Release Management

Explore historical public release notes for Altium Designer versions 25 through 20.0, covering documented fixes, feature additions, and performance improvements across schematic capture, PCB design, data management, and other design tools. Entries are organized by version and functional area, with build numbers and release dates to help you locate relevant changes. You’ll also find directions to…

Altium Designer, in conjunction with the Altium 365 Workspace, brings support for an advanced project construct that targets the development stage of the project lifecycle, simplifying the creation and ongoing workflow for version-controlled projects. Centralized storage under the control of the Workspace also enables this feature to be a foundation for other collaborative services. Some key…

This article introduces the Plane category of design rules in Altium Designer and explains how these rules control connections to power planes during PCB layout. It highlights the available rule types, with a focus on the Power Plane Connect Style rule and the constraint options that determine how pads and vias connect, including the Simple and Advanced modes of operation. If you want a clearer…

This article gives you a focused overview of the Testpoint design rule types available in Altium Designer, with an emphasis on the Fabrication Testpoint Style and Assembly Testpoint Style rules and how they define the physical pad and via parameters used for testpoint assignment. It also highlights an important requirement for successful use in the Testpoint Manager, namely that at least one…

Altium's MCAD CoDesigner technology connects the mechanical and electrical design domains, allowing the mechanical and electronic engineers to pass the loaded PCB back and forth between the two domains. In your Altium design software, this is achieved through an extension that loads and extracts board and component data from the PCB editor, the MCAD CoDesigner extension. In the MCAD software the…

This article gives a focused overview of the SMT design rule types available for PCB layout in Altium Designer, with specific attention to what each rule controls, the constraints you can define, and how those rules affect routing and design rule checking. From the example shown, readers can see how a rule like SMD To Corner sets the minimum distance from a surface mount pad to the first routing…

Learn how to create and annotate a manufacturing drawing for a completed multi-board assembly in Altium Designer’s Draftsman editor. This article covers setting up a drawing document, creating reusable templates, importing assembly changes, and placing and configuring multi-board and section views. Continue reading to turn your multi-board assembly into a clearly organized manufacturing drawing. …

Mates in Altium Designer connect separate objects in a multi-board assembly, aligning their selected surfaces and axes so they can move together. This article walks you through defining target and source mate sites, modifying mate settings, and using different mating modes to control how objects are positioned. Keep reading to take control of the relationships between objects in your assembly. -…

Learn how to position and orient boards in Altium Designer’s Multi-board Assembly editor using the object gizmo and your current view plane. This article explains how to move boards along their own axes, rotate them with the gizmo arcs, and align your view to make movement more predictable. Keep reading to take more confident control of your boards’ placement and orientation. - Understand how the…

Navigating a 3D multi-board assembly can quickly leave you unsure which way is up. This article explains how to control your view in Altium Designer using the design space gizmo, keyboard and mouse shortcuts, and the View Configuration panel. It also covers projection types, section views, and system colors to help you see your assembly more clearly. Keep reading to take control of your view and…