After PADS I/O Designer launches, the first step is to open or create a project. A project is an environment in which you can work with multiple databases which form part of the same design.
The project file (.prj) should be created within the Mentor flow tool, for example PADS Designer, and this project file is then opened in PADS I/O Designer (see "Opening a Project"). If you are using the PADS Designer PADS flow, projects can be created within PADS I/O Designer first (see "Creating a New Project"), and then opened within PADS Designer and used as normal. For other flows, if you create the project in PADS I/O Designer first, it will not be able to connect to the iCDB and you will be unable to work interactively.
An PADS I/O Designer (for PADS Designer flows) project can contain one or more “Designs” which correspond to the top-level design or designs in the Mentor flow tool project. When working in PADS I/O Designer, databases are created within the project, and are associated with a particular top-level design in PADS Designer. (For WG flows, only one design per project is allowed.)