Internal Plane Information

This document is no longer available beyond version 17.1. Information can now be found here: Reviewing & Editing Split Planes for version 24

Applies to Altium Designer versions: 15.1, 16.0, 16.1 and 17.0

The Internal Plane Information dialog.

The Internal Plane Information dialog.

Summary

This dialog provides the designer with information about the internal plane layers used in the board design, including the net(s) connecting to them, and the pins (pads) of components associated to those nets.

Access

The dialog is accessed from the PCB Editor, by clicking the Pwr/Gnd button, on the Nets tab of the PCB Information dialog. The latter is accessed by choosing Reports » Board Information, from the main menus.

Options/Controls

The dialog has no controls in the traditional sense of configuration and management, rather it is simply a presentation of read-only information. Each defined internal plane layer in the layer stackup has its own tab in the dialog, presenting information across the following two regions:

  • Nets - a listing of the net(s) associated to the internal plane layer. Multiple nets can be associated to a plane layer through creation of split planes.
  • Pins - a listing of the pins (pads) of components associated to the selected net. For each entry in the list, the identifier for the pin is shown (in the format <ComponentDesignator>-<PinDesignator>), as well as information on whether the pin connects to the plane layer, and the type of connection (Direct, Relief), or not (No Connxn).
A single net can be assigned to the entire plane, or a net can be assigned to a split region of the plane. Simply make the internal plane layer the active layer in the workspace, then double-click on the layer (or split region of that layer) to open the Split Plane dialog, in which you can assign the net. If the internal plane layer has no split regions, you can also assign the required net by double-clicking on the layer's tab. In the properties dialog that appears, use the Net name field to choose the net. Note that this method cannot be used if the plane has split regions defined, since the field will simply display (Multiple Nets), and be unavailable for editing.

 

Note

The features available depend on your level of Altium Designer Software Subscription.