2D editor

■ Revised menu items

❑ Camera option is now under the View menu

❑ Setup is added as a main menu with Preferences as sub-menu

Dynamic Ratsnest

Currently in the PCB Editor while moving components, rat lines are updated as a post-pick process or after the component is placed. It’s helpful for designers to see rat lines that get updated during component movement to avoid the unnecessary picks and to optimize the final placement location.

Starting with this release, the default behavior is that the rat lines are updated dynamically as the component is moved. When the component is moving, a temporary highlight color is used. The command ignores following objects due to performance limitation:

■ User-defined net schedule

■ System-defined net schedule

■ Power nets

■ Ground nets

■ Nets with pin-count greater than 20

■ Components with pin-count greater than 100



Note: To disable this behavior, set the environment variable no_dynamic_ratsnest in the Setup – User Preferences – Placement – General folder.

Route Keepout Net Exceptions

In this release, it is possible to create a route keepout exception by net group. You can create a route keepout shape and assign a route keepout (RKO) group to it. The members of the RKO group do not report keepout DRCs.



Creating an RKO Group In Constraint Manager

Constraint Manager has been enhanced to support the creation of RKO groups. A new worksheet Route/Vias Keepout Exception has been added to the Net folder in the Properties domain.

Perform the following steps to create an RKO group:

1. Expand the Net folder in the Properties domain.

2. Open the Route/Vias Keepout Exception worksheet.

3. In the right-pane, right-click the design name and choose Create – RKO Group.



4. Enter a name for the RKO Group.

The new group now appears under the object type RKOGroups.

5. To add member nets, right-click the RKO group and choose RKOGroup members from the pop-up menu.



The selected nets become a part of the RKO group.

Assigning RKO Group to the RKO Shape in PCB Editor

In PCB Editor, first select a route keepout shape. In the Options tab, select and apply the Keepout Group to the shape.

The nets that are part of the RKO group do not show route keepout DRCs.



Running Show Element command on the route keepout shape indicates that the shape is a member of the group NETS_RKO with name RKO1.

Padstack Editor XML Import

PCB library designers in some instances use in-house developed software to create padstack definitions. The derived padstack definition is either transferred through SKILL, scripts, or manually to Padstack Editor.

In this release, the ability to import an XML file that contains the full padstack definition to the Allegro Padstack Editor is introduced. Modifying the in-house software to export the padstack definition in an XML format provides an easier way to programmatically generate and update padstack definitions individually or through a batch process.

Padstack XML Format

Padstack XML files use .pxml file extension. The padstack XML format is driven by a Document Type Definition (.dtd) file. This file is used as a reference when creating padstack XML-formatted files and located in the installation hierarchy at:

<installation_hierarchy>\share\pcb\xml-formats\cdn_padstack.dtd

Note: Do not modify this file. Any changes will result in failure when importing XML data into Padstack Editor.



Sample

Here is an example of an XML-formatted padstack file for a rounded rectangle surface mount pad:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?>

<!DOCTYPE padstack>

<padstack version="1.0">

<padstackname>SMD_PIN</padstackname>

<padstackusage>SMD_PIN</padstackusage>

<units>MILS</units>

<accuracy>1</accuracy>

<drillinfo>

<slothole>

<holetype>NONE</holetype>

</slothole>

</drillinfo>

<pad>

<type>REGULAR_PAD</type>

<layer>BEGIN_LAYER</layer>

<figure>CHAMFERED_RECTANGLE</figure>

<width>16.0</width>

<height>36.0</height>

<corner>5.0</corner>

<ul>Y</ul>

<lr>Y</lr>

</pad>

<pad>

<type>REGULAR_PAD</type>

<layer>TOP_SOLDER_MASK_PAD</layer>

<figure>CHAMFERED_RECTANGLE</figure>

<width>16.0</width>

<height>36.0</height>

<corner>5.0</corner>

<ul>Y</ul>

<lr>Y</lr>

</pad>

</padstack>

You can find various examples of padstack XML files in the installation hierarchy at:

<installation-hierarchy>\share\pcb\examples\padstack_xml



Importing Padstack XML Files

To import padstack XML files in the Padstack Editor use File – Import XML.

The Import XML form opens. Navigate to the location of the XML file(s) and select the .pxml file. Once the file name is selected and the name is displayed in the File name field, click Open.



