VisualPCB Layout + Autorouter + Viewer

Complete your design with VisualPCB, a multi-layered Printed Circuit Board Layout program, comes with thousands of devices and foot prints. The auto placement, and auto routing capability, helps you finish your designs in a hurry.

VisualPCB the most complete, full featured Printed Circuit Board Design and Layout Utility (also available separately). VisualPCB provides all the sophisticated features necessary for P.C.B. creation, editing or revision, artwork printing and plotting, and complete error design checking all from within a single program. The system includes VisualPCB layout Editor, Automatic Router, Gerber File Import, Export and Viewing all at an affordable price.

Surface Mount Devices

VisualPCB includes the functions needed for today's board technologies – it supports standard through-hole mount and full-surface mount. It provides for automatic foot-print mirroring, zero diameter pads, and solder paste masks, making surface mount a snap.

Single and Multi-Layer

Single and Multi-Layer boards are supported – in fact, VisualPCB supports up to 255 layers – each layer provides masks for: conductor, solder mask, paste mask, assembly mask, routing schedule, power & ground, drill drawing mask, sketch mask (for notes etc.).

Automatic Part Placement

VisualPCB contains unique and exclusive automatic part placement functions to streamline the design process – by using the VisualSpice Schematic to produce net-lists, the program will create the preliminary outline of the board and assist in component placement. Select to display a "Rats Nest" view or select components – and when moving components, the Rats Nest dynamically moves allowing fast, sure placement. This facilitates each component's placement and significantly speeds the design process.

Unique Features

VisualPCB provide support for other important board design features, including: blind and buried vias, thermal relief pads, power and ground planes. Also, a unique "Region (Copper) Pour" feature that allows drawing areas for ground planes, etc. (provides support for variable pattern meshes).

Design Rule Checker

The On-Line Design Rule Checker means that common errors never get ignored – using the schematic net-list, all connections are verified, and shorts eliminated. This occurs on-demand while designing the board – no waiting for lengthy reports (though reports are also available) – allows instantaneous correction while still in the editor. This assures accuracy and improved productivity. Also, any component can be manually selected to show its connection to other components.

Extensive Output

VisualPCB provide full support for industry output formats, including: Excellon compatible NC drill files, aperture list for Gerber and laser photo-plotters, AutoCAD DXF, analog & digital simulator files, as well as 15 other net list formats. It is also easy to import existing designs from other programs, including "OrCAD". To aid in eliminating additional errors, VisualPCB provides a full photo-plot viewer.

Accuracy and More

Other important VisualPCB features include: accuracy of 0.001 inches, a complete set of standard component foot-prints in a user expandable library with each symbol/part fully rotatable. Large boards of up to 32"x32" are supported. And the program provides automatic "Check Pointing" to save work in progress against accidental loss.

On-Line Help

Each of the VisualPCB utilities includes the full User's Reference Guide on-line. This means that complete answers are just a click away.

VisualPCB Autorouter

In addition, VisualPCB includes a powerful autorouter utility. This provides automatic routing of the finished printed circuit board without ever having to leave the main program.

Complete Security

VisualPCB provides a safe, fast, and effective alternative to manual trace routing. It only routes what it can, and never leaves tangled traces.

Full Control

It performs the auto-routing, and rewrites the file, but respects nets pre-routed by the user. It displays its progress directly on screen, and may be interrupted by the user, allowing the board to be edited and re-routed. User selectable routing parameters are supported, along with selectable routing strategies.

Total Flexibility

The utility supports boards with different line widths, such as wide for power and ground, and narrow (normal) for signal or other nets. The routing schedule may be generated automatically or by hand (or combination), and may specify routing to a specific layer as required to route to edge connectors or surface mount devices. It uses a proprietary, artificial-intelligence based algorithm to perform net routing. Its routing rates are matched only by mainframe routers costing orders-of-magnitude more, and requiring specialized systems.