Altium Develop vs. National Instruments LabVIEW

Altium is my 4th PCBA layout tool used and was very easy to learn how to use and more powerful than the others (except for MentorGraphics Expedition). it is well suited for schematics and layouts for simple to complex boards handling multi-hundred element schematics and placements while easily keeping track of items.

Incentivized

Most of the time, I am using LabVIEW to develop automated controls for lab-scale and pilot-scale systems. LabVIEW is great for its graphical programming interface, which is easy to learn and understand. The program also has a lot of built-in VIs to perform different complicated I/O, data processing, controls, and graphing tasks which are extremely useful and convenient to use. My only problem with LabVIEW is how hard it is to clean up and debug the program, due to its being a graphical interface. It is hard to search for specific variables when debugging, and some of the online debugging features don't function well in real-time.

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

• real-time data visualization
• implementation of modern control strategies
• integration of languages such as python and c++, for various applications
• data acquisition through microcontroller cards

Incentivized

• The move to constraint management vs. design rules is half-baked. requiring saving separate constraints to schematics vs. PCBs results in constraints being overwritten constantly when pushing updates.
• Forcing subscriptions - removing the option for perpetual licenses.
• Integrated simulation is still un-intuitive and difficult to use.
• Requirements management feels completely separate, and I forget it's even part of Altium.
• No easy way to manage or layout schematics with "generic components" - every item is forced to be a manufacturer part at design time, slowing down initial schematic capture.

• Barrier to entry is large
• Install times are crazy
• Just in time help needs to be more apparent (most students do not know about the examples section)

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

I originally chose Altium Develop for its superior usability. All operations being handled in one cohesive platform greatly improves efficiency. When handling many different designs, project setup and component creation eat into every project's productivity. Templates, defaults and design reuse all speed up design. I hold back from a higher rating because development focus on those usability features seems to have stagnated a bit. Simple missing features requested seem to remain missing. New collaboration features, simulation and sourcing features are released, but I just want to be able to draw dashed lines! I think this reflects a general focus on the 10% of datacenter/AI/smartphone customers over the 90% of 2-4 layer designs. The lack of information available during the platform transition gave me significant pause before buying in as well.

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 Develop is a lot better than the PADS version the company had. The PCB view interface is a lot better in AD; PADS seemed very old (although we did not have the latest version). There was not 3d viewer with actual components in PADS; Altium has this feature, which means that we can share 3d images of the PCB with customers before manufacturing.

Incentivized

We have used MatLab's data acquisition toolbox in the past which was not too bad either, especially if you prefer the text-based programming format. The only problem with that was that the library of compatible data acquisition hardware was somewhat limited and if your hardware is not from one of the more popular brands like NI there is a good possibility that you won't be able to use it with your MatLab script. LAstly, the amount of supporting material (tutorials, etc.) is very limited as it is not a very popular tool

Incentivized

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

Incentivized

• Quick PCB design allows for quick sales, thus generating a large ROI for a company
• Altium Designer's built in BOM price tracker allows the user to have a general idea of the cost of their PCB, so they can plan accordingly when budgeting
• In addition to the BOM, Altium Designer provides different manufacturers and their part numbers for different components so the user can choose the cheapest option to move forward with

Incentivized

• We are able to save money by writing our own programs instead of outsourcing.
• We recently bought a new force test stand and we are able to use LabVIEW to write a program that fits our needs exactly instead of making due with what came with the stand.
• When our customers ask us to do data acquisition, we know that we can always make a solution.

Incentivized