Altium Develop
Altium, IncReviews from AWS customer
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Altium has a steep learning curve but very capable for mechanical design integration.
What do you like best about the product?
The MCAD CoDesigner functionality has been very useful for integrating PCB designs into our mechanical 3D models in AutoDesk Inventor, and was a big reason we moved to Altium. The 3D views are very useful within Altium and creating PCB footprints and adding existing STEP files available from many component manufacturers is easy. The OutJob functionality is useful in exporting files.
The Draftsman documents are very powerful and have saved a significant amount of time in creating and updating production documentation. The layout capability works very well with a lot of configurability.
The ActiveBOM functionality is useful is checking part status and availability and for rolling up BOM cost.
Overall, Altium was an enormous leap from Mentor Graphics PADS (which I used for the previous 15 years), although now there are a number of other alternatives, including at least one open-source alternative that also has impressive capability (I have not explored these in detail).
Electronic design (schematic capture and layout) only makes up 10% of my working hours according to my time logging (among mechanical design, project planning, as well as customer, sales, and production support), but I am quite productive in Altium compared to my previous workflow. If this was my primary job function, I would be even more comfortable in the software as it is certainly designed with the "power user" in mind, but there are many things I don't remember or haven't needed.
The Draftsman documents are very powerful and have saved a significant amount of time in creating and updating production documentation. The layout capability works very well with a lot of configurability.
The ActiveBOM functionality is useful is checking part status and availability and for rolling up BOM cost.
Overall, Altium was an enormous leap from Mentor Graphics PADS (which I used for the previous 15 years), although now there are a number of other alternatives, including at least one open-source alternative that also has impressive capability (I have not explored these in detail).
Electronic design (schematic capture and layout) only makes up 10% of my working hours according to my time logging (among mechanical design, project planning, as well as customer, sales, and production support), but I am quite productive in Altium compared to my previous workflow. If this was my primary job function, I would be even more comfortable in the software as it is certainly designed with the "power user" in mind, but there are many things I don't remember or haven't needed.
What do you dislike about the product?
The file management and revision control is complex and difficult for a simple file-based guy like me to understand (I only dabble in software so I am not very familiar with digital version control systems) so I'm probably doing it wrong. It's nice to have the online project viewing functionality to be able to share with coworkers who don't have a seat of Altium.
I haven't figured out how to show manufacturer and MPN on a schematic, outside of the MPN assigned in the "Comment" field of a library component. It seems like this should be easy to pull from the part already set up in the "Part Choices" area.
PCB Outline editing capability is awkward. I usually end up importing from a 3D model but it's not intuitive (I end up needing to look up the process each time I do it).
Draftsman, while powerful, has limited flexibility in some ways (for instance, I'd like to have control of opacity for hatched shapes so I can show a conformal coat masking area). It would be nice to be able to do some parametric drawing, but it is adequate for what I need.
Import of files made in PADS (what we transitioned from) is quite difficult, mostly from a component library standpoint. I ended up starting over from scratch in some cases.
We recently added another seat for a new hire, and it was a chore to get him set up and the license assigned (I was confused between roles in the 365 project environment and Altium itself). Support was able to get this sorted out quickly.
I haven't figured out how to show manufacturer and MPN on a schematic, outside of the MPN assigned in the "Comment" field of a library component. It seems like this should be easy to pull from the part already set up in the "Part Choices" area.
PCB Outline editing capability is awkward. I usually end up importing from a 3D model but it's not intuitive (I end up needing to look up the process each time I do it).
Draftsman, while powerful, has limited flexibility in some ways (for instance, I'd like to have control of opacity for hatched shapes so I can show a conformal coat masking area). It would be nice to be able to do some parametric drawing, but it is adequate for what I need.
Import of files made in PADS (what we transitioned from) is quite difficult, mostly from a component library standpoint. I ended up starting over from scratch in some cases.
We recently added another seat for a new hire, and it was a chore to get him set up and the license assigned (I was confused between roles in the 365 project environment and Altium itself). Support was able to get this sorted out quickly.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Altium allows import of 3D models into our mechanical design software, which our previous software could not do. This has greatly improved our electromechanical design process (mechanical components moving past sensors mounted to the PCB, and avoiding collisions between moving parts and large PCB components).
