PCB Design Software and File Types
Designing a PCB, and communicating those design decisions depends on a series of files such as circuit schematic designs, Bill-of-Materials, PCB layouts and stackup design information.
In order to allow for interoperability between the large number of Electronics Design software such as Allegro, Altium Designer, KiCAD and Eagle, a collection of files called Gerbers were developed. Gerber files allow for understanding PCB designs without being locked into a certain design software.
File Types
When generating your first PCB design, there are 2 key files you should prepare:
CAD Aperture files
In the format of RS-274X (Gerber x1), Gerber x2, IPC-2581, ODB++
BOM (Bill of Materials)
In the format of TXT, PDF, CSV, XLSV, etc.
When generating your BOM files, there are few important components to be included:
Component name
MPN (Manufacturer Part Number)
Tag number, the component number in your design files
Quantity
Description
Manufacturer
MPN of the component's alternative
Other remarks
Download our BOM Template here
In addition to the two above, two other file types could also be prepared to provide further information about your PCB:
Mechanical Files
These contain the PCB's dimensions and structure
In the format of DXF, STEP, or DWG
These Mechanical files should contain information about:
The precise PCB outline.
The exact position and size of some internal grooves or cuts.
Specific tolerance requirements.
It can also include some customized panel information, such as drilling patterns, hole position information, layer stacking, positioning holes, special production requirements, etc.
Schematic Diagram Files
| File Type | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DXF/DWG | .dxf .dwg | DXF: CAD drawing exchange format (vector) (ASCII or binary); DWG: CAD drawing file, binary AutoCAD supports both files. |
| Netlist Schematic | .NET | It is a netlist, you can choose a document or a project, and choose the type of netlist |
| Orcad SDT Schematic | .sch | SDT3/4 binary schematic file, AD cannot be opened |
| Orcad v7 Capture Design | .dsn | Capture design files will be automatically converted, prone to errors and failures |
| P-CAD V16 Schematic Design | .sch | ASCII file |
PCB Design files
Which are compiled or generated by Allegro, Altium Designer, Mentor series, EAGLE, ZUKEN, KiCAD, etc., if you want to give your manufacturer the ability to easily alter designs, as Gerber files themselves aren't editable.
In NexPCB, we accept all the file formats mentioned above. However, we would highly recommend using Allegro and Altium Designer for the choice of EDA.
| File Type | Format | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansoft Neutral | .anf | Ansoft US electromagnetic technology simulation EDA software, acquired by ansis | |
| CircuitMaker | .CMPcbDoc | Altium’s PCB layout tool | |
| CircuitStudio | .CSPcbDoc | Altium’s PCB drawing software, AD simplification, device selection | |
| DXF/DWG | .dxf .dwg | AutoCAD drawing vector format file, DataExchangeFile | |
| HyperLynx | .hyp | Mentor's electronic design system-level simulation platform | |
| IDF Board | .brd .bdf .idb .emn .idf | Intermediate Date Format circuit board file. Each IDF contains a combination of board files and library files, such as: EMN/EMP BRD/LIB BDF/LDF IDB/IDL | |
| PARASOLID | .x_t | 3D geometric modeling intermediate data format | |
| P-CAD ASCII | .PCB | Altium’s PCB layout modeling tool | |
| PCBWorks | .PWPcbDoc | Altium Protel NXP’s PCB file format | |
| Protel Netlist | .net | Altium Protel Netlist | |
| Portel PCB 2.8 ASCII | .pcb | Altium Protel 2.8 PCB file | |
| SiSoft | .csv | SiSoft Quantum-SI simulation software | |
| Specctra Design | .dsn | Cadence's PCB tool | |
| STEP 3D | .step .stp | ISO standard for the exchange of 3D models. | |
| VRML | .wrl | Virtual Reality Modeling Language | |
| PDF3D | PDF document with 3D properties |