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Contents

Moving to Altium Designer from OrCAD

Smooth transistion from OrCAD to Altium Designer 1

Supported versions and File Formats 2

File Translation 2

Layer Mapping For PCB 2

Using the Import Wizard for OrCAD Files 3

Working with Documents 3

Workplace Panels 3

Defining Sheet Structure in OrCAD Capture’s Project Manager 3

Defining Your Net Connectivity 4

The Altium Enviroment 4

Step by step Instructions 11

See Also 18

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The Future is UnifiedTraditionally, board-level design, FPGA design, simulation (SPICE and Signal Integrity) and software development have been treated as independent processes, each carried out in separate design environments. Moving into the future, this point tool approach will increasingly present a barrier to efficient electronic product development. Especially if you are looking to centralize version control and life cycle your data in a relational database in perfect harmony with your company. This unified design approach allows you to include not only the different design de-partments, but other departments within your company. This may include product managers and purchasers, as well as external partners into your development process. All collaborators work on the same set of unified project data, regardless of the specific domain. This is what Altium identifies as unified design.

Unlike other design tool vendors that offer loosely-connected point tool solutions, Altium removes the barriers be-tween different design disciplines by effectively unifying what have traditionally been seen as separate design flows. By unifying design, engineering teams can collaborate more effectively with each other on the same set of data, as well as others within and outside the organization. this in turn speeds up the overall design cycle. A unified design environment gives your designers the freedom to innovate and approach electronics design in new ways. By imple-menting design data management and standardization of the product development process, you have everything needed to develop complete electronic products with one graphical user interface and to do it right the first time. This opens up new avenues with which to capitalize on the latest technology developments and devices, both today and in the future.

This document guides you through the process of moving from OrCAD into a unified future of your company.

Smooth Transition from OrCAD to Altium DesignerTranslating complete OrCAD® designs, including Capture™ schematics, Layout™ PCB files, and library files can all be handled by Altium Designer's Import Wizard. Therefore, migration from OrCAD to Altium technology is a straightforward process with Altium Designer’s unified data and file translation features. The Import Wizard removes much of the headache normally found with design translation by analyzing your files and offering many defaults and suggested settings for project structure, layer mapping, PCB footprint naming, and more. Altium has created exten-sive systems and features within Altium Designer to make the task of successfully transitioning from other systems including OrCAD, as easy as possible with a minimum of disruption to productivity. As a result, our highly-developed Wizard-based design file translators guide you through the import process for all design documents – including libraries – while managing the relationship between them. Complete flexibility is found in all pages of the Wizard, giving you as little or as much control as you would like over the file translation settings, before committing to the actual translation process. Altium Designer’s translators import all documents in one operation and include specific support for OrCAD design and library files. With a series of simple and interactive steps, the Import Wizard processes all file types to automatically create ready-to-use Altium Designer projects and integrated library files, while accurate-ly processing essential design elements such as polygon pours, text positioning, simulation data, design rules, layer mapping, project structure, and schematic/PCB synchronization.

The translation features include:

• Import wizard to smoothly guide you through the import process • Batch import of multiple projects for rapid migration of large sets of design data • Import engines intelligently handle translation and object mapping • Single pass import of combined OrCADCapture / PADS® PCB projects • Compatibility with PSpice® simulation models.

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Supported Versions and File FormatsThe following versions and file formats from OrCAD tools can be imported into Altium Designer:

• OrCAD Capture Design (*.dsn)• OrCAD Capture Library (*.olb)• OrCAD Layout file (*.max)• OrCAD Max Library file (*.llb)• OrCAD CIS Configuration file (*.dbc)

Note: OrCAD v16.3 files are not recognized by the Altium import wizard as a result of the OrCAD file structure changes after v16.2. In order to import a v16.3 file, save it as v16.2, and then import it into Altium.

File TranslationFiles in the Import Wizard translate as follows:

• OrCAD Layout (*.MAX) files translate to Altium Designer PCB files (*.PcbDoc).• OrCAD Capture (*.DSN) files translate to Altium Designer schematic files. Each page within a .DSN file will be imported as a single Altium Designer schematic file (*.SchDoc). Design caches within a .DSN file will be imported as a schematic library (*.SchLib). Design hierarchy is maintained, including complex hierarchy.• These files will be grouped into an Altium Designer PCB project (*.PrjPCB) that is automatically created. OrCAD library files translate as follows:

• OrCAD OLB (schematic library) files will be translated into Altium Designer schematic library files (*.SchLib).• OrCAD LLB (PCB library) files will be translated into Altium Designer PCB library files (*.PcbLib).• Translated OrCAD libraries are automatically grouped into one PCB project.

