How to install autodesk eagle on windows, mac and linux

Using Native Files is the Way to Go

As intermediary file formats like IDF head for the sidelines, we’re starting to see a much bigger adoption of native file formats that are straight from the source. This is perfect for engineers that need to see the complete details of their PCBs in a mechanical tool.

The visual difference between IDF and native file formats is like night and day in your MCAD tool.

The benefits go beyond just visual. Native files also provide direct access to much more data about our designs that IDF files just can’t compete with, allowing for new possibilities in deep analysis and simulation. The next time you pop your design into your mechanical tool with One-Click MCAD, prepare to be greeted with copper, silkscreen layers, and some gorgeously detailed components. Let’s check out how it works.

How to Download New Libraries

We’ve added a brand new Managed Libraries section in Autodesk EAGLE that makes it easy to check out the growing repository of libraries and download them to your own computer. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open or create a new Schematic document in Autodesk EAGLE.
2. Next, select Library at the top of your interface and choose the Manage Libraries option in the dropdown list.
3. In the Manage Libraries dialog, select the Available tab to see all of the available libraries online.
4. Lastly, choose a library that you want to download, and then select the Use button. This will download the latest version of the library directly to your computer.

Once the library has been downloaded, you’ll see it listed in the In Use tab. Now that it’s active, you can go ahead and start placing parts as you normally would on either your schematic or board layout from the Add dialog. Any libraries that you downloaded from our Managed Online Libraries will be nestled right alongside your personal and default libraries.

Just to reiterate, when you download one of our Managed Online Libraries you are downloading a physical copy of this library onto your machine. So if you want to work offline, you’ll still have access to any and all downloaded libraries. You can find these downloaded libraries in the lbr folder in your application directory on Windows (C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\eagle\lbr\), and in the library application directory on Mac (~/Library/Application Support/eagle). You can also find these libraries nestled in your Autodesk EAGLE Control Panel under the Libraries section.

Installing Autodesk EAGLE On a Mac

Autodesk EAGLE is one of few PCB design software available on Mac, which makes it the tool of choice for the growing numbers of Mac-centric engineers out there. The installation process to get Autodesk EAGLE running on a Mac is just as simple as Windows, here’s what to do:

1. First, download your installer on the Autodesk EAGLE Free Download page.
2. When your download is finished, go ahead, and open

    Autodesk_EAGLE_8.0_English_Mac_64bit.pkg

   to begin the installation wizard.

3. Select the Continue button to progress through the installation setup process which includes accepting the license agreement and choosing an installation location.

4. On the final step of the wizard, you’ll select the Install button to begin the installation process. When the installation completes, select Close.

5. With your installation complete go ahead and open Autodesk EAGLE from your Launchpad. The first time you run Autodesk EAGLE, you’ll need to sign in to your existing Autodesk account or create a new account.

After signing it, you’ll be greeted with the Autodesk EAGLE Control Panel as shown below. You are all set on Mac OS!

All set for your next electronic design project with Autodesk EAGLE in MacOS.

Quick Note: The first time you open Autodesk EAGLE you’ll likely get a warning dialog saying that a directory doesn’t exist for your files. Autodesk EAGLE is just letting you know that it needs to create this directory to store all of your project files and such. You can select the Yes button to create this directory, and this warning will never show up again.

Layer 2-15: Route

If you don’t see these layers listed in your Visible Layers dialog. 2-15 are reserved for those with a Premium EAGLE Subscription and offer a ton of inner layers to route on for multilayer PCBs. To use these layers for Premium Subscribers, you’ll need to modify your layer stackup via Tools » DRC » Layers tab.

If you’re planning to design a multilayer PCB then how your top/bottom and middle layers are organized will be slightly different than you’d expect. For example, creating a 4 layer board won’t just use layers 1, 2, 3, and 4. Rather, EAGLE will use Layer 1 (top), 2, 15, and 16 (bottom) to bring it all together.

