Altium Has Its 2kicad Moment | Hackaday

Near these parts, we tend to be representatives of KiCad lifestyle. Is there a better way to design PCBAs than free and open source tools that can be run anywhere? However, there are still some features in the commercial EDA software package that have not yet entered KiCad, so it may not always be the best tool. Altium Designer is a popular non-random choice, but the price per seat is as high as tens of thousands of dollars, and it is not always suitable for users and businesses without serious needs.

As a KiCad user, what do you do when you encounter a design that you want to collaborate with Altium? As of April 3, 2020, [Thomas Pointhuber] has merged

Enter KiCad, this version is expected to be released in version 6.0. As [Thomas] himself pointed out in the patch submission, this is hardly the first time a third-party Altium importer has been released. His new work is

By [thesourcerer8]. In January, another user left

Other (non-KiKad) tools to process Altium files.

If you want to try this beautiful new feature yourself,

Build KiCad from the source. As for testing against classic files

You can find what you saw above on GitHub. Take a break and watch [Thomas]'s boring but very exciting video about importers at work. We can't wait to try it!

Thanks for the tip [Chris Gammell]!

Finally, import

Board

Just one click (in the developer version).

This allows viewing and editing

versus

The software is therefore not actually open to everyone.

-Thomas Pointhuber (@Chaos_Robotic)

I am a big fan of Altium, so I recommend CircuitMaker as a free alternative. It is basically a simplified version of Altium, but still has excellent features. This is the necessary software I currently use for personal pcb projects.

Well, if someone wants to import your project into KiCad, my importer also supports CircuitMaker and CircuitStudio.

"We tend to be representatives of the KiCad lifestyle;" Is that intentional? (index)

Opponents oppose the cone shape, the supporters support the cone shape, and the exponents spray the cone shape everywhere.

Did you know that altium has a free version...

But it is not open source, so it is pure evil by default and must be avoided. Most importantly, it won’t even run on Linux installations from 1996, but on the old converted Amiga, so it’s good.

Hahahaha! that's good!

The only good PCB design is on vinyl.

It hasn't been updated for many years, and it was in beta version even before being abandoned. Unfortunately, I like it very much.

In response to your comment on the cost of Altium, "...but each seat is up to tens of thousands of dollars"...This may be the retail price or the listed price, but Altium sometimes offers special offers (e.g. spring 2019), One of them may have a permanent Altium permanent seat (including access to online training and one-year support services) for less than $3,000. Although US$3K is not cheap, it is certainly reasonable for many small and medium-sized companies.

The small company I work for has less than 50 employees, 10 of whom are engaged in electronic product design... How do we justify waiting for "sales" to upgrade department seats? Between our old OrCAD, Eagle and Altium seats, we are now transferring everyone to KiCAD. Some people are looking at the development content of 6.0 and are excited about many features. We are studying what is yet to be developed, and we are providing a business case for designated developers to do part-time coding on kicad in our company-release it as open source while working. Open source is the way of the future.

Wayne Stambaugh and Seth Hillbrand (2 KiKad mayor developers) have been set up

Seek commercial support. They can help you speed up your own developers, or you can hire them to do some custom work on KiCad.

Thank you, I will investigate!

As an amateur using kicad instead of any paid alternatives, what features am I missing?

Obviously a very expensive seat :)

As the wallet is thinner, Altium makes sitting in this seat more comfortable.

As an amateur? There may be nothing. Unless you are making very complicated circuit boards!

Eight years ago, we switched from Kicad to Altium, mainly because it can easily and successfully complete complex circuit boards compared to Kicad.

I think one of the best features Altium has is its very sophisticated design rules. You can almost say "I want my 10Ohms differential pair to have a width of 0.22mm on the top layer and 0.174mm on the third layer, but 0.1mm is ok under this fine-pitch BGA", or " I want the normal gap to be 0.125mm, but 0.15mm between the polygons and the lines. Oh, I want to leave a 2mm gap between the AC input and the rest of the circuit."

These rules are automatically used when pouring polygons (in most cases) when routing tracks.

In most designs, we have at least 20 rules. It clears up the most common routing errors you might encounter. It is especially useful when working with others on high-speed designs or when you need to comply with specific safety-related licenses. In this case, sometimes simple errors due to wiring errors will mean expensive and expensive redesigns (more expensive than Altium Licence The cost is much higher).

Finally, there are many "smart routing" tools, once you master these tools, your running speed will be 2-10 times faster than manual speed. Coupled with the ability to use STEP 3D models, so you can get an accurate final 3D model for mechanical integration. Plus more than 1,000 little things, such as muti-channed designs (copy and paste your routing in seconds).

