This article introduces the Manufacturing design rule types available for PCB layout in Altium Designer, with a focus on how these rules help define fabrication limits and guide layout decisions. It specifically highlights rules such as Minimum Annular Ring and explains how manufacturing constraints can affect routing density, board reliability, and production cost. 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…

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 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…

The design rules of the Mask category are described below. The Mask category of design rules. Solder Mask Expansion Default Rule: required i The shape that is created on the solder mask layer at each pad and via site is the pad or via shape (or hole), expanded or contracted radially by the amount specified by this rule. Constraints Default constraints for the Solder Mask Expansion rule Expansion…

Parent page: Design Rule Check (DRC) Configuring the DRC Configuration for design rule checking is performed in the Design Rule Checker dialog accessed through the Tools » Design Rule Check command from a PCB document. The Design Rule Checker dialog showing defaults with certain Online DRC checks disabled to improve PCB Editor performance. Use the associated options to include a design rule type…

Parent page: Design Rule Check (DRC) The software supports the ability to selectively waive any DRC violation. This allows you to effectively 'suppress' a violation that is considered not to be an issue without having to craft a special (and maybe complex) design rule to facilitate the design situation. Waiving a DRC Violation DRC violations can be waived by: Selecting the required violation(s)…

Parent page: Design Rule Check (DRC) With care and attention and staged design rule checking along the way, running that final Batch DRC on the finished, fully routed board may yield only a few design violations, if any. However, there may be a sizable quantity of violations flagged, and now the task becomes one of resolving those violations. DRC reports generated by running a Batch DRC can…

Parent page: Streamlining Generation of Manufacturing Data with Output Jobs The software includes a number of validation checks, which can be included as an output, during output generation. Each produces an HTML report file. Validation outputs can be added to the active Output Job file from the menu of the [Add New Validation Output] control in the Validation Outputs region of the file or from…

Design Rule Checking (DRC) is a powerful automated feature that checks both the logical and physical integrity of a design. Checks are made against any, or all enabled Design Rules, and can be made online - in real-time as you design - or as a batch process, with results listed in Altium Designer's Messages panel and a (optional) generated report. This feature should be used on every routed board…