Accessing 24.1 Documentation

19 Nov 2024 • 2 minute read

There's a whole host of changes being rolled out with Cadence OrCAD X and Allegro X Release 24.1 to make your design experience more intuitive, interactive, and seamless.

In this post, we introduce the changes made in Cadence Doc Assistant (CDA) and the different ways in which content can be accessed.

We have minimized the set of documents installed with the Release 24.1 installation image; only a few essential documents are included. This reduces the number of files in the installation media as well as the number of files being installed, making the installation significantly lighter and quicker.

By default, product documentation and help are accessed online rather than from the installation hierarchy. Accessing the content online means that you always access the latest content, which is updated regularly.

Broadly, your working environment can be one of these types:

Uninterrupted internet access
Flexible internet access
Restricted and limited internet access

If you work in an Online environment with uninterrupted internet access, the help behavior remains unchanged when you click Help in the tools, or navigate across topics in Doc Assistant.

If you are accustomed to working and accessing help in the Offline mode, or work in a flexible internet access environment, you can download the product documentation. To download, you must have write permission to the Cadence installation folder, be logged into your account in the Doc Assistant, and, of course, be connected to the internet for some time. The following clip demonstrates how you can download the product manuals from within Doc Assistant for offline access:

However, if you work exclusively in an environment with restricted internet access or in an offline environment and can't download from Doc Assistant, we have you covered. A new documentation installer is available at downloads.cadence.com. The following clip shows where you can find the downloadable image.

The Product Documentation installer checks which Cadence products you have on your system and installs the documentation only for them. With the documentation installed locally, you can use Doc Assistant in the Offline mode and have the same smooth experience you'd expect in the Online mode.

These are some of the major changes in release 24.1 to deliver a scalable and customizable solution for support documentation. To learn more about how to use the Doc Assistant and navigate its settings, you can read the Cadence Doc Assistant at your Service blog, or watch the Cadence Doc Assistant video on YouTube.

You can also send us feedback from within Doc Assistant.