The Padstack Editor is updated with the padstack name and the definition from the data defined in the XML file. Open the Summary tab in the Padstack Editor to review the results before saving.

When saving the padstack definition, all of the padstack definition checks are performed. If there are any warnings or errors, they are reported.

Padstack XML-formatted files can also be generated from the system command window. Enter the following command at the command prompt:

padstack_editor –xg <filename.pxml>



The command invokes the Padstack Editor and import the XML file for review. This is similar to importing the XML file from the File – Import XML menu in the Padstack Editor.

To create the padstack definition from the XML file without viewing Padstack Editor, enter the following command at the command prompt:

padstack_editor –x <filename.pxml>.

This option creates the padstack definition file without launching Padstack Editor. A log file is also generated that reports warning or errors occurred during the creation process. In case



of errors the log file will be created, but the padstack definition will not be created. In this case the XML file requires corrections to address any errors.

Multiple padstacks can also be created using the –x option and wild cards. Enter the following command in the command window

padstack_editor –x *.pxml



As each .pxml file is read, the padstack log file will be created. If there are no errors, the padstack file gets created.

When running from the command window, existing padstack and padstack log files are overwritten. In cases where a padstack definition exists, and the imported XML file contains an error, the .pad file is not overwritten and the existing version remains.

Import File Manager

During the design cycle, many files are used as communication vehicles for exchanging design data between PCB Editor and other tools. Throughout the design process various changes occur that often require import of logical and physical modifications to the layout design. Whenever such changes take place the notification to update the layout is often done through emails, messages, and phone calls. The new Import File Manager function in the PCB Editor detects new or updated import files and displays a pop-up notification indicating



the file is ready for import. The notification also provides options to start the update process or to be reminded later.

Setup for the Import File Manager

Prior to using the Import File Manager you need to set up a repository of the imported files. This repository must be created with shared directory attributes. It must be design-specific and independent of the other design projects. For example:

Using the IDX format for ECAD/MCAD collaboration, a shared directory specific to the current PCB design project should be created with the ability for both the PCB designer and MCAD user to read and write IDX files. This specific shared IDX directory location is defined in the Import File Manager which monitors this directory for new and update IDX files.

To invoke this function in layout editors, select Tools – Import File Manager.

Allegro PCB DesignerOrCAD PCB Designer



In the Import File Manager specify the type of files, their extensions, the location of shared directory, and the import command used for the file type.

The Import File Manager requires following entries:

■ Enable: indicates that Import File Manager detects new or updated files for the current file type definition.

■ File Type: describes the file usage category related to the import functionality. Right-click to choose options for adding or removing a File Type row.

■ File extension: lists supported file extensions that applies to the import function.

The default import functionality and supported file extensions are:

❑ LOGIC – pstxnet.dat and cdsz

❑ IPC2581 – xml and cvg

❑ IDX – idx

❑ IDF – dbf and emn

❑ DXF – dxf

■ Shared Directory: display full path of the shared directory where the import files for the import function are deposited.

■ Last Import Time: reports the date and time when the import command was run last time.



■ Status: indicates the status of the latest file import by displaying different colors.

❑ Green – import is up to date.

❑ Yellow – file is available for import

❑ Red – the last import failed

■ Import Command: enter the valid import command name used for the current file type definition.

■ Import Log File: specifies the log file name generated by the import function.

■ Run Command: when selected, starts the import command.

On adding the command name, a check is performed to verify the name entered. A custom command, such as a SKILL program can also be entered. In case of SKILL, the command name must be registered using the axlCmdRegister function.

■ Apply: saves the entries into the Import File Manager.

■ Report: displays the current status of all the enabled entries of the Import File Manager.



■ Cancel: exits the Import File Manager without saving any modification after the last OK or Apply.

■ OK: saves updates and closes the Import File Manager.

■ ?: displays a quick-tip form.

The Import File Manager settings are saved to a text file (importFileManagerConfiguratoin.txt)in the working directory of the design.

Note: Copying this file to another design directory may cause unexpected results.

Once the settings are defined, the Import File Manager can be opened at any time to quickly review the import status. You can check if any import is pending, or the time of the last import, or analyze the Import File Manager report.

