How B2 Spice v5 Professional Compares
We are often asked how B2 Spice Professional compares with other Spice products. The short answer is that B2 Spice delivers superior electronic circuit simulation design at a fraction of the cost. While there are thousands of features in almost every spice product and we can't list them all on a web page, we can look at the products that a typical competitor feels show them to great advantage, benchmark ourselves against them, and point out some of the things they omitted from their analysis. We have looked at how we would do if Intusoft included us in the competitive analysis they published on their site (as of 7/19/2005).
Before we give you the feature list that they chose, we'd like to shopw you a list of features that they left out:
*Red Text - Features that advantageously position ICAP/4
*Green Text - Features that advantageously position B2 Spice
Features* |
Intusoft ICAP/4 Professional |
B2 Spice Professional |
Price: |
$1,995 - $6,995 |
$399 ($450 with CADSTAR support) |
| Virtual Instruments | No |
11 powerful instruments, including oscilloscope, ammeter, voltmeter, wattmeter, distortion meters,and MORE |
Integration with EAGLE and CADSTAR |
No |
Import: Verilog,* Eagle, CADSTAR Export: Eagle, other PCB providers |
*Red Text - Features that advantageously position ICAP/4
*Green Text - Features that advantageously position B2 Spice
|
Features* |
Intusoft ICAP/4 Professional |
B2 Spice Professional |
|
GUI & ease of use |
Powerful/ |
Powerful/ |
|
Interactive schematic layering and configurations |
Can wire among layers, make any layer visible from top schematic, create schematic configurations & auto change parameters thru all configurations from one base schematic |
No layering. Can save circuits as parts. Can connect wires from one schematic to another. |
|
Schematic Import, Export (other than SPICE) |
Export: Edif, Mentor, PADS, Tango, Winboard |
Import: Verilog,* Eagle, CADSTAR Export: Eagle, other PCB providers |
|
Parametric changes on schematic |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Cross-probing: schematic-to-waveforms |
Yes, arbitrarily after simulation + wave views on schematic | Yes, Arbitrarily before and after simualtion. Voltage, current, power, db, and phase. |
|
OP. pts. displayed throughout schematic |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Convergence wizard |
Yes |
No |
|
SPICE3F5/ |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Analog & A/D simulation |
Yes |
Yes (Verilog co-simulation coming in version 5.2) |
|
Script language capability |
Full: simulation measurements & wave calculator: (200 commands + 100s of existing functions) |
No |
|
All SPICE analyses |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Access to SPICE engine parameters |
All |
All, plus extra parameters to aid convergence and for A/D Bridges |
|
Custom SPICE algorithms |
Forward predicting; matrix load bypass; imp. GMIN, source stepping, sparse matrix & predictor-corrector; alternate UIC; VSECTOL; AUTOTOL; pseudo transient, ICSTEP |
GMIN stepping, source stepping |
|
Stimulus editor |
Yes, not graphic entry |
Yes, not graphic entry, but graphic preview |
|
Features* |
Intusoft ICAP/4 Professional |
B2 Spice Professional |
|
Waveform viewer & calculator |
Full viewer and calculator + special (ex: EMI- IEC, Nyquist, Smith, filters, hanning, wavelets) |
Full waveform viewer and calculator. Some 3-D capability, smith charts, polar plots, filters. |
|
Marching waveforms during sim. |
Yes, different analysis types simultaneously |
Yes |
|
Instant "previously- run waveforms" update |
Configurable: Over-writes or preserves previous waves, or new plot for update |
Configurable: Over-writes or preserves previous waves, or new plot for update |
|
Probe schematic for node/comp. I/V/P numerical values |
Yes, arbitrarily after simulation, displayed at schematic |
Yes, arbitrarily after simulation, displayed at schematic or graphs |
|
Monte Carlo & worst case analyses |
Yes |
Monte Carlo |
|
On-the-fly component sweep w. real-time waves |
Yes |
Yes, including step cieling |
|
Nested parts sweep |
Yes |
Yes, plus step text to select model names or subcircuits |
|
Features* |
Intusoft ICAP/4 Professional |
B2 Spice Professional |
|
Special "hotkeys" (keyboard functions) |
Yes, plus user defined |
Yes |
|
Special simulation analyses |
Transient sensitivity, transient DC sweep, extreme value, root-summed squares, automated pass/fail measurements full fault synthesis, IBIS-to-SPICE conversion thru v3.2 |
Verilog co-simulation with Spice. Interactive Lab instruments with simulations. Animated Devices for special parts. |
|
Scheduled simulation queue |
Queue different analysis types (1 run each) for sequential running |
Simulations can be queued for a batch run of different simulation types. |
|
Frequency-varying R,L,C models |
Yes, via script entry to model |
Yes, via behavioral block scheme |
| Model count |
17,600+ (analog, digital, mixed)
|
15,000+ (analog, digital, mixed)
|
|
BSIM 3 & 4 |
BSIM 3 & 4 |
BSIM 3 & 4 |
|
MESFET |
Full |
Full |
|
Mixed-engr. sys. & behav. modeling |
Full |
Some |
|
RF library |
Extensive |
Yes |
|
Power supply templates w. ICs |
Yes, 30+ topologies for SMPS design |
No |
|
Power electronics library |
Extensive count & types |
Yes |
|
Magnetics design |
Cores, some magnetics, special devices & (full design & synthesis option $) |
Some general magnetics |
|
Modeling constructs for user |
B-element, C-code |
B- element E,F,G,H element |
| Model building tools |
Yes, active/passive |
Yes, passive |
|
Library manager |
Yes |
In CIS option $3,5K |
|
Features* |
Intusoft ICAP/4 Professional |
B2 Spice Professional |
|
Pole/zero analysis |
Yes |
Yes |
|
2-port analysis and Smith charts |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Assign elec. measurements & limits (ie, stddev, pk rise time) for nodes & components, + view data and pass/fail |
Full capability, with auto results in chart format, viewable with different analysis types and circuit configurations |
No |
|
Component stress alarms |
Yes |
No |
|
Optimization |
Yes |
No |
|
Modification of component params. |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Fault Injection |
Full & automatic (Test synthesis available $) |
Some |
|
Filter synthesis |
Resold product option $ |
Yes |
|
Quarterly newsletters |
More than 71 |
No |
|
Lesser $$ version |
Several |
Several |