Take a look at the Migration Guide that has been developed and outlines the options available to you as part of the P-CAD retirement and some of the resources to assist you in evaluating Altium Designer.
This gives you a guaranteed and phased migration path that allows you to move in a managed way, supported by Altium, and which guarantees you access to the latest version of Altium Designer.
The technology Altium Designer 6 offers is a unified electronics design solution that takes PCB design to new levels. Highlights include:
- Import Wizard to fully support your migration
- 3D Visualization environment for today's complex board design, with advanced output to MCAD and manufacturing
- Interactive Routing capability
- True Hierarchical design
- Variants Management that is more powerful
- Circuit analysis that includes Spice, PSpice® and SIMetrix/SIMPLIS
- Design documentation linked to your entire organization
Altium Designer gives access to the future generation of electronics design software. This migration path gives you access to Altium Designer Summer 08 which contains many features that you have come to rely upon from P-CAD - and more.
Moving from P-CAD to Altium Designer
Altium Designer also provides all the capabilities currently covered by the P-CAD design system with the added benefit of fully supporting the design unification and convergence necessary to help you move into the future with confidence.
Many of the features that you like and have come to rely on in board layout in P-CAD have been expanded and incorporated in Altium Designer. Like P-CAD, Altium Designer has a rich set of functions for designing printed circuit boards and generating output for manufacturing. In addition to the promise of improved existing technologies brought into Altium Designer, there are many other powerful features that provide you with everything complete to face the future of electronics design.
Altium Designer lets you
- work with the latest devices and design methodologies
- remain up-to-date with changing technology
- remain competitive, both now and into the future.
Because of these reasons, we believe Altium Designer represents the best and most compelling path forward for P-CAD users.
Your Questions Answered
Why has Altium made the decision to retire P-CAD?
What version of P-CAD will be supported and for how long?
How will P-CAD 2006 be supported?
Is it better for me to move from P-CAD 2006 to Altium Designer now?
Will Altium support me through this evaluation and transition process?
What about my old P-CAD files?
What is the price of a P-CAD 2006 license?
Where can I find out more about upgrade pricing for P-CAD 2006?
Have the PCB and schematic file formats changed with P-CAD 2006?
Can P-CAD-2004 and earlier version file formats be imported into P-CAD 2006?
Does P-CAD 2006 export additional manufacturing formats besides Gerber, like ODB++?
Has there been any changes to the Gerber format in P-CAD 2006?
Are there any updates to libraries with P-CAD 2006?
Can I use my existing custom libraries with P-CAD 2006?
What version of EPD (eProduct Designer) is supported with P-CAD 2006?
Does P-CAD 2006 support the mouse wheel?
Is P-CAD 2006 compatible with the SPECCTRA autorouter?
Will DBX utilities that are created in earlier versions of P-CAD still work with P-CAD 2006?
What additional design capabilities does P-CAD 2006 have over P-CAD 2004?
What licensing configurations will be available for P-CAD 2006?
What are the system requirements to run P-CAD 2006?
Will service packs be released for P-CAD 2006?
Why has Altium made the decision to retire P-CAD?
A. Altium's goal is to develop and market the best possible electronics design tool to help electronics engineers and designers turn their design ideas into products in the easiest and most productive way. We strive to create products that make the engineer as powerful, productive and effective as possible. We want to make things easier for you, the engineer, in any way we can.
We have made the strategic decision to focus our efforts on developing and presenting a unified electronic product development solution. Maintaining two individual product lines is contrary to this focus, impeding our ability to maximize our resources which ultimately affect our ability to provide on-going and continuous solutions that are necessary for our success as a company.
The decision to retire P-CAD has not been taken lightly and, as we show elsewhere in this document, the best of P-CAD is now incorporated into Altium Designer.
What version of P-CAD will be supported and for how long?
A. P-CAD 2006 is the last version of P-CAD. Maintenance contracts for P-CAD will continue to be honored but will not be renewed. But if you make the switch to Altium Designer, your contract will be transferred. There will be no further support of P-CAD to existing customers after June 30, 2008. The P-CAD website and P-CAD will no longer be supported after this date.
