Altium Develop vs. Autodesk Tinkercad

For general PCB design, rigid flex PCB design, and multi-layer PCB design, Altium Designer is the best software to use on the market. The simple movement between board layers and easy component placement are what sets it apart from other similar software. When designing our PCBs for industry, it is easily capable of suiting all of our needs.

Incentivized

I have found that Autodesk Tinkercad is best for creating simple 3D models for printing. I use it to add text or modifications to 3D models of artifacts for my museum, including labels and support structures for artifacts to stand on. I also use it to create promotional materials, like 3D models of artifacts with our logo on them, which we can print and pass out at events. I would not use Autodesk Tinkercad for more complex 3D modeling or editing 3D models. It's really designed for basic creation and modification, and in those areas it is extremely useful!

Incentivized

• BOM management - with just a little bit of extra care any designer produces a usable bom along with their pcb design ready to be ordered
• 365 - being able to view and review (placing comments) projects without the need to have the software installed locally
• Multi-pcb projects

Incentivized

• Tinkercad is a great baseline CAD program. This program is easy to implement and train people in.
• After on a short period of time my students are able to create complex forms using Tinkercads pre-generated shapes and holes.
• The Tinkercad provided projects aid in pushing the learning experience even further and reinforce the ideas that I train on and help my students explore the program before designing their own complex sculptural forms.

Incentivized

• The tools organization section has too many tools that are easy to lose.
• Save settings for multi-projects and reuse settings from other projects in new ones.
• Better import final designs into multiple formats (details are often lost when imported into CAD formats).

• The tutorials could be more easily readable and easier for younger students
• Sometimes confusing how to use the mouse tools vs on an iPad
• Less professional, not often used in career fields

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

For beginners, Altium 365 is extremely accessible because of its friendly UI and thorough documentation regarding how the software should be used. For professional engineers, Altium 365 lays out all advanced features that could ever be needed in a PCB project. Thus, Altium 365 makes it easy to transition from other ECAD software to this one.

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

Some times it is slow down PC due to polygons

Incentivized

Altium offers much better features and usability over Proteus. Proteus also has certain limitations in what it can achieve, so that leaves it behind. Same with KiCad, while it is easier to use, and quite an amazing software for a freeware, it lacks certain features which makes it harder for us to use. OrCAD offers a lot of features, great focus on signal integrity, but the ease of use is non-existent

Incentivized

Tinkercad is free and easy to use. It's a great place for people to start learning about 3D Design before they invest time and money in professional-level tools.

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

• I can only guess, but I think the investment, at least for real industry, is a no-brainer. The labor savings are obvious and far over the outlay.
• To be more specific, the time saved on component selection/procurement is phenomenal. I will no longer waste days poring over catalogs and websites.
• The biggest downside I know of is the time spent explaining the above to the accounts department because, let's face it, it's still pretty spendy.

Incentivized

• I should definitely say that Tinkercad has no negative impact on my business.
• It shortened my 3d design process for my many simple projects.
• Tinkercad is a free tool, no investment needed.
• I suggest it to my customers who don't know 3d design, but desperately needs a 3d file for their projects.