ECAD/MCAD Collaboration Implementor Forum

Task & Objective

Current electro-mechanical designs have many challenges that can significantly increase design effort and the time-to-market. Typically, these challenges are separated into two groups (1) collision and connectivity design challenges and (2) synchronization issues. Component and mechanical clearances must be accounted for in both the electrical and mechanical designs in order to ensure that no physical violations occur when the PCB is placed within the enclosure and/or entire system. Tight synchronization between the electrical and mechanical flows is required to ensure that both designs are correctly aligned for fabrication.
With the introduction of the Prostep ivip Incremental Data Exchange (IDX) communication protocol developed by the ECAD/MCAD IF project group, designers are now able to fully synchronize their data between both ECAD and MCAD and more effectively collaborate on critical design items between domains ensuring that the design intent is interpreted correctly. This helps designers collaborate and spot problems quickly, leading to stronger designs that reach the market sooner.

 

Organizational / technical challenges 2025

In 2025, work continued towards updating the implementation guidelines and releasing the Schema for IDXV6.0.  Regular monthly meetings were held, during which preparations for the Face To Face meeting agenda were systematically developed.  The Face-to-Face meeting was held in Munich at Siemens headquarters in September. In addition to finalizing details of IDX V6.0 schema release, new initiatives are to create a presence on Linked in and to develop an eBook on IDX implementation. Also, it was decided that the standard should support cloud implementations.

The IDX V6 Schema was completed and released in December 2025.

 

Planning for the current year 2026

For 2026, the ECAD MCAD Collaboration IF group will build on the decisions made at the 2025 Face to Face meeting.
This includes:

• New IDX version every second year
• Hold some functions planned for V6 to V7 pending further development – e.g. Splines, 3D Keep-outs, Chamfered Board Edge
• Regular posts on Linked In
• Work on Cloud support as a priority
• Allocate chapters of the IDX eBook for various members to create