First Steps with Altium Develop.
March 29, 2026
First Steps with Altium Develop.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Altium Develop
We recently started using Altium for the first time. Our previous ECAD solution made it impossible to find existing components for reuse in new designs, this is the main reason we decided to switch to Altium, however we are also now using it to develop 3D models of the PCBs as well, which is a much better process to do in the ECAD platform than to have it done in a MCAD platform with 'representative' objects. The BOM tools and live part data will also be a huge improvement as well. All of this will help streamline internal processes and ultimately result in a better product for our customers.
Pros
- Searching for components in a central library.
- 3D modeling of the components and entire PCB assembly.
- Live part data (price, stock availability, LifeCycle data).
Cons
- It is difficult to create new components while reusing existing footprints/symbols. For example, reuse a 1206 package footprint, create a variant for resistors with an appropriate 3D model, and then a variant for capacitors with an appropriate 3D model.
- The software's overall responsiveness seems slow, and it does not update properly in all instances. For example, clicking a component in the schematic will not always show its properties; it usually shows the properties of the last selected component. Clicking the blank space in the schematic first, then selecting the component, seems to load some of the correct data. But the 3D model in the properties view would still show the last EDITED part.
- Saving components to the server would not always register correctly, requiring the component editor to be closed 'without saving' to close the part out, even though no changes were made since the last save to the server.
- It is unclear where a list of footprints/symbols can be managed. For example, deleting a deprecated footprint so that it does not appear as a valid option in the future.
- BOM part choice data has an NRFND component selected as in use, causing the status to be yellow. There is no apparent way to select a different manufacturer part as the 'in use' part to resolve the warning.
- Updating from the library does not pull the most up-to-date symbol/footprint data for a given component. So far, there does not appear to be a way to do this, even though the component itself has been updated to use the correct references. This may be related to the general delays and consistency/reliability issues with the online link.
- We have not been using Altium long enough to provide any ROI figures.
Since we are still working on incorporating Altium into our process, it has so far been more of a hindrance. However, it is obvious that the benefits it will have in library management, schematic capture, BOM management, and 3D file generation in the future. These benefits will streamline our processes and reduce inefficiencies across engineering, purchasing, inventory, and manufacturing.
We have not yet utilized the Altium 365 collaboration features yet.
Altium Develop seems like it will be much better for library management, schematic capture, and 3D file generation. However, it is not as intuitive and easy to use when creating layouts. We chose Altium Develop because we believe the time savings of the areas where Altium is better will outweigh the drawbacks of the layout portion.
Do you think Altium Develop delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with Altium Develop's feature set?
No
Did Altium Develop live up to sales and marketing promises?
No
Did implementation of Altium Develop go as expected?
No
Would you buy Altium Develop again?
Yes
Comments
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