Eagle 360 Integration

[roambotics_scott]

Attn: @carl_bass

Slightly old news, but just saw that Autodesk acquired Cadsoft..

I'm a heavy Eagle user for the same reason I use F360: so far, it's the only real option for production quality ECAD / EDA software I've found that works in macOS.

Almost always, I'm designing parts in F360 in parallel with PCBs in Eagle. Things have to fit together, so that means a lot of manual 1.6mm (standard PCB thickness) extrusions and and transcribing PCB geometries back and forth between the two programs. It also means that I'm almost always guessing where to place components on PCBs because I don't have good / real time feedback between the 3D model of the enclosure and the PCB / components.

It'd be insanely great if there were a nice way to do schematic capture in F360 and then to layout multilayer PCBs (ideally including modelling the components and board stackup) directly in the program.

Really can't express how useful that would be or how much stronger it'd lock me in and with a little thought and effort, this could easily be so much better than Altium or any other competitor I'm aware of.

[carl_bass]

@roambotics_scott Would you be willing to talk to our design team who are currently designing the eagle-fusion integration?

[roambotics_scott]

Yeah / would love to, @carl_bass !

[matt.berggren]

Hi @roambotics_scott

Thanks for the feedback, we're super excited about the acq of EAGLE and I wanted to make a few comments here, though as @carl_bass mentioned, I'll be happy to chat 1:1 & riff a bit more:

As you point out, there are some seriously low-hanging fruit we can chase after to try and improve the "whole product" experience.  For example, the process of creating library parts in ECAD is a drag and where this intersects with MCAD, the problem is compounded by the need to do things twice...or thrice? (ie. draw a symbol, then a footprint a'la IPC spec and then have to build an equivalent mechanical model).  Our view is this is really a singular process which only persists because there hasn't, as-yet, been someone who really addressed this as a single endeavor.  (Sure, there are a few ways different tools which try to hybridize this process but the data models are still pretty seriously decoupled.)  So certainly, we're aiming to improve this workflow (it seems to me that we should be able to link all of the dependent data in a single, unified way such that creating & storing a part links all 3 of these domains (schematic, PCB and mechanical)...And enables changes to then propagate throughout). 

The shared board outline, component placement, routing, layer heights, materials, etc then all flows from this.  So I'd expect this to unfold with a view for content initially (ie getting content, creating tools to make it easier to create content, and then that linking content); followed then by stronger interoperability (forward and backward synchronization), and ultimately a look toward a highly integrated workflow where we can derive intent from your behaviour across the various domains (eg deriving stand off position from holes, or screw sizes from NPTH pads, or light piping your LEDs when we know the board doesn't sit flush with the case, etc.).  All stuff that I would be super eager to chat with the community about (yourself included of course!)!

If you want to PM me, you can do that here or just email me direct at [email protected].  Now's the time to start surfacing the things that you feel will make you (all) more productive!

Best regards,

Matt Berggren

Director - Circuits / EAGLE / Tinkercad

[email protected]

[roambotics_scott]

Thanks / good go meet you, Matt !

Still finishing up a board that I want to get ordered by end of business in Hong Kong so don't have time to write much but will shoot you an email sometime tomorrow with some thoughts (would be great to do a quick introductory call sometime soon too).

~ S

[kb9ydn]

Awwwwwww, and I just bought a license for Diptrace! 

Seriously though, this is pretty exciting news!  However I'm going to throw a small wrench into the works.  For a long time I've been looking for a relatively inexpensive software for creating schematics; not for PCBs really but for documentation of machine designs.  So instead of working with components like resistors, capacitors, ICs, etc.; I'm using power supplies, PLCs, stepper motors and drivers, and other sorts of off the shelf components.  For this kind of work AutoCAD electrical is likely a better fit, but it's too expensive for how much I would use it.  Solidworks also has an electrical package but it's even more expensive.  Recently I've used:

- TinyCAD:  This one was pretty decent for being free, but it had some funny quirks to it (and a few bugs) and the development pace is absolutely glacial.  The part library is also quite limited so you end up making a lot of the components you need.  For basic schematics it's not bad.

- KiCAD:  Also free and has a better part library.  The user interface is horrendous though.  You can sort of get used to it but trying to edit a schematic is really tedious.

- Diptrace:  I just started using this one the other day and I'm really liking it so far.  The included libraries are decent and it's super easy to create new components.  The interface is also fairly streamlined and intuitive.

I tried Eagle some years ago and it didn't seem to really fit for what I wanted to do with it.  It has been awhile though so I should probably it out again.

Anyway, the reason for bringing all this up is to point out that schematics are used for much more than just PCB design, or even general electrical for that matter.  It could used for hydraulics, airflow, or even more abstract things like traffic flow.  Those are of course out of scope for Eagle, but in the long term it would be good for the Fusion team to keep things like this in mind so as not to get painted into a corner.

My vision is that eventually Fusion could be used not just for mechanical design, but ultimately whole system design, including electrical and other schematics, PCBs, wire and pipe routing, and simulation.

C|

[TravisJoe]

I am also excited. Eagle has so much potential but needs, in my opinion, many updates to UI and workflow to justify the cost for professional licenses. I also use diptrace, which mostly runs well on Mac, but want to go to a solid Mac app with good workflow around mechanical CAD. 

Even though things are not perfect yet, being able to see a solid professional workflow for PCB and Mechanical design on the Mac is finally coming makes me very excited. A long time overdue.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure the software always works when there is no internet. I travel and work a lot. Often to developing nations that internet is terrible or not existent in many areas. These are also prime markets for Eagle and Fusion 360 and I would like to push these products there as long as they can do their core work offline first. 

[jbroeder]

Hey Matt,

Iám very interesting in your thoughts. We are now busy with good workflow in Inventor & autocad Electrcial and Autodek Vault Professional.

We using the ElectroMEchanical feature in Inventor to connect with AutoCAD Electrical. We made a good best practice. The result is an system intergrated BOM in Vault Professional. With no dubplication of parts from the mechanical and the electrical. The main question now is how is the futue of Fusion 360 with Electrical (Hydraulic,enz) Schematics. For  our customers there are a little who is using PCB design. The most is using schematics to define there machine system. More and more customers wants a better (System engineering) BOM in ERP to manage there products. We like to discuss with you about system engineering and how its fit in Fusion 360. I think there is a lot of potential in the markt.