ECAD‑MCAD collaboration

Creo ECAD-MCAD Collaboration is an interactive environment for native ECAD tools, Creo Parametric, and Creo View ECAD. ECAD and MCAD users can propose and share design changes and synchronize the mechanical and the electrical aspects of an ECAD assembly design. Deletion, modification, movement of assembly components and changes to the board outline constitute a design change.

The incremental EDMD IDX file includes the content of the incremental design change and a record of the change history. Use this incremental EDMD IDX file to propose and review design changes in a workflow across Creo Parametric and the native ECAD tools. Below is a typical ECAD-MCAD Collaboration workflow:

NOTE: Before starting to apply this guide in Creo Parametric, please check that Creo View ECAD Validate is installed in your PC.

MCAD Designer sends design Baseline to ECAD

In order to start a collaboration with ECAD, the first task is to create a IDX Baseline from Creo Parametric. In Preliminary Mechanical Assembly PCA, go to File -> Save As -> Save a Copy.
The Save a Copy dialog box opens:

• Select proper destination folder.
• Select Type EDMD (*.idx).
• Enter New file name and press OK.

ECAD Designer accepts Baseline and proposes Design Changes

The ECAD user receives the baseline IDX file sent by the MCAD designer and performs the following steps:

• Imports the IDX file into a native ECAD tool.
• Add components in the design. When the ECAD designer places the components, they are added with the correct reference designators. The MCAD designer does not have to manually add the reference designator on each component.
• Saves an incremental IDX file of the modified design and sends it as proposal to the MCAD designer.

MCAD Designer accepts/rejects ECAD proposal

NOTE: Creo View ECAD Validate will ask the user to complete the User Info until he does so. It is highly recommended to fill in the fields like this:

• User Login: -
• User Email: iit e-mail address or other personal business e-mail
• User Name: Name Surname
• User Phone: -

The MCAD designer performs the following steps when the ECAD designer sends the incremental IDX file with the marked changes:

• Open the Preliminary Mechanical Assembly PCA in Creo Parametric.
• Click ECAD Collaboration.
• Click Launch Validate in the ECAD-MCAD Collaboration tab. Creo View ECAD Validate opens in a separate window.
• Load the IDX file received from the ECAD designer in Creo View ECAD Validate .

• Validate the proposed design changes that are displayed as transactions in the Transactions List of Creo View ECAD Validate with cross select and preview.
• Right-click a validated transaction in the Transactions List or click Edit -> Revise State on the menu bar to set the transaction to one of the following states:
  • Set as Accept—Sets the transaction state as Accepted. The changed object associated with the selected transaction is displayed in green in the assembly design.
  • Set as Reject—Sets the transaction state as Rejected. The changed object associated with the selected transaction is displayed in the Creo Parametric database color.
  • Set as Undecided—Sets the transaction state to an unresolved state, neither accepted nor rejected.
  • Set as Deleted—Excludes the selected transaction from the collaboration.
    

  NOTE: it is a good practice to insert a brief explanation when you perform one of the above actions. OK and Cancel are available on the ECAD-MCAD Collaboration tab when you set the transaction state to Accept or Reject in Creo View ECAD Validate .

• Click File -> Save in Creo View ECAD Validate to save the transaction states to the IDX file.
• Click File -> Close in Creo View ECAD Validate .
• Click OK on the ECAD-MCAD Collaboration tab to commit the accepted design objects to the assembly database and quit the collaborative session. The objects that were displayed in green when accepted are displayed in the Creo Parametric database color.

The ECAD Changes Notification dialog box informs you about the update of the ECAD assembly and the ECAD log file with the changes. It also informs you that some objects can fail or are suppressed during the assembly update. It prompts you to confirm the update. The Board Update - Break of Dependency dialog box informs you about the break in dependencies and the redefinition of features.

• Click OK on these dialog boxes to confirm the update of the assembly.

MCAD Designer propose a change

The MCAD designer performs the following steps when sending an incremental IDX file with the changes to the ECAD designer:

• Open the Preliminary Mechanical Assembly PCA in Creo Parametric and perform changes in the model.
• Click ECAD Collaboration.
• Select what is changed in the graphic area or in the model tree and click Propose.
• The Save a Copy dialog box opens: select the destination folder and the IDX file name and press OK.

Electronic Engineer Finalize Design Changes

ECAD and MCAD proposal process can be iterated more than once. When the design is completed, the ECAD Designer generates an incremental IDX containing the final proposal and MCAD Designer accepts it:

• Open the Mechanical preliminary Assembly PCA in Creo Parametric.
• Click ECAD Collaboration.
• Click Launch Validate in the ECAD-MCAD Collaboration tab. Creo View ECAD Validate opens in a separate window.
• Load the IDX file received from the ECAD designer in Creo View ECAD Validate .
• Validate the proposed design changes that are displayed as transactions in the Transactions List of Creo View ECAD Validate with cross select and preview.
• Right-click a validated transaction in the Transactions List or click Edit -> Revise State on the menu bar to set the transaction to one of the following states:
  • Set as Accept—Sets the transaction state as Accepted. The changed object associated with the selected transaction is displayed in green in the assembly design.
    

  NOTE: it is a good practice to insert a brief explanation when you perform this action.

• Click File -> Save in Creo View ECAD Validate to save the transaction states to the IDX file.
• Click File -> Close in Creo View ECAD Validate .
• Click OK on the ECAD-MCAD Collaboration tab to commit the accepted design objects to the assembly database and quit the collaborative session. The objects that were displayed in green when accepted are displayed in the Creo Parametric database color.
• Click OK on these dialog boxes to confirm the update of the assembly.