Allegro X System Capture (EE Cockpit) - Recent Threads

Join our next Live Ask Me Anything Session on System Capture on September 23, 2026

Renu Vibha — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:35:29 GMT

Join us on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for our next LIVE Ask Me Anything (AMA) session focused on System Capture.

This interactive session offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with experts and ask your questions on System Capture, whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of advanced design methodologies or seeking solutions to everyday design challenges. As always, the discussion will be moderated by a Cadence Engineer, who will share practical insights, best practices, and actionable techniques.

Session Details

Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM IST
Location: Join the session here: (https://community.cadence.com/cadence_technology_forums/pcb-design/f/allegro-x-system-capture/66323/join-our-next-live-ask-me-anything-session-on-system-capture-on-september-23-2026)

Be part of an engaging conversation with fellow engineers and industry experts.

We look forward to seeing you here

Spot the Missing Link: Verifying Unconnected Pins in System Capture

Akshay khosla — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:19:11 GMT

Missing pin connections can easily slip into a design and lead to costly debugging later. To help designers catch these issues early, Allegro X System Capture includes an Unconnected Pins schematic audit check that automatically identifies component pins that have been unintentionally left unconnected.

Simply enable the rule from Design Integrity → Configure → Schematic Audit Settings and run Design Integrity → Audit Schematic. The audit report lists any unconnected pins and lets you navigate directly to the affected location in the schematic for quick resolution. For pins that are intentionally left open, use a No Connect (NC) symbol to avoid violations.

This is just one of the many built-in Schematic Audit Checks available in System Capture. These automated checks help improve design quality, reduce review time, catch errors earlier in the design cycle, and ultimately speed up the overall design experience.

: How to create a schematic symbol for an existing custom footprint (padstacks already built) in Allegro X 25

AT202608047036 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 02:38:51 GMT

Hey,

I've already built the padstacks and copper layout for a custom part (an inverted-F antenna element) as a footprint in the PCB library. Now I need to create the matching schematic symbol so I can place it on my schematic page and have it map to that existing footprint.

What I've checked so far:

File > New only offers Project, Block, Footprint, and Template based footprint — there's no "Symbol" option.
Place menu has Component, Wire, Bus, Special Symbols, Schematic Block, Abstract Component, etc. — nothing for creating a brand-new symbol from scratch.
Tools menu has Generate BOM, Launch PCB Editor, Cadence Unified Library Generator, and Part Manager.

I tried a few menus but none worked for me.
Any help is appreciated.

Are You Leveraging System Capture to Its Full Potential - Design customization, custom DRC checks, importing blocks, creating variants and more?

Renu Vibha — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:34:41 GMT

How effectively are you using Allegro System Capture for your design process—are you missing any key capabilities?

Learn more with this
Allegro System Capture (Channel Video)

Why is include and remove option for xnet grayed out in system capture while working in schematic canvas?

Smith ecad — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:28:21 GMT

We were able to assign include and remove from XNET directly in schematic canvas for the nets I see it has been grayed out now? How to edit it?

Getting Started with Power Topology Analysis in Allegro X System Capture

WallEE — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:34:34 GMT

As PCB designs continue to grow in complexity, understanding power distribution early in the design cycle becomes increasingly important. This is where Design Integrity in Allegro X System Capture adds value. Along with capabilities such as Schematic Audit, Electrical Stress (EOS), MTBF, and Thermal Analysis, it also provides Power Topology Analysis to help designers validate and visualize power networks directly from schematic data.

What is Power Topology?

Power Topology Analysis in Allegro X System Capture offers early validation of the Power Distribution Network (PDN) directly from schematic data. It enables designers to visualize power flow, verify power distribution, and identify potential issues before moving further into the design cycle.

The generated topology includes:

Power net names and voltage rails
DC sources and regulators
Pass-through components
Decoupling capacitors
Power sinks and consuming devices
Source-to-sink power flow relationships.

