Professional Layout |
PCB Design for the Demanding Professional:
A very mature product that has enjoyed continuous development and support since it's debut in 1984, Professional Layout is a rich suite of printed circuit board design tools that uses the graphical excellence of the Macintosh to bring true WYSIWYG performance to electronics CAD/CAM. That same level of performance is now offered for Windows users. The program supports any number of circuit board layers (limited only by available memory), a working area of 32" x 32", a database resolution of 0.001" and the ability to switch back and forth between inch and metric units easily, on the fly. The hierarchical data structure enables powerful global editing functions, and makes it possible to represent very large layouts with a compact and efficient design file. SMT and through-hole parts (both sides if desired), a library fetch routine that allows any existing design to be used as a library source for the current design, plus automated fetching, placement, and labeling of parts, based on the Parts List report, Netlist-based manual routing assistance, and real time program linking to the DesignWorks schematic make this a program that is both comprehensive and very easy to use. The combination of the Douglas CAD/CAM Professional System and DesignWorks offer a complete solution to your PCB design needs.
Features:
- Unlimited number of board layers
- Layers are unlimited by the program, and restricted only by available memory.
- 32" x 32" Layout area
- 0.001" Resolution
- Throughout the database
- Fifty levels of magnification
- Zoom to your heart's content!
- Complete SMT capability
- Both component side and solder side SMT footprint libraries are included with the program.
- Line widths from 0.001" to 0.250" in 0.001" increments
- Squares from 0.001" to 0.250" in 0.001" increments
- Hole sizes from 0.001" to 32" in 0.001" increments
- Squares from 0.001" to 0.250" in 0.001" increments
- While a manufacturing warning is issued upon specifying absurdly large hole sizes, any of these sizes may be specified.
- Board Outline Elements
- These special line elements control final contour routing in the manufacturing process, and may also be used to define large or irregular internal cutouts.
- Plenty of hierarchical Palettes
- 144 palettes per design are available to define multilayered objects or groups of any kind. Palette types are completely user-selectable on the fly. The default is 70 Pad types (Pads automatically generate their own solder mask relief), 70 Pattern types (Patterns are simply arbitrary groups of objects up to the full 32" x 32" area), and 4 ShortBars (all objects except ShortBars automatically generate their own ground plane clearances, ShortBars are the exception, and are used to span these clearances to make connections to the plane), but any Palette may be changed to be any type with a single menu command. Groups may be nested within other groups with no depth restrictions (pattern recursion is automatically prevented). This hierarchical structure of Layout is a very powerful feature that enables global changes to the design to be made quickly and easily.
- Sortable Palette Window
- Makes finding Palette items a breeze. All Palette items are presented in a floating window that can be resized,scrolled, positioned anywhere (including a second monitor) or dismissed altogether to make more screen area available for editing the main layout. The Palette window contents (groups) can be sorted by number, alphabetically by name, by number of pins, by overall size, by number of placements on the layout, by rotation angle, by recentness of use, or a reverse sort by any of the above. Each of the three Palette types, as well as unused palettes may selectively included or excluded as a class when sorting.
- Easy creation and modification of Footprint Libraries
- Any job may be used as a library for any other job in a manual fetch capacity. This makes going after a special footprint you made months ago extremely easy, and makes library maintenance a breeze (all libraries are simply jobs that don't get built). The inclusion of DesignWorks Package attributes as Part Labels within dedicated library files, facilitates the automated footprint fetching feature based on Parts List report. Over 300 common footprints (through-hole and Surface mount) are included with the program.
- Scalable Vector Fonts
- Vector Font objects can be any collection of lines and squares, all on a single layer, which are assigned to specific keys on the keyboard. The program automatically scales them to a 0.020" to 2.000" height range upon placement, and characters are automatically left-reading when applied to the solder side of the board. Three character sets are included with the program, and two more sets are available for your custom entries (the original three may also be overwritten if desired). The ability to create your own custom font entries (or entire character sets) for special characters, company logos, etc. which then become permanent program resources for all future designs, as well as the ease with which the supplied fonts let you format text graphics to fit available space on the board (free space for text is always hard to come by, isn't it?) makes this a very handy feature indeed.
- Grids from 0.001" to 1.000" in 0.001" increments
- Ten common choices as menu presets, or set to any grid increment you want. Metric grids are also fully supported. All object placements are made to the current grid. Grids may be displayed as lines, dots, or not at all.
- Snap to Grid function
- Snaps (moves) selected object(s) to current grid intersections (which may be different from when object was placed).
- Rulers
- They tell you where you are at a glance, even at very high magnifications. Inch or Metric, Absolute or Relative, Show or Hide.
- Cross Hairs from cursor
- Helps you line things up, easily and precisely. 90 or 45 degree, Show or Hide.
- Coordinates Display
- Inch and/or Metric, Cartesian and/or Polar, Absolute and/or Relative, any combination or none at all.
- Stretch and Drag Editing Tools
- Facilitates rubberbanding of Lines, or rigid moves. Selection can be of a single vertex or Pad, or contain multiple elements on multiple layers, up to every graphical element in the entire design.