Enabling auto-notification of updates in the import files requires setting of two environment variables in the User Preferences Editor. To set these variables in PCB Editor, select Setup – User Preferences – File Management – Miscellaneous.

■ import_file_alarm_enable: activates the new import file detection process when the PCB Editor is restarted.



■ import_file_alarm_interval: enter a numerical value in minutes to define the time interval between new file detection processes. (A value of 3 would mean 3 minutes)

The PCB Editor must be restarted to apply the variables settings. When the PCB Editor reopens, Import File Manager checks the shared directories for new or updated files based on the specified time interval. If a new or updated file is detected, the Import File Alarm pops



up. The alarm displays the new or updated file name(s) with the time and date the file became available.

From the Import File Alarm form you can set:

■ Reminder time interval: enter the number of minutes to delay notification of the import files availability.

■ Remind Later: closes the Import File Alarm and re-display when the Reminder time interval elapses.

■ Disable Alarm: deactivates the Import File Alarm for the current session of PCB Editor.

■ Launch Manager: starts Import File Manager to initialize the file import commands.

Note: You may opt to execute the imports from the command line or from the PCB Editor menus. The Import File Manager populates the file name field for the import and has an advantage over other import methods.



Relative Grid

The Move command now has a new setting Relative Grid in the Option tab. It allows to set the definition of X or Y grid values that are based on either the drawing origin or an alternate relative grid origin. The Relative Grid can only be used during the Move command and reverts to the default grid settings when the command finishes.

Example

Need to place bypass capacitors on the secondary side of the PCB, as close to their associated PWR/GND vias, from the 1mm BGA which is placed on the primary side of the PCB. Using default move operation it is difficult to place the components perfectly centered in the BGA via field using the default grid setting of the design.

This can be achieved by running the move command with Relative Grid option:

1. In the Options tab, enable Relative Grid.

2. Set new spacing X and Y values so that the placement grid points match with the pitch of the BGA via field.

Click Alternate Origin to offset the grid origin.



Hover over the BGA via field, right-click and choose Snap pick to – Via.

The grid display immediately changes with a grid point that is centered between the vias.



3. Move the bypass capacitors inside of the BGA via field.

4. Continue placing the remaining capacitors in the BGA via field, spin when required to ensure the bypass capacitors pin is closest to its associated net.

5. Exit the Move command. The grid returns to its default settings.



Complete the pin escape routing from the bypass capacitors.

Multi-Destination Paste

In this release, a new pre-select command Paste has been added. This command copies objects to multiple destinations, and snaps them to the center of selected destination objects.This offers more speed and control when copying objects to multiple locations one at a time using the current Copy command.

The copy command has not been modified except that selected objects are now placed in a copy buffer for use with future executions of the Paste command.

The Paste command not only allows copying objects to multiple destinations but also snaps them to the center of vias, pins, fingers, and/or dangling cline end points. You can use Find by Query to filter the desired locations based on a specific net, property, and so on.



Follow the steps to paste objects at multiple locations:

1. Invoke Copy command and in the Options tab.

2. Set Copy origin to User Pick.

3. Adjust the Find filter to the select the destination objects.



4. Select the objects by drawing a window or use RMB – Temp Group / Select by Polygon / Lasso / Path to add the objects to the selection set.

5. Pick the origin for the selected objects using Snap pick to from the pop-up menu.

The copied objects are attached to the cursor and following message is reported in the command line.

6. Right-click and choose Done to exit the copy command.



The objects are now saved in the copy buffer and available for paste operations. The next time you select objects using the Copy command, the copy buffer will be overwritten.

7. Select the destination(s) for the copied objects using standard selection methods, such as select by area or RMB – Selection set – Select by Polygon / Lasso / Path.

8. Hover over one of the selected objects, right-click and choose Paste.

Selecting Destination Objects Using Find By Query

You can also utilize Find by Query to dynamically narrow your destination selections and Save the Query for using it in pre-select mode canvas selection.

1. Click Find by Query button in the Find filter.

2. In the Find by Query dialog, double-click Pins from the Objects tree.



3. In the Fields section select Nets and move it to the Filters section.

4. Double-click on the Nets equal to “*” in to Filters to select the nets.

Click OK in the Filter Setting.



