New in CoDesigner

Building on CoDesigner's support for Multi-board assemblies in SOLIDWORKS, the 3.6 update of MCAD CoDesigner adds support for synchronizing the harness, which can then be included as part of the Multi-board assembly. Support for SOLIDWORKS 2024 has also been added. Support for previewing changes in a Multi-board assembly is also added in this release of CoDesigner, and all supported MCADs now have improved support for rigid-flex board edge detection.

Synchronizing a Harness Design Project in SOLIDWORKS (Beta)

Wiring harnesses are commonly found in many assemblies, electrically connecting the various PCBs in the device, as well as wiring in the various buttons, displays and controls that the user interacts with. Building on the SOLIDWORKS support for Multi-board assemblies, Harness synchronization supports transferring the Harness elements from ECAD to MCAD (connectors, wires, splices, connectivity (from-to data) and harness topology, as well as the MCAD to ECAD transfer of the physical lengths of wires, cables, and harness segments.

The 3D model of the Harness can also be sent to ECAD during Multiboard Assembly synchronization, along with the mechanical enclosure parts.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Harness Design Project in Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

Using CoDesigner, you can collaboratively design the harness in SOLIDWORKS and Altium Designer.

Support for SOLIDWORKS 2024

Support for SOLIDWORKS 2024 has been added in the 3.6 updates to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

Altium MCAD CoDesigner now supports SOLIDWORKS 2024 (image courtesy of Dassault Systemes)

Preview of Changes in a Multi-board Assembly

Multiboard projects, CoDesigner now shows the preview of synchronization changes in both ECAD and MCAD.

Examine the impact of each change in the Multi-board assembly, before Applying.

Support for Nested Projects

CoDesigner now synchronizes changes in nested multi-board projects. Previously, each of the nested Multi-board projects had to be synchronized separately.

Improved Rigid-Flex Board-Edge detection

The algorithm for detecting the board contours on Push from ECAD has been improved. Cases where a board region includes very sharp angles, such as tangential curves, are no longer considered an error. They are now flagged as a warning during Push, and may be accepted during Pull into MCAD.

Support for Pushing rigid-flex board regions that include sharp angles has been improved.

Improved Support for Rigid-Flex Bends in SOLIDWORKS

Previously, CoDesigner for SOLIDWORKS did not process bends in a flex region correctly if there was a large number of bends within that region. This limitation has been removed.

• Altium Designer 23.9.1 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.6.0.1976
• CoDesigner 3.6 is not available for Altium NEXUS Client, CoDesigner 3.3.0 is the latest version.
• CoDesigner 3.x is not available for Altium CircuitMaker; CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version.

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution. Note that newer versions of Siemens NX may show a warning that the difference between the current version and the signed version is too great. Siemens NX has been tested up to v.2306, this warning can be ignored. Alternatively, the Show Warning when Loading option in the Customer Defaults dialog in Siemens NX, can be disabled (show image).

The 3.5 release of Altium MCAD CoDesigner brings Multi-board assembly support to PTC Creo, as well as the introduction of a new capability, the ability to synchronize a Harness design between ECAD and MCAD (Creo-only for the initial Beta release). Harness synchronization supports pushing the harness defined on the ECAD Multi-board assembly to PTC Creo, where the mechanical engineer can define the cable routing through the enclosure, and the connections to the printed circuit boards. The Harness definition can then be pushed from MCAD back to ECAD as part of the multi-board assembly.

Synchronizing a Harness Design Project (Beta)

An element found in many assemblies is one or more wiring harnesses. Harnesses are used to electrically connect the various PCBs in the device, as well as wiring in the various buttons, displays and controls that the user interacts with. Building on the support for Multi-board assemblies in PTC Creo (see the following feature highlight), Harness synchronization supports the transfer of the Harness elements from ECAD to MCAD (connectors, wires, splices, connectivity (from-to data) and harness topology, and the MCAD to ECAD transfer of the physical lengths of wires, cables and harness segments.

The 3D model of the Harness can also be sent to ECAD during Multiboard Assembly synchronization, along with the mechanical enclosure parts.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Harness Design Project in Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

Use CoDesigner's support for Harnesses to work collaboratively on the harness design.

