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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.
Fig. 1 - Push button on the MCAD CoDesigner panel
Fig. 2 - Type in a comment and click Send
If the mechanical engineer was not yet involved in your project, the administrator can invite them pretty quickly.
Fig. 3 - The administrator has the capability to invite others to share data

Mechanical Engineer

Switch to the mechanical CAD tool where we can open the previously pushed board. Pull the board.
Fig. 4 - Pull the project from the MCAD CoDesigner panel
The shape of the PCB can be easily changed by editing the sketch within the MCAD tool.
Fig. 5 - Edit Sketch command in MCAD tool
Place holes of any desired standard or size using convenient and familiar tools for the mechanical engineer.
Fig. 6 - Hole Wizard button on the ribbon
Fig. 7 - Standard hole shapes and sizes available in MCAD tools
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.
Fig. 8 - Move Component button on the ribbon
Fig. 9 - Reposition components
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.
Fig. 10 - Insert new components to the model
When finished, Push the board with the comments to the electrical engineer.
Fig. 11 - Type in a comment and click Send

Electrical Engineer

In the MCAD CoDesigner panel there is a notification of new changes made by the mechanical designer.
Fig. 12 - Notification of new engineering changes from the MCAD side
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.
Fig. 13 - A list of engineering changes from the MCAD 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.
Fig. 14 - Notification of engineering changes from the ECAD side
Review and accept the changes.
Fig. 15 - Review, accept/reject the engineering changes from the ECAD side
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.
Fig. 16 - 3D copper layer is transferred over from the ECAD side as a solid model
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