PADS vs OrCAD

[smilo]

Excuse the longwindedness...
I've been using PADS PCB (2004, 2005 v2) for just over a year and can
succesfully complete alot of different types of boards. I still have yet
to accomplish any heavy high speed or large (100 ball or more) BGAs, or
the trace/vias that would go with them (partial vias, microvias, buried
vias, etc). I have been approached to subcontract a 4 week series of
boards with the stipulation that I use OrCAD 10.5 as the layout tool (no
high speed or bgas).
There's a fair chunk of change involved in this job, and before I say
yes or no, I'd like to hear some pros and cons about OrCAD layout and
maybe some opinions about using the two in an almost day to day
fashion...PLEASE!!! How are they similar...
I use capture, have since 6.0. I have also learned logic, but don't use
it nearly as much.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
smilo

 

Not to worry. The import/export function works just fine.

At one time, I would take PADS designs into OrCAD because it had (has?)
a better via reduction algorithm. The OrCAD auto router really isn't
that bad.

If I were really good at PADS, and uncomfortable with OrCAD, I would do
the design in PADS, and then transfer it to OrCAD for the client.

The shove editor in OrCAD works pretty well too.

GH

Excuse the longwindedness...
I've been using PADS PCB (2004, 2005 v2) for just over a year and can
succesfully complete alot of different types of boards. I still have yet
to accomplish any heavy high speed or large (100 ball or more) BGAs, or
the trace/vias that would go with them (partial vias, microvias, buried
vias, etc). I have been approached to subcontract a 4 week series of
boards with the stipulation that I use OrCAD 10.5 as the layout tool (no
high speed or bgas).
There's a fair chunk of change involved in this job, and before I say
yes or no, I'd like to hear some pros and cons about OrCAD layout and
maybe some opinions about using the two in an almost day to day
fashion...PLEASE!!! How are they similar...
I use capture, have since 6.0. I have also learned logic, but don't use
it nearly as much.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
smilo