Intuitive Import & Export

This document is no longer available beyond version 15.1. Information can now be found here: Interfacing to Other Design Tools for version 24

Altium Designer 15.0 brings much-needed change to the way in which third-party files are imported into the active project or document, and the way in which the active document is exported into a third-party format. No longer do you need to remember, and hunt, for the required file format in the Open or Save As dialogs. Now, the importers and exporters for the formats you need are accessible directly from an editor's main File menu.

Simply use the File » Import, or File » Export sub-menus to choose the file format required. The importers/exporters available will depend on the active document's type.

The Save As and Save Copy As commands are now used exclusively for saving the current file in a native Altium Designer format.

Intuitive access to Importers and Exporters when the active document is a Schematic design document (*.SchDoc).

Intuitive access to Importers and Exporters when the active document is a PCB design document (*.PcbDoc).

Note that although commands relating to the import from, and export to, third party formats are readily available in the menus, you will need to ensure that the associated Importer/Exporter extensions are installed as part of your Altium Designer installation. To view and change which Importers and Exporters are currently installed, first access the Extensions & Updates view (DXP » Extensions and Updates). From the Installed page, click the Configure control at the top-right to access the Configure Platform page. Enable the Importers/Exporters required, then click Apply. You will need to restart Altium Designer for the changes to take effect.
The Extensions & Updates view can also be quickly accessed by using the Add Importer or Add Exporter commands, located at the bottom of the respective Import and Export sub-menus.
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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.