- "Nudging" In Either Mode
- Arrow keys allow moving the selected object(s) by one grid increment (any grid) per keystroke, in any direction, in either drag or stretch editing mode.
- Move To... function
- Moves selected object(s) to specific X,Y coordinates via numerical keyboard entry. Absolute and relative coordinate systems are both supported.
- Feed Through Function
- Works by first specifying any pad as the Feed Through via. Then as lines are being drawn to route the board, a single keyboard command will automatically place that Pad at the endpoint of the last line drawn and switch layers, allowing the routing to continue uninterrupted on the new layer. -Very handy.
- Rotations
- Clockwise or counterclockwise, individual parts or large area selections, menu commands support 90 degree increments quickly, and a dialog allows entry of any rotation angle in one degree increments.
- Curve and Chamfer Functions
- One vertex, or any number of lines at a time.
- Taper Function
- Great for creating "teardrop" Pads.
- Construct Functions
- Built-in macros create circles, ovals, rectangles, regular polygons, stars, wagon wheels, cross-hatched areas, and rectangular board outlines, quickly and easily.
- Paste In Polygon Function
- Quickly creates circular arrays of pads, footprints, or any other copied objects.
- Polygon Fill Function
- Fills any closed polygon solid, regardless of shape or size.
- Editable Item List
- Lets you query the database to find parameter values (line widths, hole sizes, palette group, etc.) of selected item(s) and effect global edits, or remove whole classes of items from the selection prior to further editing. -Lots of power here.
- Interruptable Updates
- Screen updates are interruptable by all editing functions, so no need to wait for a full redraw. An Update Now command forces a full screen redraw at any time.
- Dimensioning Tool
- (three clicks simple: click one end, click the other end, and click the desired location for the dimension line; Option key or not on the third click determines orthogonal (default) or oblique (option) dimensioning, and a comprehensive dialog box allows presetting all other dimensioning parameters (font size, line weights, etc.). The program does all the hard stuff, while you just click.)
- Planes and Masks generated automatically
- The Netlist may be used to automatically place ShortBars (Plane connection elements) on all pins belonging to a given signal (e.g. Vcc) in a single operation, and Plane images and solder masks can be quickly simulated on screen or printed at any time. Full renderings of planes, masks, and other negative or composite images are not done in the normal editing mode, in order to reduce screen clutter and also speed redraws, but when you want them, they're easy to get.
- Manufacturing Checks
- Professional Layout is always working in the background to detect possible manufacturing problems such as off-board items, holes without pads (which could cause a short between power planes) objects whose dimensions violate standard range values, etc. Warning dialogues alert the user to potential problems early on in the design phase, and while these warnings may be silenced if desired at the user's option, their inclusion helps to ensure a finished product that is robust and highly manufacturable.
- Balloon Help
- (available under System 7).
- Hole Count Function
- Quickly shows all Hole sizes and drilling totals at any time in the development.
- Find Connections Function
- The program will trace, find, and highlight everything that is electrically connected to the initially selected object(s).
- IAC Program Linking to DesignWorks
- (requires System 7) Professional Layout and DesignWorks can link with each other in real time, either with both programs running on the same Macintosh, or on two different Macs connected via AppleTalk, so that selections made in one program are also displayed in the other.
- Automated Fetch, Place, and Label
- Professional Layout uses information in the Parts List report from DesignWorks to automate the fetching of component footprints from the libraries, and the placing of the appropriate number of each footprint on the layout, automatically labeling each placement as it does. This feature alone saves a lot of time.
- Netlist Assists Manual Routing
- All pins belonging to a given signal may be highlighted, and Target Vectors displayed as an aid to making connections manually. Rats nests may also be generated quickly for any number of signals, as an aid in optimizing parts placements and rotations.
- Full Color Support
- Millions of screen color choices are available through the Mac's color picker, and a handy Layer Matrix dialog allows fast and easy color setup. Color printing is also supported as a standard feature.
- Pen Plotters Supported
- All major brands, all major languages (HPGL, HPGL-2, DMPL, RG-PL). A serial interface setup allows pen plotters to be driven directly from the Macintosh, or plotter data files may be spooled to servers or diskettes.
- Panelization Feature
- Allows combining multiple images from one or more designs into a single setup file for full-sheet photoplotting services.
Utilities are available to provide translation to Gerber files, Excellon or other N/C Drill files, DXF, and PostScript files. Of course, with Douglas as your manufacturer you don't need to bother with these extra formats as we work directly from your high level CAD/CAM files. GerberIn, GerberViewer, and the DRC Utility are included.
Professional Layout is one of several quality software products in the Professional System - a suite of design tools that takes you from initial concept to finished hardware in hand, quickly and easily.
To Order Professional Layout
Use the Software & Support Order Form to order this or any of our software products.
Douglas Electronics, Inc.
2777 Alvarado Street
San Leandro, CA 94577
USA
Voice: +1 510 483-8770
Fax: +1 510 483-6453
BBS: +1 510 483-6548
info@douglas.com
http://www.douglas.com
|
All trademarks are the property of their respective holders. © 1996 - 1999, Douglas Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved Please direct any questions or comments regarding this site to the Webmaster. |