BoardSurfers: Reasons to Move to 17.4-2019 Hotfix019 of Allegro PCB Editor

Cadence OrCAD and Allegro 17.4-2019 Hotfix 019 was rolled out in mid-July and is now available for download. In this update, we bring to you many new and enhanced features across multiple technological areas, fixes for customer-reported bugs, and improved performance. Read on for what we added, what we improved, and what got fixed in Allegro^® PCB Editor.

Enhanced Graphics with NVIDIA GPU Support

A new graphic renderer– based on GPU plugin technology is now used enabling the use of GPUs from NVIDIA Quadro and Tesla families. The GPU support is available in Allegro PCB Editor with the Venture or Enterprise license. The NVIDIA GPU improves canvas rendering quality. What it means for you is that creating complex designs becomes faster because the response time for operations, such as zoom, pan, toggle, and so on, is faster.

                                             Without GPU                                                                            With NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000            

When Allegro PCB Editor starts, the application detects any supported GPU present in the system. If a supported GPU is found, you have the option to use that GPU after restarting the application. If you opt to use the available GPU, the setting will be stored in the Registry/Settings and on a subsequent run of the application, the GPU plugin will be loaded and used to render the canvas. You can also point to a specific plugin by setting the environment variable nv_plugin_path. To learn more about NVIDIA GPUs, you can check our earlier post.    

DesignTrue DFM Enhancements

One of the key highlights of this release is the wide range of improvements in DesignTrue DFM analysis. Here is an overview.

• Two new Design for Fabrication (DFF) mask checks have been added that identify overlapped solder masks or Coverlay of vias and SMD pads. Setting these checks to Off displays the DRC at the locations where solder masks of vias and SMD pins overlap. Set and manage these checks from the Mask worksheet in Allegro Constraint Manager.

• The display of microvia DRCs is based on aspect ratio calculation, which is the ratio of the total thickness of the via and drill diameter. The total thickness microvia padstack for Laser type drill has also been changed. It is now measured as a sum of start layer thickness and the layers the drill passes through. The end layer thickness at which the drill stops is not included. This impacts the value of the aspect ratio and hence the DRC.

• Component lead visibility on different placement layers has been enhanced and the component lead shape is rendered as part of the pin pad. To view component leads, enable the Package_Geometry/Component_Lead class/subclass in the Color Dialog and toggle the visibility of Pin in the Visibility Enabling the visibility of a pin on the symbol placement layer now also display component leads.

• DesignTrue DFM Wizard uses .csv template files to specify DFM rules using IPC and widely accepted conservative rules. New template files are included for DFF and DFA in the DesignTrue DFM Wizard. Some of the changes in Version 2 of the templates are, new rules for copper features, copper spacing, DFA spacing, component lead, SMD pin, ball diameter, component body, and so on.

Realistic Visualization of 3D Models

The CAD models representing symbol footprints are now smoother at curved surfaces and more realistic.

Another enhancement that you’ll appreciate is the improved display of plating holes. The copper wall thickness has been reduced to a minimum standard value, and this provides a sleeker view of the plated holes.

The thickness of the copper wall is controlled through the value of the Pth_Plating_Thickness property.

You can now load a design in 3D Canvas using primary or secondary models. This capability is available through the 3D Canvas Filter dialog.

In the 3D Mapper GUI, the option to map the model type is now enabled for primary and secondary models.

So, these were some of the major updates in 17.4-2019 Hotfix 019 of Allegro PCB Editor. To learn more about the updates in other Allegro applications, SUBSCRIBE this space. For queries on this release or for any assistance with updating your Allegro PCB Editor, reach out to our support team.

If you have any topic you want us to cover first or any feedback, you can write to us at pcbbloggers@cadence.com.