Allegro X Capture CIS - Recent Threads

Viewing datasheets in orcad cip

digital1 — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:49:12 GMT

I have an orcad cip database set up on my local machine using microsoft sql server and i have a collection of datasheets if i use the web address for the datasheets i am able to view the datasheet in the orcad cip database and by using the app from the parallel systems website i can view it in the capture schematic canvas by clicking the appropriate menu.

Unfortunately sometimes when i am on the road i dont have access to the internet so i am unable to view the datasheets so i changed the web address of the datasheet to an address on my local machine such as this C:\Cadence\CIP-E\Datasheets\Yageo\RC0402FR-073KL.pdf i can now see them in the capture schematic canvass and cis but i cant view them in cip.

What do i have to do to view them in both cip and capture and cis

Why Are Identical Non-Database Parts Listed Separately in CIS BOM?

LogicNet — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:46:34 GMT

Hi,

In Capture, while generating a CIS BOM, I noticed that three resistor components placed from a schematic library (not linked to the CIS database) are listed as separate BOM entries even though they all have the same Value of 4.7k. I expected them to be combined into a single line item with the quantity updated accordingly. How does Capture determine whether non-database components are grouped together in a BOM, and is there a way to generate a compressed BOM for such parts?

Using alternate schematic symbols

DP202605218058 — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:37:44 GMT

Hi all. I want to replace a schematic symbol on schematic sheet with an alternate schematic symbol that is already assigned to the part. I would think a 'RMB > alternate schematic symbol' would be available, but I don't see anything like that. So how does one choose the alternate schematic symbol to place on a schematic sheet? Again, the alternate schematic symbol is already assigned to the part; I can view it in CIP under the part number, I just can't figure out how to place the alternate on a schematic. OrCAD Capture V22.1

BOM GENERATOR ver2.6.9

JS202609088334 — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:43:55 GMT

Good day I’m having trouble about generating BOM the error say

****Error!!Multiple Variant files present.

Control Bill Of Materials of different revision

Filo221 — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:11:45 GMT

I'm looking for some advice on BOM management and revision control.

I use a multi-sheet Excel file, where each worksheet represents a different variant in the CIS. For every modification, I update the revision and date of the corresponding worksheet.

We are talking about BOMs with approximately 1,500 components. Once the BOM has been exported from the CIS, what checks do you typically perform?

Is there a tool available that can compare two BOMs and provide a detailed report of the differences?

Thanks

Hierarchical Design Challenge: New Ports Added!

TechnoBobby — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:23:38 GMT

A Buck Converter is implemented as a hierarchical block in the parent schematic.

Initially, the child schematic contained only Vin, Vout, and PWM ports, and the H-Block was already placed and connected.

Later, the design was expanded and two new ports were added to the child schematic: PGOOD and Fault

How would you update the existing H-Block in the parent schematic so the new ports become available?

A. Delete and recreate the H-Block
B. Manually add and rename hierarchical pins
C. Synchronize Up the Hierarchical Block
D. Synchronize Down the Hierarchical Block

Access and Review Designs with OrCAD X Cloud.

Jeet — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 06:10:07 GMT

The web-based collaboration capabilities of OrCAD X Cloud help engineers, reviewers, and project stakeholders stay connected throughout the design process. Whether reviewing schematics, providing feedback, or validating PCB layouts, users can work together more efficiently while maintaining a single source of truth for the design.

To access the OrCAD X Cloud workspace, follow these steps:

Navigate to the pcb.cadence.com/dashboard website in a web browser.
Enter your login credentials to authenticate.
Upon successful login, your Cloud Workspace will open, granting you access to the web version of your Workspace, as shown below:

Have you started using OrCAD X Cloud for your design reviews and collaboration workflows? Share your experiences and best practices here!

Tired of Repetitive Login Pop-ups?

Renu Vibha — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:53:46 GMT

Does the Cloud login prompt in OrCAD X Capture CIS interrupt your workflow every time you start the tool?

Find the solution here:
In OrCAD X Capture CIS, how do I disable the login pop-up that appears for Cloud services every time I start the tool?

What do ^ and ! mean in Intersheet References? Can they be removed?

LogicNet — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:19:45 GMT

I noticed that OrCAD Capture adds ^ and ! symbols in Intersheet References by default. I assume they indicate whether the referenced page is above or below the current page, but I'm not sure what their exact purpose is.

Can someone explain what these symbols mean? Also, is there a way to remove them if they're not needed? Has anyone customized this behavior in their designs?

25.1 HF005 - PDF Export/Printing in BW?

Ulf K — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:14:37 GMT

Greetings forum,

My desire is to print schematics in BW and have them printed with thinnest possible wire widths.

For this, I have previously used CutePDF as print engine and Foxit PDF reader to view and from there print pages that I wanted.

