How To Open Pcb File In Solidworks

Importing Gerber/DXF from PCB into SolidWorks

The SOLIDWORKS Open Dialog Box has many tools that you may not have noticed, and they vary depending on the file type you are opening. The following hidden tricks are not available when opening files from Windows Explorer, so either use the SOLIDWORKS Open Dialog, or I will show you where to find them under the Recent File list at the bottom of. The SOLIDWORKS PCB Connector is available as an extension to Altium Designer and is distributed through SOLIDWORKS and their reseller network. Follow the link and complete the form to have a SOLIDWORKS expert contact you to answer your questions and discuss any of your needs. However, PCB document files from Altium Designer must be opened through the Import feature. Navigate and pick the design files to be converted and select OK. The SOLIDWORKS PCB Import Files conversion will happen in the background and you will receive a completion message when finished. In the product selection step, select the SOLIDWORKS PCB Viewer as shown below to install. Click Next to begin the installation. Once the installation is complete, you can launch the Viewer and sign in to SOLIDWORKS PCB Services to access your projects. The Server address will be:9780. Can SolidWorks PCB Read/open Allegro Files (Ex:.brd file) Can SolidWorks PCB Read/open IDF Format. If it reads Allegro or IDF file (Neutral file, emn/emp files), can it export files to SolidWorks 3D CAD; If it can export will Traces, Vias and Silkscreen also export along and it can be seen in SolidWorks 3D.

As the design of PCB's becomes more complex, the need to do 3D modeling of a printed circuit board also becomes more important. Many PCB design tools have an interface to SolidWorks via the IDF file format -- however this approach is useful mostly for components, connectors, board outline and mounting holes. If you need conductor and plated through hole data in 3D, IDF is not a good solution. And, of course, if your PCB layout tool does not support IDF you are out of luck.

AutoCAD DXF?

An initial thought is to use SolidWorks ability to import AutoCAD's DWG/DXF format as a way to move the board data into SolidWorks. For example, it is pretty easy to convert most Gerber files into DXF. However those that have tried this have found it does not work as well as one would hope.

Issues?

    Polylines with width not supported - SolidWorks doesn't read the width of the polyline (this may have changed in recent versions of SW) so if you are using polylines with width in AutoCAD to represent traces you lose them.

    Layers not Supported - most PCBs have multiple layers and you want the conductors on each layer to stay on the layer. If you try to import multiple layers into solidworks you'll find that they all get mushed together.

    Manual Extrusions - You'll have to manually select the lines/arcs and extrude them to get a 'part' in Solidworks. While this is not a problem for a few pieces, a large PCB makes this quite aggravating.

    No Z Data - assuming you have a 'stack' of conductor and dielectric layers, you have to import them one at time and then assemble them. Again, very time consuming.

    Material Properties - it would be nice if you could pass the fact that your conductors are copper and that your board is FR4 (or alumina or whatever material) but these attributes have to be attached manually.


How To Open Pcb File In Solidworks

Open Solidworks File Online

Examples of DXF into SolidWorks

It might be worthwhile to actually demonstrate some of these issues mentioned above. We are going to run two experiments: Gerber to DXF using a standard converter and Gerber to DXF using Artworks GBRUNION. What is the difference?

GBR2DXF

    No special processing
    round pads to circles in DXF
    draws to polylines with width
    no support for negative or paint/scratch layer operations
    supports multiple layers
    no understanding of drill holes
    no understanding of stackup position

GBRUNion

    Unionizes all data into clean boundaries
    can recover arcs and circles
    support for negative or paint/scratch layer operations
    supports multiple layers
    no understanding of drill holes
    no understanding of stackup position

Here is the set of Gerber Files we are going to use for our demo


The red layer is the top.gbr, the green layer is the bottom.gbr, the blue layer is an inner power/ground (drawn in reverse as is typical for such layers) and the yellow layer represents the drill data which runs all the way through the board. A magenta layer is hardly visible but contains the board outline. You can download the set of Gerber files as solidworks_gerber.zip

Solidworks Pcb Cost

How To Open Pcb File In Solidworks

Have a problem opening a .DRR file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what DRR files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .DRR file type?

SOLIDWORKS PCB Drill Report File.

SOLIDWORKS PCB Matkap Rapor Dosyası.

Software to open or convert DRR files

You can open DRR files with the following programs:
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