Layer Mapping for PCBTo facilitate the batch import process of multiple designs, there is a Default Layer Mapping. The Default Layer Mapping is simply a mapping between the names of the foreign PCB layers and Altium Designer PCB layers. Of course, you can add, change, or remove as many mappings as you want. This default mapping is then used by the import wizard to build the layer mapping for each PCB which can then be individu-ally customized. The rationale behind this: should you wish to import ten PCB designs and you want to map the layer Assembly 1 to Mechanical Layer 1, you would not have to customize each of the ten PCB designs in order to get the right layer mapping.

The advantage of importing in this manner is that batch management of layer mapping can save a lot of time when importing multiple designs. In this instance the default layer mapping will be saved to your preferences. The disadvan-tage to using this is that Default Layer Mapping is not always intelligent with differing structures in designs, and so some manual changes may be needed afterwards. You'll need to decide what is best for your situation.

Figure 1. The Layer Mapping can be stored in re-used in multiple import processes.

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Using the Import Wizard for OrCAD FilesThe Import Wizard can be launched from the Altium Designer File menu. Click on this menu command to invoke the wizard, as shown in Figure 1. Right-click command menus are available for further control over the translation process through each page of the wizard.

Working with DocumentsIn OrCAD Capture, all design work begins on the page, the logi-cal working area of the design. There can be multiple schematic pages within a single OrCAD schematic design file (*.DSN file).In Altium Designer, the logical design area begins with a docu-ment, and for each document there is a file stored on the hard drive. This means that for each Altium Designer schematic sheet (page) there is a file, an important conceptual difference to remember.

There can also be multiple design documents of varying types, depending on the nature of the design you are working on. Getting started, most OrCAD users will be interested in the schematic and PCB document types as these are the files that their designs will be translated to. New schematic and PCB document types can easily be created via the File»New menu, or by right-clicking on the project in the Projects panel and selecting Add New to Project from the floating menu.

Workspace PanelsMany elements of the environment will appear intuitive to OrCAD users, helping as you to start exploring the system. For example, the Projects panel will appear similar to the OrCAD Project Manager, except that since it is not limited to schematic design data it can include the PCB, all libraries, output files, as well as other project documents, such as MS Word or Excel files.

Defining Sheet Structure in OrCAD Capture's Project ManagerLike Altium Designer, Capture supports flat and hierarchical designs. Both use a block-like symbol to define sheet-to-sheet structure in a hierarchical design, called a Sheet Symbol in Altium Designer, and a Hierarchical Block in Capture. In both the symbol references the lower level schematic. In Altium Designer this is another schematic sheet, whereas in Capture it can be more complex.

Capture has another layer of design partitioning that affects hierar-chy. In Capture there is a schematic, which shows as a folder icon in Capture's Project Manager, and there are pages, which present as a schematic sheet icon. Each Capture schematic can be made up of one or more pages. The Capture hierarchical block points to the schematic below, which means the block can actually reference circuitry divided over multiple pages.

Typically, a flat Capture design is one schematic (folder), with the design being drawn on as many pages as re-quired in that schematic (folder). For a hierarchical design, the hierarchical block symbol (or part with an attached schematic sheet or model) is the mechanism used to partition the major functional regions of a design.

Figure 2. The Import wizard is started from the File Menu system.

For a simple hierarchy, each hierarchical block, or part with an attached schematic folder, represents a unique design module. The Hierarchy tab in OrCAD Capture's Project Manager displays a simple hierarchical design as a tree of schematic pages. The schematic folder at the top of a hierarchy, which directly or indirectly refers to all other modules in the design, is called the root module. In the OrCAD Project Manager's File tab, the root module has a backslash on its folder icon (Figure 3). The root module folder, as well as any other module folder, can con-tain as many schematic pages as required.

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Defining Your Net Connectivity - It is DifferentIn OrCAD Capture, net connectivity is made using net aliases, off-page connectors, hierarchical blocks, hierarchi-cal ports, and globals. Nets between schematic pages within a single schematic folder are connected through the off-page connectors while the hierarchical blocks and ports connect the nets between the schematic folders. Globals are used to connect power/ground nets throughout the design.

Altium Designer uses a similar set of net identifiers to create net connectivity. Within a schematic sheet you can use Wires and Net Labels. Between schematic sheets, nets in a flat design are typically connected using Ports, but Off-Sheet Connectors are also available. Nets in a hierarchical design are connected from a Port on the lower sheet to a Sheet Entry of the same name, in the sheet symbol that represents the lower sheet. Power/ground nets are connected using Power Ports.

