ORCAD MAX file format

[luben111]

Hi,

Does somebody know from where I can get the format of the MAX files for ORCAD? I need to generate simple MAX files from PC software.

 

[NIKHILRAJ]

.max is the format of orcad layoutplus PCB.
To generate .max file you need orcad layoutplus software.

 

[luben111]

Hi,

Yes, I know that MAX format is the file format for ORCAD Layout program, my idea is to generate such MAX files WITHOUT using ORCAD Layout program, automatically. I already do such automatic generation for DXF file format but it's better to generate the files directly for ORCAD Layout which is MAX. I would like to avoid the import of DXF into ORCAD which is creating many problems.

So my question is - what is the format of the MAX file so I can generate MAX files by myself with some PC software written by me.

Thank you

 

[kender]

Does somebody know from where I can get the format of the MAX files for ORCAD? I need to generate simple MAX files from PC software.

I don't have a direct answer to your question. But you could mirror your question in this group dedicated to OrCAD: **broken link removed**. Give it a try.

- Nick

 

[cyberrat]

I think only Orcad writers will know that.

 

[kender]

I think only Orcad writers will know that.

Many 3rd party EDA packages (non-OrCAD, non-Cadence) can import MAX files and DSN files. May be formats were published or leaked. May be they were decrypted. May be information about format traveled with former OrCAD employees.

 

[TimHughes]

Many 3rd party EDA packages (non-OrCAD, non-Cadence) can import MAX files and DSN files. May be formats were published or leaked. May be they were decrypted. May be information about format traveled with former OrCAD employees.

The Orcad router is actually a refined version of the 3rd party Masstec router. This was a well regarded oem router which could interface to about 20 different layout packages. This is still seen in that there are Pads and other layout package interfaces in Layout. Pads originally had a small orthogonal router and oemed the Masstec router for its top end. The two companies had offices adjacent one another in MA.

There is also an Orcad/Masstec generic ascii interface which produces Masstec interface format *.MIN ascii files.

You can read and edit to import/export from layout using the MIN files.

There is some documentation in the help files on the MIN format, but it is best just to generate some files and you can see how they are laid out. I wrote some translation interface stuff using the Min format a long time back.

I seem to remember I also got some stuff from Orcad with more detail of the internals, but I doubt they would be happy if I distributed that and it would be way out of date!

To interface to other layout packages the supplied Orcad/Masstec translators just translate the trace route information and leave all the board outline etc etc untouched. This means the board must be laid out in the original package and brought into Orcad (via an ascii file) where it can be routed and then returned with the board outline and other non trace stuff untouched. This minimized the amount of work they needed to do, to create the interface and largely insulated them from version changes in the original app.

 

[luben111]

Hi Tim,

Thank you very much for the idea. Actually I solved the problem exactly in the same way you proposed. I wanted ORCAD format not directly to use it for ORCAD but to import into Altium polygones (Altium has a huge problem with import of polygones, simply there is no such possibility to make it from DXF). So I used the Altium ASCI format to generate directly the files and now everything works perfectly well. Now I can generate polygones, fills, nets, pads and tracks directly in ALtium format.