MCAD-ECAD Collaboration Workflow
At a Glance
We invite you to watch our webinar, during which the Altium Product team members will demonstrate the most efficient MCAD-ECAD collaboration workflow and answer questions.
Related Resources
Related Technical Documentation
Table of Contents
We invite you to watch our webinar, during which the Altium Product team members will demonstrate the most efficient MCAD-ECAD collaboration workflow and answer questions.
With a conceptually different approach to ECAD-MCAD integration, Altium MCAD CoDesigner allows both mechanical and electrical teams to collaborate without sacrificing their design tools of choice. You no longer need to spend hours exporting and importing DXF, STEP, or IDF/IDX files—all data is automatically translated and transferred between design environments.
During this special webinar, you'll learn how to:
- How to install the MCAD CoDesigner add-on (from the web).
- Add Project to Altium 365, and share it with the mechanical engineer (in Altium Designer).
- Modify the Board outline based on Enclosure for Fitment purposes (in MCAD tool). Add features (in MCAD tool ).
- Show Modifications, Add Tracks, and Vias (in Altium Designer).
- Enable Copper and Vias to verify data (in MCAD tool).
- Release Project for Manufacturing (in Altium Designer).
- Show Comments, Supply Chain, and History (in Altium Designer).
- Use the new Virtual Workflow (in MCAD tool and Altium 365).
FAQ
Q: Do mechanical designers need active Altium Designer Licenses to use MCAD CoDesigner?
A: No special licenses are required for mechanical designers to use MCAD CoDesigner in their MCAD enviroments. With the on-prem installation, a seat of MCAD CoDesigner consumes one Altium floating license on the MCAD side.
Q: What direction is model matching happening? Originaly from ECAD or MCAD.?
A: MCAD CoDesigner is a bi-directional data transfer, so the CAD data is being matched in both ECAD and MCAD.
Q: Has this been tested to work with SOLIDWORKS EPDM? Can the working folder be in EPDM?
A: Yes, please see the instructions here.
Q: Can we host a local server as a workspace (instead of the Altium 365 cloud) to share PCB projects between ECAD & MCAD?
A: Yes, that is available with the "Enterprise" subscription.
Q: Is it possible to use the different MCADs in parallel?
A: Yes, you will just need to synchronize the design through ECAD. The only thing to keep in mind is that the mechanical dimensions and constraints created in MCAD A will not be transferred to MCAD B.
Q: How to improve the performance for PCB projects with many components?
A: You can use the filter option in the MCAD tool. In the Altium CoDesigner Panel, click on your name, go to SETTINGS and there is an option to filter out smaller components.
Q: When fitting the PCB to the enclosure, can you “shrink” the shape to add a clearance between the PCB and enclosure walls?
A: You can use the OFFSET command to make the clearance when working on the sketch for the board outline.
Q: Are multiboard assemblies supported by the MCAD CoDesigner?
A: Currently, they are only supported with SOLIDWORKS, and others will follow in the future.
Q: Is it possible to add multiple different enclosures to a PCB or PCB variants?
A: Yes, you can select different enclosures for different variants and add multiple parts of an enclosure for one PCB as well.
Design to Release, Without the Friction
- Keep reviews tied to the right version
- Reduce handoff confusion and rework
- Spot sourcing and release risk earlier
- Work solo, share when needed
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