ECAD-MCAD CoDesign
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ECAD-MCAD CoDesign
MCAD-ECAD Collaboration
The MCAD CoDesigner enables simple and effective collaboration between a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer.
Electrical Engineer
Let's transfer this board to our mechanical engineer for further design. The whole transfer process involves pressing the Push button and specifying a comment.
If the mechanical engineer was not yet involved in your project, the administrator can invite them pretty quickly.
Mechanical Engineer
Switch to the mechanical CAD tool where we can open the previously pushed board. Pull the board.
The shape of the PCB can be easily changed by editing the sketch within the MCAD tool.
Place holes of any desired standard or size using convenient and familiar tools for the mechanical engineer.
Change the position of any components on the board and adjust them to the design specifics. If necessary, define the keepout areas and rooms with the custom text requirements.
Add models of new components to the board assembly.
If the usage of the native MCAD components is set up, MCAD CoDesigner converts the MCAD components into Altium Designer components and places them with the appropriate footprint.
If the usage of the native MCAD components is set up, MCAD CoDesigner converts the MCAD components into Altium Designer components and places them with the appropriate footprint.
When finished, Push the board with the comments to the electrical engineer.
Electrical Engineer
In the MCAD CoDesigner panel there is a notification of new changes made by the mechanical designer.
The display of each change can be seen directly on the PCB before its application. Once the changes are accepted, the PCB gets the identical geometry, layout, and components that have been added from the mechanical side.
When the PCB design is complete, Push the PCB with the full layout and copper layers to the mechanical engineer for a comprehensive analysis.
Mechanical Engineer
In the MCAD tool, there will be a notification with a comment of the corrections made on the MCAD CoDesigner panel.
Review and accept the changes.
After accepting the changes, if the corresponding option in MCAD CoDesigner’s settings is enabled, the copper layers are displayed in the PCB assembly tree and every layer can be viewed and analyzed.