Support for Multi-board Assemblies in PTC Creo

Many electronic devices are built as an assembly of multiple circuit boards, cleverly shaped and arranged within a mechanical enclosure to deliver an aesthetic and useful product. Altium's electronic design (ECAD) software supports this, where multiple PCBs can be bought together to create an assembly of PCBs, called a Multi-Board Assembly. This assembly can also include the enclosure and other mechanical elements that make up the product.

A multi-board assembly open in Altium's Multi-board Assembly editor.

The process of assembling the PCBs into the enclosure is best performed in MCAD. But the PCBs will be designed in ECAD, and the ECAD engineer may also need to perform electro-mechanical checks, such as component-to-component and component-to-enclosure clearances, as well as checking the access to the human interface elements, such as indicators and displays, buttons, and connectors. There are numerous advantages to being able to synchronize the entire device assembly between the MCAD and ECAD domains, so that the current state of the assembled device can be quickly verified by both the mechanical and electronic design teams.

In Altium CoDesigner 3.5, Multi-board Assembly support moves out of beta. As well as supporting Multi-board Assembly synchronization from SOLIDWORKS, Multi-board Assembly synchronization is now also supported from PTC Creo.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Multi-board Assembly in Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

Support for Workspace Folders during Pull to MCAD

Altium Workspace folders are now represented in the Select Project from <Workspace> dialog when you Pull a new PCB into MCAD. The dialog can either show all projects across all folders or display projects within their folders. Click the button at the top of the dialog to toggle the display mode, then drill down through folders using the standard Windows techniques.

Project storage folders are now supported in the Select Project <from Workspace> dialog when you click to Pull from MCAD.

Support for PTC Creo 10

Support for PTC Creo Version 10 has been added in the 3.5 updates to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

Altium MCAD CoDesigner now supports PTC Creo V10 (image courtesy of PTC)

Support for Autodesk Inventor 2024

Support for Autodesk Inventor 2024 has been added in the 3.5 updates to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

• Altium Designer 23.5.1 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.5.0.1900
• CoDesigner 3.5 is not available for Altium NEXUS Client, CoDesigner 3.3.0 is the latest version.
• CoDesigner 3.x is not available for Altium CircuitMaker; CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version.

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

CoDesigner's default behavior is to push the PCB components back and forth between MCAD and ECAD as Parasolid models. While this delivers a mechanically accurate model to each design domain, it does not allow that model to fully represent the actual component that is mounted into the final product. For designers that need to work with a fully detailed component in each design domain, CoDesigner supports linking the ECAD and MCAD components, allowing the MCAD engineer to work with the MCAD component, and the ECAD engineer to work with the ECAD component.

Siemens NX - Support for Advanced Copper Geometry

CoDesigner represents the copper in the top and bottom layers as decals, giving a visually accurate impression of the copper on each side of the board. If you need a precise definition of the shapes on every copper layer, this release brings advanced copper geometry support to Siemens NX.

Enable the Build 3D Geometry for Copper and Solder Mask option in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog to include the copper detail in each signal and plane layer, enable the Build Vias option to include the detail of the copper that connects between the signal and plane layers.

❯ ❮

Javascript

When the advanced copper geometry options are enabled, each PCB copper layer, soldermask layer, and set of thru-holes is created as an MCAD component in the Assembly Navigator.

Siemens NX - MCAD-to-ECAD Component Placement and Recognition

CoDesigner for Siemens NX now supports linking from the MCAD component to the equivalent ECAD component. Include a parameter in the MCAD component that references the equivalent ECAD component, specify the linking parameter in the MCAD CoDesigner settings of your Altium Workspace, then when you Push the board from MCAD to ECAD the board will load into ECAD with the fully-described ECAD component, placed directly from your Altium Workspace into the ECAD PCB.

► Learn more about Linking from the MCAD Components to the ECAD Components

Siemens NX - ECAD-to-MCAD Component Placement from TeamCenter

With this release, CoDesigner in Siemens NX can now place the MCAD component from TeamCenter when you Push from ECAD to MCAD. Specify which ECAD parameter holds the TeamCenter MCAD component name, and specify this parameter in the MCAD CoDesigner settings of your Altium Workspace, and you're ready to go. When the design is Pushed from ECAD to MCAD, the ECAD component is automatically replaced with the MCAD component, placed directly from TeamCenter.

