OrCAD Capture User Guide, Product Version 16.2

Before you begin

Welcome OrCAD® Capture (henceforth referred to as Capture) is a schematic design tool set for the Windows environment. With Capture, you can draft schematics and produce connectivity and simulation information for printed circuit boards and programmable logic designs.

Capture is fully integrated in a number of different tool suites, including OrCAD Layout, OrCAD PSpice, and Cadence's PCB Editor tool set. Refer to OrCAD Product Installation Guide for Windows for information on hardware and software requirements..

How to use this guide This guide is designed to make the most of the advantages of onscreen books. The table of contents, index, and cross references provide instant links to the information you need. Just click on the text and jump.

If you find printed paper helpful, print only the section you need at the time. When you want an in-depth tutorial, print the example. When you want a quick reminder of a procedure, print the procedure.

Symbols and conventions Our documentation uses a few special symbols and conventions.

Notation Examples Description

Bold text Import Measurements, Modified LSQ,PDF Graph

Indicates that text is a menu or button command, dialog box option, column or graph label, or drop-down list option

Icon graphic Shows the toolbar icon that should be clicked with your mouse button to accomplish a task

Lowercase file extensions

.aap, .sim, .drt Indicates a file name extension

Using Capture OrCAD Capture can be used by designers to create schematics and produce connectivity and simulation information for printed circuit boards and programmable logic designs. You can use OrCAD Capture to create designs for other EDA applications by choosing to set up a PSpice project, PCB project, or programmable logic project when you start a new project. You can set your user preferences for the appearance of all designs on your system, and set up design options for each particular project or design you create.

Capture provides standard libraries that can be used to design schematics. You can also create your own library.

In Capture, you can drag and drop schematic folders and pages in the project manager in the session window. You can place parts and pins in Capture's schematic editor, then connect the parts with buses, wires, off-page connectors, and more. Use a multitude of Capture tools to edit the design, including the part editor, the Edit menu and the pop-up menu. Create your own parts and part packages, or use the standard libraries provided with Capture.

The property editor of Capture shows you properties of all or selected parts in your schematic design one page at a time. You can use the property editor to add, change, or delete user properties and property values in your own custom filter for any design.

Capture also includes verification and reporting, printing, and netlisting features for your schematic page, folder, or entire design.

For more information about See

OrCAD Capture Capture User's Guide

OrCAD Capture messages Capture Messages Reference Guide

Libraries OrCAD Supplied Libraries Reference Guide

Toolbar commands and shortcut keys OrCAD Capture Quick Reference

PSpice simulations PSpice User's Guide

PCB design Allegro PCB Editor User Guide

PCB design cycle OrCAD Flow Tutorial

Related documentation In addition to this guide, you can find technical product information on the Cadence website www.cadence.com/orcad. The table below describes the types of technical documentation provided with Capture.

This documentation component . . .

Provides this . . .

This guide--OrCAD Capture User Guide

A comprehensive guide for understanding and using the features available in OrCAD Capture.

Help system (automatic and manual)

Provides comprehensive information for understanding the features in Capture and using them to perform schematic capture.

Capture provides help in two ways: context-sensitive help and manual help.

Context-sensitive help displays help topics that are associated with your current activity when you press the F1 key or click the Help button on the active dialog box or window within the Capture workspace and interface. It provides immediate access to information that is relative to your current task.

The manual method gives you full navigational access to all topics and resources outside of the help system.

Using either method, help topics include:

Explanations and instructions for common tasks

Descriptions of menu commands, dialog boxes, tools on the toolbar and tool palettes, and the status bar

Glossary terms

Reference information

Online interactive tutorial

A series of self-paced interactive lessons. You can practice what you've learned by going through the tutorial's specially designed exercises that interact directly with Capture. You can start the tutorial by choosing Learning Capture from the Help menu.

OrCAD Capture Quick Reference Card

Concise descriptions of the commands, shortcuts, and tools available in Capture

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