Although there are some disadvantages. This is a tool that requires a lot of learning and practice to get the most out of it, and “just for one board from time to time” may not be worth it.

TBH, since Kicad has made a lot of progress in the routing part, I would love to return to it. First is a personal project, and then maybe a professional project (but we must add design rules to it).

One of the reasons is that in Kicad, every file is text-based, works (relatively) well with Git, and allows some verification tools to be built around it. This is much easier than reverse-engineering the part of the Altium file that is part of the text, part of the binary collage, and part of the repeated information. Thomas Pointhuber most likely knows this is better than what I did :)

tl; Doctor

To summarize, I want to say that Altium is better than Kicad

--Your design is 1000 components or more

– Your design has complex clearance or mechanical constraints (or ultra-fine pitch)

– Your design will be used in "high demand" industries

-You have made many revisions to many boards

Therefore, as an amateur, you can fall into one of the following categories, but this is unlikely.

1+

Probably the most accurate comparison. I recently started using kicad again (tried it in 2015 and was not impressed), the library and integrated 3d models are absolutely incredible. I can perform ray-tracing 3D models (beautiful pictures) of the entire circuit board, and export 3D circuit boards and component models for mechanical integration. If PCB design is your daily work, please stick to Altium :)

Fun fact: If you have more than 65,534 components or networks, KiCad is better than Altium, simply because the file format uses 16-bit (I hope unsigned) integers. It cannot represent more.

Regarding constraints: I haven't implemented them yet, simply because KiCad 6 will get a very similar system to Altium.

Indeed, there will be a new cool restraint system. PS. I don't know what the hardware is to run Altium on @chmousset, but in my experience, a ~1500-pin BGA + some memory makes Altium useless.

I mainly work on high-end laptops with dedicated GPUs. In the past, the GPU seemed to be the bottleneck (maybe not FHD; but this is the case for me in 4k), but since AD19, it seems to be more CPU consumption. The largest design I have is 1000 components, 22k pads, and about 40 planes. Yes, it does run slowly when 20 mosquito nets are routed (it can reach 20FPS even when zoomed). There are some adjustments that seem to be useful in online DRC, but I haven't found a way to make everything *really* smooth.

I am not sure whether Altium can handle 10,000 components on all TBH. I don't think the actual limit is the 16-bit file format :)

In contrast, the same design imported in pcbnew presents a silky smooth effect. But polygon generation is 100 times slower than Altium, which eventually crashes pcbnew...

8 years ago, we switched from Kicad to Altium

Eight years is

Rapid development programs like KiCAD take a long time! I have never used Altium, but I think the development speed of KiCAD is much faster than Altium. Also, please see my response to Alexander Wikström below. KiCAD has a complete pugins echo system built around it, and has been "grafted" to the open source mechanical CAD FreeCAD, which greatly simplifies 3D work. You can easily push and pull mechanical fillers (including STEP data) between the two.

>For a rapid development program like KiCAD, eight years is a long time!

That's why I can consider using it for personal projects or even professional projects;)

In the end, every "large" professional software (Altium, Solidworks, Catia) has reached the point where it is backward compatible and keeps the user's workflow as stable as possible, preventing them from adding new features or doing smarter things.

In my case of using Solidworks for about 15 years, there are few improvements compared to the 2010 and 2016 versions (at least for my "basic" usage). Then, Fusion 360 came and changed everything for me. My efficiency may be 2-3 times higher, and it comes with free FEM, but the price is only a small part of it. Indeed, Fusion will also reach a stagnant state in the future, but the distance is still far (20-30 year cycle). Kicad may also know. :)

> KiCAD has built a complete pugins echo system around it and has been "grafted" to FreeCAD

I don't want FreeCAD. I want the steps (pun intended) to export the PCB 3D model to be as simple as possible, so I can put the model into my favorite MCAD package. But this is my preference.

I do not know. I think most "big" companies tend to use mentors and/or rhythms.

For me, the biggest difference is that KiCad can run on Linux and the powerful functions of Python scripts for DRC and lib management. But there are many other interesting things – for example, Sourcery CodeBench from Mentor.

For those who work on circuit board layout, the most obvious difference is the component library and component editing functions.

Python? Democratic Republic of the Congo? You caught my attention :)

Do you have any examples?

I also use KiCAD myself. However, when it is possible to list a bunch of annoying quirks that KiCAD does, it is actually not a good software.

