Probably the industry standard.
March 08, 2024
Probably the industry standard.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Altium Designer
We use Altium to design the schematic design of the original hardware. I share schematics with software team members so they can use it as a reference when writing firmware. After we generate a layout, we use Altium 365 to generate fabrication files and send them to PCB houses for quotes and timelines. I give mechanical engineers access to 3D files to generate housings and to make test fixtures with better accuracy. We looked into using the wire harness generation toolset, and so far, it is not mature enough for our use cases, but it might work for less complex designs.
- schematic capture
- board design
- sending out for quote
- Harness design.
- Sharing 3D files with solidworks seems to work well the first time only.
- Putting parts in the library is difficult and has lots of room for errors.
- Accurate schematic and solid DRC.
- Accurate 3D cad for housings.
Schematic design and board layout are very fast. 365 also makes sharing the PCB design files pretty easy.
When it works, it seems to work very well. For some reason, when I share files with my mechanical team using SolidWorks plug-ins, it works perfectly the first time. If I make any updates, it doesn't work the second time, but if I share it for the first time with a new engineer, it works again.
I'm more experienced with Altium, so I use it. If I had to pay for it myself I don't have a personal copy of Altium I would consider a free tool.
Do you think Altium Designer delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Altium Designer's feature set?
Yes
Did Altium Designer live up to sales and marketing promises?
Yes
Did implementation of Altium Designer go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy Altium Designer again?
Yes