CadSoft EAGLE Importer

Transcription

1 CadSoft EAGLE Importer Old Content - visit altium.com/documentation Modified by on 31-Jan-2014 Related Videos EAGLE Importer Not all design work is done in Altium Designer. If you are new to Altium Designer, you will undoubtedly have designs in some other file format either from an older Altium design solution, or some other EDA vendor tool. Even if you are an existing user of Altium Designer day-in, day-out, there may be times where you are presented with a design created outside of Altium Designer. Supporting your need to work with design files in other formats and from other tools, Altium Designer 14.0 heralds the arrival of an importer for CadSoft EAGLE (Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor) design files and libraries (*.sch, *.brd, *.lbr). Altium Designer's EAGLE Importer is able to import EAGLE design files saved with EAGLE version (or later). These are XML-format in nature EAGLE binary-format design files cannot be imported directly using the EAGLE Importer. For these older, binary version design files, it is advised to save them in this later (XML) format, through your EAGLE software, before attempting to import into Altium Designer. Installing the EAGLE Importer The EAGLE Importer can be installed alongside all other importers and exporters as part of initial installation of Altium Designer. Simply ensure that the EAGLE option part of the Importers\Exporters functionality set is enabled, on the Select Design Functionality page of the Altium Designer Installer.

2 The EAGLE Importer is selected for installation as part of the Importers\Exporters area of functionality. If you opted not to install importers and exporters during the initial installation of your Altium Designer instance, you can modify the installation at any stage thereafter. For more information on how to do this, see Changing Installed Core Functionality after Installation. Accessing and Running the EAGLE Importer Import is performed using the Import Wizard (File» Import Wizard). Simply select the EAGLE Projects and Designs entry to gain access to the EAGLE Import Wizard and click Next.

3 Access the EAGLE Import Wizard, through Altium Designer's umbrella Import Wizard. The EAGLE Import Wizard will guide you through the steps involved when importing these types of files, including: Specifying which EAGLE design archives (BRD and/or SCH) to include in the process. Specifying which EAGLE library files (LBR) to include in the process. Setting general log reporting options. Setting options related to import of schematic design files and libraries. If power ports in your EAGLE designs are named using the format P+?, then accepting the default setting for the recognition of standard ports (with Port designators set to PORT?;P+?) will result in those power ports being incorrectly translated as standard ports, leading to shorts in the circuitry. In this case, simply change the Port designators setting to PORT?.

4 Specify which EAGLE design files and/or libraries are to be imported, and any other options as required. You have full control over where the generated Altium Designer project(s) and associated documents are to be located, by specifying an output directory.

5 By default, the output directory will target the location of the original source EAGLE design/library files. The proposed output structure is also displayed, so you can see exactly what you're getting. If all is as required, proceed with the import by clicking Next. If you need to change anything, click the Back button. If you want to cancel out of the import, click Cancel. Check output directory and proposed structure, before proceeding with the import process. The result of the import can be seen in the Projects panel and can be summarized as follows: An Altium Designer PCB Project (*.PrjPcb) is created per EAGLE.sch,.pcb and.lbr involved in the import. An EAGLE schematic design archive (*.sch) is imported into an Altium Designer Schematic

6 document (*.SchDoc). An EAGLE PCB design archive (*.pcb) is imported into an Altium Designer PCB document (*.PcbDoc). An EAGLE library (*.lbr) is imported as Altium Designer Schematic (*.SchLib) and PCB (*.PcbLib) library documents. In addition, an integrated Library (*.IntLib) is compiled based on these source libraries. A Log file (*.log) is generated for each imported file, which shows the results of analysis on the original EAGLE file, as well as any errors and warnings (if enabled for inclusion). Resulting Altium Designer PCB projects, with opened schematic and PCB documents, after importing EAGLE.pcb and.sch design files. Source URL: