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Altium Designer
Electronic Design Automation Software From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Altium Designer (AD) is a printed circuit board (PCB) and electronic design automation software package for printed circuit boards. It is developed by American software company Altium Limited. Altium Designer was formerly named under the brand Protel.
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History
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Altium Designer was originally launched in 2005 by Altium, then named Protel Systems Pty Ltd. It has roots in 1985, when the company launched the DOS-based PCB design tool named Protel PCB (which later emerged into Autotrax and Easytrax). Originally it was sold only in Australia.[2][3] Protel PCB was marketed internationally by HST Technology since 1986.[3] The product became available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico beginning in 1986, marketed by San Diego–based ACCEL Technologies, Inc., under the name Tango PCB.[3] In 1987, Protel launched the circuit diagram editor Protel Schematic for DOS.
In 1991, Protel released Advanced Schematic and Advanced PCB 1.0 for Windows (1991–1993), followed by Advanced Schematic/PCB 2.x (1993–1995) and 3.x (1995–1998). In 1998, Protel 98 consolidated all components, including Advanced Schematic and Advanced PCB, into one environment. Protel 99 in 1999 introduced the first integrated 3D visualization of the PCB assembly. It was followed by Protel 99 SE in 2000. Protel DXP was issued in 2003, Protel 2004 in 2004, Altium Designer 6.0 in 2005. Altium Designer version 6.8 from 2007 was the first to offer 3D visualization and clearance checking of PCBs directly within the PCB editor.[citation needed]
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Features
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Altium Designer's suite encompasses four main functional areas, including schematic capture,[4] 3D PCB design,[5] field-programmable gate array (FPGA) development[6] and release/data management.[7] It integrates with several component distributors for access to manufacturer's data.[8][9] It also has interactive 3D editing of the board and MCAD export to STEP.[10] Altium 365, a cloud-based infrastructure platform, connects all key stakeholders and disciplines for PCB design. This includes mechanical designers, engineers, PCB designers, parts procurement, fabrication, and assembly. Altium 365 hosting allows designers to find, configure and use parts.
Beginning in 2024, Altium restructured its product ecosystem into three integrated platform tiers: Altium Discover, Altium Develop, and Altium Agile. This change marked a transition from standalone products to a unified, cloud-enabled framework. As part of this restructuring, Altium Designer and Altium 365—previously marketed as separate offerings—were incorporated into the Altium Develop family, representing the professional design and collaboration tier of the Altium platform.[11]
Altium Discover
Altium Discover is the foundational tier of the Altium platform, designed to help users explore electronic components, access design knowledge, and engage with the Altium ecosystem. It provides intelligence and context around design intent, connecting engineers with component data, suppliers, and learning resources to support early exploration and informed design decisions.[12]
Discover includes:
- Component and solution search capabilities
- Access to design knowledge and educational content
- Early-stage design exploration tools
- Integration with supply chain and manufacturer data
Discover is intended for users exploring the electronic design landscape—students, hobbyists, or professionals in the early stages of PCB project planning—who seek a solution-oriented environment before moving into active product development.[13]
Altium Develop
Altium Develop represents the professional design and collaboration tier of the Altium platform. It brings together Altium Designer, the industry-leading PCB design software, and Altium 365, the cloud collaboration environment, into a unified framework for advanced electronic product development. Develop provides continuous, real-time insight across the design lifecycle, enabling multidisciplinary teams to co-create, manage components, and prepare designs for manufacturing.[14]
Develop includes:
- Full access to Altium Designer for professional PCB design
- Seamless integration with Altium 365 for collaboration and version control
- Advanced component and lifecycle management
- MCAD–ECAD co-design functionality
- Manufacturing preparation and documentation tools
- Extended collaboration and feedback workflows
Develop is aimed at professional engineering teams building production-ready hardware who require robust design environments, structured collaboration, and system-level integrations that connect electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing domains.[15]
Altium Agile
Altium Agile delivers enterprise-grade process management and workflow orchestration for organizations building complex hardware systems. It extends the Altium platform to enable controlled, multi-team collaboration and end-to-end visibility across engineering operations.[16]
Agile includes:
- Workflow automation and orchestration
- Release and compliance management
- Multi-team collaboration across engineering functions
- Integrations with PLM, ERP, and ticketing systems (e.g., Jira)
- Centralized governance, policy enforcement, and oversight
Agile is designed for large organizations that require secure, compliant, and synchronized hardware development processes spanning multiple teams, systems, and product lines.[17]
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File formats
Altium Designer supports import & export of various PCB and CAD data exchange file formats.[18][19] The tool's native file formats are the binary file formats *.SchDoc and *.PcbDoc.
It can also import and export AutoCAD *.dwg/*.dxf and ISO 10303-21 STEP file formats.[18]
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