ODB++

ODB++ is a proprietary CAD-to-CAM data exchange format used in the design and manufacture of electronic devices. Its purpose is to exchange printed circuit board design information between design and manufacturing and between design tools from different EDA/ECAD vendors. It was originally developed by Valor Computerized Systems, Ltd. (acquired in 2010 by Mentor Graphics) as the job description format for their CAM system. ODB stands for open database, but its openness is disputed, as discussed below. The '++' suffix, evocative of C++, was added in 1997 with the addition of component descriptions. There are two versions of ODB++: the original (now controlled by Mentor) and an XML version called ODB++(X) that Valor developed and donated to the IPC organization in an attempt to merge GenCAM (IPC-2511) and ODB++ into Offspring (IPC-2581). Inside almost every electronic device is a PCB onto which the semiconductor and other components are mechanically and electrically connected by soldering. These PCBs are designed using a computer-aided design (CAD) system. To physically realize the design, the computerized design information must be transferred to a photolithographic computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system. Since the CAD and CAM systems are generally produced by different companies, they have to agree on a CAD-to-CAM data exchange format to transfer the data. ODB++ is one such file format for performing this transfer. Other formats are compared and contrasted below. After the bare board is manufactured, the electronic components are placed and soldered, for example by SMT placement equipment and wave or reflow soldering. When in use, ODB++ data is stored in a hierarchy of files and file folders. However, for transmission it is convenient to use common operating system commands that create a single, compressed file that preserves the hierarchy information. For example, on Unix tar and gzip commands can be used. In ODB++(X), the database is contained in a single XML file by default. ODB++ covers the specification of not only conductor layer artwork and drill data, but also material stack up, netlist with test points, component bill of materials, component placement, fabrication data, and dimension data. Valor was founded in 1992 and it released ODB in 1995. It added the ++ suffix when component names were added in 1997. The XML version was developed beginning 2000, and ended in 2008 with the donation to IPC. Valor was acquired by Mentor in 2010. In the late 1990s it became clear to industry participants that a second-generation data transfer format would be more efficient than the prevalent, first-generation Gerber format. However, it was very difficult to reach a consensus over which of two candidates should be selected: In 2002, a compromise format, ODB++(X), was recommended by National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI; an industry body, subsequently renamed International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, iNEMI) after a two-year mediation effort between the GenCAM and ODB++ camps. Companies that supported the recommendation at the time included Cadence, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent, Easylogix, Mentor (which acquired Valor some eight years later), Nokia and Xerox. But in fact adoption to date has been minimal. As a result, and as detailed below, the industry is still divided. Late 2014 Gerber X2 was introduced which added attributes ('intelligence') to the Gerber format in a compatible way, converting Gerber to a second generation format.