The Altium Designer EnvironmentMain article: The Altium Designer Environment, Altium Designer Panels

The Altium Designer environment offers a complete electronic product development environment for all areas of design - from schematic capture to the generation of PCB output, as well as complete FPGA design, development and on-chip debugging. The environment is fully customizable, allowing you to set up the workspace to suit the way you work. Consistent selection and editing paradigms across the different editors allow you to easily switch between various designs tasks all within the Altium Designer environment.

Perhaps the single biggest difference that you will notice when you start working in Altium Designer is that there is only one application used to create and edit all design files, regardless of the type of file - schematics, PCB, library, text, and so on. No longer will you have to switch between different applications when you want to move from viewing the schematic to the PCB. All the files (also referred to as documents) open in the same executable, each appearing on a separate document Tab within Altium Designer. As you move from one type of document to another the menus and toolbars automatically switch, giving you the right editing environment for that docu-ment.

Getting HelpMain article: Documentation and Help

The best way to learn is through doing. Altium provides a number of ways to help you do that:

• F1 over any object, editor, panel, menu entry or button to open a brief description in the Knowledge Center panel.• Shift+F1 while running a command for a list of shortcuts you can use in that command.• Search the Altium Wiki, either in the Knowledge Center panel or on the Altium Wiki Website.• Visit the TRAININGcenter where you can watch over 100 short training videos, each detailing the exact steps needed to complete a task.

AltiumLiveAltiumLive is the central place for users to Altium, In AltiumLive you can share all your thoughts with your industry peers. This includes, a complete Ecosystem to deliver content, knowledge and experience of other users to you. It is a place where you have a direct interface to Altium for any feedback such as a feature request. With this feed-back, we are better prepared to improve our software in ways the market really requests.

• Software: You can download Altium Designer including a 1 month trial version license• Content: You will a variety of content such as libraries, training videos and reference designs• Forum: Discuss your topics with Altium staff and users. Gain knowledge of this know-how• Blogs: What’s new, technical and commercial topics around Altium.• BugCruncher: Report Bugs, request features and vote for implementation

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Project-Based DesignMain article: Project Management

The starting point for designs created in Altium Designer is a project file. There are a number of project types sup-ported, each targeting a different final implementation. Examples include, PCB project, Library project, FPGA proj-ect, embedded project, core project and script project. The project file stores links to the actual design documents that are part of the project, as well as project-specific settings. Using this concept, you have additional possibilities like defining rules for PCB design already in Schematic. This is also central storage place for your complete design, e.g. for the design rules.

Multi-Channel DesignMain articles: Multi-Channel Design Concepts, Creating a Multi-channel Design

There are several multi-channel reference designs available within AltiumLive. These include the Multi-Channel Mix-er, Peak Detector and Port Switcher. Once you have opened one of the examples you should compile it, and then look for the compiled document tabs at the bottom of the schematic editor.

Complex hierarchy is the general term used throughout the industry to describe the process of using multiple instances of the same sheet in a schematic hierarchy. Traditionally, a design that included complex hierarchy had to go through a process of 'flattening' or 'expanding' the hierarchy at some point, to uniquely instantiate every com-ponent and net. Altium Designer does not need to do this, so this multiple-instantiation capability is referred to as multi-channel design instead of complex hierarchy.

The ability to be able to make each channel different by passing parameters to it from the parent sheet symbol is also supported, and is referred to as parametric hierarchy. Using parametric hierarchy you can parametrically define the component value, supporting the situation where a component does not have the same value in each channel. Parametric components are defined by declaring their value as a parameter of the sheet symbol above, and then referencing that parameter on the target component.

PreferencesMain article:Altium Designer Environment Preferences

Global Preferences are accessed by selecting DXP»Preferences from the menus. The preferences configured here are stored as part of your installation, they do not travel with the design files. File-specific settings, such as sche-matic document options and printed circuit board options are accessed via the Design menu in each editor.

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PCB Layout and DesignSuccessful board layouts rely on design systems that unify the design definition with the physical layout and rout-ing. Altium Designer offers such a PCB system which includes a number of familiar features to help you place and route your board. When the PCB Editor is active (i.e. a PCB document (*.PcbDoc) is open and active) the main application window will contain:

• A main design window in which you can start designing, capable of display in both 2D and 3D (shortcut: 2, 3)• Menus and toolbars that are specific to the PCB Editor• Workspace panels that are both global and editor-specific

View Configuration and the Layer Stack ManagerView Configurations are settings that control many PCB workspace display options for both 2D and 3D environments, and apply to the PCB and PCB Library Editors. The view configuration last used when saving any PCB document is also saved with the file.