► Learn more about Linking from the ECAD Components to the MCAD Components

MCAD Data Management System - Specify the MCAD Component as an ECAD Footprint Parameter

If you use the automatic placement of component models from an MCAD Data Management System, CoDesigner now supports taking the name of the MCAD model from an ECAD custom Footprint property, in addition to the custom Component parameter used previously. This feature better supports the many-to-many relationships between the components and footprints.

As well as being able to specify the MCAD model name as a parameter of the ECAD component, you can also specify it as an ECAD footprint parameter if you prefer,
the Use models from data management system on MCAD side when creating PCB assembly option supports both approaches.

The logic that CoDesigner now follows is, on push from ECAD, CoDesigner:

1. Checks if the Use models from data management system on MCAD side when creating PCB assembly option is enabled in your Altium Workspace, and if enabled;
2. checks if the parameter name specified in the Workspace option is present as a model name mapping parameter assigned in the footprint, and if it is and not empty;
3. sends the parameter and its value to MCAD as part of the Push;
4. and then on Pull into MCAD, takes the MCAD model from the MCAD storage according to the value of the footprint parameter. If the footprint parameter is not assigned, or if it is empty, CoDesigner takes the MCAD model name from the Component parameter instead (if it is not empty).

Advanced Rigid-Flex Support Moves Out of Beta

For the MCAD tools that support rigid-flex, this release sees the Public release of support for the Advanced mode of Rigid-Flex design (also referred to as RF2). At this stage, rigid-flex is supported by SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Rigid-Flex Board

• Altium Designer 22.11.1 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.4.0.1859
• CoDesigner 3.4 is not available for Altium NEXUS Client, CoDesigner 3.3.0 is the latest version.
• CoDesigner 3.x is not available for Altium CircuitMaker, CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version.

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

• Altium Designer 22.6 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.3.0.1753
• Altium NEXUS Client 5.6 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.3.0.497
• CoDesigner 3.x is not available for Altium CircuitMaker; CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version.

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

Demo Mode for CoDesigner

CoDesigner now includes a demo mode in MCAD. To access the Demo mode, you will need:

• an Altium Account, with a username that is not currently a member of an existing Altium Workspace,
• a supported MCAD solution,
• with the latest version of the Altium MCAD CoDesigner Add-in installed.

If your Account username is not currently a member of an Altium Workspace, then once you have signed into CoDesigner in your MCAD software, the Altium CoDesigner panel will include information on how to access a demo project.

If you are not currently a member of a Workspace, demo mode will be available after signing in to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

In Demo mode, the mechanical engineer can:

1. Build the model of Demo PCB in the MCAD’s native format, check the structure of the model, and check how to associate/constrain the model with the enclosure.
2. Pull a design change and explore the Change control features (CoDesigner simulates ECAD changes to the Demo PCB).
3. Build precise 3D geometry of copper (building 3D copper is not yet supported in Autodesk Fusion 360 and Siemens NX).
4. Check the mechanical PCB definition, including: changing the board shape, the placement of components, creating mounting holes, and creating keepouts/rooms.

If you have Pulled the simulated changes into MCAD, you can click on an entry to highlight that change on the board (shown in purple).

Open the PCB in the Altium Web UI from your MCAD Software

In MCAD, you can now open the ECAD version of the PCB/Multiboard project in the Altium Workspace web UI, by clicking the (Open in Web) button at the top of the Altium CoDesigner panel.

• The default is to display the 3D view of the board. You can also use the tabs at the top to explore the SCH, the PCB (2D version of the board), the Draftsman document and the BOM (ActiveBOM Bill of Materials).
• Use the icons toward the top right of the Web UI graphical area to: Search for components or nets; or click on a component or net in the graphical display area to show details in the Info panel. The object will highlight simultaneously in the Sch, PCB, 3D and BOM tabs.

Click the Open in Web button in your MCAD software to open the ECAD version of the PCB in your preferred web browser, then use the UI features to explore the design in more detail.

