EDIF: How far is it?

Hello All,

Here we go again: Cadsoft Eagle on this side and another company using Orcad, meaning we cannot exchange files other than through bitmaps or other not so suitable formats.

Where does EDIF stand? Is there a chance that some day people will really be able to exchange schematics and other drawings between different platforms?

Regards, Joerg

The Pulsonix software I use can import EDIF files.

Leon

Hello Leon,

That is great. Question: Did you ever try it for schematics? If yes, from which other package were they?

Regards, Joerg

I've never tried it, I don't have any EDIF files (not for schematics, anyway).

Here is the complete list, from the import Help:

a.. P-CAD - PCB design PDIF (*.pdf) a.. Accel - PCB netlist (*.net) a.. PADS - PCB design (*.asc) a.. OrCAD EDIF - Netlist (*.net) a.. OrCAD II DOS PCB Netlist (*.net) a.. Cadstar - PCB netlist (*.cpa) a.. Viewdraw EDIF netlist (*.net) a.. Viewdraw PAckage file netlist (*.pkg) a.. EDIF 2.0.0 netlist (*.net)

Leon

EDIF was created by an industry COMMITTEE. Need I say more ?:-)

Schematic Software companies don't want you to be able to translate between tools. Everyone is supposed to use only their tool.

Having to confront this problem almost on a daily basis I find that you can get it done thru a 3rd party service, but at a rather nasty cost.

My clients and I generally dodge the problem by using netlist comparators.

I have also have some gimmicks of my own that allow me to just plunk down a block and pull in the client's portion of the chip design via a netlist.

Of course everyone's netlist has it's peculiarities, particularly in the ASIC business, so there can be some substantial fine tuning required. A good search and replace editor, like UltraEdit, helps a lot.

...Jim Thompson

others

Only because they all realized that M$ was the big dog and learned to deal with its format. (In OOo's case, better than M$.) If there was a 90% market-share ECAD corp., the same would apply. As it is, they all think that they're Microsoft.

I've learned to just accept that "Life sucks, then you die". Seek out open source software solutions where possible and give your money to the least-evil vendor otherwise.

Hello Jeff,

http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:XERL1SYxalsJ:

There are several translation SW providers like these. But they concentrate on transferring layout data and also netlists, not schematics.

Netlists in itself are easy. Eagle, for example, has numerous translation tools. Layout info is more tedious and translation can cost quite a bundle.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Leon,

Well, except for PADS these are netlists. Most CAD programs including Cadsoft Eagle can deal with foreign netlists. Ok, I don't have a Menu item like you do with Pulsonix. I'd have to run a little user language program but that would be no problem since it can be started right from the GUI. However, all this will not transfer a schematic one-to-one. IOW, you'd have to place the parts and draw most of the remainder again, almost from scratch. Then when you hand it back the other side has to do the same. Again.

I wonder what Edif is all about if we can't even exchange schematics. I mean, even in the highly competitive office software market a document tranfer between MS-Office, Word Perfect, Open Office and others is possible almost without a hitch. Not so in CAD.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Jim,

ROFL...

They seem to be in a ferocious turf battle. I don't think turf battles make a lot of sense. Like the old fashioned VAR sales strategy but at least that could be circumvented by buying in another country where the price was right.

With analog schematics it is almost the same effort to just draw the whole thing again from scratch. With ASIC that's different, to an extent. When I did a mux chip I was very lucky, the layout and device experts used the same CAD. Else it would have been days of extra grunt work.

Regards, Joerg

Hello Jeff,

ROFL! That was a good one.

But they have to watch out. Look what happened with Spice. In the 80's everyone wanted oodles of money for a decent package. Now there is LTSpice. For free, and it's good enough for probably about 90% of engineers who need to simulate.

Actually, life is good...

Well, that's one reason why I switched to Cadsoft. Their pricing is so much better than most others and the package is nicely integrated. It doesn't have a direct simulator link but so far I can live with that. My old Orcad doesn't have that either.

Regards, Joerg