5. Click Save Query so that it can be used in pre-select mode for canvas selection.

6. In the Find filter enable By Saved Query and select the query.

7. Using the saved query select the destination(s) for the copied objects using standard selection methods.

Only the objects that meet the query criteria are selected on the canvas.



8. Hover over one of the selected objects, right-click and choose Paste.



9. Select different objects to continue paste operations by adjusting the saved query as required.



Route Clearance View

Routing Clearance View is a new routing visual assistant that aids in estimating space available in channels during interactive routing. It can be quickly and easily determined if routing is possible through a channel based on the spacing and width constraints. This feature visually evaluates if the spacing constraints defined in the Constraint Manager are consistent with design intent.

In this release, Route Clearance View is an unsupported prototype. To enable this feature, set the environment variable clearance_view from Setup – User Preferences.



Miscellaneous Enhancements in PCB Editor

Some other enhancements made to PCB Editor includes:

■ Pre-selection Use Model Update

■ Inter-Layer DRC Update

■ Symbol Editor Update

Pre-selection Use Model Update

Select by Lasso, Select on Path, and Select by Polygon have been enhanced to support the use of the Shift and Ctrl keys. Using these keys you can extend or toggle the selection set when in the pre-selection editing mode.

■ Shift key selection: extends the current selection set by adding newly found items to the selection set.

■ Ctrl key selection: toggles the selection set by removing found items from the selection set.

Selecting objects using the Ctrl key does not add items to the selection set if part of a group selection. It will only add objects selected by a single control-click.

Inter-Layer DRC Update

The Inter-Layer (ILC) DRC spreadsheet now supports layers associated with the Manufacturing class.

Symbol Editor Update

The THETA_JB and THETA_JC properties can now be added in the symbol editor.



RF PCB Enhancements

In this release, enhancements have been made in the following area of RF-PCB.

Via Array Commands

The via array placement commands (add_bviaarray,add_viaarray,and del_viaarray)have been enhanced and now support the following:

■ Placement of via structures

■ Checks DRCs only when placing via arrays

■ An option to enable the preview of via array



OrCAD Capture

This section describes the following enhancement in OrCAD® Capture in release 17.2-2016 QIR 3.

■ New Simulation Settings Dialog on page 48



New Simulation Settings Dialog

In QIR 3, the Simulation Settings dialog (PSpice – Edit Simulation Settings) has a new HTML5 look. The dialog is more user-friendly and the Options tab has been restructured to make it easier to access various options in one-click.

For more information on other user-friendly enhancements done in the new Simulation Settings dialog, see following sections:

■ Restructuring of the Options Tab in Simulation Settings Dialog on page 51

■ Displaying Parameter Description in the Options tab of the Simulation Settings dialog on page 58



PSpice

This section describes the following enhancements in PSpice® in release 17.2-2016 QIR 3.

■ New Simulation Settings Dialog on page 50

❑ Restructuring of the Options Tab in Simulation Settings Dialog on page 51

❑ Displaying Parameter Description in the Options tab of the Simulation Settings dialog on page 58



New Simulation Settings Dialog

In QIR 3, the Simulation Settings dialog (Simulation – Edit Runtime Settings) has a new HTML5 look. The dialog is more user-friendly and the Options tab has been restructured to make it easier to access various options in one-click.

Following are some other user-friendly enhancements done in the new Simulation Settings dialog:

■ Restructuring of the Options Tab in Simulation Settings Dialog on page 51

■ Displaying Parameter Description in the Options tab of the Simulation Settings dialog on page 58



Restructuring of the Options Tab in Simulation Settings Dialog

The Options tab in the simulation settings window has been restructured to make it more user-friendly and easier to find various options in one-click.



The Auto Converge Dialog

In the new Simulation Settings dialog, specify the Auto Converge settings from the Analog Simulation tree in the Options tab.



The MOSFET Options Dialog

Access the MOSFET options from the Analog Simulation tree structure.



The Advanced Gate-Level Options Dialog

The various options in the Advanced Gate-Level Options dialog are now easily accessible in the new Advanced Gate-Level Simulation Options dialog. To access Advanced Options for the Gate-Level Simulation, select the Advanced node in the Gate-Level Simulation tree structure of the Options tab.