► Learn more about the Browser-based Interface of an Altium Workspace

Easily Fold / Unfold a Rigid-Flex Board

In SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo, a button has been added to the Altium CoDesigner ribbon to Fold / Unfold a rigid-flex PCB. Previously, the mechanical engineer had to fold/unfold a rigid-flex PCB by manually suppressing / unsuppressing the bend features in the MCAD model tree.

Use the Fold / Unfold button on the Altium CeoDesigner ribbon to quickly toggle the Suppress state of all bends.

Enhanced Detail about Component Parameter Changes

When a design is passed back and forth between the electrical and mechanical design teams and both teams are using component management systems, conflicts could occur when a difference was detected between an ECAD component and a PDM-controlled MCAD component.

In MCAD, CoDesigner now shows detailed information about proposed changes to component properties during ECAD-to-MCAD sync. Previously component changes were represented by a single record in the list of changes, now that change can be expanded to reveal detailed information about name changes, footprint changes, and edited or modified properties, for each modified component.

This level of detail helps the mechanical engineer quickly investigate when the ECAD and MCAD libraries are no longer synchronized, perhaps due to automatic changes made by MCAD or PDM on the previous sync, and make a decision on the impact on the design.

Expand the Change entry to examine what component parameter synchronization is required.

Support for PTC Creo 9

Support for PTC Creo Version 9 has been added in the 3.2 updates to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

Altium MCAD CoDesigner now supports PTC Creo V9 (image courtesy of PTC)

• Altium Designer 22.6 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.2.0.1730
• Altium NEXUS Client 5.6 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.2.0.490
• CoDesigner 3.x is not available for Altium CircuitMaker; CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version.

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

The focus of this release is the introduction of support for boards designed using the Advanced Rigid-Flex mode in the Altium PCB editor (also known as Rigid-Flex 2, or RF2). In ECAD, the Advanced Rigid-Flex mode brings support for more complex rigid-flex designs, including: designs with overlapping flex regions, bends within an internal PCB cutout, and custom-shaped rigid-flex splits.

Enhanced Rigid-Flex Design (Beta)

Adding support for the Advanced Rigid-Flex mode to CoDesigner brings the following improvements in ECAD-MCAD rigid-flex support:

• Flex regions with different thicknesses
• Separate flexible regions that overlap each other
• Representation of copper and silkscreen on the rigid regions in MCAD in SOLIDWORKS
• A local bend (a bend that is localized to a flex region that is within a cutout in a larger flex region)

An Advanced Rigid-Flex design with overlapping flex regions of different thicknesses, open in Altium Designer and in PTC Creo.

Structure of an Advanced Rigid-Flex (RF2) Board in MCAD

Below is a summary of the MCAD structure of an Advanced Rigid-Flex board:

• Each rigid region of an RF2 design is represented by an Assembly, which includes that rigid part (region) of the board, and components mounted on that region (very similar to how a rigid PCB is modeled in MCAD).
• Each flex region of the board is represented by a sheet metal part. Within this part, each ECAD Bend Line is defined as a Sketched Bend. Note that a bend that can be Pushed from ECAD might not be formed correctly in MCAD, due to the bend requirements of that MCAD tool. Also, note that components on flex regions are not yet supported.
• For cutouts that extend through multiple board regions, separate cut extrudes are created in MCAD. If the mechanical engineer wants to change the shape of such a cutout in MCAD, they will need to change all of those extrudes.

