PCAD Design (.PDF)

Overview

CAMCAD reads a PCAD file format called a .PDF file. This is an ASCII file that is very easy to create in PCAD. Just use PDIFOUT routine. For directions on creating this file please see the original system file generation section.

Versions Supported

CAMCAD supports PCAD (DOS and UNIX Based) 2.X through 8.X., (.pdf) (Accel EDA and PCAD 200x PDIF outputs are not supported, please see Accel EDA/PCAD 2000)

Specific Import Procedures

The PCAD Design import procedure does not vary from the generic file import procedure. Simply select the File | Import command and choose the PCAD PDIF Layout Read option from the Import File Format menu. Next, navigate to the .PDF file and select it. CAMCAD will then import the file according to the settings in the default rules file.

The default rules file is PCAD.IN and is found in the CAMCAD directory. See PCAD.IN File for more information regarding the use of this file.

Tips, Notes and Importing Questions

Note: If you are using Accel EDA/PCAD2000 you need to go to Accel/PCAD2000 for the proper procedure.

After loading the PCAD file check to see if all the layers you want to translate are turned on.

You also might want to consider whether you want to translate everything in the database, like extra layout parts which are not being used or other things that may be loaded into the database and are not being used. In CAMCAD just go to Tools > Purge Unused Geometries, this will clean out your database. You also can Query on a Pad stack to see if all the proper layers are called out in the "Navigator/Geometries".