The Advanced Analog Options

You can now easily access various Advanced Options using the Analog Advanced tree structure in the Options tab. The Analog Advanced Option tree structure has three nodes that are categorized as General, Bias Point, and Transient.The Advanced Analog Options for the Analog Simulation in the Options tab lists the commonly used simulation options.

In the old Simulation Settings dialog, the advanced options were accessible using the Advanced Options button.



The General node in the Analog Advanced Tree

The General node in the Analog Advanced Tree has some of the basic advanced analog options.



The Bias Point node in the Analog Advanced Tree

The Bias Point node in the Analog Advanced tree Structure lists the bias point settings.



The Transient node in the Analog Advanced Tree

The Transient node in the Analog Advanced Tree in the Options tab is related to advanced options for transient analysis.



Displaying Parameter Description in the Options tab of the Simulation Settings dialog

The Options tab of the new Simulation Settings dialog box now shows a brief description when you hover on a parameter.



Allegro EDM

This section describes the following enhancements in Allegro® EDM (Engineering Data Management) in release 17.2-2016 QIR 3.

■ OrCAD Capture CIS Library Support in Allegro EDM on page 60

■ Unicode Support in Allegro EDM on page 62

■ Easy Classification Editing on page 63

■ Label Management in Allegro Design Management on page 65

■ Save Data as Draft on page 67



OrCAD Capture CIS Library Support in Allegro EDM

Many companies use a mix of front-end Cadence applications such as OrCAD Capture and Design Entry HDL (DE-HDL) for schematic development, and Allegro EDM for library development and management. Until now, Allegro EDM only supported DE-HDL libraries, which required organizations to maintain different systems to manage DE-HDL and Capture CIS libraries.

Starting with this release, PCB librarians can create, validate, manage, and distribute Capture library parts and their associated data. A librarian creates or imports an existing OrCAD Capture library and parts into the Allegro EDM database and runs Library Distribution. Allegro EDM automatically creates revisions and distributes the updated design libraries to the organization or specified design sites. This ensures that all the designers work with the latest components and libraries.



Create a new Capture library

Import an existing Capture library into the Allegro EDM database



The flowchart illustrates the OrCAD Capture library flow in Allegro EDM:

Links to the different Cadence user guides that cover Allegro EDM-Capture CIS library management tasks are available in Allegro EDM Object Import User Guide.

Unicode Support in Allegro EDM

Allegro EDM now supports the Unicode character set, only on the Windows platform, for all non-ECAD/PTF properties and their values.

The support for the Unicode character set facilitates the following tasks:

■ In Database Editor:

❑ When specifying attributes and properties of parts, models, manufacturer part numbers (MPN), manufacturer objects, the life-cycle name, or comments during check-in.

❑ When sorting or filtering property values specified in Unicode characters.


https://support.cadence.com/apex/techpubDocViewerPage?xmlName=adwobjects.xml&sq=005d0000001T3fTAAS_20174485211879&path=adwobjects/adwobjects17.2-2016/adwobjectsTOC.html#


❑ The Working Set name can be specified in Unicode.

■ In Allegro EDM Report Generator, you can create user queries for Unicode properties.

■ In Library Revision Manager, you can view comments entered by librarians.

Important

To enable Unicode support in Library Revision Manager, set the following environment variable in startworkbench.bat:

CDS_EDM_MULTIBYTE_ENABLE=TRUE

■ In Part Information Manager, you can search for properties, comments specified while checking in parts and models, and MPNs.

■ Data Exchange

❑ You can specify Unicode characters for all non-ECAD attributes and properties of parts, models, MPNs, and manufacturer objects for synchronization with external systems.

❑ You can also map names and values of Unicode properties using mapping.xml.

To enable Unicode support in Allegro EDM, you will first need to enable the Unicode schema using adwschema. For more information, refer to Allegro EDM Object Import User Guide.

Easy Classification Editing

Many significant improvements have been made to the editing and management of classifications. All classification management tasks are now performed exclusively in Database Editor only by librarians with admin rights.

The following changes have been made to manage the classification tree:

■ When you modify a classification, if objects linked to the classification are in:

❑ Distributed state, a revised classification is created.

❑ Pending Distribution state, no new revision is created.

The previous version of the classification disappears because it is now marked as obsolete.

■ An obsolete classification cannot be revised or copy-pasted.


