Skip to main content
All CollectionsPADS Professional Premium with DFM Quickstart GuideChapter 1: Getting Started with the PADS Professional Desktop
Quickstart Lesson 3: Forward Annotate, Create a PCB File, Draw Board Shape
Quickstart Lesson 3: Forward Annotate, Create a PCB File, Draw Board Shape

Forward Annotate, Create a PCB File and Draw Your Board Shape

Paul Welch avatar
Written by Paul Welch
Updated over 11 months ago

Lesson 3: Forward Annotate, Create a PCB File and Draw Your Board Shape

During forward annotation, each component in the logical PADS Professional Designer workspace is mapped to a physical footprint in the PADS Professional Layout workspace. This includes packaging, assigning reference designators and creating an associated PCB file in one operation.

Forward Annotate to PCB

  1. If not already open, launch PADS Designer and go to: File ► Open ► Project.

  2. Navigate to C:\PADS_Professional_QuickStart\Lesson 3 - Forward Annotation\LED_Flasher.prj, select the file named LED_Flasher.PRJ and click Open.

  3. Within PADS Designer, go to: Tools ► PADS Professional Layout.

  4. Set the Template drop down menu to “4 Layer QuickStart_Template” as shown, then click “OK”.

  5. Click “Yes” to create the design directory when prompted.

  6. Click “Ok” to import the layout template.

  7. Click “Ok” to dismiss the message about Back annotation being disabled. Note: If the confirmation dialog isn't visible, click the PADS Layout in the taskbar to bring it to the front.

  8. Check the box to not show the prompt to forward annotate again, then click “Yes”.

  9. PADS Professional Layout interface should have automatically opened, loaded an

    empty PCB, and displayed the Project Integration as shown.

  10. Within the Project Integration window, click the top amber button to forward

    annotate.

  11. Click “Ok” to dismiss the warning message.

  12. The amber lights should now be Green, indicating that your schematic and PCB data have been synchronized.

  13. Click the “Close” button to dismiss the Project Integration window.

  14. You now have 2 windows open: The PADS Designer interface displaying your

    schematic, and the PADS Professional Layout interface displaying the contents of your PCB.

  15. Close the PADS Designer interface but leave the PADS Professional Layout interface open.

Define PCB board shape from 3D Step model

Although it is possible to manually draw a complex 2D board shape within PADS Professional Layout, in some case it can be quicker to define a 2D board shape based on a 3D model.

  1. Within the PADS Professional Layout interface, click the bookmark icon to hide the left panel group and expand the visible workspace area.

  2. Switch to 3D view by going to: Window ► Add 3D view.

  3. Within the3D view, import the Step model by clicking 3D ► Import Mechanical Model

  4. Navigate to C:\PADS_Professional_QuickStart\Resources\Step models, select Board outline.step and click “Import”.

  5. Go to: 3D ►Create Board.

  6. Left-click once on the imported Step model.

  7. Position your cursor as show. Left click once when the pink outer circle appears. This will define the board origin.

  8. Within the Map Hole Features window: Check the box next to “Route Border”, then set New Clearance to 20 and click “OK”.

  9. Right-click the Step body and click “Delete”

  10. Click “Yes” to dismiss the prompt. Notice your new board outline.

  11. Click once on the view tab named 1:LED_Flasher to view the board outline in 2D View.

  12. Press CTRL + B key combination to fit your board outline to the PCB layout space.

  13. Go to: File ► Save, then Close the PADS Professional Layout interface.

Up Next: Lesson 4 - PCB Physical Layout

Lesson 4

Did this answer your question?