New in Altium Designer

Schematic Capture Improvement

Added Violation Checks for Objects Connected to a Harness Connector

In this release, new violation checks have been added to detect violations associated with signal harnesses in the schematics of your PCB design projects:

• The Invalid Connection to a Harness Connector violation check detects a situation when a wire, bus, or signal harness ends inside or is connected to the edge of a harness connector but is not connected to a harness entry.
• The Unconnected Harness Entry violation check detects an unconnected harness entry.

Settings for these violation types can be found in the Violation Associated with Harnesses group on the Error Reporting tab of the Project Options dialog.

PCB Design Improvements

Pad Hole Clearance Check Improvement (Open Beta)

In this release, the behavior of detecting clearance from pads with no annular ring has been improved.

When a pad has a hole size greater than or equal to the pad size and, therefore, has no annular ring, the clearance value defined for the Hole by the applicable constraint in the Constraint Manager or by the Clearance design rule is applied rather than the maximum of Hole and TH Pad clearances.

An example of clearances configured in the Constraint Manager.

An example of clearances configured in the Clearance design rule.

The new pad hole clearance behavior.

Note that the default values of Hole clearance in newly created Clearance constraints and Clearance design rules have been updated with the 10mil / 0.254mm value.

Ability to Store TrueType Fonts (Open Beta)

This release has added the ability to automatically store geometries of text objects that use TrueType fonts inside PCB documents. When objects (text strings/frames, dimensions, drill tables, and/or layer stack tables) in a PCB document use a TrueType font, these objects will be shown using the same font geometry when the PCB document is opened on another computer, even if that TrueType font is not installed.

When an object that uses a missing font is selected, a warning message appears at the top of the Properties panel. When changing object properties that affect its text (e.g., the text height or text itself), the Missing fonts dialog opens in which you can select a replacement font.

The dialog also appears when changing text-related properties from the PCB List panel.

When trying to edit multiple objects using different missing fonts, the dialog allows you to select a replacement for each missing font.

Enhanced Pad Properties Panel

The Pad Stack region of the Pad Properties panel has been enhanced for better usability. When a section is selected, the section name is highlighted in blue and the entire section is displayed in a different shade than the background.

PCB CoDesign Improvements

Ability to Highlight Category Changes

With the Show on PCB option enabled in the PCB CoDesign panel, you can now highlight all changes in a specific category when that category is selected in the panel's list of changes.

Grouping Changes by Unions

Added support for comparison of, and application of changes to, unions (defined groupings of primitives on the PCB). Union-related changes are shown in the Unions category in the PCB CoDesign panel's list of changes. Also, changes in other categories are grouped now by unions if corresponding objects belong to any.

Updates to 'Merged' State

After merging changes using the PCB CoDesign panel, the PCB document will remain in the Merged state (the  icon in the Projects panel) until there is a new conflict. Saving changes locally will no longer change the state to Modified.

Also, note that documents in Merged state are always enabled for saving to the Workspace in the Save to Server dialog and cannot be disabled.

Constraint Manager Improvements

Ability to Choose Usage of the Constraint Manager for a New Project

When creating a new PCB project, you now have the ability to control whether it will use the Constraint Manager or the older design rules system. In the Create Project dialog (File » New » Project), enable the Constraint Management option to use the Constraint Manager for the project being created.

'View Only' Mode

If the Constraint Manager was enabled for the PCB project, the Constraint Manager will present in View Only mode when opened by a user without Altium Designer Pro/Enterprise Subscription. In this case, the user can see, but not modify, defined constraints. The message at the top of the Constraint Manager notifies you when the Constraint Manager is in View Only mode.

Updates to xSignal Creation

This release sees some updates in defining xSignals using the Constraint Manager:

• The list of proposed xSignals is now divided into two groups: xSignals going from a source to a destination point (S-T) and xSignals going from one destination point to another (T-T). Use checkboxes for groups to select/deselect all xSignals in corresponding groups.
• The list of proposed xSignals now includes xSignals going from a source to each destination (not an xSignal going from a source to the closest destination only).

• For a better representation of proposed xSignals, they are now named in the list using the following scheme:

  <SourceNetName> (<SourcePinDesignator> → <DestinationPinDesignator>)

  Note that for names of created xSignals that can be seen on the xSignals tab to the Constraint Manager or in the PCB document, the previous <SourceNetName>_<SourcePinDesignator>_<DestinationPinDesignator> scheme is used.

