Making CircuitWorks produce useful output? 1

[TheTick]

Trying to learn CircuitWorks. Frustrating. Just a lot of BS videos showing it do a half-baked job with canned demos. Nothing that really helps solve any of the myriad problems that emerge when trying to use for real work.

Why does CW put all my top-surface outline sketches on the bottom surface?

When I re-import .emn files to check results, why are components hurled into space at odd angles?

Why are all of my components designated as "R", in spite of their given default designators?

 

[GRF]

Tick,

It has been a long time since I have tried to use the software but here are my thoughts. Are you using the default components in the software? You need to modify the component library and reset the 0,0 and angle for the parts to match what the PCB layout person uses. This can be done in the library editor, with out having to change the actual models. I am guessing your components that are floating in air are through hole components or the x/y plane is a x/z plane or something.

As for the board outline and stuff like that I am not 100% sure I understand what you are saying. From experience (2006-2010), I had to create the board shape and cutouts all in one feature with a specific name. If you wanted to add a hole or a slot it had to be in the same feature as the board outline.

I cannot remember it bringing in reference designators at the time I was using.

The program was kind of half baked when I used it. Solidworks had just purchased the company back in 2006/07 time frame and it became packaged as part of premium. I think it was an attempt to get into what they are now doing with Altium and Solidworks PCB.

I did not like that it does not pull in the Cu as I always have to run thermal simulations on the PCB's to make sure things do not over heat. I only found it useful if I have to populate a PCA with a lot of components. Anything under 10 components was easier to do manually but when you start getting up into 100-150 components for a power supply or something it definitely is quicker to have Circuit works bring them in even if not all the parts are in the library.

 

[ctopher]

I tried using it also. I have the issue with it not finding a library, then I only get a board outline.

Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks '16
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