Likelihood to Recommend It is possible to draw excellent-looking schematic diagrams in any personal style and transfer these to the PCB editor without problems. The library editors are quite easy to use, and as there are many available STEP models for the majority of components, 3D views are also easy to generate. The built-in 3D editor is, however fairly limited and even when fully mastered can only produce rudimentary images.
Read full review This software has been so easy to use from day one! I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Being an SME, it is offered on an annual basis free of charge. My network of engineers are amazed I am able to accomplish what I have using this software when the companies they come from are paying thousands for licensing. I also would like to note that Autodesk offer an incredible specialization to really round out your skills via Coursera.
Read full review Pros Incredible integration between teams. I love using Altium 365 and how I can view, edit, and comment on my team members designs. It is an incredible platform and makes collaborations very easy. Makes it easy to move between different projects, either local or public. I love how I can move between the PCB and schematics of different projects with no downtime. The UI is clean and works well once someone has learned how to use it. Everything makes sense and the integrated shortcuts make it particularly simple and nice to work with. I really love how I can search for any part in Altium Designer. I can source any part and place it exactly onto my PCB, allowing me to use the 3D model feature to see precisely what my designs will look like in real life. Read full review The first PRO of Fusion 360 that always comes to mind is how versatile it is. Fusion 360 is the first CAD/CAM software that also includes other key features that CAD programs of this size don't have. Fusion 360 has a generous licensing structure that gives those just starting out a place to start with a professional level CAD program. As a result, this has helped build up a huge community and user base around Fusion 360. Fusion 360 is updated on a monthly basis. This has proven to be a huge advantage over Solidworks (something else I use) which is only updated once a year. The nice thing about monthly updates, other than regular bug fixes, is that the team can adapt quickly and no one is taken by storm with a big overhaul of the UI or features at the beginning of the year. Read full review Cons Schematic design has many problems with schematic design GUI Libraries are excessively complex, particularly for low use count Reduction in usability over time. I have been using for 20 years, and like it less and less overtime In my opinion, seemingly continuing efforts to push users to use Altium's cloud features is obnoxious In my opinion, poor menu implementation is frustrating, such as menu items not being in alphabetical order Ongoing stabilities issues Seeming focus on fancy features vs. core functionality In my opinion, lack of online support for simple issues is frustrating Read full review Fusion 360 is a very simple program, so once you begin to draw more complex 3D models, the software gets sluggish and loses its fluidity. It would be really nice if Fusion 360 could output a model as a SolidWorks file so I can begin to draw something out in Fusion 360 and then pick it up in SolidWorks when I need to do some more advanced functions. Because Fusion 360 is a simpler program, there are a few functions such as 3D sketches that are not intuitive like all the rest of the functions are. Read full review Likelihood to Renew ALTIUM DESIGNER is the reference tool in the electronic circuit design sector, its use is widespread worldwide. Although there are other alternatives, some of them free do not rival ALTIUM DESIGNER in terms of features and reliability. It is also very practical to request quotes with ALTIUM DESIGNER BOM reports since all suppliers are accustomed to using the tool.
Jose Perri Director of Engineering and Product Development
Read full review It does everything I need for great value.
Read full review Usability Altium Designer is, by far, the easiest to use ECAD program in existence - and we’ve used a lot (
OrCAD , PADS, Xpedition, EAGLE, etc.). Altium Designer has a very intuitive user interface and easy to understand and navigate. Even our project management team, who may not have technical backgrounds, can use Altium Viewer for the purposes of reviewing and handoff to our customers.
Read full review Overall it is just a great piece of software for doing most 3D work. It has everything I need plus more at a great price.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Not very stable. Sudden lack of functionality when the license expires is not indicated clearly and can lead to loss of work.
Read full review Sometimes I like using it on Saturday nights. Unfortunately, they usually do their updates at this time and it isn't available to use.
Read full review Performance It can freeze sometimes while doing heavy tasks.
Read full review Support Rating It is very difficult to find answers to basic functions.
Read full review Support is conducted via internet Q&A boards; newcomers to 3D modeling may find that articulating their questions in the language of CAD software is the tricky part — once they find the right technical term for what they're trying to accomplish, answers come quickly. Autodesk also provides a large library of educational tutorial videos that make the initial process of learning Fusion 360's interface much easier.
Read full review Implementation Rating Overly complex, not designed for small organizations, core functionality poorly implemented to focus on flashy features.
Read full review No. It is basic and straightforward.
Read full review Alternatives Considered It is certainly easier to get designs up and running with great support and constant software updates. The ability to work with or without the cloud is a great feature. The only downside to Altium Designer is that it does have a cost to it that is not cheap. Overall I think it is worth the investment.
Read full review Autodesk Inventor excels at daily core engineering tasks. When integrated with Vault management systems and part libraries,
Autodesk Inventor is tough to beat when you need a mechanical design solution. When Inventor and Vault are setup properly it allows for a very efficient design workflow. I think it would be difficult to achieve the same amount of workflow efficiency with Autodesk Fusion 360, that said, Autodesk Fusion 360 offers a very good toolset at a much lower cost. I can maintain a yearly subscription of Autodesk Fusion 360 and get about 85% of the functionality that is available via the Inventor design suite for the cost of about 2 months of an Inventor subscription. I then also get access to manufacturing plugins with Autodesk Fusion 360 but lose a lot in the drawing environment. Inventor beats Autodesk Fusion 360 hands down when it comes to documentation.
Read full review Scalability Because, in my opinion, usage for small organization is poor, it is difficult to set up initial configuration to support scaling.
Read full review It offers so much already, and the reason being is that it showed promise early on.
Read full review Return on Investment Without a doubt, Altium Designer is a highly productive tool, which serves our company very well. We find the pricing structure at Altium Designer to be abhorrent. We are continually sent reminders telling us about price increases on an already expensive product. When looking at the markets, it can be seen that Altium is already an extremely wealthy company. We "only" have 3 licenses, and if we wish to retain a subscription, we must pay for three, at a cost of around 3,000 dollars each, just receive small updates and faster (in theory, but not always in practice) support. Altium has stopped offering upgrades. If we have purchased an older version (we have 2 licenses for earlier versions), Altium will not let us upgrade these for a reduced price but only sell new licenses. This practice was only introduced by Altium a few years ago, and we believe this to be a sign of an unethical company that is mainly interested in revenue and not the customer's pocket. Read full review It gives me totally positive impacts. Its zero cost eliminates the need to search for other software to use. Fusion 360's Autodesk cloud solution enables me to use 3d files generated via other Autodesk design software that are widely used by my customers. Read full review ScreenShots Altium Designer Screenshots