Standalone Viewer

You can upload a full design (in a Zip, Rar, or 7z, or Tgz archive) or an individual design file (schematic or PCB document). When uploading an archive file, the following considerations apply:

• For Altium Designer and CircuitStudio based designs, the archive must contain a single PCB design project only.
• For EAGLE based designs, the archive must contain a single PCB design only (so .sch and .brd files for a single design only).
• For KiCad based designs, the Zip archive must contain a single PCB design only (so .pro , .sch , .kicad_pcb, and .lib files for a single design only).
• All unsupported file formats in the uploaded archive will be ignored, which means you can literally just Zip, Rar, or 7z your full project folder and upload it.

You can upload a full set of ODB++ or Gerber files, their archived fileset (Zip, Rar, 7z, Tgz), or even an individual Gerber file. When uploading a Gerber CAM archive file, the following considerations apply:

• Ensure that there is only a single folder of Gerbers inside the archive.

• Ensure that the drill files are in the same folder as the Gerber files. If located in a separate folder, they will be ignored.

The following two attributes determine which data views are enabled, and which data view is the default active view:

• data-enabled-views – defines the visibility of the various supported data views. Supported and default values are sch (SCH data view), pcb (PCB data view), 3d (3D data view), and bom (BOM data view). When this attribute is not included in the embedded code, the default value is used: sch,pcb,3d,bom.
  Note: Values are case insensitive. Multiple values must be separated by a comma (,). You cannot have only the BOM view enabled by itself.
• data-active-view – defines which data view is to be active when your embedded Altium 365 Viewer is first accessed. Supported values are sch (SCH data view), pcb (PCB data view), and 3d (3D data view). When this attribute is not included in the embedded code, the default value is used: sch.
  Note: Values are case insensitive. Only one value can be set for this attribute. The chosen active view must also be an enabled view.

The following are examples of using these attributes:

Example 1

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  data-enabled-views='pcb,3d'
  data-active-view='pcb'
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, only the PCB and 3D data views will be presented. The PCB data view will be the active view when Altium 365 Viewer is first accessed.

Example 2

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  data-enabled-views='sch,bom'
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, only SCH and BOM data views will be presented (the latter only if BOM data exists). Since the data-active-view attribute is not included, its default will be used – displaying the SCH data view when Altium 365 Viewer is first accessed.

Example 3

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  data-enabled-views='3D'
  data-active-view='3D'
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, only the 3D data view will be presented, and is therefore necessarily set as the active view when Altium 365 Viewer is first accessed.

Controlling the available data types is achieved using the following attribute:

• data-src-type – defines what type of data can be viewed. Supported values are Design (CAD design projects only) and Gerber (CAM data only). When this attribute is not included in the embedded code, the default value is used: Design,Gerber.

Note: Values are case insensitive. Multiple values must be separated by a comma (,).

The following are examples of using this attribute:

Example 1

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, since the data-src-type attribute is not specified, both CAD designs and CAM data are supported by the embedded Altium 365 Viewer. Therefore the link specified in the data-project-src attribute can be a public link containing a Zip, Rar, or 7z archive with either a PCB project or manufacturing (CAM) data files.

Example 2

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  data-src-type='Design'
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, only CAD designs are supported by the embedded Altium 365 Viewer. Therefore the link specified in the data-project-src attribute must be a public link containing a Zip, Rar, or 7z archive with a PCB project.

Example 3

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mycamdata.zip"
  data-src-type='Gerber'
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, only CAM data is supported by the embedded Altium 365 Viewer. Therefore the link specified in the data-project-src attribute must be a public link containing a Zip, Rar, or 7z archive with manufacturing data files.

When you embed Altium 365 Viewer on your own website, extra functionality is provided to generate and download a number of different outputs from your uploaded design. For more information, refer to the section on Downloads. You can determine, through the following attributes, what can be downloaded, and therefore what appears on the Downloads pane.

• data-hide-project-src – use of this attribute disables the ability to download the original source design, as otherwise listed in the pane as Altium Designer. It has no parametric values.
• data-project-src-alternative – this attribute is used when you want the design that a person can download to be different to the original uploaded source design. Its value is a link to a publicly available Zip, Rar, or 7z archive.

