PADS (Personal Automated Design System) has evolved over four decades from a pioneering DOS-based tool into a sophisticated multi-tier design suite now under the Siemens EDA umbrella. Early History and Origins (1985–2000)
This release brought deep stability improvements and enhanced shape-based copper pouring. mentor graphics pads version history
Evolution of the Standard: A History of Mentor Graphics PADS Subject: Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Software Lineage Date: October 2023 PADS (Personal Automated Design System) has evolved over
| Year | Version(s) | Operating System | Key Milestone | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1986 | PADS-PCB | DOS | Initial release | | 1989 | PADS Logic | DOS | First schematic capture tool | | 1990 | PADS 2000 | DOS | Early naming convention | | 1993 | PADS Perform | DOS / Windows | Transitional release | | 1995 | PowerPCB V1.0 | Windows 95 | Full rebrand for modern OS | | 2001 | PowerPCB V5.0 | Windows 2000/XP | Last major independent release | | 2003 | PADS 2005 | Windows 2000/XP | First Mentor Graphics suite | | 2007 | PADS 2007 | Windows 2000/XP | Refined UI and constraints | | 2009 | PADS 9.0 | Windows 2000/XP/7 | Next-generation flow | | 2010 | PADS 9.1 / 9.2 | Windows 2000/XP/7 | Incremental updates | | 2011 | PADS 9.3 / 9.4 | Windows 2000/XP/7 | Performance improvements | | 2012 | PADS 9.5 | Windows 2000/XP/7 | Most widely used version | | 2014 | PADS VX.0 | Windows XP/7/8 | Introduction of VX naming | | 2015 | PADS VX.1 | Windows XP/7/8 | Tiered product structure | | 2024 | PADS VX.2.14 | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) | Latest VX.x release | | 2017 | Siemens Acquisition | N/A | Mentor Graphics acquired | mentor graphics pads version history
Kyoden sold PADS to Innoveda, which was subsequently acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2001.