You can export board, part outline, and placement data from the part level or the assembly level. You can use any of the available translator formats, the IDF ECAD EDA (*.eda) neutral format, or the EDMD (*.idx) format. You can export ECAD assemblies to the ECAD EDA (*.eda) or EDMD *.idx format.

When you export board geometry, the top outline of the board is exported. Special attention is required when the top and bottom outline of the board are not the same. For example, when there are chamfers or rounds on board edges, there can be differences between the top and bottom outline of the board.

Each component to be exported needs a coordinate system to identify the part origin, and a section plane selected to represent the footprint. The height of the component is calculated from the Z direction of the component bounding box. When you export individual parts, you are prompted for each. If you assigned a default value to ecad_comp_csys_def_name in the config.pro file, and named the origin coordinate system the same value, you are not prompted for the coordinate system.

When you define the parameters ECAD_NAME and ECAD_ALT_NAME in the assembly, their corresponding values are mapped to Package name (ECAD_NAME) and Part number (ECAD_ALT_NAME). When these parameters are not defined, the component name is used for both Package name and Part number. When a component being exported is defined in the ecad_hint.map file, it is always exported according to the ecad_hint.map file.

When you export an assembly to IDF (*.emn), a dialog box handles the coordinate system selection, component name, and reference designator values, and allows the export of selected items. You cannot export a design to IDF (*.emn) with cross-section intersection. You can however export a single component to IDF (*.emp) with a cross-section as the outline.