Notes on Working with Advanced Rigid Flex Boards

1. For an RF2 board in ECAD, each X-Y region of the board is drawn as a separate object, which then has a substack assigned to it (whereas in an RF1 board you define the overall board shape, and then place Split lines to divide it into the required board regions). Gaps between adjacent regions in an RF2 are not permitted, they must exactly touch or overlap. If two regions overlap, the software assumes that the shared zone belongs to the region with the greater number of layers. Using this knowledge, it can be easier to extend a flexible region into the adjacent rigid region if it is difficult to align their edges. Learn more about Planning Rigid & Flex Regions - Advanced Mode.
2. The ECAD PCB editor includes a number of tools to help create regions from existing line/arc objects, learn more about Creating Board Regions from Selected Objects.
3. In ECAD, each unique set of layers (substack) must be defined, either by copying existing layers to create the new substack or by adding layers to define a unique substack. Learn more about Adding and Editing a New Substack.
4. RF2 mode supports flexible regions that overlap each other in 3-dimensional space. To support this, when a Bend Line is placed in Board Planning Mode in ECAD the designer must ensure that the Bend is applied to the correct flexible Stack Region (show image). If this is not done, an unaffected region warning will be displayed when the design is Pushed from ECAD to MCAD (show image).
5. The structure of the PCB assembly in RF2 mode in SOLIDWORKS differs from the structure of the assembly in RF1 mode in SOLIDWORKS, so if the mode is switched from RF1 to RF2 in ECAD, it's recommended to do a fresh Pull of the board in SOLIDWORKS. In Creo, the structure of the PCB assembly is unified for both RF1 and RF2, so you will not see any change in the MCAD feature tree.
6. The decals representing the top/bottom copper, silkscreen, and soldermask are now applied to the rigid regions in RF2 mode in SOLIDWORKS.
7. At this stage, the creation of new regions and bends in MCAD is not supported in boards using the Advanced Rigid-Flex mode.
8. When editing the geometry of the PCB in MCAD, keep in mind that there is no associativity between the geometry of the neighboring regions. If the geometry of one region is modified, please adjust the geometry of the neighboring region to suit.
9. If you make significant changes to the geometry, for example, change the set of edges, the constraints in MCAD may be broken. This is normal, they will be restored on the next MCAD-ECAD-MCAD synchronization.
10. After making changes to bends, an MCAD Rebuild operation will be required in most cases.
11. If your designs are stored in Altium 365, the automatic push that happens after you Save the project to the server will not process your rigid-flex board changes (the RF2 changes have not been added to the ECAD server-side automatic push yet). After saving a rigid-flex project to the server, you must also manually Push your PCB to MCAD in the MCAD CoDesigner panel.
12. Defining Keep Out Areas (ECAD Keepouts), Text Note Rooms (ECAD Rooms), building 3D copper, and specifying the enclosure in the PCB definition in MCAD (and sending the enclosure to ECAD), are not currently supported for rigid-flex boards.

13. The flexible regions of your PCB design are modeled in MCAD as sheet metal. Each MCAD tool has its own set of tests that it applies to verify that a bend can be formed in the sheet metal, taking into consideration the:

    1. Board thickness
    2. Bend Radius
    3. Bending angle
    4. Distance between bending area and region border

    It is not possible in ECAD to verify that a bend will satisfy all of the sheet metal bending requirements when the board is Pushed from ECAD to all supported types of MCAD. For this reason, you may find that the board Pushes successfully, but not all bends can be created when that board is Pulled into MCAD. If the bend fails, try increasing the Bend radius, or increasing the distance between the edge of the Bend Zone and the edge of the flexible region of the board that the Bend is located on.

Support for SOLIDWORKS 2023

SOLIDWORKS 2023 is now in Beta, CoDesigner 3.1 has been updated to support it.

• Altium Designer 22.6 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.1.0.1709
• Altium NEXUS Client 5.6 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.1.0.487
• CoDesigner 3.x is not available for Altium CircuitMaker; CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest supported version.

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
3. This was 3.1.0.34 at release on 4th October. This later version has been supplied due to Symantec Antivirus having, presumably erroneously, detected the previous version as being a virus. There are no changes in functionality with this later version.

Altium CoDesigner 3.0 introduces support for synchronizing an MCAD device assembly with an ECAD Multi-board assembly. This feature is initially being beta-released for SOLIDWORKS, with other MCAD tools to follow in upcoming releases.

Support for Multi-board Assemblies

Building a device from a number of assemblies is the standard approach to developing a product in mechanical CAD software. Altium's electronic design software supports a similar concept, where multiple PCBs can be bought together to create an assembly of PCBs, called a Multi-Board Assembly. This assembly can also include the enclosure.

A multi-board assembly open in Altium's Multi-board Assembly editor.

