New in Altium Designer

Now reading version 23. For the latest, read: New in Altium Designer for version 24
 

This page details the improvements included in the initial release of Altium Designer 23, as well as those added in subsequent updates. Along with delivering a range of improvements that develop and mature the existing technologies, each update also incorporates a large number of fixes and enhancements across the software based on feedback raised by customers through the AltiumLive Community's BugCrunch system, helping you continue to create cutting-edge electronics technology.

You can choose to continue with your current version, update your current version, or install Altium Designer 23 alongside your current version to access the latest features. Your current version can be updated from within the software in the Extensions and Updates view. If you prefer to install Altium Designer 23 alongside your current version, visit the Altium Downloads page to download the installer, then choose New Installation on the Installation Mode page of the installer.

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If you like what you see but are not yet a customer, why not take Altium Designer for a test drive? By filling out a simple form, you can try Altium Designer for free with 15 days of access to the full software. That's right, you will have the ability to evaluate the full Altium Designer experience with no technical limitations with unfettered access to the world's finest PCB design product. Click the link below, fill out the form, and see for yourself why more engineers and designers choose Altium than any other product available!

Altium Designer Free Trial.

Altium Designer 23.11

Released: 16 November 2023 – Version 23.11.1 (build 41) 

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.11


PCB Design Improvements

Replication of PCB Layout

This release includes the arrival of a new PCB Layout Replication tool that allows you to quickly replicate the layout for repetitive blocks of circuitry in a flat PCB design. You are no longer at the mercy of manual routines, nor do you have to touch snippets, reuse blocks, or convert your design into a multi-channel one.

As an informal reuse feature, this tool is a perfect fit when you need to quickly replicate the placement of a group of components to another group of the same, not-yet-placed components with the same connections.

On the PCB document, select a fragment of the captured design to be replicated (the Source Block), and then apply that layout to each fragment of the design that is detected to be a match (Target Blocks). You have full control over which target block(s) to apply replication to and can specify what that replication should include besides component placement (e.g., routing objects).

The video below demonstrates the process of using the tool.

For more information, refer to the PCB Layout Replication page.
This feature is in Open Beta and is available when the PCB.LayoutReplication option is enabled in the Advanced Settings dialog.

Automatic Tuning of Multiple Nets

This release brings automatic length/delay tuning (or multi-tuning) functionality to the PCB editor. Select the traces to be tuned, choose the Route » Automatic Length Tuning command from the main menus (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+T), configure the accordion-based pattern and its attributes as required in the Auto Tuning Process dialog, and the software will create the tuning patterns for you.

The feature can process:

  • Single traces and differential pairs
  • Different widths and clearances
  • Regular traces and odd angles (except differential pairs)
  • Defined high-speed Length and Matched Lengths design rules
  • Design rules for nets and for xSignals (pin pairs)
  • Routed and signal lengths
For more information, refer to the Length Tuning page.
This feature is in Open Beta and is available when the PCB.TraceTuning.AutoTuning option is enabled in the Advanced Settings dialog.

Update to Length Clipping Behavior during Interactive Tuning

When interactively tuning a net or differential pair in From Rules mode with the Clip to Target option enabled in the Properties panel, the tuning pattern length is automatically clipped once the length slightly below the target (but within the defined tolerance) is achieved. That allows for preventing potential violations of Matched Length design rules.

For more information, refer to the Length Tuning page.

Updates to PCB CoDesign

Updated Panel Name

In accordance with the official naming of this feature area, the Compare and Merge panel has been renamed the PCB CoDesign panel.

The PCB CoDesign panel and the PCB CoDesign entry in the Panels menu
The PCB CoDesign panel and the PCB CoDesign entry in the Panels menu

Added Settings Pop-up

The PCB CoDesign panel now includes a display settings control (), giving access to a pop-up to configure whether changes are highlighted on the PCB (the Show on PCB toggle, shortcut: Shift+A) and whether a selected object is zoomed and by how much (the Zoom selected object toggle and slider).

Added Ability to Toggle Between the Current State and Before Changes States 

You now have the ability to quickly toggle between the current state and the state before any changes by holding the Shift+B keyboard shortcut. The hint in the panel shows which state is currently active.

Javascript ID: PCBCoDesign_BeforeAfter

Added Support for Pin-to-Pin Connections

To make it easier to understand changes in large nets, copper objects in nets are now split into smaller entities – pin-to-pin connections.

Javascript ID: PCBCoDesign_PinToPin

Enhanced Support for Net Conflict Resolving

To provide better control over net conflicts, you can now choose if local or remote changes should be applied for each object in a net (tracks and vias).

You must be connected to a Workspace to use this feature. Also, note that this functionality is not supported with the Altium Designer Standard Subscription.
For more information, refer to the PCB CoDesign page.

