CircuitWorks is just a bridge to allow SOLIDWORKS to open files produced by other ECAD PCB design software. It requires an intermediary file format be used, referred to as IDF files. IDF (Intermediate Data Format) is an open file format that has gone through a few revisions. Most common is IDF 2.0 and 3.0. The SOLIDWORKS PCB Viewer is a free viewer application that can be used to view native SOLIDWORKS PCB files, allowing for better review and collaboration with all the members of your electronics design team. You install SOLIDWORKS PCB Viewer through the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager.
| File type | Printed Circuit Board Format |
| Developer | N/A |
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Start SOLIDWORKS. Click File Menu and choose Open. Step 3: Change file type. Change file of type to STEP AP203/214. Step 4: Locate the STEP file. Now browse to location where the STEP file is. In mine case it is on desktop. Step 5: Open the file. Double click the file and it is opened. An import Diagnostics dialogue is displayed. An electrical engineer using SOLIDWORKS PCB can make changes to a printed circuit board and push those changes to a shared repository. A mechanical engineer using the SOLIDWORKS software can pull the changed circuit board from the repository, analyze the modifications, make additional changes, and push the design back to the repository, where. I have used CircuitWorks, a SolidWorks add-in to bring Allegro (Cadence) files into SolidWorks. You export the Allegro data as an IDF file (there are actually two files) and then use CircuitWorks to import the data into SolidWorks which builds a 3D model of the board.
What is a PCB file?
PCB file format was developed for purposes related to electronics. PCB is a text file that stores a project of printed circuit board. The solution guarantees proper board layout and connections between the board’s components.
Finished projects are then used in PCB manufacturing process. PCB files can be viewed and editied using dedicated applications, though users may encounter some format compatibility issues.
Program(s) that can open the .PCB file
Windows
Linux
How to open PCB files
If you cannot open the PCB file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports PCB among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the PCB file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the PCB format files
The inability to open and operate the PCB file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Printed Circuit Board Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a PCB file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the PCB file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the PCB from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the PCB format
- The PCB file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the PCB file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a PCB file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the PCB file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the PCB file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the PCB file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .a1wish | Audials Wishlist Format |
| .a3l | Adobe Authorware Library Format |
| .a3m | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a3w | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a4l | Adobe Authorware Library Format |
| .a4m | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a4w | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a5l | Adobe Authorware Library Format |
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.PCB) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected PCB file. From the drop-down menu select 'Choose default program', then click 'Browse' and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the PCB file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. PCB) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.
Anyone ever import a CADENCE Allegro PCB into SolidWorks?
Anyone ever import a CADENCE Allegro PCB into SolidWorks?
Hi Folks,I'm just wondering if anyone has ever import a PCB design (done in Allegro) directly into SolidWorks. If so what have you found to be the best intermediate format? Or what intermediate formats are available for export within the Allegro environment (e.g. IGES, STEP, etc.).
I've never done anything like this before and am in the dark. Any feedback would be appreciated greatly.
Open Solidworks Files Without Solidworks
Best regards,What Files Can Solidworks Open
Solidworks Pcb Cost
Chris Gervais
Application Engineeer
CADD Edge