MCAD Integration

The right approach to ECAD-MCAD integration is bi-directional, live, and mediated through a shared Workspace – not file exports.

Altium's MCAD CoDesigner connects Altium Designer and your MCAD tool through the Altium 365 Workspace, which acts as the synchronization layer between the two design domains. Engineers push and pull changes from within their own tools – no file exports, no manual format conversions, no version guessing. Each side always works from the current state of the design.

If your MCAD tool is not supported out of the box, the MCAD CoDesigner SDK lets you build a custom connector that integrates into this same infrastructure – same synchronization model, same Workspace-mediated exchange, same user experience as built-in connectors.

Supported out of the box: SOLIDWORKS, PTC Creo, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Fusion (standard plans); Siemens NX (Enterprise plan only).

Why File-based ECAD-MCAD Workflows Break

File-based approaches – IDF/IDX export, STEP exchange, DXF round-trips – are the default for most teams without a dedicated integration. They break predictably:

• Version drift – no guarantee the mechanical engineer is working from the latest PCB revision

• Manual coordination overhead – engineers have to remember to export, share, and notify, which fails under deadline pressure

• Incomplete data transfer – format conversions lose silkscreen, copper geometry, component metadata, and keepout information that mechanical engineers need for accurate clearance checks

• Asymmetric workflows – changes in MCAD have no reliable path back into ECAD without another manual round-trip

These problems scale with team size and design complexity. What works for two engineers on a simple board becomes a coordination bottleneck on a multi-engineer program with frequent design changes.

What Bi-directional CoDesigner Integration Enables

With CoDesigner, mechanical and electrical engineers work concurrently:

• Board outline, keepout zones, and mounting holes defined in MCAD propagate to ECAD automatically

• Component placement, copper geometry, and 3D models defined in ECAD are available in MCAD for assembly checks and FEA

• Every push is versioned through the Workspace – both sides can inspect history and review changes before accepting them

• Rigid-flex designs, multi-board assemblies, and harness designs are supported for the tools that implement those capabilities

When to Use the MCAD CoDesigner SDK

Use the SDK when your team uses an MCAD tool not covered by built-in connectors, or when your workflow requires behavior beyond what the built-in connector implements. The SDK exposes the same synchronization framework used internally – you implement only the MCAD-specific data translation layer. This is significantly less work than building a custom synchronization mechanism from scratch, and the result integrates natively into the existing CoDesigner workflow.

When CoDesigner May Be More Than You Need

For teams with simple, infrequent MCAD interactions – for example, a mechanical engineer who only needs the final board outline once per project – file-based export remains a practical option. CoDesigner's value scales with the frequency of design changes and the tightness of the electromechanical coupling. If your product has a fixed enclosure and the PCB changes happen entirely within ECAD, a STEP export at release time may be sufficient.