• data-project-outputs – defines the outputs that will be generated from your uploaded project and made available for download. Supported values are Gerber, Idf, Ipc2581, Odb, Step and Pdf. When this attribute is not included in the embedded code, all supported outputs will be generated. If the attribute is included with a value of none or no values are defined, then all supported outputs will be disabled.
  Note: Values are case insensitive. Multiple values must be separated by a comma (,).

Example 1

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-hide-project-src
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, the user will not be able to download the original source design, but all supported outputs will be generated and available for download through the Downloads pane.

Example 2

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  data-project-src-alternative="http:∕∕example.com/myalternativedesign.zip"
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, the user will be able to download an alternative design from the Downloads pane, along with all supported outputs.

Example 3

<div class="altium-ecad-viewer"
  data-project-src="http:∕∕example.com/mydesign.zip"
  data-project-src-alternative="http:∕∕example.com/myalternativedesign.zip"
  data-project-outputs='Gerber,odb,pdf'
  style="border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; height: 500px;
          
         border-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);
         overflow: hidden; max-width: 1280px;
         max-height: 700px; box-sizing: border-box;">
  <a href="https://www.altium365.com/viewer/">PCB File Viewer by Altium</a>
</div>

Here, the user will be able to download an alternative design from the Downloads pane. Of the supported outputs, only Gerber, ODB++ and PDF will be generated and available for download.

If more than one schematic sheet exists as part of the uploaded design, a full listing of the documents can be accessed by clicking on the control at the top-left of the view. Each document is presented as a preview – click on an entry to make it the active document. The currently selected document – the active document being viewed within the SCH data view – is distinguished in the list with a blue border around its entry.

Browse all uploaded schematics – click an entry to make it the active document.

When inspecting a schematic document that is part of a hierarchical design project, the rendered document display itself can provide interactive navigation between the levels in the project structure hierarchy:

• Click on a sheet symbol object to load the target schematic document.
• Click on a sheet entry object within a sheet symbol to be taken to the corresponding port on the target child schematic below.
• Click on a port object to be taken to the corresponding sheet entry of the sheet symbol in the parent schematic above.

Altium 365 Viewer supports viewing of multi-channel designs. A separate schematic document is presented for each physical channel. The physical sheet name – the compiled tab for that schematic document when viewed through Altium Designer – is included as a suffix to the document name. The result is similar to generating a PDF document of the physical schematic sheets, only with the enhanced interaction that Altium 365 Viewer brings.

Example multi-channel design, with each physical channel being presented on a different schematic sheet.

Browsing controls for the main viewing window are as follows:

• Mouse wheel forwards/backwards to zoom in/out.
• Click & hold (or right-click & hold), then drag to pan document.
• Click to select.
• Press R to reset the view of the document (to show entire document).

Browsing controls for the main viewing window are as follows:

• Mouse wheel forwards/backwards to zoom in/out.
• Click & hold (or right-click & hold), then drag to pan document.
• Click to select. Click repeatedly to cycle through collocated objects and/or to select the parent net.
• Press + or – on the numeric keypad to step forward or back through the list of layers, in single layer mode.
• Press R to reset the view of the document (to show entire document).

Control over the view and layer visibility for the PCB data view is performed through the Layers pane. Access this pane by clicking on the control at the top-left of the view.

Layers pane – command central for controlling layer visibility.

Each layer entry listed in the Layers pane has an associated checkbox that sets it to the top of the graphical draw order. When checked, that layer will be rendered last so that it effectively overlays the other PCB layer graphics. A placed Comment will be associated with the currently selected (checked) layer, and that same layer order is restored when the Comment is subsequently selected in the Comments pane.

When the layer order view has been reset (using the control at the top) the draw order reverts to its default condition (Top layer).

The pane's layer entries are grouped into the following categories:

• Copper – all used signal and internal plane layers.
• Solder Mask – Top Solder, Bottom Solder.
• Paste Mask – Top Paste, Bottom Paste.
• Silkscreen – Top Overlay, Bottom Overlay.
• Mechanical – all used mechanical layers.
• Other – including Mutli-Layer, Drill Guide, Keep-Out Layer and Drill Drawing.

