Re: Any CADStar comments/stories/users?

Hey Guys,

Here is what I remember about CADStar schematic.

* No Undo function
* No auto panning
* You are forced to build a PCB foot print for every schematic symbol before
you can place the symbol.
* When making a schematic symbol, the symbol does not accept the pin number
directly. You have to maintain a separate file with the pin number mapping.
* You can not cut or delete a symbol without every net connected to it being
cut or deleted as well. They have this thing called a "dangler" you are
required to connect to a net before you delete something. With the Xilinx
Virtex 4 FF1148 package you would have to place hundreds of "dandlers"
before you could delete the symbol.
* If you modify a symbol and move pins or add new ones, when you paste the
new symbol all the nets will get messed up because the tool tries to remap
them automatically..
* The support line is terrible. All they try to do is to sell you on
attending their seminars.

Granted, I have not used CadStar since 3.1, Zuken would have had to
completely redesign the foundation of their system. This POS almost ruined a
project and caused a three month delay. As such, I would never recommend
this nightmare cad tool.

I agree that the PowerLogic schematic tool is lousy, but I like OrCAD
"Capture"

I did not here any mention of Cadence OrCAD "Capture" and Layout Plus. Are
these tools satisfactory in your estimation?


"Brad Velander" <bveland@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:LR***.313843$IK3.237693@xxxxxxxxxxx
James,
While I understand that some people still love their PADs I can't
watch
somebody being sent that direction without saying something. I too used
PADS
PowerPCB through the better part of the 90's and it was my system of
choice
at that time. Today I shake my head and wonder what has happened besides
the
constant change of ownership and rebranding of PADs. I take issue with
Tod's
comment that PADs is the best from Mentor, yeah right and I am the tooth
fairy. He obviously doesn't want a real, modern, useful system or he
wouldn't have ditz'd Expedition with his comment.

First word of caution, stay away from PADs Logic, it is a piece of
***
that PADs gave away free all through the 90's as a freebie if you bought
the
PCB package. Even when I used PADs as my system of choice I never once met
anybody that used PADs Logic, that should tell you something. Everybody
got
it free but they would go out and spend more money to buy something else,
usually OrCAD originally, some Protel later. Today Mentor is charging
$1500
for it and there has been no visible development done on it since the very
early 90's, it is archaic and crude.

For schematic capture you could use OrCAD as suggested or your could
try
and get an old version of Protel just to use the schematic. It is very
close
to OrCAD's schematic. Originally when I first used PADs I was using DOS
OrCAD Capture, a short while later we switched to Protel for schematic
since
it was Windows based and superior to the DOS OrCAD capture at that time.

Second word of caution, I have recently heard from some people
supposedly in the know, that PADs is on the move again. This is
unsubstantiated rumor but the word is that PADs is moving to some 'entity'
called Millenium. What or who Millenium is I don't know. Is it a
prospective
purchaser, a new division of Mentor or an old age home convalesence home
for
a tired old CAD package who knows. Is it in N.A. or Bangalore India, I
don't
know.

I can understand your comments about Altium, I am a Protel/Altium user
myself but on the other side of the CAD tools. I also periodically still
use
PADs in my present employment and I fear each time I am going to have to
use
it. Part of that is the loss of familiarity with the package over the last
almost 10 years (used Accel/PCAD Jr. for a few years and more recently
P99SE) but the rest of it comes from the fact that it is still a DOS
engine
running under the very same ole phoney GUI developed back in the mid 90's.
The manner of dealing with rules is arduous and limited, copying and
pasting
between databases is difficult and varies depending on what you are
copying.
The ability to accurate copy and place fine detail is solely reliant on
your
ingenuity at inventing way to reference those copied bits between
databases.
Importing mechanical details in DXF format is painful and you must be very
precise in how you configure the DXF or it will simply blow up. You must
configure the DXF import as though it is a PADs export to DXF. Don't feel
too comfortable about opening multiple designs with PADS, remember it is
still a DOS engine under the hood, there are all sorts of non-windows
compliant issues especially with multiple windows running. In short, give
it
a good test drive before even looking at the purchase contract.

Personally if I were looking myself, Zuken would get a real good
looking
over and test drive. Don't just play with their canned demo designs. Do a
small but semi-complicated design yourself, from start to finish. Find
their
user forum (Yahoo, Google or company run) and seek out actual users
comments. Would those users purchase it today if they were looking at it
fresh? Other than Zuken I would check out Mentor Expedition if my company
was willing to spend roughly double the money but get a good working tool
that can handle most anything you can throw at it technology wise today or
tomorrow.

--
Sincerely,
Brad Velander.

"Tod Adamson" <tadamson127@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:V6OdneJgx993zUzZnZ2dnUVZ_rqdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
If you like to have schematic capture and layout in the same package you
can
look at Mentor Graphics. PowerPCB, and PowerBGA are their PC based
layout
tools. PowerLogic is the schematic capture tool.
OrCAD is a good package too. The schematic capture tool is called
"Capture"
and the layout tool with the basic autorouter is called "Layout Plus". I
just happen to think that OrCAD "Capture" and Mentor Graphics "PowerPCB"
are
the best from each company.

Tod




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