AnsysExporter_Cmd-ExportPCBToAnsysEDBExportPCBToAnsysEDB_AD

Applied Parameters:None

Summary

This command is used to export a PCB document to ANSYS® Electronics Desktop™ as an EDB file. The exported file is generated by the Ansys EDB extension.

Access

This command can be accessed from the PCB Editor by choosing File » Export » Ansys EDB from the main menus.

To export an ANSYS EDB file, the ANSYS EDB Exporter extension must be installed in Altium Designer. To install the extension, click the down arrow at the top right of the design work space then select Extensions and Updates to access the Extensions & Updates page. The Ansys EDB Exporter extension can be located on the Purchased tab. Hover over the extension then click  to install the extension. You will be prompted to restart Altium Designer to complete installation.

Use

After launching the command, the PCB document will be saved as an *.edb file and a dialog will open confirming that the save was successful. The exported data is written into a file in an automatically created EDB folder, named \[Project folder]\[Project name].edb\edb.def

Exported Data

The following PCB objects are exported:

• Copper objects (tracks, arcs, fills, regions, polygons, pads)
• Vias
• Components
• Board layers, including the following supported layer material properties (defined in the Layer Stack Manager):
  • Permittivity (note that the Permittivity (dielectric constant) is set only for dielectric layers).
  • Permeability
  • Conductivity (the default value of 5.8e7 is set for electric layers).
  • DielectricLossTangent
  • MagneticLossTangent
• Board outline, from the Altium Designer board shape (irregular board shapes are supported, board cutouts are not supported).

Exported Component Data

For each component, the following component data is exported:

• ComponentType - mapped to the Part Type property in ANSYS. The component type (resistor, capacitor, inductor) is deduced from the component's designator prefix, R - resistor, L - inductor, C- capacitor. Components with any other designator prefix are assigned the Part Type property value of Other in ANSYS.
• Component Value - mapped to the R, L or C property for RLC components in the ANSYS component model (accessed through the Model Info button in ANSYS).
  The EDB exporter checks for the component value in:
  • a named parameter - Resistance, Capacitance or Inductance, or
  • a parameter called Value, or
  • the Comment parameter
  • if not detected, a default value is used (resistance - 50Ohm, capacitance - 1nF, inductance - 1pH). These defaults are recommended by ANSYS.
• Footprint - the footprint name is mapped to the Part property in ANSYS.