Constraint Manager

In this release, a new approach to defining design constraints has been implemented in the form of the Constraint Manager. The Constraint Manager gives both electrical and layout engineers access to the same document-based, spreadsheet-like user interface for the management of net constraints across the design. Accessed from the schematic and PCB editors, the Constraint Manager allows defining electrical clearances between net classes in the form of a class-to-class matrix, as well as physical and electrical rules for nets, differential pairs, and xNets (user-defined signal paths on the schematic side) and their classes. The Constraint Sets expedite the process of defining the constraints for objects that should have the same set of constraints. Also, the Constraint Manager is now command central for managing definitions of differential pairs, as well as net and diff pair classes; there is no need to use design directives on the schematic side for this.

For more information, refer to the Defining Design Requirements using the Constraint Manager page.
Note that the Constraint Manager is not supported with the Altium Designer Standard Subscription.
This feature is in Open Beta and is available when the System.ConstraintManager option is enabled in the Advanced Settings dialog.

Harness Design Improvements

Crimp Assignments

Crimp assignments can now only be modified in the Wiring Diagram, with the corresponding crimp information grayed out/non-editable in the Layout Drawing. Note that this is a temporary solution due to the unidirectional nature of importing changes from the Wiring Diagram to the Layout Drawing (i.e., crimps defined on the Wiring Diagram will always prevail when changes are imported). This will be reversed once full bidirectional synchronization (between the Wiring Diagram and Layout Drawing) for crimps is implemented.

For more information, refer to the Defining the Wiring Diagram page.

Connection Point Enhancement

When adding objects to a connection point in the Layout Drawing, the option Show only unassigned objects is now enabled by default in the Add Assigned Objects dialog.

For more information, refer to the Creating the Layout Drawing page.

Platform Improvement

License Management UI Enhancements

The License Management view includes the following enhancements in this release:

  • Added ability for an Altium account admin to 'Trade Up' an expired on-demand perpetual license of Altium Designer, quickly upgrading to a newer version of the software.

  • If an administration operation (e.g., license renewal or seat request) is not allowed for a specific license, controls for these operations are not shown for this license in the License Management view.
For more information, refer to the License Management page.

Data Management Improvement

SiliconExpert Parameter Usage when Creating a Component

When creating a new Workspace library component based on a manufacturer part, the available parameters provided by the SiliconExpert integration can now be selected to be included in the new component.

The SiliconExpert parameters are now listed in the Use Component Data dialog (accessed, for example, by selecting the Save to My Workspace command from the right-click menu of the manufacturer part in the Manufacturer Part Search panel or the Tools » Create from Part Search command from the main menus of the Component editor in its Single Component Editing mode), in which you can apply the parameters to the component as required. Note that the SE Grade and risk parameters (Overall Risk, Lifecycle Risk, etc.) are not included in the Use Component Data dialog. 

Include SiliconExpert parameters in your Workspace library components.
Include SiliconExpert parameters in your Workspace library components.

For more information, refer to the Pulling Part Data from SiliconExpert and Single Component Editing pages.

Mixed Signal Simulation Improvements

  • Components in imported designs or those placed from installed Database libraries are now included in the generated simulation netlist if they have an assigned simulation model.

    For more information, refer to the Working with a SPICE Netlist page.
  • Mixed simulation can now be configured to use a dedicated thread to improve interface response time during simulation. This is available when the Simulation.Threads option is enabled in the Advanced Settings dialog (ON by default).

    For more information, refer to the Configuring & Running a Simulation page.

Altium Designer 23.10

Released: 17 October 2023 – Version 23.10.1 (build 27)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.10

Altium Designer 23.9

Released: 14 September 2023 – Version 23.9.2 (build 47) 

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.9

Altium Designer 23.8

Released: 15 August 2023 – Version 23.8.1 (build 32)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.8

Altium Designer 23.7

Released: 19 July 2023 – Version 23.7.1 (build 13)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.7

Altium Designer 23.6

Released: 15 June 2023 – Version 23.6.0 (build 18)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.6

Altium Designer 23.5

Released: 18 May 2023 – Version 23.5.1 (build 21)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.5

Altium Designer 23.4

Released: 14 April 2023 – Version 23.4.1 (build 23) 

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.4 

Altium Designer 23.3

Released: 16 March 2023 – Version 23.3.1 (build 30) 

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.3

Altium Designer 23.2

Released: 15 February 2023 – Version 23.2.1 (build 34) 

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.2

Altium Designer 23.1

Released: 17 January 2023 – Version 23.1.1 (build 15)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.1

Altium Designer 23.0

Released: 15 December 2022 – Version 23.0.1 (build 38)

Release Notes for Altium Designer Version 23.0

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Note

The features available depend on your Altium product access level. Compare features included in the various levels of Altium Designer Software Subscription and functionality delivered through applications provided by the Altium 365 platform.

If you don’t see a discussed feature in your software, contact Altium Sales to find out more.

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