Altium Designer
Altium Designer is professional printed circuit board (PCB) design software used for schematic capture, PCB layout, and file output for manufacturing. It helps engineers design and prototype complex electronic hardware products.
pcb-design
schematic-capture
layout
manufacturing
Altium Designer: Professional PCB Design Software
Altium Designer is professional printed circuit board (PCB) design software used for schematic capture, PCB layout, and file output for manufacturing. It helps engineers design and prototype complex electronic hardware products.
What is Altium Designer?
Altium Designer is a comprehensive printed circuit board (PCB) design environment used by engineers for designing and prototyping complex electronic hardware products. It provides tools for all aspects of the PCB design process including:
- Schematic capture - Intuitively create schematics showing electrical connectivity and capture component data.
- PCB layout - Powerful routing and placement engines to translate schematics into physical PCB designs.
- Manufacturing outputs - Generate Gerber files, NC drill files, assembly drawings, etc. for sending design files to PCB manufacturers.
Key features include real-time design rule checking, 3D PCB visualization and mechanical CAD collaboration, version control through Altium Vault, co-designing schematics and layout in a unified environment, and custom reporting. Component management and supply chain integration features are also available.
Altium Designer helps simplify even advanced tasks like high-speed routing, rigid-flex designs, and incorporating FPGAs or embedded components. The unified design environment reduces learning curves and makes collaboration between engineers seamless. Native 3D visualization tools provide accurate previews of PCBs before manufacturing to identify errors early. Overall, Altium accelerates the PCB design process while giving engineers the advanced tools needed for today's electronic devices.
Altium Designer Features
Features
- PCB Layout and Routing
- 3D PCB Visualization
- FPGA Design
- MCAD Co-Design
- BOM Generation and Supply Chain Management
- Simulation and Signal Integrity Analysis
- Version Control and Design Data Management
Pricing
- Subscription-Based
- Custom Pricing
Pros
Powerful routing and layout tools
Intuitive 3D visualization
Tight integration between schematic and PCB
Support for complex designs like high-speed or RF
Extensive component libraries
Cons
Steep learning curve
Expensive licensing model
Limited free version capabilities
Resource intensive
Official Links
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