High Quality ECAD Models: Let’s Set the Standard

At some point, every electrical engineer has been there: a deadline looms, the layout is nearly done, and one last component – just one – needs a verified ECAD model. You dig through forums, libraries, and maybe a GitHub repo or two. You find a model, import it, and… something’s off. The footprint doesn’t match. The pinout is wrong. And now you’re debugging a part you haven’t even soldered yet. 

Free ECAD models are everywhere – but consistency and high quality aren’t.

While access to free models has improved dramatically over the past decade, quality remains unpredictable. Some models are solid and they have all the layers required to use the component in a PCB layout while ensuring DFA guidelines are followed. Others are outdated, incomplete, or simply incorrect. And when it’s your board on the line, simple discrepancies can prevent correct assembly of a PCBA and force a fabricated PCB to be scrapped.

It’s time to raise expectations and set a new standard for what “verified” actually means.

Where Free ECAD Models Can Fall Short

Engineers rely on electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) models to represent real-world components inside schematic and PCB design tools. At a minimum, this includes symbols and footprints, and many design applications support visualization of PCB and components in 3D with STEP files. Yet free models often come with caveats:

• Inconsistent formatting and conventions. Different models may follow different density levels in IPC standards or they might use different standards for non-copper layers.
• No clear chain of trust. Many models are user-submitted, yet there is no indication of who built them or whether they were verified by a reviewer.
• Fragmented compatibility. A model built for one tool may import poorly into another, introducing errors during translation.
• Limited metadata. Symbols and footprints might be generic and are missing part attributes, so more information is needed to create a component with complete supply chain data.

Despite the growing adoption of ECAD tools and component libraries, these quality issues persist across the industry. And for professional engineers working on production hardware, these aren’t minor annoyances. They’re blockers.

Raising the Bar: Octopart’s ECAD Model Team

In 2017, Altium acquired Upverter, the company behind EE Concierge – a service created to ease a persistent pain point in PCB design: part creation. Staffed by electrical engineers, EE Concierge delivered accurate, fully verified component models, and grew beyond its original role in Upverter to support tools like Eagle and Altium Designer.

Following the acquisition, the EE Concierge team became part of Octopart (an Altium company), continuing its mission to deliver precision-verified ECAD models engineers can trust – now at greater scale and reach.

Today, Octopart aggregates models from providers including SnapEDA, TraceParts, Ultra Librarian, and Component Search Engine, along with the extensive library of EE Concierge. Collectively, they broaden coverage across a wide range of component types, from connectors and passives to ICs and discrete semiconductors.

Inside the Model Creation and Verification Process

The Octopart ECAD model-building team combines engineering rigor with process innovation. Each model is verified through a multi-step system designed to catch inconsistencies before it’s published or deployed.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each component task is assigned to three different electrical engineers.
2. Each engineer independently builds a model, which includes the attribute data, schematic symbol and footprint.
3. The three models are run through a verifier that checks for exact matches.
4. If the models don’t align, a fourth engineer builds a new model, and the verification step is repeated.
5. This process continues until three identical models are found.
6. At that point, a 3D model is created.
7. A senior engineer performs the final review and approval of the complete component model.

The system is designed to minimize bias, eliminate guesswork and prioritize consistency. It also combines machine intelligence with human engineering judgment, where automation helps flag mismatches, but humans make the final call. 

If you’re curious about the standards behind this process, our style guide is a good place to start. It lays out the rules used across the global model creation team, covering everything from pin naming to 3D geometry alignment.

More Than Just Footprints: Scaling Through Partnerships

Octopart works directly with manufacturers like TE Connectivity and Texas Instruments to develop and publish official ECAD models. These models are available on Octopart and integrate seamlessly into Altium’s design tools. This matters because it reduces the number of hops between the source and the schematic. You aren’t downloading files from anonymous uploaders or worrying about whether the footprint matches the datasheet – you’re working with trusted, vetted models delivered straight from the manufacturer via a verified process.

What’s Next: 4 Trends Shaping the Future of ECAD Models

The landscape for ECAD models is evolving. Here are four trends that are likely to shape the next five years:

1. AI-assisted model generation: Datasheet parsing, symbol creation and metadata tagging are all ripe for automation. Expect AI tools to handle the repetitive parts of model creation, while engineers focus on validation.
2. Cloud-based version control: More platforms will offer Git-style revision tracking and lifecycle management for models, helping teams manage updates and stay aligned across tools.
3. Closer manufacturer collaboration: More manufacturers are seeing the value in providing free CAD models for their components as it drives adoption of those parts and reduces risk for PCB designers.
4. Tiered access to verified models: While many models will remain free, expect premium tiers to emerge that offer enterprise-grade verification, guaranteed traceability and long-term support.

Raising the Bar, Together

Working with free ECAD models shouldn’t be a gamble. Whether you’re building a prototype or releasing a finalized design to production, you should have access to models that are accurate, complete and fully traceable.

Octopart’s mission is to provide free and accurate information and resources for engineers to build awesome technology. That’s the goal – and it’s already happening, including more than 16 million ECAD models in our database. 

Our model creation team has set a higher bar for free ECAD models. By combining engineering rigor, process automation and direct collaboration with manufacturers, they’ve built a library of parts engineers can trust. As we continue to invest in model creation and add more models to Octopart, we encourage your feedback. 

Want to explore these models or see how the system works? Visit Octopart and read our ECAD models FAQ.