The Draftsman feature has significantly improved our production documentation process.
The Draftsman feature has significantly improved our production documentation process.
Functional with small annoyances
What do you like best about the product?
It's an all-in-one design package that gets the job done. The built-in manufacturer part search is sometimes useful. I like the ease of switching between 2D and 3D PCB view.
What do you dislike about the product?
Needs a simple, global override function for font choice. I've set mine to Arial everything I can possibly find but half the time things still show up as Times New Roman and have to be changed manually.
Off-page location referecnes (whatever they're called) frequently generate upside-down and have to be fixed manually. Waste of time.
Off-page location referecnes (whatever they're called) frequently generate upside-down and have to be fixed manually. Waste of time.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Simple all-in one ECAD solution.
aLTIUM dESIGNER rEVIEW
What do you like best about the product?
Altium is constantly rolling out updates with new features and fixes. Their forums, knowledge base, and YouTube tutorials make it easier to solve problems quickly, especially for newer employees or those still getting familiar with the tool.
What do you dislike about the product?
New hires or interns often take time to become proficient. Altium is feature-rich, but not all tools are self-explanatory, and onboarding requires dedicated time.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It reduces back-and-forth and helps catch enclosure fitment issues early.
Altium Designer has been my AMAZING primary tool
What do you like best about the product?
The user interface is intuitive once you get past the initial learning curve and interactive routing help with fast, accurate layout. I also appreciate how customizable the UI is.
What do you dislike about the product?
From a company perspective, the licensing model can be expensive, especially when scaling the team.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Our company uses managed libraries, and Altium’s support for lifecycle management helps reduce issues with obsolete or incorrect parts.
A PCB Design Odyssey: One Engineer, One Software, No Comparisons
What do you like best about the product?
Altium is the first professional PCB design software I have used, and I it almost every day in my work day, whether reviewing old designs or working on new ones. I am the main admin for Altium in my small company, managing the workspace, libraries, templates, etc. Altium is a great all-in-one solution for schematic and layout.
Importing a standalone library file into a new, clean, altium-managed library is easy once you set up component templates correctly. The templates for new projects, schematics, components, etc. makes creating new items becomes very easy.
Integrating into our current QMS is easy, using the project releaser you end up with a nice clean package of files that you can upload to keep the quality team content.
Importing a standalone library file into a new, clean, altium-managed library is easy once you set up component templates correctly. The templates for new projects, schematics, components, etc. makes creating new items becomes very easy.
Integrating into our current QMS is easy, using the project releaser you end up with a nice clean package of files that you can upload to keep the quality team content.
What do you dislike about the product?
Some of the library management is wonky to get started and has poor starting templates. There's no reason to have a default part ID be "CMP-asdf97sdf67s" - that doesn't help anyone. After getting into the templates and giving them reasonable ID's like 'CAP-0001' and 'RES-0001', along with some standardized names and part descriptions, makes the libary management much better.
Customer support is sometimes slow, and to learn how to use the tool you need succumb to a sales pitch masquerading as an info session, rely on 3rd party youtube videos, or pay for many of Altium-run the courses.
Customer support is sometimes slow, and to learn how to use the tool you need succumb to a sales pitch masquerading as an info session, rely on 3rd party youtube videos, or pay for many of Altium-run the courses.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The web-based / workspace library management has been great after transferring from a clunky / disorganized file-based library. It is much easier to understand which schematic symbols and footprints are attached to which components, and to edit-en-masse. It also enables us to use the automated 'Library Health' utility to possibly give us a heads-up as we design new PCB's that a component is going or is already obsolete and shouldn't be used for new designs - without having to go look up each component individually or send it out to the purchasing team.
The web-based project management / git control integration has also been great in collaborating with a small team.
The web-based project management / git control integration has also been great in collaborating with a small team.
Altium is a user friendly all-in-one PCB design software.
What do you like best about the product?