Improved Class Selection

The right-click menu of entries in the Physical and Electrical views has been updated to quickly add objects to an existing class right from the menu. To do this, right-click one or more selected objects and choose an existing class from the Classes » Add Selected to Class sub-menu.

When there are more than 30 classes, the Classes » Add Selected to Class » Existing Class command is available in the menu instead of the list of classes. Use this command to access a dialog where you can select an existing class to which the selected object(s) are to be added.

Added Line Numbers in Grid

Line numbers have been added to the Constraint Manager grid to help you more easily identify and distinguish items in the list.  

Multi-board Design Improvements

Support for Draftsman Documents in Multi-board Projects (Open Beta)

You can now add a Draftsman document (*.MbDwf) to a Multi-board project to create a manufacturing drawing for the Multi-board assembly in this project.

The views that can be placed in a Draftsman document of a Multi-board project are:

• Multi-board view – an automated graphic composite of the outlines of PCBs and 3D models constituting the multi-board assembly.
• Section view – a profile slice, or sectional, drawing taken from a nominated 'cut' point through a placed multi-board view.
• Board detail view – a floating, magnified view of a multi-board view's defined area.
• Board realistic view – a scalable 3D rendering of the current multi-board assembly.

Draftsman's annotation, dimensioning and graphical tools, as well as BOM and generic tables, are also available.

An example of a Multi-board project Draftsman drawing.

Ability to Move a Module Entry Group

The ability to move a selected group of module entries in a multi-board schematic document (*.MbsDoc) has been added. This new feature speeds up the editing process by not requiring you to move each module entry individually. In the design space, select more than one module entry, then use the left mouse button to drag the group to the desired location. A red dot displays at each entry while they are dragged to the new location. Release the mouse button to place the group at the current location.

Harness Design Improvements

Changed 'Crimps' to 'Cavities'

'Crimps' have been renamed 'Cavities' in the UI of the Wiring Diagram and Layout Drawing.

Added Designator Field to Shield and Twist Objects

The Designator field has been added to the properties of shields and twists in the harness wiring diagram.

Added Wire Break Object for Multiple Sheet Capability

A full Wiring Diagram can now be defined over multiple sheets (in a 'flat' design fashion), each represented by its own *.WirDoc document, with the ability to split a wire using the new Wire Break object.

A Wire Break is placed using the Place menu or from the Active Bar as shown below.

Treat Coverings as Components in BOM

Harness coverings in the Layout Drawing are now treated as components in the BOM, with support for part choices and grouping.

Display Component Properties for Additional Physical Views

When an additional physical view of a harness component is selected in the design space, the Properties panel now displays the properties of the component itself as it does for the main (first) physical view. In the below image, a second physical view has been selected in the design space; the Harness Component Properties panel displays the properties of the original (first) physical view.

Improved the Wiring List

Added Ability to 'Split' Wiring List

The wiring list of an advanced harness design may have a large number of entries, which can be difficult to fit into a drawing document as a single table. Rather than resorting to font and table scaling, multiple custom table entries, or an external document, you now have the ability to 'split' a Wiring List in a Harness Draftsman document so that the Wiring List will be presented over a number of 'pages.' In the Properties panel for a placed Wiring List, enable the Limit Page Height option in the Pages region to use the new feature. This will restrict the height of the Wiring List table to the nominated height entry (Max Page Height) and, therefore, the number of lines shown in the table.

❯ ❮ Javascript ID: Harness_MD_WiringList_LimitPageHeight

The editor detects that the entire Wiring List is not shown, as indicated by the panel's Page entry (for example, 1 from 2), and the associated drop-down menu allows you to nominate which page is shown. To add further pages of the Wiring List, place another Wiring List (Place » Wiring List) and specify the next Page in the Pages region of the Properties panel.

Enhanced Wiring List for 'Shield with Connection' Objects

Designators of shield with connector objects are now displayed in the Wiring List when a wire is connected to the shield's connector.

Added Ability to Display Connection Table for Splices

The ability to show the connection table for individual splices has been added. Previously, the ability to show the Connection Table for only components and connectors was possible.