Earlier, Cadence seemed to use GhostScript engine for PDF generation. Now with 25.1 HF005 it seems that Cadence have

written its own interface or embedded the GhostScript into the software. Anyway, there are no PDF options for quality in that

interface.

Now the print outs if using print to PDF are either in color with thick wires or when using Export->PDF that the wires are BW but thick.

I have looked around the the print setup menus for OrCADPS or CutePDF (or any other output format that is to direct

prints to .PDF.) Regardless of me defining BW, I cannot get what I want.

Having multiple versions of Cadence SPB in my computer, Windows also asks me if it should remove some of the OrCADPS

relating to older versions (than 25.1) something that I do not dare to even consider, since I accidentally removed them

earlier and it was not that easy to recreate them. This however perhaps a question that should be directed to the software build team.

If there are any PDF setting that controls the generated width of graphic lines, please let me know.

Understanding the Auto Backup Feature in OrCAD Capture CIS

IshaS — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:11:31 GMT

OrCAD Capture CIS provides an Auto Backup (Multi-level Backup) feature that helps protect users from losing unsaved design changes. This feature automatically creates design backup files when specific conditions are met, providing an additional safety net in the event of application crashes, system failures, or other unexpected interruptions.

The Multi-level Backup Settings dialog box can be accessed by selecting Options → Auto Backup from the main menu.

A backup is generated when below conditions are satisfied:

The design has been modified.
The design has not been manually saved within the configured backup interval.

Example

If the backup interval is set to 10 minutes:

A user modifies the design at 10:00 AM.
If the design is manually saved before 10:10 AM, no .DBK backup file is created.
If the design remains unsaved for 10 minutes after the modification, Capture automatically creates a .DBK (Design Backup) file in the configured backup directory.

The Auto Backup (Multi-level Backup) feature acts as a safety mechanism to protect users from losing unsaved design changes.

Hope you have tried it.

Share scenarios in which the backup feature helped saving your data from getting lost.

Happy learning!!

Join us for a Syscap-Pulse Live AMA Session on Aug 5th at 7:30-8:30PM IST

Renu Vibha — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:01:56 GMT

Explore the latest capabilities in System Capture and engage directly with Cadence experts on:

🔹 Team Design
🔹 LiveBOM
🔹 Unified Search

Whether you're looking to improve collaboration, streamline BOM management, or find information faster, this session is for you.

Join the conversation, here on Wednesday, Aug 5^th at 7:30-8:30PM IST

Bring your questions. Leave with answers.

Change Multiple Text Colors in OrCAD X Capture

Siri — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:59:43 GMT

Hello,

Is there a way to change the colour of multiple text at once in OrCAD Capture?

Thanks

Browsable CIS link always opens in Microsoft Edge

LogicNet — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:41:12 GMT

Hi all,

I am using Capture CIS and have configured a property as Browsable, allowing users to click a link directly from CIS Explorer and open the associated document or webpage.
The functionality works as expected, but whenever I click the link, it always opens in Microsoft Edge. On my system, I would prefer these links to open in Google Chrome instead.

I checked the CIS configuration but could not find any setting that allows me to specify which browser should be used for browsable links.

Is it possible to configure CIS to launch browsable links using a specific browser such as Chrome?

Thanks!

SpaceMousen (3D Mouse) support

JH202606267441 — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:15:08 GMT

Has it been brought up that support for the 3D Connexion SpaceMouse would be really helpful for panning, rotating, and zooming both 2D and 3D UI. Please add support for using the SpaceMouse.

Leveraging Instance and Occurrence Annotation Modes in OrCAD X Capture CIS

TechnoBobby — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:28:40 GMT

If you're working with hierarchical designs in OrCAD Capture, you may have noticed both Instance and Occurrence annotation modes in the Annotate window.

What is the difference between Instance and Occurrence annotation modes?

The key difference lies in how reference designators are assigned in hierarchical designs.

a) Instance Mode assigns reference designators at the component instance level and is commonly used for flat designs or simple hierarchical designs.
b) Occurrence Mode assigns reference designators at the occurrence level, allowing each use of a hierarchical block to have unique reference designators.

The recommended annotation mode depends on the design structure. Understanding when to use each mode helps ensure unique reference designators across reused blocks and avoids manual renumbering effort.

Another useful concept is the relationship between the grey and yellow columns shown in the Property Editor. The grey column represents instance properties, while the yellow columns represent occurrence properties.

Follow up questions do let us know!!

Is it possible to create inverted pins in the Part Editor?

LogicNet — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:22:20 GMT

Hi,

I’m creating a new schematic symbol in the OrCAD Capture Part Editor and was wondering if it’s possible to define a pin as inverted directly in the Part Editor.
If so, what’s the recommended way to create or display inverted pins while creating the symbol?

Thanks.

ERROR (ORCOMMN-12005) Unable to launch Orcad Capture.

