Altium Designer vs. BricsCAD

I think Altium shines especially in environments with lots of interdisciplinary collaboration. As a software developer who just needs to check the pinout or wants to suggest moving a specific component to another set of pins, as a mechanical engineer who is designing an enclosure for the PCB, or as someone in a role where they do mostly reviews, Altium is the ideal solution because of Altium 365

Incentivized

It is possible to use BricsCAD in a free version over time except that it is considerably reduced in terms of functionality and performance. I especially like the collaboration, import and export features. These tools are important in that they allow you to exchange with the different teams involved in the project to make the necessary changes in time.

Incentivized

• The schematics have multiple possibilities and tools that allow the classification of various parts of a single project to obtain better documentation.
• The PCB design section is extensive, allowing the making of simple PCBs and the development of more advanced ones, such as high-frequency ones.
• CAD compatibility allows 3D elements to use the elements and preview everything in a complete project.

• 3D Modeling
• Machine learning / A.I.-assisted feature named PROPAGATE.

Incentivized

• Where to start? In my opinion, technical support, with or without a subscription is at best random. Several questions have remained unanswered.
• I find that the interactive routing is more difficult than with the earlier Protel versions. There are so many snap options, that it is continually necessary to change a particular snap setting in order to perform a particular operation, otherwise, the track end will jump where it is not wished.

Incentivized

• Reduce the price for access to the premium version of BircsCAD to take advantage of the latest features.
• Avalaible in several languages

Incentivized

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.

Incentivized

Like any complicated program, it will always need some room for improvement. For example, it would be nicer to have other shortcuts than just the numpad Asterisk as the layer shift shortcut, or easy to shift layers via other ways. Some programs use a space bar instead, or similar. It would also be nice to manipulate or make 3D items better

Incentivized

Not very stable. Sudden lack of functionality when the license expires is not indicated clearly and can lead to loss of work.

Incentivized

I use the educational Program. And so far is the best technical support. Every time that I need one or I have a question. They respond so far and with excellent advice.

Incentivized

easy to follow, Good technical materials. good videos The platform is easy to use.

Incentivized

Overly complex, not designed for small organizations, core functionality poorly implemented to focus on flashy features.

Incentivized

Altium Designer is far easier to use and has a simplified pricing model for use to forecast project costs. Altium Designer also has many value-added features such as Altium 365 and MCAD integration which we can use for no additional costs. Other vendors charge by feature. Altium Designer has no hidden costs.

Incentivized

Because, in my opinion, usage for small organization is poor, it is difficult to set up initial configuration to support scaling.

Incentivized

• We have been able to design over 10 different types of boards for our satellite and have been able to iterate on designs an endless number of times.
• Our internal communication has significantly improved as we have been able to immediately see each others designs via Altium 365.
• Onboarding new members can be difficult as the process of learning Altium Designer can take a few weeks and can be discouraging. I would recommend allowing users to go through designing a PCB when first opening the program, if they don't have experience already.

Incentivized

• Evaluation and budget management
• Better monitoring of projects
• Respect of execution deadlines

Incentivized