How to Improve Relations with your PCB Fabricator with OrCADX Presto LiveDoc

LiveDoc is a whole new environment for documentation in OrCADX Presto PCB Editor. This powerful tool lets you create PDFs that are so detailed and well annotated that you and your PCB supplier will get along much better and enjoy friendly benefits in no time at all. It is easy to use, fast, and refined, producing the type of documents that your suppliers dream of. 

LiveDoc is launched as a new tab from the Presto environment by using the Presto menu: Manufacturing > LiveDoc > Create New From Template. 

By default, both Fabrication and Assembly pages are generated and are available with automatic templates.  

LiveDoc data is handled directly in the board file. There are no separate files to save or maintain. Changes to the PCB are passed directly to LiveDoc whether the tool tab is open or not. It also offers automatic creation and updating of drill charts, stackup charts, figures, and tables. This lets you add the accurate information and skip the time-consuming documentation rework after PCB changes.  

You can set the layer visibility individually using the Presto style visibility pane. The adjacent placement panel offers an array of drag-and-drop views, including customizable views. PCB views are scaled-down replicas of the same information in the primary board file. The information is live. Once updated in the layout, you will see the change propagate immediately. This includes dimensioning. Dimensioning is linked to the actual PCB database objects, so, dims will move as objects move. Hence, there will be less time spent in redimensioning or worrying about redundant historical dimensions that might jeopardize relations between you and your supplier. 

A great new feature is the Zoom and Pan Views. You can resize a PCB view and zoom in/out and pan to a specific location inside the view. This is incredibly useful for fine details and regional specifications. 

To do this, follow these steps: 

Hold the Ctrl key and double-click inside the PCB view area. 

The cursor changes to a hand pointer. The mouse scroll wheel is now enabled to zoom in/out or pan for a location-specific detailed view. 

LiveDoc enables linked PCB views, drawing details, document notes, drill charts, and other crucial documentation details. The result is documentation that accurately articulates the instructions needed for a successful fabrication, assembly, and inspection of PCBs. 

A single file can be exported in a PDF format for reviewing and sharing. Enjoy the freedom to share what you like and tell your dear fabricator that we said "Hi”!