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■ The cut, copy, and move operations are introduced as pop-up menu options and function as described in the following table:

The following changes have been made to manage classification properties:

■ You can now view the union of properties on a parent classification node and perform global changes to a set of classifications. This feature allows you to identify whether or not a property exists on the selected parent classification node. For each property, the value of the Exists column signifies the following:

❑ True: Indicates that the property exists on the parent and all its child classifications

Operation Selected

Operations Enabled Description

Cut Paste with Linked Objects

Allows you to cut-paste the selected classification node, all its child nodes, and the linked objects of each node to another classification node.

Copy Paste Allows you to copy-paste only the selected classification node, and all its child nodes to another classification node.

Paste with Linked Objects

Allows you to copy-paste the selected classification node, all its child nodes, and the linked objects of each node to another classification node.

Move Linked Objects

The Associate Parent Classification dialog box appears.

Allows you to move linked objects from the selected classification to the target classification.

The classification node is not moved.

Note: If the selected classification node has child nodes that have linked objects, the move operation will move all those linked objects as well.



❑ <Different>: Indicates that the property exists on some of the classifications

■ In the right pane of any classification tab, you can do the following:

❑ Copy-paste column values from one column to another.

❑ Rename property values from the pop-up menu or by clicking the Rename ( ) button.

■ The Global Property Value column is removed from the schematic, mechanical, and block model classifications and the method to specify or modify the value of a global ECAD property has changed.

For more information, refer to Allegro EDM Database Editor User Guide.

Label Management in Allegro Design Management

In the Allegro EDM environment and in DE-HDL, when an ECAD Integrator enables a design for design management, multiple engineers from various groups in an enterprise can collaborate on a single design project.

To track the changes made to a shared design project, labels can be used to mark key stages or milestones in a project or design object. For example, labels can be used to mark the stage when the schematic design or its review is completed, board routing is completed, or a design


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is released for manufacturing. An ECAD Administrator or ECAD Site Manager can predefine a set of labels per customer.



After labels are applied to a project or an object, designers can join a project at a specific stage marked by a label.

For more information, refer to Allegro Design Management User Guide.

Save Data as Draft

In Allegro Design Management, you can now save data to a SharePoint server without checking it in. For example, you can save design objects. This has dual benefits: safe storage,


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and easy retrieval of the data by administrators or integrators even in the absence of designers.

This feature is also useful for designers who might not want an object to be available to the entire project team at a particular point in time. In such cases, rather than checking in an object, designers can choose to save a draft for safe storage or to share it with an integrator.



Allegro Pulse

This section describes the following enhancements in Allegro® Pulse in release 17.2-2016 QIR 3.

■ Usability Improvements in Web Parts on page 70

■ Usability Improvements in Allegro Pulse User Interface on page 71

■ Support Added for Template-Based Design Metadata on page 71

■ Support Added for Single Sign-On Access using AD FS 2012 on page 72

■ Availability of Allegro Pulse for Non-EDM Customers on page 72

■ Changes Made in the Home Site Page on page 73



Usability Improvements in Web Parts

At times, data in web parts can be huge, which makes it difficult to search or view the relevant information quickly and easily. For example, for a project, you may want to view only the assignments that have not been started, or you may want to arrange the data in a specific order. In addition, you might want to control the visibility and ordering of columns to further refine the relevant data for better presentation in a web part. Grouping and Nested grouping with sorting capability within them may be required for data presentation/manipulation. You may also want the capability to add any currency and numeric type columns within the same web part to get quick results. Finally, after making all the changes in the web part view, you might want to save the web part state for future reference.

Sometimes, you have to export the web part data in various formats like CSV and PDF to share only selective information with people within or outside your organization for security reasons.

This release of Pulse addresses all these requirements and improves your experience with web parts. In this release, following capabilities have been added to web parts:

❑ Sorting data in ascending and descending order

❑ Grouping column data

❑ Showing or Hiding Columns

❑ Filtering data

❑ Paging

❑ Exporting data in CSV and PDF formats

❑ Configuring web part view

❑ Saving web part state

❑ Adding Footer to web parts

Note: The Footer option provides the same functionality as the List Rollup with Summation web part from the previous releases. Currently the summation works only on page basis.