Fortunately, some minor details can be changed through settings. But some quirks seem to be intentional.

Eeschema's inability to make basic object selection is frustrating. (Selecting is not equal to moving.... It would also be a nice improvement to hold down a key and click each item you want to select multiple items. (Because almost all existing CAD programs seem to support this...).

Editing the properties of multiple components is also a good thing. I can understand that component references are not "supported" (even if it can be done logically). However, it would be great if I could set the footprint on the component. Or even add a "reference" so that the component also follows the reference I set. The same goes for linking data sheets and other things that may be needed.

To say the least, deleting rows in Eeschema is also annoying. Why must the entire row be deleted? Can't it stop at the intersection? (Yes, I can go and redraw the part, but I shouldn’t.)

We also have a component library, which contains almost everything a person needs, and it is not difficult to add new content to it.

However, creating new library components may become much easier, and basically faster... Almost all components made by one person will be a rectangular box. There are a bunch of pins on its X side... why can't it generate this for us? It only needs to know how many pins we have, what components to call, what pins to call and what to do. (If you want to perform basic debugging later.)

Then we have the footprint library.

Except that the footprint library sometimes crashes, it's not too bad.

The library contains multiple copies of some components. What is the difference between 0805 capacitor and 0805 resistor? Why do 0805 inductors, diodes, etc. need their own footprints? We can't just provide a library for all packages such as 1206, 0805, 0603, 0201. They should be the same after all. (Frankly speaking, they are very standardized, we can generate them when needed, thus saving the need to prepare hundreds of files for them...)

KiCad has provided generators for BGA (which does not seem to support interleaved pins), SOIC, S-DIP (interleaved pins), QFP, FPC. So this is good. Now, as long as there is a standard method, you can tell the program to automatically generate footprints. Instead of generating it first, it’s better to put it in a library (or create a new library for it), and then point the component to the occupied space...

Just tell the program how difficult it is to "generate: BGA, 5×5, pp-.5, ps-.3, mx-.5, my-.5", and let it generate 5×5 pin BGA pad size as 0.3 mm, the pad pitch is 0.5 mm, and the profile is 0.5 mm. Now, I don’t advocate using the formatting method I just edited, but I’m happy to say that one wants to generate a new footprint instead of always needing a library containing everything. It will also make the project more portable. Because you only need a generator, you don't have to worry about importing libraries.

On the downside, if the chip lacks pins (or currently just interleaved pins...). Some BGAs have pins with missing + signs after all, and some BGAs lack complete squares or other patterns. Some chips may even toss on a larger pad. But for truly odd chips, this is where the library becomes very useful.

But the core cadcad caused other problems, everywhere. I don't know whether the latest version of PCBnew still has the "automatically delete old tracks" function, regardless of the button settings in the UI.

PCBnew also has this wonderful little problem when using DRC tools. It does list a long list of all the questions and even marks them with arrows. But there is no ID on the arrow, and no ID on the problem. If the first of question 1 also has #1, and the corresponding arrow also has #1, that would be great.... Not to mention that when you click the arrow, it will also light up the track, via or component in question. (Just like it lights up the corresponding pad/track when drawing a trace.)

It is also good if:

1. You can add one text document or three in one person's project...for project documents.

2. Kicad supports the version history of a project. In this way, if you want to make changes, you can insert a "bookmark" at that point in time, and then fiddle with the changes. At the same time, you can still choose to return to the previous version. This means that we don't have to worry about redesigning parts, because we know that the previous version still exists. (Yes, we should be able to have multiple bookmarks. Some CAD programs save everything a person does as a "history", but it's too detailed and only makes it harder for people to really know that a person came from Where, and the backtracking time is shorter. Distance, "undo" / ctrl-Z is more effective.) The simplest implementation is to be able to have multiple versions of the PCB file in the project.

3. For the same project, we can have multiple different committees. That is, each board may have its own schematic diagram. And be able to import these boards into each other and place them where they should be when using the 3D viewer. Suitable for more complex 3D designs. Therefore, if the schematic indicates that two boards are connected, they will be connected in the 3D viewer. (Although, I have also seen a simple code error that can cause the program to go through infinite recursion. For example, there are 4 interconnected boards forming a cube...not to mention how to deal with flexible PCBs... (but flexible PCBs Is another topic together...))

4. We can export the 3D model from kicad to other CAD programs, where we can create other parts of the same project... Adapting to the envelope design will suddenly become much easier. (The 3D viewer can currently export images, but nothing else...)

