cadpro2k
11-13-2003, 11:23 AM
VIEWPOINT:
Interoperable Software? What Kind of World is This?
11-07-2003
I remember – perhaps with a bit too much glee – the early days of the EDA Roundtables, the annual opportunity for users to rake vendors over the coals for such “sins” as not opening their environments to read and write competitive products.
The roundtables took place each year at PCB Design Conference West. They were billed as “Face-to-Face.” “In Your Face” was more like it.
Over time, the annual rock throw cooled. I don’t know why. Maybe we all matured.
Change is in the air, even if no one is really screaming about it anymore. Earlier this week, Mentor confirmed that Allegro users will now be able to use their legacy databases with Mentor’s Expedition PCB suite. In a press announcement Wednesday, Mentor said that Expedition, its layout and routing package, now reads and writes Allegro data directly and integrates with existing Allegro design flows. Integrating the environments means users won’t have to jump between tools. In short, a designer who uses Allegro libraries and databases can now use Expedition to layout and route their boards. What in the name of interoperability and cooperation is going on?
Well, probably less than meets the eye. When it comes to rivals, the CAD/CAE world is a much smaller entity these days. Thanks to a host of well-documented M&A, Mentor and Cadence are the industry’s Hertz and Avis, with a handful of others – Zuken, Intercept, Altium and Electronics Workbench among them – having staked out supporting roles. According to Gartner Dataquest, Mentor had PCB sales of $86.93 million last year, Cadence was second at $81.22 million, and Zuken was third, with $39.41 million. No doubt the folks in Wilsonville are looking across the country to Marlboro and asking themselves how can they siphon off Cadence’s users, too.
Attempts at interoperability are not new. Mentor Graphics’ DxDesigner and HyperLynx PCB tools are already integrated with Cadence’s Allegro flow. And a few years back, Innoveda (now part of – who else? – Mentor) developed ePlanner, in which designers could, among other things, import legacy schematics for design definition from various environments including Cadence’s Concept and Mentor’s Design Architect. Users could also export the design (with either embedded or connected constraints) into a number of layout and routing environments including Allegro and Specctra, Board Station, and Zuken’s Visula. This latest announcement is a bigger deal however, as it essentially marries the key attributes of the tools in their native environments, rather than importing them into a third.
So why would Cadence go along? A cynic might say the company is focusing its efforts on the bigger pie on the silicon side and is losing interest in its slice in PCBs. I think it’s more likely that there’s a bit of horse trading going on: Cadence wants leverage in other, undefined areas, and is willing to cede ground on certain PCB tools for a leg up elsewhere. (Neither company was able to respond to PCD&M requests for comments before this went to press.)
Mentor, in its press statement announcing the deal, said, “We are happy to be able to support customers using mixed environments so they can take advantage Expedition’s advanced technology.” No doubt!
EDA companies providing interoperable software? These are strange and disturbing times, indeed. To be safe, better hang onto your rocks.
» Send feedback to Mike Buetow.
Interoperable Software? What Kind of World is This?
11-07-2003
I remember – perhaps with a bit too much glee – the early days of the EDA Roundtables, the annual opportunity for users to rake vendors over the coals for such “sins” as not opening their environments to read and write competitive products.
The roundtables took place each year at PCB Design Conference West. They were billed as “Face-to-Face.” “In Your Face” was more like it.
Over time, the annual rock throw cooled. I don’t know why. Maybe we all matured.
Change is in the air, even if no one is really screaming about it anymore. Earlier this week, Mentor confirmed that Allegro users will now be able to use their legacy databases with Mentor’s Expedition PCB suite. In a press announcement Wednesday, Mentor said that Expedition, its layout and routing package, now reads and writes Allegro data directly and integrates with existing Allegro design flows. Integrating the environments means users won’t have to jump between tools. In short, a designer who uses Allegro libraries and databases can now use Expedition to layout and route their boards. What in the name of interoperability and cooperation is going on?
Well, probably less than meets the eye. When it comes to rivals, the CAD/CAE world is a much smaller entity these days. Thanks to a host of well-documented M&A, Mentor and Cadence are the industry’s Hertz and Avis, with a handful of others – Zuken, Intercept, Altium and Electronics Workbench among them – having staked out supporting roles. According to Gartner Dataquest, Mentor had PCB sales of $86.93 million last year, Cadence was second at $81.22 million, and Zuken was third, with $39.41 million. No doubt the folks in Wilsonville are looking across the country to Marlboro and asking themselves how can they siphon off Cadence’s users, too.
Attempts at interoperability are not new. Mentor Graphics’ DxDesigner and HyperLynx PCB tools are already integrated with Cadence’s Allegro flow. And a few years back, Innoveda (now part of – who else? – Mentor) developed ePlanner, in which designers could, among other things, import legacy schematics for design definition from various environments including Cadence’s Concept and Mentor’s Design Architect. Users could also export the design (with either embedded or connected constraints) into a number of layout and routing environments including Allegro and Specctra, Board Station, and Zuken’s Visula. This latest announcement is a bigger deal however, as it essentially marries the key attributes of the tools in their native environments, rather than importing them into a third.
So why would Cadence go along? A cynic might say the company is focusing its efforts on the bigger pie on the silicon side and is losing interest in its slice in PCBs. I think it’s more likely that there’s a bit of horse trading going on: Cadence wants leverage in other, undefined areas, and is willing to cede ground on certain PCB tools for a leg up elsewhere. (Neither company was able to respond to PCD&M requests for comments before this went to press.)
Mentor, in its press statement announcing the deal, said, “We are happy to be able to support customers using mixed environments so they can take advantage Expedition’s advanced technology.” No doubt!
EDA companies providing interoperable software? These are strange and disturbing times, indeed. To be safe, better hang onto your rocks.
» Send feedback to Mike Buetow.