Altium Designer has a large archive of new and legacy components that can be imported into a project which makes new designs quicker. When using the software daily, the advanced features can save a lot of time. The software also easily integrates with SolidWorks.
What do you dislike about the product?
Customer service is ticket based and can sometimes take a while to resolve an issue. I would prefer having live chat or a person that I could call to address issues quicker.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Altium Designer is solving the problem of needing multiple software packages to go from product concept through production.
No longer recommend Altium Designer
What do you like best about the product?
Been a professional user of AD for 15+ years having also used Allegro, PADS, KiCAD, EAGLE, etc.
UI Design is the best in the industry for ease of use. Particularly the "properties panel" and "Design Rules" graphical interfaces.
UI Design is the best in the industry for ease of use. Particularly the "properties panel" and "Design Rules" graphical interfaces.
What do you dislike about the product?
New subscription model and price gouging by 4x is disrespectful and bad value.
My org already left SolidWorks for similar mis-behavior.
AD hasn't added ANY practical "features" and continues to ignored bugs 6+ years old one of which is a CAM output error that causes A LOT of headache. New tools they've added like wire harness design are VERY far from feature complete compared to competitors like Enterprise Harness which my org uses.
Overall Altium has lost touch with their userbase and their executives are clearly going for the short term cash grab and willing to let Altium slide slowly into irrelevance. Seen it so many time before.
I've been using KiCAD lately after it made HUGE strides in features and anticipate being able to migrate my organization to KiKAD in the near future after just a few key features are added. So Altium better get their act together because open source is GOING to take their lunch.
My org already left SolidWorks for similar mis-behavior.
AD hasn't added ANY practical "features" and continues to ignored bugs 6+ years old one of which is a CAM output error that causes A LOT of headache. New tools they've added like wire harness design are VERY far from feature complete compared to competitors like Enterprise Harness which my org uses.
Overall Altium has lost touch with their userbase and their executives are clearly going for the short term cash grab and willing to let Altium slide slowly into irrelevance. Seen it so many time before.
I've been using KiCAD lately after it made HUGE strides in features and anticipate being able to migrate my organization to KiKAD in the near future after just a few key features are added. So Altium better get their act together because open source is GOING to take their lunch.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Board design
The best PCB CAD tool I have used so far!
What do you like best about the product?
What I love most about Altium Designer is how everything I need is in one place: schematics, PCB layout, footprints, simulation, and more. It makes the whole design process so much smoother and saves me a lot of time switching between different tools. I find it intuitive, reliable, and it really helps me stay focused on designing instead of managing software. It’s become an essential part of my workflow. The customer support, ease of implementation and integration has been flawless. I have been using it for the past 8 years and compared to other design tools, I like it the most.
What do you dislike about the product?
The amount of RAM Altium Designer requires for big PCB design is huge, but I have been able to go over it with a boosted computer.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It allows me to do impedance matching, length matching easily and fast track our design processes.
Good Experience Compared to Other Software
What do you like best about the product?
Altium has a lot of tools that streamline development that save a ton of time. The sharing features allow easy use between electrical engineers and 365 allows for sharing between non-electrical engineers. Altium also has a lot of online and paid trainings. This makes learning how to use the software a bit easier.
What do you dislike about the product?
While it is a benefit that there are a lot of tools, there can be a lot of rules and settings that have to be correct. The first couple times, it can be convoluted. Another aspect is speed of the program (this could be my machine as well). When I run small board projects, it performs fine. However, when I run large projects, the PCB software tends to lag.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Altium is essentially solving all of my problems. Since we started using, we have been able to import older projects in different file types, update them, and implement revision control. We have also begun using the harness design feature to bring in harness CAD into Altium and their perspective projects. Altium also makes it extremely easy to share files without having to send project packages so there aren't multiple copies and other users who don't have Altium can view them through 365.
Convenience and effectiveness
What do you like best about the product?
The modules offered make it simple to create PCBs and McAd designs, making it an excellent solution.
What do you dislike about the product?
a little challenging for beginners to engage in the software without extensive training
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It is assisting me in developing the next generation of FMUs.
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