5. We can use the bill of materials file as part of the project so that we know how many components and what types of components are needed. It is best to support the above version history. You can even take notes in it, and even check inventory through Octopart and others.

However, this note is now a text wall, so it ends here.

Every EDA tool has annoying quirks. Just because of the quirks you're used to, doesn't mean it is perfect.

gh, "Just because you are used to the quirks of [insert preferred EDA tool here] does not mean it is perfect".

I think any CAD tool is not perfect.

Both of them have shortcomings, even in some cases, even feature-rich tools can fall to the ground.

But please note that I have no complaints about KiCAD behaving/working like another program.

I have already said that if you want to expand the functionality of the program, it is really illogical to do so.

For example, if you want to support the ability to change the specifications of multiple components in parallel, KiCAD always wants to move the selected content because the program needs to be changed.

Hope to organize and clean up the schematic library and usually provide it with a wider range of functions (ie generating native footprints), which will enable KiCAD to do more, while still retaining all the current ways of using the program.

Then there are the core functions, these functions can not even achieve the functions they declare... This is an objective problem that needs to be solved.

My goal is not to make KiCAD work like Eagle, Altium or any other PCB CAD program.

Not to mention that one-third of my reviews did not even complain about the problem, but suggested new features to extend the functionality of the program to make it useful to a wider audience, while at the same time aiming to have a smaller impact on how current users use the program.

Sometimes, if another function is difficult to implement, you cannot add a new function.

Just like choosing things, don't move things randomly. And another question similar to deleting a line is whether we should delete the entire line or only the nearest intersection. Usually, this should be a user setting. (You can even use keys such as Shift to open instantly)

Finally, KiCAD is not inherently bad. Although it is full of small errors, it can sometimes make it quite scary. Not to mention it crashed. (very lucky.)

GIMP is another program similar to KiCAD but used for photo editing/drawing. It is also full of errors, has some weird features, and usually does strange things sometimes. Does this mean that it is inherently bad, but should behave like Photoshop? No, it's not.

But both GIMP and KiCAD should be committed to supporting a wide range of workflows, mainly because there are a wide range of people using the above programs to handle various things.

Therefore, "I'm used to [insert preferred CAD tool here], so KiCAD should behave like this!". Frankly speaking, this is the exact opposite of my goal.

There are multiple 0805 library symbols at least because they have different 3D outlines attached. Resistors, capacitors, diodes, and LEDs all look different in the 3D view.

The footprint generation wizard in KiCad is a short python script. Usually about 200 lines. Therefore, if you want to create custom package wizards for packages that are not yet supported, you can start with a good example.

I agree, although Eeschema is a bit behind. Most of the development of KiCad V5 has entered Pcbnew. However, Eeschema is not outdated for KiCad V6, and it will get some mayor updates. However, it may take a year or so to release a stable version.

Due to its openness, KiCad also supports a large and growing number of extensions and related projects. For other workflows, take skidl as an example. This is a python library that can generate network lists and more from scripts. It's a bit like VHDL for PCB design.

I am a daily user of Altium. By no means perfect-the idea is ridiculous.

_kicad is worse.

This is just a simple fact. Every time I discover new features of Altium, every time I want to throw the computer off the cliff, I will reflect on whether I can do better in Kicad. The answer has always been "no".

You can export a 3D model from KiCAD as a STEP or VRML file... It's just under "File"> "Export" in the main menu, not in the 3D viewer.

Well, not where I hope to find it. But this is also feasible. Now, if it supports more files, that would be great. But this is a small problem.

You can delete a simple line segment in eeschema, just click the line segment and press the DEL button.

To be honest, I have been using Altium for decades (since 98) and there are so many errors and the most annoying and serious errors (requires a complete restart) (for example, dll exceptions due to drc or parameter parsing errors) , Or any dll exception under random circumstances))-still there. They cannot be repaired in 20 years. And there are a lot of annoying errors in the PCB editor. There is no perfect EDA.

by the way. You have to learn the shortcut keys and operations again, and then you will find that KiCAD can almost complete all the operations you often use in Altium.

1. You can add text in the project. Just create a txt file in the project directory and you will see it in the list. When you open it, you can choose an editor program for the file.

2. Since KiCAD files are text-based, you can use SVN, GIT or any version control you like.

3. Yes, it is gone now...

4. You can export it. Pcbnew: File -> Export -> STEP

5. BOM version control can also be done through GIT or SVN, but yes, it lacks complex variant management.

I have personally seen people who use Altium and decided not to use it for a long time. Compared with KiCAD, it does not seem to have many advantages. At least there is nothing to be frank about the crazy cost.