It’s Design Time

That’s all there is to it. Getting Autodesk EAGLE up and running on Windows, Mac, or Linux is as easy as can be. Now it’s time for you to check out all of the features we’ve included in this latest release. Like the new BGA fanout, which automatically escapes your nets out of any BGA in seconds. Or the brand new routing engine to make those PCB layouts easy to complete. Or maybe you’re tired of reinventing the wheel and want to reuse your circuitry between multiple projects? There’s something to love in Autodesk EAGLE for every engineer.

The free version of Autodesk EAGLE is just a small taste of what’s possible. When you’re ready for the full experience, be sure to upgrade with an Autodesk EAGLE Subscription.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Mac is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

The New Manufacturing Hub

We’ve got your manufacturing outputs running like a well-oiled engine. But what about seeing your board in its manufactured form before it’s actually made? Hello, Manufacturing Hub. This is the one place for all of your manufacturing needs. Inside you’ll find:

Manufacturing Preview

On the Preview Tab, you’ll see your board as it will look in its physical form with solder mask. You can make a change to component placement or routing, and this preview will update in real-time!

At the bottom of the Preview tab, there are some handy filters for the Top, Bottom, or Drill perspective. Toggle these and quickly take an image for documentation, markup, or your marketing team.

Board Stats

Doesn’t your manufacturer need to know your required board thickness, drill sizes, trace width, or some other data? You’ll find a complete summary in the Board tab.

Drill Stats & Export

Now there’s a quick and easy way to export just a drill list without running through the CAM processor from the Drills. This view also allows you to see how many different drill sizes you’re using on your board. Side note: Having more than 9 drill types will drive your manufacturer crazy.

We Love Reinventing the Wheel

The real problem with library management is this – we end up spending more time maintaining our parts and data than do we on our actual design process. And not only that, it’s not like we’re making different parts for each new design. I’ve talked to more engineers than I can count who just end up making the same parts over and over again. But why?

• Some engineers don’t have a good organizational system to find existing parts, so they just make them again.
• Some engineers don’t trust the parts that were made by other engineers at their company, so they just make them again.
• And other engineers are simply in that endless cycle of reinventing the wheel out of sheer habit, so they just keep making the same parts again, and again, and again.

Here’s the problem with this impulse to reinventing the wheel, it takes a ton of time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere. And what will you do when part numbers get updated, and you don’t know about it. Where are you going to keep track of all that data, and who in the world has time for all of this?

Are we making anything better by reinventing the wheel as engineers? (Image source)

The good news is that these days there are a ton of freely available libraries that are made specifically for EAGLE. Whether that’s from Adafruit, Sparkfun, or SeeedStudio, the chances are that if you need a basic part, then it’s already been made for you by someone, somewhere.

But even this benefit brings up a whole new set of issues. When you download that library from Sparkfun or Adafruit, what happens if they release an update to one of the parts down the road? You never find out about it. Because what you’ve downloaded is a snapshot in time, and what you have stored on your computer is now a static piece of data to represent something that is dynamic and made to change as the years go on.

All of this wraps up into one giant library management problem that no one has actually taken the time to solve, until now. These are the real problems that we want to address for your day-to-day library management in Autodesk EAGLE:

• How can we provide libraries that once downloaded stay up-to-date?
• And how can we provide libraries that remove the worry of “How do I know when a part has been updated?” from your mind while designing?
• And most importantly, how can we make the library management process easier and more efficient so that you can focus on design?

What Managed Online Libraries Are All About

Close your eyes for just a moment and imagine this scenario with me. You download an online library from Adafruit onto your local machine, knowing that it’s the most up to date copy. After placing parts from this library onto your design, you’re notified that there’s an update available, and so you just press the Update All button and all the parts used in your design update as well. And maybe you choose to work offline for a day, but you still have all of those parts available to use. This, my friends, is what the new Managed Online Libraries is all about.

