To Import Conductor Information
Use the Import Conductors dialog box to filter the types of conductors to import and the destination area on the board.
Note the following:
• At any step of the process, click Back to return to the previous step.
• At any step of a search, click New search to start a new search. The defaults are restored and all available options appear in the Search Summary table.
• To view a list of notifications about the import, click
![](../../electrical_design/ecad/images/ecad_info16x16.png)
. The
Notifications area appears. The name of the log file appears in the tab.
Use the following procedures to select, set the geometry representation, and import conductors:
Selecting a Conductor Information File
1. In an open ECAD assembly or an open or active board part, click
Import Conductors. The
Import Conductors dialog box opens.
2. Set the path to the *.eda file in one of these ways:
◦ Type the file path.
◦ Click
Open. The
Open dialog box opens. Select a file, and then click
Open.
The file path displays in the box.
Importing All Conductors
To import all conductors, select Import all and click Import. All conductors are imported. This method is not recommended for importing a large number of conductors.
• Import can take a long time.
• Model size increases and can become overloaded.
• Updating the position of conductors on a flexible board can take a long time.
Selecting Conductors to Import
1. To select the conductors to import, select Import selected (recommended) and click Next. The Select Conductors To Import page opens.
2. To set the types of conductors to search for, select a Look for option. All Conductors is the default.
3. To set the layer for the conductors search, select a Look in option. Top and Bottom Layers is the default.
Using Simple Search to Select Conductors
Type the name of a net in the box. The name can include wildcard characters.
Using Advanced Search to Select Conductors
1. To refine your search, expand Advanced Search.
2. Select an item from the Criteria list.
◦ Net
◦ All Conductors
◦ Pin Pads
◦ Via Pads
◦ Routes
◦ Planes
◦ Conductive Figures
3. Set the following options:
Option | Net | Conductor |
Condition | is equal to is not equal to | is on layer is not on layer |
Value | Type a value in the box and press ENTER. | Both Layers Top Layer Bottom Layer |
4. To add the search criteria to the table, click Add to List.
5. To add additional search criteria, repeat the steps above.
Using Box Selection
1. To further refine your search by selecting an area on the board for importing conductors, expand Box Select.
2. Click
![](../../electrical_design/ecad/images/conductor_sel_box.png)
. Arrows appear on the sides of the boards.
3. Drag the arrows to select an area of the board.
Finding the Conductors that Meet Your Search Criteria
When you finish setting your search criteria, click Find now. The results appear in the Search Summary table.
Loading and Saving Search Results
To save your filters to a text file, follow the steps below.
1. Click Load/Save > Save.
2. The Save a Copy dialog box opens.
3. To change the default File Name type a new name for the text file.
4. Click OK.
To load a filters file follow the steps below.
1. Click Load/Save > Load. The Open dialog box opens.
2. Select a filters text file (*.txt).
3. Click Open. The saved search filters populate the respective fields.
Setting Conductor Representation
1. To set the geometry representation for conductors, click Next. The Customize Conductor Settings page opens.
2. To set the representation by layer, select an option from the Geometry Representation list next to the layer.
◦ All Entities (default)
◦ All Surfaces
◦ All Quilts
3. To set representation by the type of conductor, from the Geometry Representation list next to the layer, select Varied representation.
4. Select an option for the each conductor type from the Geometry Representation list next to the conductor name.
◦ Entities
◦ Surfaces
◦ Quilts
Importing Selected Conductors
After you select the conductors to import, set the area for import, and set conductor representation, click Import. Conductors that meet the search criteria are imported with the assigned geometry representation.