Altium Designer Advanced
On-demand Series 

Advanced workflow management and industry best practices for experienced designers: intelligent BOM control, constraint-driven design, 3D capabilities, and design reuse strategies.

Key Topics Covered:

• Simulated BOM Environment: Practice real-world BOM scenarios through interactive simulation, mastering part substitution, supplier chain management, and real-time conflict resolution for cost and availability.
• Constraint Manager Integration: Define net classes and rules directly in the schematic environment, propagate them automatically to PCB layout, and validate constraints before any layout work begins.
• 3D Model Import & Validation: Bring in mechanical models, align coordinate systems, extract accurate board outlines, and validate board shape against mechanical requirements prior to layout.
• Advanced Query Syntax: Build sophisticated object-based rule targeting, apply constraints automatically through queries, and reduce manual design rule management with query-driven workflows.
• 3D Constraint Configuration: Set up component-to-component and enclosure clearance rules, identify and resolve 3D clearance violations, and confirm designs meet assembly and manufacturing requirements.
• Pin Swap Configuration: Configure gate and part swapping to improve routing density while maintaining signal integrity, with support for both automated and manual swap strategies.
• Variant Management: Configure population and fitting options across product families, generate independent BOM and assembly outputs per variant, and validate each before release.
• Signal Harness: Simplify multi-signal connectivity in hierarchical designs by creating and configuring harness connectors, and resolving connectivity issues across multi-sheet schematics.
• Design Block Reuse: Capture proven circuitry into versioned, reusable blocks and deploy them consistently across projects with tracked change management.
• Creepage & Compliance: Apply IEC, UL, and other regulatory standards in layout, run automated creepage checks, generate compliance reports, and resolve safety-critical clearance violations.

Specialized routing techniques for high-speed and high-density boards: signal integrity strategies, advanced via structures, and manufacturing-aware, automation-assisted layout.

Key Topics Covered:

• Signal Integrity Routing Fundamentals: Covers differential pair routing with impedance control and precision placement, length tuning using accordion and sawtooth patterns, and back drill configuration to eliminate stubs in high-speed stackups.
• xSignals for High-Speed Design: Covers defining and managing complete signal paths across multiple nets and series components, applying matched-length constraints for DDR, USB, PCIe, and similar interfaces, and configuring design rules that govern full signal paths rather than individual nets.
• Advanced Via Techniques: Covers via shielding and stitching for signal isolation and ground plane integrity, implementing HDI via types including microvias, blind, buried, and via-in-pad, and configuring via rules that satisfy both signal integrity and manufacturing requirements.
• Routing Productivity and Design Optimization: Covers ActiveRoute for controlled auto-routing and re-routing workflows, teardrop configuration for improved manufacturing yield and pad reliability, and layout replication to carry proven placement and routing patterns across repeated design blocks.

Techniques for rigid-flex and multi-board design, plus designing, managing, and documenting boards built from repeating circuitry and the templates that keep every project consistent and audit-ready.

Key Topics Covered:

• Rigid-Flex 1 - Creating Multiple Layer Stacks: Covers creating multiple stackups within a single board using Layer Stack Manager, assigning materials, coverlays, and impedance parameters to each substack, and validating layer stack definitions before layout begins.
• Rigid-Flex 2 - PCB Design: Covers assigning layer stacks to board regions and defining bending lines, applying correct design rules when routing across rigid-flex boundaries, and verifying the folded assembly in 3D before fabrication release.
• Multi-Board Design: Covers defining board-to-board connections in the multi-board schematic editor, assembling linked boards and verifying mechanical fit in 3D, and synchronizing connectivity updates across all linked projects.
• Multi-Channel Design 1 - Schematic Entry: Covers structuring repeating circuitry using sheet symbols and nested sheets, applying correct designator naming conventions for clean annotation, and confirming channel consistency before moving to PCB layout.
• Multi-Channel Design 2 - Rooms in the PCB: Covers generating and arranging rooms from schematic channels, replicating placement and routing efficiently across all rooms, and applying design rules scoped to individual rooms or the full channel set.
• Multi-Channel Design 3 - Board-Level Annotation: Covers configuring channel-aware annotation to keep designators unique and traceable, back-annotating final designators to the schematic after layout, and documenting annotation clearly for production and assembly handoff.
• PCB CoDesign: Covers configuring a single board for simultaneous multi-engineer work, reserving and releasing design areas to prevent conflicts during parallel editing, and merging contributions from multiple designers with clean conflict resolution.
• Template 1 - Draftsman Templates: Covers building Draftsman templates with standardized title blocks, views, and tables, configuring layer stack and drill drawing views for consistent fabrication output, and exporting templates for reuse across projects.
• Template 2 - Project Templates: Covers building project templates that bundle standard rules, layers, and default documents, managing and deploying consistent starting points across the team, and versioning templates as design standards evolve.