How will P-CAD 2006 be supported?
A. P-CAD 2006 will be supported until June 30, 2008 in the same manner as it is currently. As of now, there will no longer be any sales for new P-CAD licenses except to existing P-CAD customers. Additional P-CAD licenses will only be sold to existing customers until June 30, 2008.
Is it better for me to move from P-CAD 2006 to Altium Designer now?
A. Yes it is. Our special offer lets you upgrade to Altium Designer 6, and then to Altium Designer Summer 08, but only if you migrate before May 15, 2008.
Will Altium support me through this evaluation and transition process?
A. Yes. Altium provides extensive resources available now to help you quickly and efficiently evaluate the powerful capabilities of Altium Designer at www.altium.com/evaluate. A simple three-step evaluation process allows you to see for yourself right now the benefits that Altium Designer can bring to you. This includes the Altium DEMOcenter on-demand demonstration videos, the ability to book a live Web Conference session and request an evaluation.
Once you're ready, additional resources are available to help you migrate from P-CAD to Altium Designer at www.altium.com. Training, technical information, web-based demonstrations, and access to knowledge bases, learning guides and our libraries are available on our website, providing you with valuable resources for getting the most out of Altium Designer.
When I move to Altium Designer will I still be able to use P-CAD 2006 for legacy designs even after I make the transition?
A. Yes. You can still use P-CAD to open and work on legacy designs previously created in P-CAD even after you have made the move.
What about my old P-CAD files?
A. Moving designs to Altium Designer is a straightforward and direct process. The configurable, easy-to-use Import Wizard quickly and directly translates complete P-CAD designs, including schematics, PCB layouts and library files. You have full control during the translation process and are able to specify exactly how you want your design files to translate.
Where do I go for support?
A. Support is available via the SUPPORTcenter. A detailed listing of all of the support options available to you is included with this Migration Guide. A detailed listing of all support resources is also available on www.altium.com/community
What is the price of a P-CAD 2006 license?
Contact your nearest Altium Sales and Support Center or Reseller for pricing.
Where can I find out more about upgrade pricing for P-CAD 2006?
Altium offers cost-effective upgrade paths for P-CAD customers wanting to upgrade. Upgrade pricing depends upon which version or product configuration you are upgrading from. For questions on the upgrade paths available to you, please contact your nearest Altium Sales and Support Center or Reseller for more information.
Have the PCB and schematic file formats changed with P-CAD 2006?
The P-CAD ASCII file format has been updated to accommodate the many additional features offered by P-CAD 2006. However, P-CAD 2006 can directly open all previous P-CAD 2004, P-CAD 2002, P-CAD 2001, 2000 and ACCEL schematic and PCB file formats.
Can P-CAD-2004 and earlier version file formats be imported into P-CAD 2006?
P-CAD 2006 can import the same file formats as earlier P-CAD versions, these are:
- P-CAD 2000 to 2004 Binary and ASCII files
- ACCEL EDA V12/V13/V14/V15 Binary and ASCII files
- Master Designer 8.x files (subject to translation limitations)
- Master Designer PDIF files
- TangoPRO files
- Tango DOS 2.x PCB ASCII files
- Tango 1.x Schematic ASCII files
- DXF files (AutoCAD V9 - V14/2000) (subject to translation limitations)
- IDF (Intermediate Design Files) V2 and V3 files
- PADS ASCII files (PCB only)
- PowerPCB® V1, V1.1, V1.5, V2, V3.0, V3.5. V4.0
- PADS® Perform
- PADS® 2000 V3, V4
- PADS® PCB V5
Does P-CAD 2006 export additional manufacturing formats besides Gerber, like ODB++?
P-CAD 2006 PCB supports Valor's ODB++ file format for exporting
CAD information. When generating an ODB++ database, P-CAD automatically creates a directory tree structure containing selected
layers and layer objects, net information, and NC Drill.
In addition, P-CAD 2006 can also export IPC-D-356A Netlists used for
electrical testing of bare boards.
Has there been any changes to the Gerber format in P-CAD 2006?