Links Added to Text Frame and Note Objects for Cross-Probing

Object designators can now be added as active links in text frames and notes. The links provide cross-probe capabilities in the Wiring Diagram and Layout Drawing. To create active links, place a text frame or note object in either the Wiring Diagram or Layout Drawing. In the Text field in the Properties region of the Properties panel, enter "@". A drop-down of all designators will appear. Double-click the desired designator from the list; the link is created in the Text field and in the design space. Click the link in the design space to cross-probe to that object in the associated document (i.e., the document that is not currently active). The process is demonstrated in the video below.

Data Management Improvements

Manufacturer Lifecycle State Message Enhancement

When using the SiliconExpert integration functionality, manufacturer part lifecycle data can be obtained from different sources: Altium Parts Provider (powered by Octopart or IHS Markit^®) and SiliconExpert. To provide better visibility of this lifecycle data from different sources, the lifecycle information from all available sources is now accessible.

When exploring manufacturer part data (e.g., an entry in the Manufacturer Part Search panel, a part choice of a Workspace library component, or a solution in an AcitveBOM document), hover the cursor over the manufacturer lifecycle state/bar or use the drop-down to see the lifecycle information from all sources in the tooltip.

❯ ❮ Javascript ID: ManufacturerLifecycle_MultipleSources_AD24_1

Added General Tab to Project Options for Offline Workspace Projects

Added the General tab to the Project Options dialog for offline Workspace projects. This feature is available for working with a project when you are disconnected from its Workspace. The only control on the tab that is accessible is the Turn Off Synchronization button. Click this button to turn off synchronization. This ensures that the local copy will not be linked to the one that resides on the Workspace. The project located in the Workspace will remain untouched.

Removed Commit Command for Git-based Projects

For Git-based projects, the Commit command has been removed from the History & Version Control sub-menu of the right-click menu of project entry in the Projects panel and the Project main menu, aiming to remove confusion about where data was being committed (to the local repository and not the remote repository) when using the command. Visibility of the command is controlled by the VCS.AllowGitCommit option from the  Advanced Settings dialog (OFF by default). You can use the Save to Server command to commit the project to the local repository and push it to the remote repository in one action.

Import/Export Improvement

Mentor Xpedition Placement Outline and Insertion Ouline Layer Mapping

When Mentor Xpedition PCB and footprint library files are imported, Placement Outline layer types are now mapped as Courtyard layer types and the Insertion Outline layers are now mapped to the Component Outline layer types in Altium Designer.

Circuit Simulation Improvement

Simulation Stress Analysis (Open Beta)

Stress Analysis is used to calculate operating conditions for each individual component, such as maximum voltages, currents, and power dissipations, and check them against limits defined in the stress model of the component.

In this release, a new Stress Analysis option has been added to the Transient region of the Simulation Dashboard. When this option is enabled and the Transient analysis is performed, the Stress analysis results are available on the additional Stress chart of the simulation result document.

Use the new Stress Analysis to test your circuits against defined limits.

The stress model of a component is configured on the new Stress tab of the Sim Model dialog accessed for the component's simulation model. From here, you can select the required Device Type and define parameter values.

Stress analysis parameters for a component can be set on the Stress tab of the Sim Model dialog.

Feature Made Fully Public in Altium Designer 24.1

The following feature is now officially made Public with this release:

• Custom Paste/Solder Masks – available from 23.8

PCB Design Improvements

Any Angle Diff Pair Router (Open Beta)

This release introduces support for any angle differential pair routing. When routing a diff pair using the Interactive Differential Pair Routing tool (Route » Interactive Differential Pair Routing), you can now select the Any Angle corner style () when configuring the properties of routing in the Properties panel in its Differential Pair Routing mode.

• Any angle differential pair routing supports symmetrical pad entry and gap changing.
• When starting differential pair routing from an antenna, the tool will maintain the left-to-right order of nets (i.e., the continuation of the left side stays on the left) and support snapping to the original direction.
• When routing a diff pair using the Any Angle corner style, press and hold the Shift key to route the diff pair using tangent arcs.

Demonstration of any angle differential pair routing.

Note that this feature also enables an updated angle diff pair glossing algorithm when using the Route » Gloss Selected command.

Enhanced Layer Stack Report Setup Dialog (Open Beta)

The Layer Stack Report Setup dialog (File » Fabrication Outputs » Report Board Stack) has been enhanced and now includes all columns that are present in the Layer Stack. Use the dialog to select the columns you want to be displayed in the Layer Stack Report.