There’s no fuss about spreadsheets, no need to design your own organizational system. You just download the libraries you need, drop the parts onto your design, and update them in real time. And did we mention that you can work wherever you are, with or without an internet connection, and still have local access to your Managed Online Libraries? With all of that in mind, here are some of the details you’ll want to know about before we dive into how to use the new Managed Online Libraries:

• More content is coming. As of this blog, Managed Online Libraries version 1.0 includes content from Adafruit, Sparkfun, Seeed, Wurth Elektronik, Nordic, and the EAGLE default libraries. This is just the beginning, and we have a ton of new library content lined up in the future for you.
• They’re always up to date. When you decide to download one of these part libraries the library will include a reference to its specific version at the time of being downloaded. This will allow our servers to be on the lookout for an update in the future without you needing to keep track of versions.
• Your personal libraries are still your own. Most importantly, this new Managed Online Libraries feature changes nothing about your own libraries. We don’t want to own your data.  We want to provide a simple system that makes it easier to share commonly used design content wherever you might be in the world.

So without further ado, let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of how to use the new Managed Online Libraries in Autodesk EAGLE!

Менеджер проекта

Навигация по печатной плате с современной топологией – далеко не простой процесс. Поиск того, что вам нужно среди плотного лабиринта печатных дорожек, переходов и компонентов – серьезная и утомительная работа. В Autodesk Eagle 9.0 мы создали менеджер проекта в одной панели, чтобы обеспечить бóльшую видимость и контроль над компоновкой печатной платы.

Что он делает

Менеджер проекта можно рассматривать, как главную консоли для всего, что касается проекта печатной платы. Нужно выбрать определенный набор точек соединений и разорвать их? Вы можете сделать это отсюда. Или, может быть вам нужно видеть только слепые и скрытые переходные отверстия? Менеджер проекта – это все что вам нужно (Рисунок 12).

Существует множество действий, которые вы можете выполнить с помощью этой панели в Eagle, в том числе:

• Выбрать одну или несколько точек соединений, а затем выполнить их трассировку с помощью Quick Route;
• Выбрать одну или несколько точек соединений и удалить трассы;
• Выбрать один или несколько объектов и выделить их на печатной плате;
• Выбрать объект и применить к нему любую команду;
• Фильтровать и сортировать объекты.

Рисунок 12.	Панель менеджера проекта в САПР Eagle 9.0.

Как это работает

Когда вы впервые откроете САПР Eagle, вы заметите, что панель менеджера проекта располагается в правой части интерфейса.  Вы сможете его переместить в левую часть интерфейса, оставить «плавающим» или закрыть. Открыть менеджер проекта, если вы закрыли его случайно, можно в меню Вид (View)-Менеджер проекта (Design Manager).

Панель менеджера проекта имеет два основных режима работы: элементы и точки соединений. Для режима просмотра элементов существует несколько стандартных групп компонентов, которые помогут быстро отфильтровать элементы, расположенные на верхнем и нижнем слое печатной платы. Вы также сможете выполнить поиск элементов вручную. Как только нужный элемент будет выбран в менеджере проекта, он будет выделен на печатной плате (Рисунок 13).

Рисунок 13.	Работа с отдельными элементами в менеджере проекта в Eagle 9.0.

Выбранный компонент также будет разделен на отдельные составляющие в менеджере проекта. Такой подход увеличивает заметность по отдельным элементам шелкографии и контактным площадкам без необходимости использования редактора библиотек и элементов (Рисунок 14).

Рисунок 14.	Выбранный в менеджере проекта компонент разделяется на отдельные составляющие.

Но реальная эффективность менеджера проекта проявляется при работе с точками соединений. Вы можете задать точки соединений в строке поиска или фильтровать предварительно сконфигурированные классы точек соединений (Рисунок 15).

Рисунок 15.	Менеджер проекта Eagle 9.0 имеет гибкие фильтры при работе с точками соединений.

Подобно работе с компонентами, выбор точки соединения будет выделять ее на печатной плате. Щелкните правкой кнопки мыши, и вы получите опции для выбора точки соединения в редакторе, удаления ее или трассировки с помощью Quick Route (Рисунок 16).

Рисунок 16.	Выбор точки соединения в менеджере проекта подсвечивает ее в проекте печатной платы.