At least in version 4.0.7, things will not be deleted in a good way. The content in the current 5.1.4 version may have been changed. But frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if it still works. At least the PCB layout tool only deletes a single segment. Eeschema deletes the entire line. (It doesn't matter if we have a node.)

It really depends on what you mean by "segment."

1. It would be great if Kicad showed this more clearly... because it is very difficult to add the "Create .txt file" option

2. It’s a little strange that there should already be a basic function that requires a plug-in. However, SVN, GIT, etc. do have other functions. I will not say that these are "not useful tools" because they are. However, it would be great if KiCAD had at least a basic method for handling revisions.

Not to mention that the most basic thing is just to enter the OS file manager and literally copy the files in the project, but this will not cause the project directory (in kicad) to have two sets of expected results for the file (probably because the project file is not Include the file. You can enter the directory and edit it to include two files, but why? Is the directory itself sufficient for the content in my project? If at least this super basic thing works, that would be great .... (If it can be done from within kicad and automatically incremented, the revision number would be great.)

3. Yes, it's gone. It can be a little complicated to implement.

4. The above comments are faster.

5. If you are working in a project with multiple development boards, having variants will be a great tool. But at least making a basic BOM is quite trivial. Just read the schematic to see how many identical devices there are.

Here, the basic tools can be used in many cases. For most users, using plugins to handle more advanced content (such as automatic inventory tracking, price statistics, etc.) is a bit too much. (Those who really need it will figure out how to implement it.)

in the end.

KiCAD needs a lot of work to be truly outstanding.

For now, it is very useful.

It would be great if you can make a circular trace along the radius... (we can draw such a line, even set the width, but not trace. How many lines of code are we talking about here? Copy a block and change some values ? Add a button? What else?)

It would also be great if one could more easily snap traces/lines to each other's endpoints. And, if you can tell the program not to piece things together... (we can go into the settings and change this setting at those times, we need it to never "lost appeal", or we can add buttons in the UI.)

@AlexanderWikström: KiCAD already provides some of the features you are looking for, but this requires a change in philosophy. Many people who are used to using open source packages like Altium want their packages to do all the work. So why not? They paid a lot for this! However, it is different from KiCAD. Since KiCAD is open source, it has

Around it. For example, regarding mechanical integration, KiCAD has "married" the open source mechanical software package FreeCAD, so you can easily push and pull between the two. (This is done through FreeCAD's'StepUP' plug-in, which is now provided with the plug-in manager.) Therefore, you can place the components exactly where you need them and have an accurate 3D model of the PCB (which can be easily exported as STEP, IGES, STL...Through FreeCAD instead of KiCAD's local machinery exporter), there are many other advantages. The KiCAD and FreeCAD teams are working together. I have personally used KiCAD in professional work involving camera chips, which must be accurately positioned on the PCB, but it is not difficult due to the integration of KiCAD-FreeCAD.

Other KiCAD plug-ins have greatly assisted RF/microwave design (for example, trace "teardrops" through fences, through stitching, chamfering, ties, etc.). The KiCost plugin can handle the variants in the BOM. For example, see the latest HaD article on KiCAD plug-ins:

. (Since last year, KiCost plugins have begun to encounter problems, because distributors such as Digikey, Mouser and others have begun to use anti-scratch technology on their websites. As a solution, KiCost started to use Octopart, but then Altium purchased Octopart, and then you The rest of the information can be guessed.) Therefore, don't limit yourself to the "correct" KiCAD, but look around in KiCAD's echo system. As for the history of pcb, since KiCAD files are based on ASCII, why can't you use version control tools like git or SVN? I think it is possible to import bitmap files into eeschema (the schematic capture of KiCAD), but I have never used it.

I agree that KiCAD's user interface is weird.

The Altium website began to criticize KiCAD:

. They are full of lies because they freely merge with open source (they are not the same, and open source projects have the legal will to enforce strict quality standards before accepting the code) and make it look as if KiCAD is Developed by people who do not have a better job (look at the nightly build activities will find problems!), so many errors in KiCAD may not be fixed (errors) for a long time. I want to know, is Altium worried about KiCAD eating away its market share?

Yes, KiCAD does support plugins.

It is open source.

It does make quite logical files, and it is not difficult to use these files in your own code.

However, this has not changed the fact that basic tools will still bring a more relaxed experience for many users.