Use the Top and Bottom view controls at the top of the pane to quickly toggle between viewing the board from the top or bottom respectively, and if desired, change the top draw order to suit using the layer entry checkboxes.

The following points relate to working with layer visibility in the Layers pane:

• A currently visible layer is shown in the pane undimmed (e.g. ). A currently hidden layer is shown in the pane with its name dimmed (e.g. ), along with the icon displayed at its far right.
• A currently visible layer can be hidden by clicking on its entry, or by hovering over its entry and clicking the icon at its far right. Conversely, a currently hidden layer can be made visible by clicking on its entry, or by hovering over its entry and clicking the icon at its far right.
• An entire group of layers can be hidden by hovering over the group entry and clicking the icon at its far right. Conversely, if all layers in a grouping are currently hidden, they can be made visible by hovering over the group entry and clicking the icon at its far right. Note that if a group has a mixture of visible/hidden layers, the icon will be present for the group. Click to hide all other layers, then click again (now showing as ) to make all layers visible.
• To quickly view in 'Single Layer Mode', hover over the specific layer of interest, then click the control. All other layers will be hidden. Click the control again to come out of 'Single Layer Mode'.

Click the control at the group level to quickly present just the layers in that group.

• To reset layer visibility back to how it was when the design was initially uploaded, click the control at the top-right of the Layers pane.

When viewing the board in 2D – using the PCB data view – you are able to take measurements. To do so click the button. The Measurements pane opens, the cursor changes to a cross-hair, and you will enter measurement mode. Three measurement modes are supported:

• Free – freely measure between any two points within the data view, without any snapping guidance whatsoever.
• Point to Point – measure between any two points within the data view, with guidance snapping as you move the cursor over an object. The cursor will change as follows:
• – the center of a pad or via.
• – the vertex point of a primitive object.
• – the mid-point of a track segment.
• – a free point within the view.
• Object to Object – measure between any two chosen objects within the data view. Supported objects are pad, via, track, fill and region, which will become highlighted for selection as you move the cursor over them.

Measurement is performed as follows:

1. In Free or Point to Point modes, position the cursor to where you wish to start measuring (Point 1) and click. The point is marked using a small white cross. In Object to Object mode, choose the first object (Object 1), which will become selected.
2. In Free or Point to Point modes, move the cursor to the required end point (Point 2) and click again. As you move the cursor, a measuring line is displayed as an aide, showing the current XY distance (from Point 1 to the end of the line). In Object to Object mode, choose the second object (Object 2), which will become selected.

3. The Measurements pane reports the XY distance measured, the X (horizontal) distance, and the Y (vertical) distance. For the Object to Object mode, the XY distance will be the shortest point between the two chosen objects.

Measurement units will initially be those used for the design itself, but can be switched between metric (mm) and imperial (mil) from the Info pane of the interface (accessed by clicking in the top-right control cluster).

4. Continue measuring the distance between other points or objects, or click the button again (or Esc) to exit measurement mode.

Example measurement taken in Object to Object mode.

The Layer Stackup view presents an interactive graphical representation of the PCB's physical layer stack, along with information on individual layers and the overall stack. The view is accessed from the Information pane () by selecting the Stackup View option associated with the Layers section, or by using the Stackup View option in the Layers selector drop-down menu.

Each Layer Stack element in the view is selectable, including Vias. The Information (Layers) pane is populated with data corresponding to the currently selected layer/via, or shows a summary of the overall Stackup if a stack element is not selected. Like other design views, Comments can be placed on the Layer Stackup view.

► See the Web Viewer Layer Stack View for more information.

Browsing controls for the main viewing window are as follows:

• Mouse wheel forwards/backwards to zoom in/out.
• Click & hold, then drag to rotate the board.
• Right-click & hold, then drag to pan document.
• Click to select.
• Press R to reset the view of the document (to show entire document).

Select the required component in the active data view, then click one of the buttons to cross-probe to that component in the target data view. For SCH, PCB and 3D data views (accessed by clicking the SCH, PCB, or 3D controls), the component will be selected and zoomed within the view where possible, and masking applied to leave only the selected component fully visible.

For the BOM data view (accessed by clicking the BOM control), the row entry for the component will be highlighted.