Хотите трассировать несколько точек соединений или дифференциальных пар, не переключаясь на проект печатной платы? Выделите необходимые точки соединений в менеджере проекта, щелкните правой кнопки мыши и выберите режим быстрой трассировки (Quick Route). Это же справедливо и для неудачно разведенных точек соединений. То, что вы делали вручную в редакторе печатных плат, теперь можно выполнить автоматически в менеджере проекта Eagle 9.0 (Рисунок 17).

Рисунок 17.	Из менеджера проектов Eagle 9.0 можно использовать режим быстрой трассировки для выбранных точек соединений.

Кроме того в менеджере проекта для точек соединений мы расширили количество опций для удаления неудачно разведенных дорожек.

На видеоканале компании представлены материалы по работе с указанными в статье новыми функциями и инструментами Eagle 9.0.

САПР Autodesk Eagle 9.0 доступна в качестве обновления для подписчиков, а также на сайте компании доступны для скачивания демонстрационные и бесплатные версии для ОС Windows, Linux и MAC. Кроме того, для студентов доступна полная версия САПР на 3 года.

How to Update Components in Your Design

After updating your libraries, you’ll want to push those component changes to your designs. There are a couple of ways to do this:

• Individually. You can update individual libraries by selecting Library at the top of your interface and choosing Update. In the Update dialog, you can then select the library you want to update and select the Update button.
• All. You can also update all libraries at once by again selecting Library at the top of your interface and choosing Update All.

After choosing to update your library or libraries you might receive a notification that changes have been made to your board layout because of a change to a component. If no changes were made to your design, then expect to see Update: finished – nothing to do in the bottom left corner of Autodesk EAGLE.

Times Change IDF, We’re Sorry

IDF, or Intermediate Data Format files, have been the file format of choice for ECAD/MCAD integration since the early 1990s. The original idea was excellent – create a simple, text-based file format that includes all the data we need to translate our ECAD designs into 3D MCAD models. But the crazier and complicated our designs become, the more apparent it became that IDF is way too limited for what we need these days. Here are three reasons we’re happy to part ways with IDF:

1. Which files do I use again? This is a common complaint amongst nearly every engineer. Not only do you need two separate files for IDF, one for your PCB and one for your libraries, but many PCB design tools also use different naming conventions for the same type of file. We are definitely not going to miss this file juggling nonsense.
2. Where’s the detail, man? IDF files provide a super simple representation of your board, so when you pop it into your mechanical tool you only see a little bit of the real design. Need to view your copper areas, routes, vias, or silkscreen in 3D? It’s not happening with IDF.
3. When was the last time you were updated? The latest version of IDF, version 4.0, was released back in 1998, and basically tanked. Since then, IDF is officially no longer actively developed, so this is as good as it will ever get. Can you think of any other technologies you are using from the 1990s?

So yeah, IDF had a good run. I’ve been using it since the late 90’s (does that make me old?), but now it’s time to cut out the middleman in this whole ECAD-MCAD operation.

Native file formats, you’re up!

The New Board Shape

We all know the drill in EAGLE, you start your board layout with a generic lined box on the Dimension layer, and that’s about the best you’ll get as far as board shapes go. But does this “dimension” actually mean anything outside of a set of lines? Nope. We’ve improved this with the new Board Shape object.

What is it?

This Board Shape Object will allow you to create a fully-fledged physical shape for your PCB that isn’t just a set of connected lines; it actually includes some built-in data.

For example, you can now use the Board Shape to create a shape that includes dimension and mill information, all while being a physical object that can interact with your DRC. Are your components placed too close to the edge of your board? DRC will know where that edge is now, based on the new Board Shape object.

Why does it matter?

Adding an actual board shape object is one major step towards laying the groundwork for future manufacturing and ECAD/MCAD features. In the future, we can start adding new attributes and features, including things like 3D, custom shapes, customizable cutouts, embedded passive designs, and a whole lot more.

Need more board real estate? Embedded passive designs, here we come. (Image source)

This new board shape tool is even going to help with our plans for board analysis and simulation. How can you run those kinds of simulations when the original board shape in EAGLE had no intelligence or data behind it? You couldn’t.