PCB CoDesign Improvements

Enhanced Copper Conflict Display and Resolution

Conflicts of copper objects are now grouped in pin-to-pin connection groups where applicable to ease exploring and resolving the changes.

Copper conflicts can now be resolved on the pin-to-pin connection level.

Added Ability to Configure Color Legend

In the View Configuration panel, you can now select colors for objects that have been added, modified, removed, and not changed (unchanged objects of a pin-to-pin connection when it is selected in the PCB CoDesign panel).

Use the View Configuration panel to configure the comparison color legend.

Other PCB CoDesign UI Changes

• The pop-up that shows that the comparison is in progress now appears right after running the comparison.
• Added the ability to select and deselect entries in the change list. When an entry is selected (by clicking on it), click it again to deselect the entry and reset the object highlighting in the design space.
• The Save to Server command has been added to the menu of the Project panel's Merged icon () shown after merging changes using the PCB CoDesign panel – show image.
• When clicking the Save to Server button in the PCB CoDesigner panel after merging changes, only the merged PCB document is selected in the Save to Server dialog by default – show image.
• When merging the changes is run, a new pop-up showing that merging is in progress is now displayed – show image.

Constraint Manager Improvements

Ability to Add Differential Pair Classes to the Clearance Matrix

Starting from this release, you can add not only net classes but also differential pair classes to the Clearance Matrix (the Clearances view).

Editing Custom Topology on the PCB Side

It is now possible to define the topology of a net as Custom and edit it as required in the Constraint Manager when it is accessed from the PCB side.

Propagating Topology Changes when Editing the Constraint Set

When editing a Constraint Set that includes a custom topology, changes made to the topology are now propagated to other objects to which this Constraint Set is applied.

Ability to Remove xSignals

It is now possible to remove an xSignal from the xSignals tab of the Electrical view. To do this, right-click an xSignal and select the xSignals » Remove xSignal command from the context menu.

Cross Select From and To the Constraint Manager

In this release, an ability to cross-select objects from and to the Constraint Manager has been added. When cross-select mode is enabled (using the Cross Select Mode command from the Tools main menu of the Constraint Manager, the schematic or PCB editor), objects selected in the Constraint Manager are also selected in the schematic and PCB documents, and vice versa.

Enhanced the Expand/Collapse State

All nodes, except for those that are predefined (e.g., All Nets), are now collapsed in the Physical and Electrical views by default. You can use the new Expand All and Collapse All right-click menu commands to control the grid nodes.

3D-MID Design (Open Beta)

3D-MID technology combines electrical circuits with three-dimensional mechanical parts. This fusion of functionality opens up a world of possibilities within a vast range of application areas.

Historically, designers of 3D-MIDs have generally been restricted to MCAD packages due to the lack of suitable ECAD tools. There are many problems inherent to this way of working, not least is the absence of any electrical intelligence to drive the circuit layout and the difficulties associated with projecting 2D manually drawn sketches onto 3D surfaces.

The new 3D-MID editor in Altium Designer allows you to place standard surface mount components onto a 3D shape in a 3D-MID document and route traces along the surface of the shape to complete the layout.

The completed design can then be exported in the file format required by the Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) manufacturing process.

Harness Design Improvements

Treat Layout Labels as Components in BOM

Layout labels in the Layout Drawing are now treated as components in the BOM, with support for part choices and grouping.

Added Columns to the Connection Table and Wiring List

Additional columns have been added to the Connection Table and Wiring List in a Manufacturing Drawing (*.HarDwf) that allow you to easily view the additional information in the design space. Crimp (part number), Cable, ToPin, and ToPart have been added to the Connection Table; FromCrimp, ToCrimp, and Cable have been added to the Wiring List. Toggle the eye icon in the Properties panel to display/hide the desired columns in the connection table.

Platform Improvement

Support for Long Path Names (Open Beta)

Support for long path names has been implemented in this release. When a file path with the file name exceeds 256 characters, the actions on files are now supported, including:

• Opening a project from the connected Workspace.
• Making a local project available in the Workspace.
• Changing the folder path in an Outjob file.
• Generating outputs using an Outjob file or the Project Releaser.
• Saving a project as a project template to the Workspace.

Starting from Windows 10 version 1607, MAX_PATH limitations have been removed from common Win32 files and directory functions. However, you must opt-in to the new behavior by changing a registry key on the computer where Altium Designer is installed. Refer to the Support for Long Path Names page for details. After doing so, ensure that your computer is rebooted.