Select Design»Board Layers & Colors (short-cut: L) from the main menu to open the View Configurations dialog, or switch configurations using the drop down in the main toolbar, as shown below.

To open the Layer Stack Manager select Design»Layer Stack Manager (shortcut D, K) from the menus. The Layer Stack Manager dialog shows the current layer stack up of the board. Signal and plane layers can be added, re-moved, or their order changed. Double-click on an electric or insulation layer to configure layer properties, such as: thickness, net association (plane layers), or the dielectric constant.

PCB Board Options - Document SettingsAll options for the placement grid, measurement units, sheet position, and designator display mode are set in the Board Options dialog. With a PCB document active in the main design window (for this and all of the following context-sensitive dialogs), select Design»Board Options (shortcut D, O) from the menus to open the Board Options dialog.

For multi-channel designs, you can select between logical and physical designator display on the PCB in the Board Options dialog.

PCB Board WizardBefore you can transfer your design from the Schematic Editor to the PCB Editor, you’ll need to have at the very least a blank PCB with at least a board outline. The PCB Board Wizard allows you to easily create a basic PCB de-sign using many industry-standard board outlines as well as create your own custom board sizes.

The PCB Board Wizard is launched from the Files panel in the New from template section. At any stage you can use the Back button to check or modify previous pages in the wizard.

Figure 4.The Layer Stack can be easily managed and copied into the Clip-board to use it for documentation purposes.

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Interactive RoutingMain article:PCB Routing

Altium Designer also has different interactive routing modes for interactive routing of single tracks, differential pairs and busses. Modes for interactive routing are not dependent on licensing options, and are all available in the PCB Editor with different routing gloss efforts:

• Ignore obstacles• Push obstacles• Walk around obstacles• Stop at first obstacles• Hug and push obstacles• Follow mouse trail

Design RulesMain articles:Design Rules, Creating Design Rules, Design Rule Checking, Scoping Design Rules

Altium Designer's PCB Editor is a rules-driven design environment. You can also transfer your favorite design rules from another board. Design rules can be exported from, and imported to, via the PCB Rules and Constraints Editor dialog.

Signal IntegrityMain articles: Performing Signal Integrity Analyses, Signal Integrity Analysis, Signal Integrity Rules, Signal Integrity Panel

In addition to the standard set of design rules for DRC, Altium Designer also supports Signal Integrity analysis, which is integrated directly into the PCB Editor (Tools»Signal Integrity). This includes:

• Pre-layout and post-layout Signal Integrity analysis capabilities that you can perform from either the Schematic or the PCB Editors;• Evaluate net screening results against predefined tests• Perform reflection and crosstalk analysis on selected nets, and display waveforms• Calculate suitable termination values using the termination advisor for different termination topologies• Impedance driven routing, as well as support for balanced differential pairs• Length tuning by adding accordions to your single ended and differential pairs

Figure 5. The PCB Rules and Contraints editor in Altium Designer can be opened in the PCB Editor with the Design > Rules command.

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Mixed-signal Circuit SimulationMain article: Circuit Simulation

Mixed-signal circuit simulation is a unified part of the capture process and is fully integrated with the schematic editing environment. Before you launch the Mixed-signal circuit simulation, make sure that any schematic sheet within the project is open.

Simulation models need to be associated with every component in the schematic document before simulation can be launched from the command Design»Simulate»Mixed Sim. Simulation is done for the entire project. You can use the same Schematic for both Simulation and PCB because of Altium Designer’s unified data model. This integrated simulation environment is fully SPICE compatible and additionally supports PSPICE models.

See Also for PCB DesignA great place to start learning about PCB Design is Tutorial - Getting Started with PCB Design Editing Multiple Objects to learn about editing the Find Similar Objects functionality PCB Inspector Panel which displays the common properties of different objects and lets you filter and edit them Editors, Panels and Object Reference to learn more about the PCB Environment Preparing the Board for Design Transfer Situs Autorouting Essentials

Compilation - a Cornerstone of Altium DesignerCompilation is a cornerstone concept of the Altium Designer environment. Compilation is a process that allows you to harness many powerful design features.

