Hi David,

Actually, Mentor does support this in a couple of possible ways. The
ideal way to do this is to use the Mentor variant functionality that is
meant just for this purpose. If the bare board for both assemblies is
the same, then you can use variant functionality to depopulate or change
part numbers of the parts on the board. I know this functionality exists
in version C.2 and above, I am not sure about prior versions. In order
for this to work you need to have one design, assign the proper variant
properties to the parts, and then tell each sheet of the assembly
drawing which variant it is for. Mentor will then create the proper
graphics for the added board geometry automatically. You can also
generate a unique BOM for each variant. This takes a bit of setup, but
is very powerful. Board Architect provides the best user interface for
this funtionality but you can do it with standard DA, Layout and
FabLink. Check the manuals using "variant" for details or contact me.

If you already have 2 designs as it sounds like you might then you have
to be a bit cruder but there is an easier than the method Charles
suggests. Mentor has a function allowing you to grab all or part of the
graphics of any geometry and create a generic geometry from them. In the
menu bar in FabLink, Geometries->Create Geometry->Detailed View. This
allows you to snag the graphics of another geometry (such as the board)
and create a generic geometry from them. You can then transfer this to
another design by writing the generic geometry out in ascii and reading
it into the other design.


--
Jerry A Temple Jr. C.I.D

  Utilitek Systems Inc.
  148 Vestal Parkway East
  Vestal, NY 13850

                   voice:  607-786-9064 x26
                   fax:    607-786-5563
                   email:  [log in to unmask]
                   web:    http://www.utilitek.com

 Since 1986 providing:     Mentor Graphics PCB design services,
                           Mentor consulting services,
                           Custom AMPLE development &
                           Mentor productivity Software
                               including GeomGen,
                               automatic geometry generation

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