Quick Setup

Open Design Integrity → Configure → Power Topology Settings
2. Define DC Sources
3. Configure DC-DC/LDO devices
4. Identify Pass-Through components
5. Define Power Sink pins
6. Configure required source and sink parameters for the pins.

Once configured, System Capture has sufficient information to build the PDN and understand power flow throughout the design.

Running the Analysis

Run Electrical Analysis → Analyze Power Topology.

You can review results through Graphical View, Hierarchical View, or Dashboard View. The graphical view provides a visual representation of power flow through the design, while the dashboard helps review analysis results and identify potential issues.

Prerequisites

To perform Power Topology Analysis effectively, it's essential to specify power sources, sink pins, and DC-DC/LDO devices along with detailed voltage and current data. This ensures the PDN can be constructed and examined accurately.

Key Benefits

Early validation of power distribution networks with graphical visibility into source-to-sink power flow, enabling faster review and understanding of complex power architectures.
Efficient debugging through cross-probing between topology and schematic data, reducing design iterations while establishing a foundation for downstream PI, IR-drop, and implementation workflows.

I'm new to Decoupling analysis. How can I select and place Decoupling caps for IC in ASC?

Smith ecad — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:19:01 GMT

Overview of DECAPS placement in System capture

How to I map capture olb libraries in system capture without the use of default capture.ini?

Smith ecad — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:00:43 GMT

Hi, our team uses both capture cis and system capture issue is when we work on capture cis the capture.inin gets reset. We want method to have both tool map libraries different places and not same file.

Opening project done in Cadence 16.6 with Free version 25.1

VA202606266120 — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 19:48:53 GMT

Good day, one question please. I am new to Cadence, and I want to open a project done with Cadence version 16.6. I have downloaded the free tryal (version 25.1), but I am not able to open it. When I try to open the .cpm file from Allegro X system capture viewer, it says that the .cpm file is not an Allegro system capture project. Also, I have been able to open the PCB file (.brd), but not an schematic files. Is it possible to open this project from version 25.1?
I see a vhdl file, and some .map, .csv, .csd, .csb, csa, which I understand are the schematic files.

Thanks a lot in advance,

best regards.

Seamlessly Transfer User-Defined Properties from System Capture to Allegro PCB Editor

Akshay khosla — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:59:11 GMT

Here's a quick tip!

Allegro X System Capture provides the flexibility to transfer custom user-defined properties directly to Allegro PCB Editor, enabling seamless design data continuity between schematic and layout. Simply define the property using the appropriate comp_inst_prop directive and export with the "Transfer User Defined Properties" option enabled.

✅ Add the desired custom property to the component in System Capture and close the system capture.

For example: Added TEST_PROP property

✅ Define it using the comp_inst_prop directive in the project (.cpm) or site.cpm file.

✅ Reopen the project and use File → Export → Export to Layout with Transfer User Defined Properties enabled.

Once exported, your custom property will be available in Allegro PCB Editor

When creating a new blank project in SysCap, the default parameter settings for the electrical grid and display electrical grid within the software's grid options are unreasonable.

Zhifeng Jin — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 18:09:51 GMT

For a long time, all mainstream schematic design software on the market follow a unified industry specification: the default pin-to-pin spacing for component symbols is set to 0.1 inch. I fully appreciate that SysCap complies with this standard, as it maintains consistent visual styling for schematics drawn by different engineers.

However, I fail to understand the reasoning behind SysCap’s default grid settings of 0.05 for Electrical Grid and 5 for Display Electrical Grid. With this configuration, the visible display electrical grid (5) on the canvas does not align with the standard 0.1-inch pin pitch of components. Furthermore, the overly fine 0.05-inch electrical snap grid frequently causes pin misalignment, resulting in disorganized and unkempt schematics. This default setup delivers a very poor experience for engineers who prioritize clean, standardized drawings. When multiple schematics created with these default grid settings are merged into a single project, engineers have to spend substantial extra working hours manually realigning all components and wires to the standard grid.

