EFA CAMverse › ODB++ viewer
Format guide · ODB++Received an ODB++ package (.tgz, .zip) and need to look inside? EFA CAMverse opens ODB++ natively – no unpacking, no cloud upload – and shows layers, nets, stackup, components and drills, in 2D and 3D.
ODB++ – the complete PCB product model in one package.
ODB++ (“Open Database++”) is a hierarchical database format that bundles a complete PCB product model in one package: layers, nets, components, bill of materials, layer stackup, drills and manufacturing attributes. Physically it is a directory tree (folders like steps/, layers/, …), usually exchanged as a compressed archive (.tgz or .zip).
ODB++ was developed in the mid-1990s by Valor Computerized Systems; via Mentor Graphics it belongs to Siemens EDA today. It is very widely used in professional PCB fabrication and assembly, because manufacturing (CAM) can process the coherent data largely automatically and without queries.
Download for free and install – a native Windows application (10/11, 64-bit), free to use as a viewer.
Open the delivered archive (.tgz, .tar.gz, .zip) directly – no unpacking required. An already unpacked ODB++ directory tree is read as well; the version number from the package is displayed.
Toggle layers individually, highlight nets with a double-click, read stackup and drill tables, inspect components – and switch to the 3D view with one click.
Toggle every layer, control transparency and read the material build-up in the stackup pane – if no explicit stackup is present (e.g. in some Altium exports), it is reconstructed from the matrix.
Netlist pane with bidirectional highlight – double-click to zoom to a net. Drill tables show tools and diameters.
View the assembly data contained in the package: components with references, bounding rectangle and centre – the basis for assembly views and the bill of materials.
View the board in space – with components as 3D bodies, rotate and zoom freely.
Precise distance and geometry measurement right in the layer view.
A native Windows application – no cloud, no upload. Your manufacturing data stays on your machine.
Assembly views & variantsFrom the component data in the ODB++ package, EFA CAMverse generates the assembly print itself, component by component – instead of merely displaying a supplied drawing. That is why your customer's variant can truly be reproduced: components deselected for a variant are never drawn in the first place and disappear completely with body, pads and labelling – in 2D as well as 3D. More about assembly →
Pass on as GenCAD 1.4Read ODB++ and export it as GenCAD 1.4 – real conversion, not just viewing. Feed assembly, test and AOI environments that expect GenCAD straight from the ODB++ package. All features →
ODB++ vs. GerberGerber describes individual layer images – ODB++ is an “intelligent” relational full model: geometry, net logic and component information live together in one database. That is why manufacturing can process ODB++ data largely without queries.
ODB++ vs. IPC-2581Both solve the same task. The key difference is governance: ODB++ is controlled by one vendor (Siemens EDA), IPC-2581 is a vendor-neutral industry standard. Structurally, ODB++ is a directory tree while IPC-2581 is a single XML file – EFA CAMverse reads both.
And when the next customer delivers something else: EFA CAMverse also opens eight more PCB/CAM formats – in the same tool, with the same way of working.
EFA CAMverse is free to use as a viewer – unlock advanced features whenever you need them. Native on Windows, your data stays local.
EFA CAMverse 2026 · free viewer · Windows 10/11 · 64-bit
EAGLE
GenCAD
IPC-D-356
DXF
PADS
KiCad