Exporting/importing projects between different programs is a feature that any "professional" program should expect. KiCAD has such a tool, which is great. (Although the DXF importer seems to be very picky about what files to import or not to import.)

I'm not really saying that KiCAD should include everything from the beginning, it's too much. And it may be a mess now.

In addition, I have never used Altium myself. (I have seen other people use it and, frankly, KiCAD is a better tool for investment. (Yes, even KiCAD has a price, but it’s mainly time).)

But I think I have to put up with the standard open source replay:

"It is open source, you can add any features you need/want through plugins or your own code." For some people who are working fine. For others, this is a path obscured by mistakes, mistakes and tutorials, skipping the most important step....

I used Eagle around 2008, but due to too long time, I forgot any habit of using it. I recently started using KiCad, and my first project was to reverse engineer the old "Analog Exerciser" student trainer, apparently from these NIT's home-learning courses. My main goal is to make circuit schematics for use with ICL8038 and see if it can be used as part of a modular synthesizer. I mainly check whether the schematic diagram is drawn correctly during the layout of the circuit board.

KiCad is not too bad, but what bothers me the most is how the schematic and board editors use "different" selection examples. They all have weird CAD behavior, which is okay, but Eeschema draws or picks up objects immediately, and Pcbnew expects you to select an object before processing it.

The difference between 0805 capacitors and 0805 resistors is the 3D model that will be used for 3D rendering. "0805" refers only to length and width, not part height. But I can still see that the ordinary 0805 size will be very convenient. Therefore, create a custom footprint library the way you want.

Eeschema does need to stop dragging around the object immediately, and this is the only program I know of that does this.

It must also be said that a good PCB layout program should probably not use the footprint for 3D models. Instead, look at the 3D model pointed to by the component itself. Because this will provide us with greater flexibility to handle a larger range of components without making layout choices more confusing.

However, a very good component library will be based on "data sheets". Provide schematic components, 3D models of PCBs and corresponding packages for all different versions of components. It also provides detailed DRC rules and even provides some information about how to simulate components correctly when performing circuit simulation. (However, this actually requires a fundamental redesign of the way KiCAD handles components.) That is, just select the "data sheet", then select the variant, and then finish.

"Almost all components manufactured will be a rectangular box. There are a bunch of pins on its X side... Why can't it generate this for us?"

good idea. EasyEDA has a function called "Component Wizard".

The difference between a resistor seat and a capacitor seat is to prohibit the path and polygon under the capacitor. + Altium

I just started using KiCAD on Linux. Yes, that is an attraction. However, it seems to belong to the same category as OrCAD and Altium. As, not perfect, but usable. Moreover, I am willing to endure many flaws (though not many) in free tools. I have seen Eagle and gEDA, but KiCAD looks more beautiful, has a good following, and is associated with CERN? I have always been happy to use one of their earlier free tools :-)

I think it was developed by CERN physicists.

Some core developers work in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and have support within the organization. However, it was not started by them. CERN's support began a few years later, and it coincided with the regular improvements to the platform.

Many of our customers use Dip Trace. I'm OK

This may be controversial, but after 10 years of schematic capture and layout in Altium, I came to the conclusion that importing designs is generally not a good idea. The import process brings many risks, and mitigating this risk is time-consuming detailed engineering work.

I have many customers who think that just by pressing a button, your design is in Altium (or preferred tool). The reality is that if you want to import schematics, you also need to import symbols/packages. It sounds easy until you face the prospect of combing through 100 symbols with a fine-toothed comb. To be honest, PCB is easier because there are no parameters in the package and there are fewer style problems.

Has anyone imported the design into Altium, only to find that one of the pins in the junction deviated by 0.0000001 units and made one pin on another net? Phantom Diamond right? Some things you can only find in the import.

Now that I know exactly how complicated Altium's file format is, I have to give the submitter crazy props. I never thought it was possible.

Obviously, Altium is too expensive and cannot meet the needs of typical HaD enthusiasts, but each seat will not cost "hundreds of thousands". There is not even 10,000 per seat. Hell, I have a seat for less than $3k and a free subscription for one year.

About EDA tools-an aspect that affects your choice. You may choose your favorite tool and know its charm better than the next software package discussed here. However, if you try to join a very promising project, its managers will insist that you use Altium because everyone else has done so, otherwise you will not get the job. It is difficult to turn off tools for a project, that is, unless it is a lucrative project that lasts more than 5 years and is currently the only source of income, you will not become too picky. The decision made for you is not technical or even rational, it is "because the boss says so". happened to me.

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