March 4, 1996 Santa Cruz, CA

Artwork Joins PADS Software VIA Program

Artwork Conversion has joined PADS Software VIA Program for third party integrators and developers. We will develop several translators for PAD's family of PCB programs. These include:

PADS to GDSII Bidirectional Translator

This is a bidirectional translator between the PADS ASCII database and the GDSII stream file format. This will enable PAD's designers who need very precise glass masks to output GDSII data directly. GDSII is the IC industry's standard mask description language.

This translator will be smart enough to convert lines with width, curved lines, all pad types including thermal reliefs and copper pour areas.

HP EEsof MSK to PADS

This translator will read the mask file format from HP EEsof's Series IV microwave design software package and convert it into PADS layout data.

This will provide microwave and RF designers an effective method of transferring their optimized microwave layout into PADS.

Currenly, designers are getting from Series IV to PADS via two translations - generally using DXF as an intermediate file format. However essential data is lost - most microwave elements are equivalent to complex copper pour areas in PADS - but importing though the DXF format loses both the copper pour attribute and also the internal voids information. The PADS designer is required to redraw the circuit manually.

All translators will be offered on Windows 95, NT, SunOS, Solaris and HPUX.


Artwork Conversion Software, Inc. [Company Profile]
417 Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Tel (831) 426-6163
email: webmaster@artwork.com


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