Shashank — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:05:18 GMT

ERROR (ORCOMMN-12005) Unable to launch Orcad Capture. A valid license wasn found at the 5280@hostname license server. Update the license server configuration to include OrCAD Capture licenses

I have installed OrCAD 25.1 and configured the environment variables to point to the license server. Additionally, I have verified that ports 5280 and 3000 are in the listening state.

However, I am still encountering the attached error.

Could you please let me know if I have missed any configuration steps, or advise on how this issue can be resolved?

Conversion of concept HDL symbol to .olb?

BM202607094213 — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:11:39 GMT

Hi,

I have symbols in concept HDL format (.prt, .ptf, .css, .tag). How can I convert them to .olb?

Is there any tool?

i have tried to convert using Allegro project manager. am getting below attached error.

Kindly suggest the procedure.

Regards,

Balkis

How does OrCAD Capture decide which net alias is used in the PCB netlist?

LogicNet — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 20:43:05 GMT

Hi,

I have a schematic where a single net has multiple net aliases. For example, a power net is labeled as both VCC and +5V at different locations in the design. When creating the netlist for PCB, how does OrCAD Capture determine which net name is transferred to the PCB tool? Is there a way to explicitly control which alias is used in the generated netlist without removing the other net aliases?

Thanks.

Leveraging Design Review & Markups in OrCAD X Capture CIS 25.1

MohitS — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 14:10:41 GMT

Collaboration plays a critical role in today’s schematic design workflows, especially when multiple engineers are working on the same project. Traditional feedback methods—like emails or screenshots—can often lead to miscommunication and delays.

To address this, OrCAD X Capture CIS 25.1 introduces the Design Review and Markup feature, enabling a more streamlined and interactive review process directly within the schematic environment.

What is Design Review & Markup?

The Design Review and Markup feature allows users to:

Add comments directly on the schematic canvas
Highlight areas using graphical markups (rectangles and arrows)
Tag team members for collaboration
Embed review feedback within the design itself

This ensures that all stakeholders can view and act on feedback within the same design.

Add Comments & Markup

Open your schematic in OrCAD X Capture CIS
Go to Tools → Markup (opens Comments panel)
Click New Comment
Mark the area using:
- Rectangle ➝ highlight region
- Arrow ➝ point to object
Enter your comment (use @username to tag users)

Click Submit → Comment is saved in design

Review & Respond to Comments

Open schematic and go to Tools → Markup
Select a comment → Auto-zoom to location
Add replies or update feedback
Mark as Resolved once addressed

The Design Review and Markup feature in OrCAD X Capture CIS 25.1 brings collaboration directly into the schematic, enabling teams to communicate more efficiently and reduce design iteration cycles.

In OrCAD Capture 25.1, certain naming formats for off-page connectors cause abnormal jumps in the Signals navigation function.

Zhifeng Jin — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:37:25 GMT

I recently encountered an odd software bug while drawing schematics in OrCAD Capture.

1. Create a blank OrCAD Capture project, and add two schematic pages: Page1 and Page2.

2. Place two off-page connectors on Page1 with the net names A+9 and A+_ respectively.

3. Place three off-page connectors on Page2 with the net names A+9, A+_ and A_ respectively.
(The leading letter "A" can be replaced with any alphabetic character.)

Right-click any off-page connector and select the Signals option to bring up the signal navigation list. You will see disordered, incorrect jump targets in this list. Nevertheless, the exported final netlist contains fully correct electrical connections as expected.

You can test the jump function by sequentially clicking every off-page connector on both schematic pages to reproduce this defect.

This makes people mistakenly believe that the signals are not connected when actually checking the wiring relationships in the schematic.

Supplemental Note: This issue can only be reproduced after launching PCB Editor or PCB Presto.

Increasing Icon/menu size in capture

Siri — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:11:28 GMT

Hello,

I would like to increase the icon size in OrCAD Capture. Is there a setting available to adjust the icon size?

Please let me know the steps if this is possible.

Thanks in advance.

Hierarchical design cut paste causing refdes changes

BoardIQ — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 05:17:45 GMT

We are using Allegro Capture CIS ver 22.1.

My design is using hierarchical blocks across several pages. When I move a hierarchical block from one page to another by Cut + Paste, the refdes inside the hierarchical block gets changed. This affects our layout of the PCB.

Strange thing about this is that it affects only few hierarchical blocks, whereas it works fine with some hierarchical blocks.

Does anyone else face a similar problem?

I am not able to generate pdf in allegro dehdl 24.1

Shashank — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:52:08 GMT

I have below licenses,

Allegro Library Authoring (PCB Librarian)

Allegro PCB Designer [Schematic]

I am using Allegro PCB Designer [Schematic], and trying to export pdf by going to FILE->PUBLISH PDF

But i am getting below error,

ERROR(SPCOCN-152): The license for this feature could not be
checked out because it is temporarily unavailable. Contact
your administrator to check the license server.

How can i resolve this and generate a pdf.