Given the above issues, I recommend Cadence adjust SysCap’s default grid environment configuration to a pin-to-pin spacing of 0.1 inch, an Electrical Grid of 0.1 inch, and a Display Electrical Grid of 1. Drawing with this set of parameters will drastically simplify component and wire alignment while producing schematics with a clean, orderly visual appearance. I sincerely ask your team to evaluate this optimization proposal. Thank you!

In addition, SysCap has been released for nearly seven years, yet it has long lacked an option to switch schematic sheet sizes between imperial and metric units. For instance, it is quite cumbersome if I need to change the schematic sheet size to A3 or A2. You might mention that this can be achieved by modifying environment variables, but I would argue that this approach is outdated. Would not an intuitive dedicated setting greatly improve user experience? Therefore, I sincerely request the addition of a built-in toggle to switch schematic sheet sizes between metric and imperial units in future software releases.

Unable to connect wires to a symbol which has pins inside the symbol boundaries in system capture

Smith ecad — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:03:57 GMT

I m trying to connect wires for a symbol which has a pin inside the symbol boundary. It says A design element already present. How to solve this and connect?

Simplify Schematic Management with Function Overlays in System Capture

Akshay khosla — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:44:19 GMT

System Capture introduces Function Overlays, a powerful way to group components and nets directly on the schematic using graphical shapes.

With Function Overlays, you can define functional regions, assign common attributes (both standard and user-defined), and visually highlight sections for better clarity.

Simply draw an overlay, configure its properties, and all components or nets within it automatically inherit those attributes. Additionally, overlapping overlays allow objects to receive combined properties—making it ideal for complex, multi-domain designs.

This feature significantly improves design organization, readability, and efficiency, reducing the need for manual property assignments for individual components.

To add an overlay in your design, from the floating toolbar, click on Add Functional Overlay option and select the desired shape.

After selecting a shape, the Function Overlay Dialog box is open as shown below. You can define the Overlay Name and add Component and Net properties to be added to the components under this group. You can also toggle the formatting button to highlight the nets / components in the overlay.

Once you have defined the overlay, you can select the components and nets inside it to see that the properties are added to them as defined in the function overlay dialog box.

You can also enable the Function overlay view in the project tree from the Project toggle view.

How do we map special symbols like power and ground in system capture?

Smith ecad — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:53:02 GMT

I have multiple power symbols which I want to use in my design but in the special symbols section I could only see cadence symbols.

How do I add my symbols to use it in my schematic.

How do we control the symbol properties centrally in system capture like text ,font,size, colour etc? Especially for old DE-HDL library?

Smith ecad — Mon, 11 May 2026 05:45:49 GMT

I have a old Concept based HDL libraries, I know I can use it in system capture but how do I control its properties?

Launching *.cpm File in System Capture via Batch File

MZ20250602835 — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:43:18 GMT

Dear all,

i found the command below to open a cpm File if the project name is available.

syscap -proj <project_name>.cpm

syscap -proj <project_path>/<project_name>.cpm -tclfile <tcl file location>\<tcl_file_name>.tcl -product "<license name>" -nograph

May i ask how could i set the value in order the system capture to find the *.cpm and open it without giving a concrete project name?

Best Regards

Moyan

TCL/script to get the Custom variables variant specific Values and transfer to a customer variable?

MZ20250602835 — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 06:09:04 GMT

Dear all,

may i ask how could i make a TCL/script in order to get the Custom variables variant specific Values for specific row(For example row3 DOC_PART_PCBA) and then give/transfer this value to a customer variables?

Many thanks

Moyan

Unable to create smart pdf

Siri — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:02:15 GMT

Hello,

When I try to export a Smart PDF in System Capture, it prompts me for an Allegro Design Publisher license.

Can you please confirm whether an Allegro Design Publisher license is required for Smart PDF generation?

