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 Robert McNeel and Associates
One of the main highlights of Rhino is the built-in visual programming system "Grasshopper". It is widely used for parametric architectural design, by a variety of world-class architectural offices. It is also very popular within architectural schools and universities. Its usefulness has increased a lot by having add-ins, plug-ins, scripts, and integrations with
Revit and
ARCHICAD for BIM workflows.
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 Robert McNeel and Associates
Parametric Modeling - Grasshopper allows for easy/rapid iterative process White box renders display - looks great as a quick diagram export with no post-production required. robust command prompts - rhino was originally made for industrial design and it flexes a lot of unique modeling commands that put it up there with SolidWorks Read full review Cons Schematic design has many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 Robert McNeel and Associates
Rhino has very limited sheet layout tools. Grasshopper could be better integrated into the main interface. Lack of backwards file compatibility can be frustrating. 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 Robert McNeel and Associates
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 Robert McNeel and Associates
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 Robert McNeel and Associates
Support Rating It is very difficult to find answers to basic functions.
Read full review Robert McNeel and Associates
A majority of the support for Rhinoceros 3D does not come from the company itself, but from online forums and boards where other Rhinoceros 3D users outline their issues and solutions. The Rhinoceros 3D website does not offer much in-depth support and just outlines general how to's. At the same time, online forums allow for more specific issues to be addressed and solved by the Rhinoceros 3D community.
Read full review Implementation Rating Overly complex, not designed for small organizations, core functionality poorly implemented to focus on flashy features.
Read full review Robert McNeel and Associates
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 Robert McNeel and Associates
It's hard to compare Rhino to other modeling software as Rhino is in a niche of its own. No other software (to my knowledge) is as customizable/programmable and has such a large community and such a large amount of free, open-source addons. Rhino (and Grasshopper) can be intimidating at first but once you get familiar with it and grow your toolbox with your own scripts, so much time will be saved
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 Robert McNeel and Associates
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 Robert McNeel and Associates
Right away Rhino3D is useful for simple and accurate 3D model import, repair and export all in a variety of formats. Rhino3D is easy to use and learn. The time to productivity is very short with this modeling tool. The price is low for the value received, a great investment. Read full review ScreenShots Altium Designer Screenshots