PCB Design & ECAD-MCAD CoDesign
PCB Design & Collaboration Ecosystem
This section tracks the transition of printed circuit board geometries from component layout grids to real-world mechanical enclosures.
🔄 Integration Matrices
| Tool Platform | Native Engine File Format | Primary Sync Connection Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Fusion Electronics | .f3d / Natively Integrated |
Direct push/pull modeling inside the cloud canvas |
| Autodesk EAGLE | .brd / .sch |
Legacy XML mapping / direct migration import |
| Altium Designer | .PcbDoc / .SchDoc |
Altium CoDesigner Plugin via standard IDX protocols |
🛠️ Connecting Altium Designer to the Toolchain
Altium uses the Altium CoDesigner extension to interface directly with Autodesk Inventor:
- Install the appropriate MCAD CoDesigner extension inside Altium Designer.
- Install the companion plugin client inside your local instance of Autodesk Inventor.
- Use the CoDesigner panel to Push board outlines, rigid-flex zones, and step component files to your corporate data repository.
- The mechanical engineer then opens Inventor, uses the pull functionality, and views the generated true-scale assembly model natively.
⚡ Fusion Electronics vs. Legacy EAGLE
- EAGLE Legacy Workflow: Required manual step-file generation or utilization of a separate script layer to link schematic footprints to generic mechanical enclosures.
- Fusion Native Workflow: Eliminates intermediate translation layers. Modifying an enclosure trace perimeter updates the PCB layout shape boundary instantly in the electrical layout view.
🗄️ Data Tracking Note: All finished board layouts must be checked into the main database system to prevent design overlap. See Vault Setup & Configuration.