❑ Applying conditional formats to web part data

For more information, refer to the Customizing Web Part View section in the Allegro Pulse User Guide.



Usability Improvements in Allegro Pulse User Interface

Starting with this release, you can now create, rename, or delete a site, workspace, or column by right-clicking on it in the Hierarchy pane of the Pulse home site page and selecting the Create, Rename, or Delete option from the contextual menu. A Search text field is also provided at the top of the Hierarchy pane that lets you search for a site, workspace, or project.

A hierarchical pane is now also available in the Create window that lists all the available sites, workspaces, and projects. You can select a site, workspace, or project from the list, as per your requirements.

For more information, refer to the Managing Sites, Workspaces, and Projects section in the Allegro Pulse User Guide.

Support Added for Template-Based Design Metadata

At an organization level, you may want to capture additional project-level metadata information that you can use further in the design flow. Mostly, this information would be specific to your organization. For example, you might want to include the following project-level information in your designs:

■ Attributes like Project Unique identifier, Project Internal Name, Project Manager Name, Type of Board, Required Stack-up, Target Vendor, Description, and so on.

■ Project Schedule information summary at different milestones, such as Logical/Physical/SI Analysis, Design Start/End Date, Overall Project Start and Completion dates, and so on.

Therefore, as an ECAD administrator, you would like to have the capability to configure and customize the existing templates as per your requirements.

In the QIR3 release, two new tabs, Attributes and Board Details are available by default in the Create window that let you specify a number of options for your project, such as board name, part number, board details, and so on. These options are located in the template file ECWProjectTemplate. You can customize this file to add, modify, or remove fields as per your requirements. For more information, refer to the Customizing Project Data section in the Allegro Pulse User Guide.



Support Added for Single Sign-On Access using AD FS 2012

Pulse now supports single sign-on access using Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) 2.0 for Windows server 2012 R2. For more information on AD FS, refer to the Setting up Single Sign On using Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) section in the Allegro Pulse Configuration Guide.

Availability of Allegro Pulse for Non-EDM Customers

In earlier releases, if you wanted to use Allegro® Pulse, it was mandatory for you to be an EDM user. As a result, Pulse (PCW100) required you to have any of the following licenses:

❑ Data Management

❍ PDW504 Allegro Data Manager

❑ Team Design Option

❍ PA1720 Allegro Design Authoring Team Design Option along with PDW504 Allegro Data Manager

❍ SA1000 Allegro Enterprise Front-End along with PDW504 Allegro Data Manager

Starting with QIR3, Allegro Pulse has been made independent of EDM. This enables non-EDM users who have Data Management or Team Design licenses to directly adopt Allegro Pulse without adopting EDM. Allegro Pulse can now be adopted using the following non-EDM combinations.

❑ Data Management

❍ PA3810 Allegro Venture PCB Designer Suite

❍ PA3850 Allegro Enterprise PCB Designer Suite

❑ Team Design Option

❍ PA1720 Allegro Design Authoring Team Design Option along with PA3810 Allegro Venture PCB Designer Suite or PA3850 Allegro Enterprise PCB Designer Suite

❍ SA1000 Allegro Enterprise Front-End



This enhancement enables non-EDM users to avail the benefits provided by Allegro Pulse, if they have a Allegro Pulse license. For more information on Allegro Pulse, refer to the Allegro Pulse User Guide.

Changes Made in the Home Site Page

In this release, the Product Tour web part has been removed from the Pulse home site page. The web part is now available as an option in the Help command under the Site ribbon tab.

For more information, refer to the Getting Started With Allegro Pulse chapter in the Allegro Pulse User Guide.



Allegro Constraint Manager

This section describes the following enhancement in Allegro® Constraint Manager in release 17.2-2016 QIR 3.

■ Route Keepout (RKO) Groups on page 75



Route Keepout (RKO) Groups

This release introduces a new object type called route keepout (RKO) group. A RKO group is a collection of net objects, such as nets, buses, differential pairs, XNets, and net groups. The nets that are part of the group do not report route to keepout shape DRCs.

You can create RKO groups in Constraint Manager.



Route/Vias Keepout Exception Worksheet

A new worksheet has been added to the Net folder in the Properties domain to support the creation of route keepout groups.

For more information, refer to the Objects – Create – RKOGroup command in Allegro Constraint Manager Reference.


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