When you finish your Schematic design, you are used to generating a netlist and importing this insufficient infor-mation into your PCB tool. With Altium Designer you do a compilation where you transfer any available informa-tion into the unified database for your project. From here, it is available to any other domain available inside this powerful toolset. For the transfer of data from one domain to the other, Altium Designer will offer you an engi-neering change order process (ECO). With that ECO, you have full control of what should be transferred.

When you select Project»Compile Project the compilation process works out the structural relationships be-tween the source schematic (or HDL) documents in the project, then determines the net-level connectivity within each sheet, and finally the connectivity between the sheets. All this component and connective intelligence from your schematics design is written into Altium Designer’s unified internal data structure that can then be used for many post-compilation activities, such as comparing and showing differences between schematics, parameter managing, parametric navigation of your design, cross probing back and forth between the schematics and PCB, and much more.

Where are my nets and components from my design?Connectivity is not as explicit in your design as it was before, but rather has to be extracted from the design us-ing the compilation process. This is available through the right-click menu in the Projects panel, or by using the Project»Compile Project menu command.

Once the design is compiled, the sheet-level hierarchy, as well as all the components, nets and buses are displayed in the Navigator Panel. From here you can easily locate any component, bus, net or pin throughout the entire design. If you hold the Alt key as you click on an object in the Navigator Panel it is highlighted on the PCB as well as the schematic – no longer will you need to inspect net lists to review design connectivity.

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Configuring Design ConnectivityMain article: Connectivity and Multi-Sheet Design

Altium Designer supports different types of design connectivity, and this must be set to suit the structure of the de-sign. The type of sheet-to-sheet connectivity is called the Net Identifier Scope. This is defined in the Options tab of the Options for Project dialog and saved with the project. From the Project menu select the Project Options menu command, and go to the Options tab.In the Net Identifier Scope dropdown you can select from the following connectivity options:

• Automatic (Based on project contents)• Flat (Only ports global)• Hierarchical (Sheet entry <-> port connections)• Global (Net labels and ports global)

The Import Wizard handles connectivity automatically through the translation process and will give you the Automatic (Based on project contents) configuration by default. Hierarchical blocks are mapped as sheet symbols, and they will translate to sheet symbols in Altium Designer. In Auto-matic mode, the design compiler then looks at the sheet symbols on the top sheet. If there are sheet entries (hierarchical pins) in them, it will assume vertical connectivity, and internally use the Hierarchical option.

If there are no sheet symbols on the top sheet, or if there are sheet symbols but they do not include any sheet entries, it will assume horizontal connectivity. There are two ways Altium Designer supports this, Flat and Global. In order to determine which of these two options to use, the design compiler looks for ports or off-sheet connec-tors on the subsheets. If there are any it uses the Flat option, if there are no ports it uses the Global option. You can easily go back and change the configuration after translation through the Project Options dialog from the Projects menu.

Verifying Your Design - Expanded Error CheckingMain articles: Project Compiler Error Reference, Compile Errors Panel

Another benefit that results from compiling a project in Altium Designer is built-in error reporting. This is complete-ly configurable for your needs and can be done before your project is compiled. Right-click either on the project file and invoke the Project Options command, or also through the Project menu.

You may wish to get a better picture of the entire development cycle and how it unfolds from an engineer's per-spective by reading An Overview of Electronic Product Development in Altium Designer.

Design SynchronizationMain article: Finding Differences and Synchronizing Designs

Design synchronization is fully integrated in Altium Designer without the need for passing a net list. Synchroni-zation in Altium Designer is bi-directional, allowing you to make annotation changes and component property updates in both directions between your schematic and PCB, in a single operation.

Figure 6.The Net Identifier scope is set in the Options tab of Project Options

Components and LibrariesMain article: Component, Model and Library Concepts

Altium Designer supports working directly from the source symbol or model libraries. this is an ideal approach when the schematic and PCB are designed by separate organizations.

The logical symbol is assumed to be the essential starting point of a component. It can initially be defined as a name in a schematic library to which pins and any graphical symbol or alternative display options needed for implementation may be added. This flexibility allows a component to be represented in different ways during the design and capture process. This may not only be as a logical symbol on the schematic, but also be a footprint on the PCB or even as a SPICE definition for simulation.

In Altium Designer 10 a new model will is available: Component Libraries, where any component is unique, life cycle managed and version controlled available from your company vault and linked to your company database. With part choices, you can leverage the existing know how from your design teams with the knowledge of the purchase department. For example, a part becomes obsolete, or your designer allows the purchaser to use a 1% resistor instead of a 5% if he buys this in higher quantities. With the relational database you will immediately see where and how often this part has been used in your company.

