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Parent page: Installing & Configuring Altium CoDesigner
Altium CoDesigner is an interface for transferring printed circuit board designs between the ECAD and MCAD design domains. Once the CoDesigner add-in has been added to your MCAD software, CoDesigner can pass design changes back and forth. Design changes are passed through an Altium Workspace, which acts as a bridge between the ECAD and MCAD domains.
► Check the version compatibility between your MCAD software and CoDesigner
To interface to and from Autodesk® Fusion 360®, you need to install the Altium CoDesigner for Autodesk Fusion 360 Add-In.
Install and enable the Add-In to access CoDesigner in your MCAD software.
To install the Add-In:
CoDesigner is accessed through a Fusion 360 panel.
In Autodesk Fusion 360, the Altium CoDesigner panel can be enabled by clicking the Altium CoDesigner menu entry or button, as shown above.
Autodesk Fusion 360 collaborates with your Altium design software through a Workspace, which you must sign in to the first time you use it.
When you are not signed in, the Altium CoDesigner Tab will include sign-in fields, as shown below. There are two sign-in modes, one for signing into an Altium 365 Workspace, the other for signing in to a Workspace on an on-site Altium Server, such as Concord Pro or NEXUS Server.
Signing in to an Altium 365 Workspace.
Signing in to an on-site Altium Server Workspace.
Once you have signed in, you are ready to start collaborating through Altium CoDesigner.
CoDesigner has been installed and is ready to use.
Once you have signed in, CoDesigner settings can be configured in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog, opened via the Settings menu entry in the CoDesigner menu (show image).
Use the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog to configure the CoDesigner options.
<Value><Units>
in height - the performance of Fusion 360 is affected by the number of components on the PCB. To help with this, smaller components can be excluded from the synchronization process. Configure this option to exclude components less than <Value><Units>
when a Pull is performed. Note that the component height is defined in ECAD as a property of the component (footprint), it is not the height of the 3D model placed on the footprint.► Learn more about configuring CoDesigner to ignore smaller components
► Learn more about the product improvement program
To simplify the process of displaying the copper and silkscreen layers in Fusion 360, the Fusion 360 Altium CoDesigner ribbon includes the Advanced Geometry () button. Clicking the button will display the four, top copper, top silkscreen, bottom copper, and bottom silkscreen sketch layers. Click a second time to hide those layers. These layers can also be selectively hidden/displayed in Fusion 360's object Browser.
Use the Advanced Geometry button on the Altium CoDesigner ribbon to quickly show or hide the top/bottom copper/silkscreen layers.
Developed for the maker community, Altium CircuitMaker makes schematic capture and PCB layout available to everyone. CircuitMaker can also connect to Autodesk Fusion 360 through Altium CoDesigner.
There are differences in how you work between Altium CircuitMaker and Fusion 360 compared to other other supported ECAD tools and Fusion 360.
These include:
► Learn more about Collaborating with an MCAD Designer through the Fusion 360 CoDesigner Panel in Altium CircuitMaker.
Transferring design changes between Fusion 360 and Altium CircuitMaker is easier now.
Now that CoDesigner is installed in your MCAD software and connected to your Workspace, the next step is to configure the relevant Workspace settings.
► Learn more about Configuring your Workspace Settings
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