Import/Export Improvements

xDX Designer Import Enhancements

This release delivers a number of key improvements and fixes in relation to the import of xDX Designer design files into Altium Designer.

Added Ability to Import Symbols Only

The Reporting Options page of the Mentor xDxDesigner Import Wizard now includes the Import symbols only option that allows to import symbols only. When this option is enabled, identical symbols from the library database will be imported as a single schematic symbol, even if it is used by many components in the original library, and parameters are not imported to symbols in Altium Designer.

Also, when this option is enabled, the next page of the Wizard will suggest generating part-symbol and pin mapping data in CSV format by enabling the Generate Pin Mapping and Component Models/Parameters Combined CSV option. When this option is enabled, use the available fields to define Oracle DB connection parameters and a parameter mapping file.

Multi-part Symbol Import Improvements

When imported to Altium Designer, a multi-part symbol receives a Design Item ID combined with the first and last part names defined in xDX Designer. These combined Design Item IDs are also used in the generated CSV files.

Also, the order of parts in symbols imported to Altium Designer is now the same as defined in the original library.

Symbol Import Improvements

Other import improvements include:

• Static text strings in symbols are now imported.
• The '~' characters used for negation in xDX Designer are now transformed into '\' characters in pin names to correctly represent negation symbols in Altium Designer.

• The Reporting Options page of the Mentor xDxDesigner Import Wizard now includes the Import pin customizations (font size) option. When this option is enabled, pin designators and names are imported to Altium Designer with the same font size as in xDX Designer.

  

Mentor Expedition Import Improvements

Added Ability to Choose Extruded Body Layer

You now have the ability to choose the layer when creating extruded bodies when importing Mentor Expedition files using the Import Wizard. After adding the Mentor PCB and Library files to be imported, choose from Placement Outline or Assembly Outline using the Create extruded body from drop-down on the Current User Layer Mappings page. When the option is enabled, the default is Placement Outline.

Placement Outline Improvement

Placement Outlines can now be imported as primitives on the Placement Outline layer on the Top/Bottom 3D Body assembly layers.

Circuit Simulation Improvement

Output Currents for P-Channel Transistors Inverted

Output currents for P-Channel transistors (BJT, JFET, MOSFET, MESFET) are now treated as inflow currents, making them consistent with N-Channel transistors.

Ansys CoDesigner (Open Beta)

This release presents the first steps into true collaborative design (CoDesign) between the ECAD and Simulation domains. Up until now, engineers in these two siloed camps have had to rely on manual export/import file processes that have no connection with a revision of a design and communication of changes and results, typically by email, outside of the design arena.

Now, with the arrival of the Ansys CoDesigner feature, the ECAD engineer (using Altium Designer) can seamlessly collaborate on a design with their SIM engineer colleague (using Ansys Electronics Desktop (AEDT)). Collaboration is facilitated through an Altium 365 Workspace, which acts as a bridge between the two domains. This initial release includes support for the following key elements:

• Bi-directional push/pull of design changes between the two domains. From Altium Designer, changes to layer stack and materials, components, and primitives are detected and can be applied in AEDT. From AEDT, proposed changes to layer stack and materials can be pushed through the EDB file and detected/applied in Altium Designer.
• Simulation results are pushed from AEDT to the Altium 365 Workspace and associated with a revision of the design, with the ability to view through the Workspace’s browser interface and preview within Altium Designer.
• Bi-directional communication using the commenting system, with each comment thread attached to a specific component in a design.

Power Analyzer by Keysight Improvement

Added Ability to Assign Currents for Multiple Nets on the Same Component

In this release, the ability to assign currents for multiple nets on the same component for different series elements has been added.

When configuring a load of the IC (Current) type, you can see all pins of the load component that connect it with the source through different serial components, with the ability to select the required pins.

In the example shown below, the 5V power net is connected to two pins of the LCD1 component through R4 and R5 series components. After extending the power net and adding LCD1 as the load, both pins can be selected and configured as required in the Load Properties dialog.

Features Made Fully Public in Altium Designer 24.0

The following features are now officially made Public with this release:

• Constraint Manager - available from 23.11
• PCB CoDesign - available from 23.10
• Harness Design - available from 23.0
• Improved Detection of Minimum Annular Ring Violation - available from 22.10