DNU Working with Custom Pad Shapes

Altium Designer's standard pad object can:

• Be set to a number of different shapes, including round, rectangular, rounded rectangular, and octagonal.
• Be sized differently in the X and Y directions, extending the range of shapes that can be created.
• Be customized to change the shape for each layer of the board.
• Have a round or slotted hole, which can be offset from the pad center.

To create a different shape from those listed above, you must create a custom pad shape. Custom pad shapes are created by placing other design objects, such as arcs, fills, lines, or regions, to build up the copper shape required for the pad. A small pad is included within the shape to define the connection point in the pad, and if required, the drill hole location and size.