Where are my libraries? Some Basics on Library ManagementYou’ll be able to view your source schematic and PCB library files immediately after translation through the Proj-ects panel. Your translated libraries are automatically grouped into one PCB project.

Libraries are installed (added) to the Altium Designer environment, making their components available in all open projects. Display the Libraries panel and from there you can install and remove libraries. Libraries can also be linked to any project. You can also define project search paths, useful for referencing simulation models.

See Enhanced Library Management Using Integrated Libraries. for a Further discussion on using Integrated Libraries, see COMPONENT LIBRARIES

A Brief Note on Database LinkingMain articles: Linking Existing Components to Your Company Database, Using Components Directly from Your Company Database

Appreciating the fact that many designers like to link from the components in their electronic design software to their company database, Altium Designer has strong support for linking and transferring database data through the design process and into the Bill of Materials.

Two techniques are supported, one where the Altium Designer library symbol holds all model references and also includes links into an external database, the second where the database holds all model references and other company information. While database connections in Altium Designer are set up for MS Access databases (*.mdb files) by default, any ODBC-compliant database can be accessed.

Multiple Monitor SupportAltium Designer has full support for multiple monitors. If you have multiple monitors on your PC you can easily drag a document out of Altium Designer and drop it on the second monitor, greatly enhancing your design productivity. Multi-monitor support is configured in Windows.

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Project OutputsGenerating documentation has always been an essential part of your work. If you want to automatize your design outputs and therefore make it repeatable, you can leverage this by using the concept of Output Jobs. Output Jobs are a graphical way to batch all of the settings necessary to generate any output. If you have defined them once, generating all of the necessary files with all of the necessary settings are just one mouse-click away. If you imple-ment them into your new document defaults, generating outputs for your next projects will also be pushing one button away. In Altium Designer 10 output jobs will even be the basis of our release data management. With that you can standardize your complete release management and make it a push-button solution to make it right the first time.

To learn about generating manufacturing output, either using the OutputJob Editor or using the Reports menu see Design to Manufacturing. To learn about the CAM Editor see Auto-Loading Fabrication Output into the CAM Editor. To learn about the built in PDF generation wizard, see Smart PDF available from the File menu and Publish to PDF available in the Output Job Editor.

Step-by-Step import instructionsIn the following step-by-step guidance a Schematic design file coming from the OrCAD installation will be used: FULLADD.DSN. This Schematic document consist of two sheets, a full-adder and a half-adder

• Start the Import Wizard with File»Import Wizard

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• Select Types of Files to import OrCAD design and libraries files

• Add the FULLADD.DSN to Importing OrCAD Designs. Note: You can add as many .dsn and .max to this as needed to import your OrCAD designs.

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• In the next step you can add your Schematic or PCB Libraries to import (if available)

• You can define the Reporting Options,

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• Set the Schematic general options

• Schematic Sheet Options

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• Schematic Parameter and Net Connectivity Options

• And the Schematic Parameter and Net Connectivity Options

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• With.max file you can define the Current PCB Layer Mappings,

• The Placement of Outline obstacles.

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• Finally, you can review the structure of your generated Output PCB Projects

• Before the import wizard will execute the import of your OrCAD design into Altium Designer.

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• After compilation of your design in Altium Designer with Project»Compile Project the import of your OrCAD design is completed.

• All the settings that you made during this import (inclusive PCB layer mapping) will be stored for the import of your next design.

See AlsoBelow are references to other articles and tutorials in the Altium Designer Documentation Library that talk more about the conceptual information as well as walking you through specific tasks. Remember, you can also browse through the Help contents, and use F1 and what’s this at any time in a dialog for more details.

• For more PCB project options, refer to the tutorial, Getting Started with PCB Design.• For more FPGA project options, refer to the tutorial, Tutorial - Getting Started with FPGA Design.• For a tutorial that steps you through all the basics of creating components, read Creating Library Components.• For a tutorial that steps you through all the basics of editing multiple objects, read Editing Multiple Objects.• For an overview of Altium Designer's FPGA design, development and debugging capabilities, read Soft Design.

A great place to start your journey through all of the new possibilities is coming with your Altium Designer installation. On the top right of Altium Designer you can find the home button.

From here, you can easily access the documentation libraries in the Tasks window where the documentation category ‘Getting Started with Altium Design Solutions’ will ease your start into a unified future.

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Texfield template

Figure 7.The import wizard is started from the File Menu system.

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