For manufacturing, imagine being able to define all of the specifications for your board materials and layer stackup right in EAGLE. Overall, this feature will make your life a whole lot easier when all of that rich data gets automatically packed into your manufacturing data, without you having to call anything out or create special notes.

What about your old designs?

You likely have a ton of old designs in EAGLE, and we haven’t forgotten about those with this new feature. Here’s what to expect – when you open an existing design in Autodesk EAGLE 8.3, the software will look for any closed bounding boxes on the Dimension layer. If there is one, it will be replaced with the new Board Shape object without you having to do a thing. And if EAGLE detects any closed bounding boxes within your newly established board shape, then it will define those as cutouts. Boom!

Single click Schematic Wiring

Our newest feature saves you 100’s of man hours and removes the mundane task of wiring, naming your nets and placing labels.

What it does:

We are all familiar with the tedious nature of wiring a schematic with meaningful net names, but times are changing! This version of EAGLE introduces the option to simply specify a name then click on a pin and have the Wire, Name and Label all added. Now wiring a schematic with meaningful net names can be a wildly efficient process. The best part is you can just bounce around from pin to pin with single click to add all of your net names including sequential buses. Start saving time today!

How it works:

Break out individual signals by using the pin breakout command. Simply type a name and click on any pin to apply a wire, signal name, and a label.

Typing a new name in the command line and hitting enter will change the name of the design, then continue to single click pins to connect your design, magic!

Here’s how it looks in action!

Getting Started with One-Click MCAD

To get started with this beautifully simple feature, you’ll want to make sure you’ve upgraded to the latest version of Autodesk EAGLE. If you’re already an EAGLE Subscriber, then you should be good to go! We’re going to walk through all of this good stuff step-by-step, so you can get a practical view of how this will work on your next project.

MCADifying Your First File

First things first, let’s open an existing EAGLE board. You’ll notice we’ve recently added some new additions to the interface, and the one you want to focus is labeled MCAD at the top of your UI.

Push this MCAD button, and in a few simple steps, you’ll have your design uploaded to ecad.io, where you can start playing around with it in 3D.

You’ll find the new MCAD button at the top of your EAGLE interface.

3D PCBs In Your Browser?!

With your design uploaded to ecad.io, you now have full reign to twist and turn your creation in beautiful 3D. This is important if you want to see how your board will look in its physical form. But wait, something seems to be missing, all of our components have no height! We have a quick fix for that.

That’s one sleek 3D PCB, all thanks to One-Click MCAD in Autodesk EAGLE.

Adding Those Component Details

Next up, let’s give all of those flat and bland looking component blocks some needed height. From your ecad.io interface, select Tools, then choose Detailed Components View.

When the progress bar completes, you should have some excellent looking component models on your board. And the more you use this detailed view, the more the ecad.io wizard learns about your choices and adapts to what part models it places on your future designs.

The ecad.io wizard automatically adds available 3D component models from its library on command.

You might find that you have a few components where detailed models weren’t added. This is a quick fix. Simply choose a generic component shape on your board, select Choose Component Package, and finally select Use Component for the listed component package of your choice. Ecad.io will then automatically add the new component package to your design.

Adding additional component models is quick and easy with available Component Packages.

It’s Conversion Time!

Our board is looking ready for prime time, so let’s get it over to our mechanical tool. To do that, try the following:

1. Select My ecad.io to see a list all of the designs you’ve uploaded
2. Select Actions next to the design you want to get into your mechanical tool and choose Create MCAD File.
3. Lastly, choose the file type you need and select Create.

Getting ready to convert your design into an MCAD file.

To download your new MCAD file, head back into My ecad.io, select the Action button next to your generated MCAD file, and choose one of the many download options as shown below:

Downloading your MCAD-ready file from ecad.io is super easy.

