If you want quality, go with Altium.  The auto-router in any package is no
substitute for proper layout and experience.  However, they do have several
nice features such as the ability to use the autorouter brain as a means of
telling you the quickest way to route a single line, and they have the
ability to push existing traces so you don't have to rip everything up
should you need to move a trace.

Here are is a video of what I mean:
Smart interactive routing:  <
http://www.altium.com/Evaluate/DEMOcenter/AltiumDesigner60/SmartInteractiveRouting/
>

Personally my favorite feature is this one:
<
http://www.altium.com/Evaluate/DEMOcenter/AltiumDesigner60/FlipandEditBoard/
>

You can email chris.rowe@altium.com if you have questions.  They are happy
to provide a real-time web demo if you're seriously interested in the
software.  Just tell him Shawn Wilton sent you.


On 10/3/06, Vitaliy <spam@maksimov.org> wrote:
>
> Hi List,
>
> We all know that Eagle's autorouter cannot be relied upon to do a good
> job,
> and the results it produces require manual tweaking.
>
> The complexity of PCBs I'm working on keeps increasing, so I'm seriously
> considering either switching to a different CAD package, or using a
> third-party autorouter like ELECTRA. I have a few questions for those with
> more experience.
>
> How does the quality of autorouters from higher-priced vendors like Altium
> compare to Eagle? What about the learning curve?
>
> Has anyone used ELECTRA (http://www.connecteda.com)? I'm specifically
> interested knowing two things: quality of routing, and speed. I would love
> to hear about your experience.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Vitaliy
>
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-- 

Shawn Wilton (b9 Systems)
http://b9Systems.com  <- New web page
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