Displaying page number for Multiple Levels hierarchical blocks in Allegro X System Capture

MZ20250602835 — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:56:52 GMT

Dear ALL,

with the script within Displaying start page number for hierarchical blocks in Allegro X System Capture i can get the Page number for the blocks by Simple Hierarchy. But if i have a multiple levels of hierarchy as below i can't get the right number of blocks on page1(1). I got the wrong number for the outputs block and digital block.

Within Page10 there is no page number for fpga_booting block.

May i ask how could i amend the script to get the right number for the block?

Many thanks

Best Regards

Moyan

waive the warnings in the Violation Window in system capture schema

MZ20250602835 — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:49:09 GMT

Dear All,

after Migrating DE-HDL Designs to Allegro X System Capture i usually get some warnings in violation window such as :

may i ask if it is possible to waive these Warnings with TCl Command or other settings under START_CANVAS instead of waive the violations manuell after each import?

Many thanks and Best Regards

Moyan

How to select the Note with specified character such as $ in Text/Note/RichNote

MZ20250602835 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:37:45 GMT

Dear All,

after Migrating DE-HDL Designs to Allegro X System Capture i got some notes which contain the $ in different positions and different pages.

I can find these notes via the tcl command as below:

find -scope "Entire Design" -types "note" {$}

but may i ask how could i only the notes which contain the $ select and then delete? The notes which don't have the $ still stay in the schema.

Many thanks

Best Regards

Moyan

How do I swap pins in a multi-section part in System Capture

MZ20250602835 — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:07:36 GMT

Dear all,

with SWAP_INFO property which enables you to swap pins with the same PIN_GROUP property across different sections within a logical group in DE HDL. But it seems doesn't work in System capture. Does anybody know how could man swap the pins across sections in system capture schema?

Best Regards

Moyan

What are the allowable values for the PIN_EE_MODEL parameter, and what are their definitions?

Peter Evans — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:49:11 GMT

If you go to Design Integrity --> Configure --> Electrical Stress Settings in System Capture X, and select an instance of a component in your design such as Devices --> IC, you'll note that Cadence gave us the option to export the pin properties to a CSV file.

I am looking for an exhaustive list of allowable values for the PINUSE and PIN_EE_MODEL fields, and their respective definitions.

Pin Swap issue from DE HDL to System Capture

MZ20250602835 — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:07:58 GMT

Dear all,

i imported a DE HDL Project into System capture. here i got two issues. This is FPGA design with pinswaps.

The first issue is that after converting the last status of the fpga symbol(some pins are swapped) is not placed in the schema and instead of that the symbol came from the lib without pin swapping. Is it possible to solve this issue?

furthermore i clicked the resolve button and made the first update to layout. I got the net error because all the changes of the pin swapping were removed. I made the pin swap on one pin as test again and made the backward annotation to schema.

i got the 2. issue. I realized that only the Pin Number was swapped but the Pin Name didn't swapped. In DE HDL the pin name swapped with Pin Number together. Is this issue depend on any settings of the system capture?

The Pin Number Y1 in DE HDL Schema is correct after swapping

In the system capture the Y1 with the wrong Pin Name after backwards annotation.

Many thanks and best regards

Moyan

System Capture 24.1 how to move newly created symbols from 'my parts' to 'library' in the unified search window?

RS20250716671 — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 22:55:27 GMT

Hi,

I've been creating new symbols using Part Developer in a dev library. Once I'm happy with the symbol I copy the part folder (which contains other folders i.e. chips, entity, metadata, part_table and sym_1...) into my main corporate library.

Most of the time this goes great. I open the system capture tool and the unified search and I can find my parts under 'Library' However sometimes the new symbols only show up under the 'my parts' library tab.

1) What causes a symbol to show up under 'Library' vs 'My Library' tab in the unified search window?

2) How can I change where a symbol shows up?

I have >200 created symbols in the 'Library' tab, but the latest four symbols I've created are under 'My Parts'

Thanks

Rob