Every user or organization with an Altium Designer license and an active subscription can leverage the cloud solutions provided by Altium 365. Altium 365 enables the creation of a dedicated cloud environment, referred to as a Workspace, for the organization. This Workspace allows design data storage, including projects and component libraries, within an integrated version control system. Altium 365 facilitates advanced management of these data and seamless collaboration between designers, managers, procurement teams, production staff, and other stakeholders or organizations involved in the design and production process.
By storing data in the cloud, users can easily:
- Share projects with other users for editing or viewing,
- Create comments/tasks, whether by Altium Designer users or individuals using the project viewer in a web browser,
- Use a unified and consistent component library,
- Automatically exchange data with mechanical designers, enabling the editing of mechanical product elements directly in both Altium Designer and mechanical CAD software.
The features available in Altium 365 depend on the chosen subscription plan: Standard, Pro, or Enterprise.
Additionally, Altium offers separate applications to extend the platform's capabilities. Below are descriptions of selected applications:
ECAD Connectivity Applications
(Eagle Basic Connector, KiCad Basic Connector, OrCAD Basic Connector): These applications enable the handling of projects and libraries from software such as Eagle (ASCII, v5 and later), KiCad (up to v6), and OrCAD (schematics in.dsn files; PCB designs in .brd files v17.2 and later, .alg, MAX, .ALG; library files like .olb, are stored but not viewable) on the Altium 365 platform. These free applications allow users to upload projects from the mentioned programs into the Workspace. The processed projects are stored in the native Git version control system and interpreted into project views, such as schematics, PCB layouts, 3D PCBs, and BOM lists.
Thanks to Altium 365 integration, the project and its documents can benefit from advanced features like object and layer visibility control, bidirectional cross-probing, collaboration through managed project sharing, and document commenting. If the organization has access to the BOM Portal application, a Managed BOM document can be created from the project. Furthermore, suppose a new version of the project is introduced (e.g., due to additional work by an external contractor). In that case, the existing Workspace project can be updated, committed as a new version in the version control system, and logged in the project’s history view.
Support for PADS, KiCAD v7 and v8, and Zucken CR-5000 projects will be available soon.
Advanced MCAD CoDesigner
This application is essential if an organization with a Pro or Enterprise subscription plan requires ECAD-MCAD collaboration with more than one mechanical designer. In the Standard plan, there are no limitations on the number of mechanical designers, but the collaboration is restricted to basic objects and projects. In the Pro or Enterprise plans, which offer advanced options for mechanical data exchange (support for multi-board projects, rigid-flex, and harness designs; exporting copper as a 3D model; synchronization of Keepout and enclosures; insertion of components on the MCAD side), data exchange with one mechanical designer is included in the subscription price. If additional mechanical designers need access, the Advanced MCAD CoDesigner application must be purchased for each additional MCAD designer.
Assembly Assistant
This application allows you to run a web-based tool that supports manual PCB assembly. A typical manual assembly process involves printing out the project documentation. After installing each component on the bare board, the engineer marks off the corresponding item in the printed BOM using a pencil or pen. They must constantly cross-check the designators in the BOM with those on the PCB printout to ensure components are installed in the correct locations. In addition to paper printouts, some assemblers may open the board design in Altium Designer. While viewing the board in CAD software provides more details, it also requires switching between different views of the board (2D and 3D) and documents (PCB and BOM). Navigating through printouts or complex CAD software with one hand while holding a soldering iron with the other can be inefficient, time-consuming, and prone to errors.
The Assembly Assistant is a solution that combines the project’s detailed bill of materials with an on-screen 2D/3D assembly view. By integrating these two related sources of assembly data, the application provides a unified environment that helps users perform high-quality work during the manual PCB assembly process.
The application's interface is intuitive and easy to use. A bill of materials listing all the components needed to assemble the board is displayed on the screen, allowing you to cross-probe from a component to the 2D/3D PCB layout to quickly locate the component's physical position on the board. You can mark each mounted component, skip parts (if necessary), and view the location of all elements, including the top and bottom of the board. Since everything operates within a connected workspace, any project changes are automatically reflected in the BOM without requiring manual updates to the documentation.
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