P-CAD 2006 produces Gerber output of TrueType text by converting
text character glyphs into G36/G37 polygon records. In past P-CAD
releases, Gerber output of visible text and attribute objects was
restricted to those objects whose styles utilized a stroke font.
For proper output of TrueType text, you must select the RS-274-X
Gerber format option. A similar conversion process produces TrueType
text and attributes as polygons in P-CAD 2006's ODB++ output
generator. Please note, these G36/G37 polygon sequences will be
ignored by Gerber Import.
Are there any updates to libraries with P-CAD 2006?
There have been no updates to board-level design libraries in
P-CAD 2006. However, the libraries, developed according to the
The libraries are documented in the Library Index Spreadsheet (4.8
MB Zip file). Download the entire installer module from our
Downloads page (these libraries are the latest libraries available
for P-CAD 2006 and are the same as those supplied on the CD).
Alternatively search or download individual
libraries from our Libraries page.
Can I use my existing custom libraries with P-CAD 2006?
Yes. You can use components from existing schematic and PCB libraries directly with P-CAD 2006. In addition, P-CAD 2006 allows you to create integrated libraries from your existing libraries.
What version of EPD (eProduct Designer) is supported with P-CAD 2006?
P-CAD 2006 PCB will operate with ePD 2.0, and now ePD 2004, through P-CAD Ties/ViewDraw interface.
Does P-CAD 2006 support the mouse wheel?
P-CAD 2006 allows you to design faster by using your mouse wheel to scroll up/down, left/right and zoom in and out of the design view with the mouse wheel. Scrolling with only the mouse wheel will scroll the design view up and down. Scrolling the mouse wheel with Shift key modifier will scroll the design view left and right. Scrolling the mouse wheel with Ctrl key modifier will zoom the design view in and out.
Is P-CAD 2006 compatible with the SPECCTRA autorouter?
P-CAD 2006 has been thoroughly tested with all versions of SPECCTRA® and thus maintains the same compatibility found in P-CAD 2004.
Will DBX utilities that are created in earlier versions of P-CAD still work with P-CAD 2006?
The standard DBX utilities will be updated in P-CAD 2006. The DBX utilities created in earlier versions of P-CAD will operate successfully within the P-CAD 2006 environment after being recompiled.
What additional design capabilities does P-CAD 2006 have over P-CAD 2004?
P-CAD 2006 significantly expands on the layout and processing capabilities present in P-CAD 2004. P-CAD 2006's design capabilities now include:
- Differential Pairs interactive routing
- Multi-Route tool
- Orthogonal dragging of routes
- Improved selection of sub objects capability
- Board Outline object with Board Cutouts
- Increased control over drawing and printing layer order
- Enhanced copper pour capabilities
- Updated Bonus Technologies to Altium Designer 6
- Many more general improvements and enhancements
What licensing configurations will be available for P-CAD 2006?
P-CAD 2006 product licenses will continue to be available as
standalone or floating network versions, giving you and your design
team complete flexibility with your working arrangements and the
option to choose a licensing scheme that best fits your business
model.
Other flexible licensing options are available for P-CAD to suit the
needs of your PCB design team. This includes a P-CAD 2006 Schematic
Suite, P-CAD 2006 (6/400) and a P-CAD 2006 Analyzer Suite. Please
contact your nearest Altium Sales and Support Center or Reseller for
more information on these configurations.
What are the system requirements to run P-CAD 2006?
For optimum performance of P-CAD 2006 please refer to the recommended system requirements provided below:
Recommended system requirements (including the Bonus
Technologies)
- Windows XP (Professional or Home) or Windows 2000 Professional
- 3 GHz Pentium 4 processor or equivalent
- 1 GByte RAM
- 2 GByte hard disk space (Installation + User Files)
- Dual monitors with 1280x1024 screen resolution
- 32-bit color, 64 MB graphics memory.
Minimum system requirements (not including the Bonus
Technologies)
- Windows 95/98
- PC with Pentium II 300MHz
- 128MB RAM
- 400MB hard disk space (without ISO component libraries)
- 1024x768 screen resolution
- 16-bit Color Palette
- CD-ROM Drive.