Now take that MCAD file and pop it into your mechanical tool like Fusion 360. There are much more options to play around with in ecad.io and we don’t want to spoil them all. Be sure to check out these tutorial videos for more options:

• Adding detailed components
• Exporting your board to mechanical CAD

Why Alignment Tools Matter for PCB Design

The entire EAGLE community has been shouting from the rooftops to give you alignment tools, and we’ve been listening. After all, there’s nothing enjoyable about squinting to count grid points while you line up that row of SMD resistors or vias. The new alignment tools in Autodesk EAGLE includes everything you might expect:

• Align a set of objects by their top, bottom, left, right, or center origins.
• Evenly space grouped objects based on horizontal or vertical distributions.
• Align new design blocks or library parts to your grid settings with grid alignment.

Now, while all of these alignment tools will surely make your life easier at design time, they even have an impact down the road during manufacturing. It’s more than just making your board beautiful; alignment tools can help with:

Making Pick and Place Machinery More Efficient

Chances are you’re designing a board with a ton of surface mount components, and you’ll need the help of a rapid-fire pick and place machine to get those parts placed. You could start slapping down components wherever you please during your layout process, but think of the machines, please! By carefully aligning and spacing your components, your manufacturer’s pick and place machine will be a lot more efficient at placing accurate solder mask stencils and parts. Plus, you’ll avoid any unnecessary delays when having your next prototype manufactured.

Those parts don’t place themselves! A pick and place machine in action. (Image source)

Satisfying Your Aesthetic Needs

We might all be engineers, working away to create new tools and inventions, but we’re also artists at heart. There’s no greater feeling of pride than looking at a PCB design with perfectly aligned parts, all evenly spaced, with beautiful sweeping traces connecting everything together. With the new alignment tools in Autodesk EAGLE, it’s easier than ever to design a board that not only works but looks great too.

Ok, now that we’ve got all of the real benefits out of the way, let’s get started! We’re going to chunk this tutorial up into three separate parts:

• Part 1 – Distributing Objects Horizontally or Vertically. We’ll start with the granddaddy of alignment by distributing objects evenly, whether that’s a row of resistors or vias.  
• Part 2 – Aligning Objects by Edges or Centers. We’ll then move on to aligning a set of objects by their edges or centers, which makes it easy to align those decoupling caps right where you need them.
• Part 3 – Aligning Objects to Your Grid. Lastly, we’ll take a look at how to quickly align new objects, like design blocks or parts from multiple libraries, to your particular grid.

Automatic Polygon Create

Remove the potential for errors by having to manually drawing your polygons, simply select an enclosed shape and Boom…polygon.

What it does

Have you wanted to get creative with some more complex shapes? With these new features you can create interesting opportunities to convert paths to polygons, or polygons to paths. In EAGLE, simply right click on any closed boundary and turn a collection of lines and arcs into a polygon. Additionally you can also select a polygon and create an outline from it… now go get creative with your shapes!

How it works:

• Right click on any lines or arcs, if they create a closed boundary, EAGLE will give you the option to fill the area. You also have options to remove the existing lines, or preserve them.
• EAGLE now supports moving drawing layer objects to a routing layer, from the properties dialog to the object, or through the change command.

Here’s how it looks in action!

Gotta Catch Em’ All

There you go, every single layer in Autodesk EAGLE, and what you need to know about them! Keeping track of all these layers might seem overwhelming at first, but as you dig into the intricacies of PCB design, you’ll see just how handy it can be to have this information available. Of course, we also can’t forget just how much of the data in your layers are going to be shipped off to manufacturing. We’re talking about things like the dimension of your board, copper pour areas, silkscreen, reference designators, and a whole lot more.

Need more signal layers than the free 2? Buy an EAGLE Premium Subscription today to unlock all 16 signal layers!

Layer 27-28: tValues/bValues

Again as the name suggests, these two layers contain the specific values for every component on your board. For example, a resistor will have its specific resistance listed, maybe as 10K. Or for a capacitor, you’ll see the capacitance listed, maybe as 0.1uF.

Many designers choose not to include this layer on their physical PCB, opting instead to have a Bill of Materials (BOM) that they can reference by looking up the reference designator of a particular component. However, if you’re planning to design a PCB for a kit or hand-assembled board, then it’s super helpful to list both the component names and values on your PCB. This will make the assembly process a lot easier to digest.