KB: Empty or Incorrect PCB After Importing Xpedition Project

Solution Details

Imported PCB Appears Empty or Incorrect

After importing an Expedition project, the PCB document may appear empty, incomplete, or different from the expected board design. In some scenarios, design constraints are imported successfully while the physical PCB layout is not present, resulting in an incomplete PCB project.

Project Structure Determines PCB Detection

Xpedition PCB designs are stored as a collection of interdependent project files and folders rather than a single standalone PCB file. During import, Altium Designer analyzes the project structure to locate and import the PCB design data. If the required PCB document is not correctly identified within the project hierarchy, the importer may load an unintended board file or fail to import the expected PCB layout.

Verify Project Content Before Conversion

• Ensure that the complete Xpedition project folder structure is available before starting the import.
• Use the project .prj file when importing designs that require constraint conversion.
• Confirm that the intended PCB design exists inside a dedicated PCB subfolder located within the main project root directory.
• Review the import log after conversion to identify any issues related to file detection or processing.

Validate Project Structure and Reimport

1. Locate the Xpedition project directory and verify that all project files and folders are present.
2. Confirm that the intended PCB design is included within the project structure.
3. Open the Altium Designer Import Wizard.
4. Select Mentor Expedition Designs and Libraries as the import source.
5. Choose the project .prj file for import.
6. Complete the import process.
7. Open the generated PCB document and verify that the expected layout has been imported.
8. If the PCB is empty or incorrect, review the generated import log for details about the files detected during conversion.
9. Correct any identified project structure issues and repeat the import.

Additional Notes

Importing an Expedition project using the .prj file enables conversion of supported Xpedition constraint definitions into Altium Designer design rules. When only PCB design data is imported, constraint conversion is not performed, although unsupported or unconverted rule information may be recorded in the import log for review.

References

• Importing a Design from Xpedition - Altium Documentation