Solidworks PCB 2017, Whaaaaaaaa?

[garboui]

So just found out about this yesterday. Its DSS/ Solidworks' new baby. Its EDA within SW but all marketed as "powered by altium" Looks promising and is 60% the cost of AD. The biggest defeature from AD that I have found out so far is the lack of baked in simulation. However it is still unknown how the base of the software may be branched from Altium bug fixes and revisions.

I plan on test driving it soon. I am also a user of SW and if they have crossed over some of the parametric features in the layout this might become a compelling choice.

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/electrical-design/solidworks-pcb.htm

[DerekG]

all marketed as "powered by altium" Looks promising and is 60% the cost of AD.

The top ribbon bar looks similar to Altium's Circuit Studio so it would be wise to compare the features Vs cost against that package. Current pricing:

https://au.element14.com/altium/11-100-15-1-e/circuitstudio-commercial-license/dp/2490980?COM=superwidget-link_AltiumCircuitStudio%20CMPNULL

The promo video for Circuit Studio:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2617120237001?bckey=AQ~~,AAABPSuWGVE~,e48IldkKVVjbNO0-7NKHE1IoIlbqSFTu&bctid=4041349353001

[Warhawk]

 

[T3sl4co1l]

Simulation?  People still use that?

Altium probably hasn't touched their SPICE code in over a decade (that said, I understand they did actually make some fixes in AD17, astonishingly enough), and it's not like anyone provides XSPICE-compatible models for ICs.

Curious to see how this actually works out in practice.  Too bad I don't know SaladWorks, and the ME doesn't know Altium...

Tim

[Harvs]

That looks identical to CS, with a couple of very small cosmetic changes.

I'm surprised Solidworks are taking on a PCB package with so many holes in it.

[HighVoltage]

I am using SW all the time, so this might be a very good addition.

[garboui]

I am going to be demoing the SW PCB this week. I will try and make a fair comparison. I have not used circuit studio so it will be difficult to evaluate where it will fall in features between AD and CS. I have been told that function is farther from CS and more towards AD (90% of AD) functionality. The file formats are the same as AD and designs can be worked on both platforms. If this hold true, I wonder for how long as it seems like SWPCB may become a branch of AD development.

[darko31]

My main two CAD tools are Solidworks and Altium. Seeing them two together may be interesting combo.

[Harvs]

I am going to be demoing the SW PCB this week. I will try and make a fair comparison. I have not used circuit studio so it will be difficult to evaluate where it will fall in features between AD and CS. I have been told that function is farther from CS and more towards AD (90% of AD) functionality. The file formats are the same as AD and designs can be worked on both platforms. If this hold true, I wonder for how long as it seems like SWPCB may become a branch of AD development.

There's a few of us here that can point out critical problems with CS from stuff they've removed from AD, so that would be a good starting point to consider if road testing.

E.g. The missing filter tools ("Find similar objects" and the filter query panel) mean that there's simply no way of doing certain things in CS without hacking the files outside of it.  This would be a critical failure if they've left it out.

They really need to come to the party and state upfront exactly what has been removed and not some random number.  The problems with CS relate to them removing things that Altium deemed as efficiency tools, however they may or may not have realised at the time that there were uses for these tools in the most basic of scenarios for which no other option was given.  E.g. On a PCB, select all objects, lock them in the inspector and select away.  Because the filter tool was the only way to select more than one locked object, you've now effectively bricked your PCB and you need to go recover from a backup.

[Bud]

CS is a Mickie-Mouse tool. It would be a shame if SW went with combining their adult tool with a Mickie-Mouse one.

[PCB.Wiz]

I have been told that function is farther from CS and more towards AD (90% of AD) functionality. The file formats are the same as AD and designs can be worked on both platforms.

Good grief, not yet-another-format variant, with fall between two stools risk...

Mentor tried this and failed badly, as the 'crippled' version removed ASCII import and export, purely as turf protection.
Such Turf paranoia usually drives these things, and you might find for example, a feature enabled in AD cannot be disabled in CS+, because the menu is removed !!  I'd be very wary of claims like "designs can be worked on both platforms", especially if they pitch as a third product.

I am going to be demoing the SW PCB this week. I will try and make a fair comparison. I have not used circuit studio so it will be difficult to evaluate where it will fall in features between AD and CS.

Can you install a CS eval,  so you can check how they differ ?

[garboui]

Finally got around to test driving SW PCB. Started by beginning sch for a phono preamp that ive been putting off transitioning from perf board to PCB. Got as far as laying down a couple of opamp stages. Not using channeled design.

The deficiencies that I have noticed so far is:
1) Hotkeys - They are preset for only a limited number of functions. These functions are fixed and not editable. "Wire" and "place part", for example, is not even on a hotkey, and requires a click up to the ribbon or some navigation through right click>>place>>wire.

2) Started a new integrated library for the parts I'm adding to the project. Well its already corrupted and cant be saved to or selected from.

3) I switch the to be scroll wheel driven. Works great with a mouse, change to using the trackpad (normally supports 2 finger scroll) and anything might happen; usually the screen just bounces about some.

That's all for now and I'm already thinking of jumping back over to AD or something else all together. Perhaps it either needs a few more years of maturity in the SW ecosystem or this is the reality of basic functionality they are stripping out to justify the lower price point.