Click on the designator for the component you wish to cross-probe to. The last active data view prior to accessing the BOM data view will be made active, with the component selected, centered and zoomed within the view where possible, and masking applied to leave only the selected component fully visible. From there, you can use the controls (SCH, PCB, 3D and BOM) to cross-probe to that selected component in other data views as described previously.

Select the required net on the schematic document within the SCH data view, then click one of the controls (PCB, 3D) to cross-probe to that net in the target data view. The net will be selected and zoomed within the view where possible, and masking applied to leave only the selected net fully visible.

Select the required pad, via, or track segment on the board within the PCB data view, then click the 3D control to cross-probe to that pad/via/track segment in the 3D data view. The object will be selected and zoomed within the view where possible, and masking applied to leave only the selected object fully visible.

Browsing controls for the main viewing window are as follows:

• Mouse wheel forwards/backwards to zoom in/out.
• Click & hold (or right-click & hold), then drag to pan document.
• Press + or – on the numeric keypad to step forward or back through the list of layers, in single layer mode.
• Press R to reset the view of the document (to show entire document).

Control over the view and layer visibility for the CAM data view (Gerber or ODB++) is performed through the Layers pane. Access this pane by clicking on the control at the top-left of the view.

Layers pane – command central for controlling layer visibility.

The pane's layer entries will reflect those included in the CAM data source. The layers are categorized into groups, which are typically:

• Copper – all used signal and internal plane layers.
• Solder Mask – Top Solder, Bottom Solder.
• Silkscreen – Top Overlay, Bottom Overlay.
• Paste – Top Paste, Bottom Paste.
• And a range of other layer types included in the Gerber or ODB++ set, such as Pad, Hole, and Mechanical data layers.

Use the Top and Bottom view controls at the top of the pane to toggle between viewing the Top or Bottom set of CAM layers respectively. Copper mid layers will be disabled in both cases.

The following points relate to working with layer visibility in the Layers pane:

• A currently visible layer is shown in the pane undimmed (e.g. ). A currently hidden layer is shown in the pane with its name dimmed (e.g. ), along with the icon displayed at its far right.

• A currently visible layer can be hidden by clicking on its entry, or by hovering over its entry and clicking the icon at its far right. Conversely, a currently hidden layer can be made visible by clicking on its entry, or by hovering over its entry and clicking the icon at its far right.

• An entire group of layers can be hidden by hovering over the group entry and clicking the icon at its far right. Conversely, if all layers in a grouping are currently hidden, they can be made visible by hovering over the group entry and clicking the icon at its far right. Note that if a group has a mixture of visible/hidden layers, the icon will be present for the group. Click to hide all other layers, then click again (now showing as ) to make all layers visible.

• To quickly view in 'Single Layer Mode', hover over the specific layer of interest, then click the control. All other layers will be hidden. Click the control again to come out of 'Single Layer Mode'.

• To reset layer visibility back to how it was when the CAM data was initially uploaded, click the control at the top-right of the Layers pane.

When viewing Gerber data – using the Gerber data view – you are able to take measurements. To do so click the button. The Measurements pane opens, the cursor changes to a cross-hair, and you will enter measurement mode. Measurement is performed as follows:

1. Position the cursor to where you wish to start measuring (Point 1) and click. The point is marked using a small white cross.
2. Move the cursor to the required end point (Point 2) and click again. As you move the cursor, a measuring line is displayed as an aide, showing the current XY distance (from Point 1 to the end of the line).

3. The Measurements pane reports the XY distance measured, the X (horizontal) distance, and the Y (vertical) distance.

Measurement units will initially be those used for the generated data itself, but can be switched between metric (mm) and imperial (mil) from the Info pane of the interface (accessed by clicking in the top-right control cluster).

4. Continue measuring the distance between other points or click the button again (or Esc) to exit measurement mode.

Example measurement.

The following controls are also available while browsing your uploaded manufacturing data:

• – use this control to access the Info pane.

Use the Controls sub-view to remind yourself of the controls available when browsing your manufacturing data.

• – use this control to switch to Full Screen mode.
• – when in Full Screen mode, use this control to exit Full Screen mode (or press Esc).