Issue link: https://resources.pcb.cadence.com/i/1518553
OrCAD X – Unified PCB Design Without Compromise 3 www.cadence.com PCB Layout OrCAD X PCB Layout has been designed to combine ease of adoption with the technical depth required for modern high-speed design. Its streamlined user interface with simplified menus, context-sensitive commands, and consolidated toolbars allows new users to become productive within a week, while experienced designers benefit from reduced repetitive clicks and navigation overhead. This accessibility makes it equally suitable for electrical engineers taking on their first layout and profes- sional PCB designers managing complex, multi-layer boards. Behind its approachable interface lies a comprehensive set of layout capabilities. Designers can access interactive and automatic routing, rigid-flex support, BGA fanout gener- ation, pin and gate swapping, integrated constraint management, and in-design DFM checking. High-performance 3D visualization tools provide insight into mechanical clearances and manufacturability, while native translators preserve design IP from tools such as Altium Designer ® , Siemens ® PADS™, and Autodesk ® Eagle ® . This ensures continuity for teams transitioning to OrCAD X and protects the investment in legacy designs. OrCAD X supports advanced high-speed workflows with real-time impedance and coupling analysis, single-ended and differential pair phase control, and modeless signal integrity verification. Engineers can maintain compliance with interconnect standards without disrupting their workflow by checking constraints during routing. Built-in commenting and markup features streamline design reviews by allowing stakeholders to provide feedback directly within the design environment, making it easier to highlight issues, suggest changes, and resolve problems faster than with static file exchanges. The platform is further strengthened by ISO 26262 certification, which qualifies it for use in automotive functional safety applications. The OrCAD X PCB Layout database is fully compatible with Allegro ® X PCB Editor, ensuring that projects can scale seamlessly into enterprise-level environments. This compatibility supports mixed-team workflows where smaller projects may start in OrCAD X but need to integrate into larger, more complex Allegro programs, protecting libraries, rules, and data integrity across the Cadence ecosystem. Key Features Rigid-Flex Design The OrCAD X layer stack manager supports advanced rigid-flex architectures by allowing multiple stackup zones to be defined within a single PCB. Each zone can be configured independently with the appropriate copper layers, dielectric materials, solder masks, surface finishes, stiffeners, and other fabrication attributes. This level of granularity ensures that designers can accurately model real-world rigid-flex constructions and eliminate surprises during manufacturing. Designers can further enhance stackup zones with bend lines, angles, and bend order, creating a true 3D interactive representation of the board. By visualizing bends in context, engineers can assess how traces, vias, and components interact with mechanical constraints, greatly reducing the risk of copper fractures or delamination in flex regions. OrCAD X automatically applies associated keepouts, constraint regions, and optional design rooms, ensuring that placement and routing comply with mechanical limits. Contour routing accelerates rigid-flex routing by under- standing the unique geometries of flexible regions and expediting connectivity between zones. Combining in-design rules with constraint enforcement, OrCAD X ensures correct-by-construction designs that are fabrica- tion-ready on the first release, even for highly complex flex geometries. Cloud Concurrent PCB Layout Traditional team-based PCB design often relies on parti- tioning, which forces projects to be divided into artificial sections that must later be merged. OrCAD X eliminates this bottleneck with true concurrent PCB co-design, allowing