The process of assembling the PCBs into the enclosure is best performed in MCAD. But the ECAD engineer may also need to perform electro-mechanical checks, such as component-to-component and component-to-enclosure clearances, as well as checking the access to and labeling of the human interface elements, such as indicators and displays, buttons, and connectors. There are numerous advantages to being able to synchronize the entire device assembly between the MCAD and ECAD domains, so that the current state of the assembled device can be quickly verified by both the mechanical and electronic design teams.

The release of Altium CoDesigner 3.0 sees the introduction of support for synchronizing the MCAD device assembly with the ECAD multi-board Assembly. This initial beta release supports SOLIDWORKS, with support for other MCADs to be added in upcoming releases.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Multi-board Assembly in Altium MCAD CoDesigner.

The slides below show a summary of synchronizing a Multi-board assembly between MCAD and ECAD. This order of steps is not fixed, for example, the slides show a sequence where the individual PCBs have been Pulled from ECAD and assembled into the MCAD enclosure, before deciding to transfer the entire assembly to ECAD.

❯ ❮ Javascript

Push the Individual PCBs from ECAD Each PCB must be Pushed from ECAD, Pulled into MCAD, and saved as an assembly. Push the ECAD Multi-board Assembly Include the individual PCBs in the ECAD Multi-board assembly (their position can be left undefined) and Push the MBA from ECAD. Create the Device Assembly in MCAD Include the enclosure and one or more of the PCB MCAD assemblies (alternatively, the PCBs can be added later). Recognize the PCBs If one or more of the PCB assemblies has been added, clicking this button tells CoDesigner that each of the PCBs that it can detect is part of this MCAD device assembly. Link Multiboard If the PCBs have been recognized, you can link the MCAD device assembly to the ECAD Multi-board Assembly by selecting the Link Multiboard command from the dropdown menu at the top of the Altium CoDesigner panel, as shown above. If the PCBs have not been recognized yet, use the Link Multiboard button on the Altium CoDesigner panel. Define the Enclosure Select the enclosure in the MCAD feature tree, then click the Enclosure button on the Altium CoDesigner ribbon. CoDesigner now recognizes this part/assembly as the enclosure and will indicate this in the Multiboard Definition section of the Altium CoDesigner panel. Push the Assembly from MCAD CoDesigner pushes the location and orientation of each PCB to ECAD, along with the enclosure if it has been defined. Pull the Assembly into ECAD Pull the finished assembly into ECAD in the MCAD CoDesigner panel in the Multi-board Assembly editor in ECAD. The Completed Assembly in ECAD The engineer can now examine the finished Multi-board Assembly in ECAD.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Multi-board Assembly with Altium CoDesigner

Fusion 360 - Support for Working with the Device Assembly

Autodesk Fusion 360 now supports working in the context of the Device Assembly. CoDesigner in Fusion 360 now recognizes the PCB and the enclosure, supporting exchanging the enclosure between MCAD and ECAD (these capabilities are already supported in other MCADs).

Select the enclosure in the model tree, then click the Enclosure button on the Altium CoDesigner button - check the panel to confirm it has been recognized.

Automatic CoDesigner Push when you Save to Server

When you perform a Push from ECAD in CoDesigner, you are not pushing the PCB file to the Altium Workspace, you are pushing a special ECAD-to-MCAD data package. This package includes: the PCB data, layer geometry, the component 3D models in Parasolid format, and the copper geometry (if that option is available and enabled).

Saving the PCB project to the Workspace is performed independently from a Push to MCAD. This separation of MCAD Pushing and Saving to Server can be a source of confusion, where an electrical engineer might think that the Save to Server they performed at the end of the day meant that everyone else who needs access to that design data, is now up-to-date and ready-to-go.

To simplify the process of keeping files in sync, the Workspace now performs an automatic MCAD Push, whenever a Save to Server is performed on the PCB project in ECAD.

An MCAD Push is now automatically performed when the project is Saved to the Server.

When the MCAD engineer performs a Pull, they are alerted to the fact that the last MCAD Push was automatic, as shown in the slides below. There is no change to how manual MCAD Pushes are flagged in the Altium CoDesigner panel.

❯ ❮

Javascript

Keepouts and Rooms

Keepouts and Rooms created or changed in ECAD are no longer displayed by default in MCAD, removing visual information that is redundant for the mechanical engineer.

CoDesigner for Siemens NX out of beta

With the release of Altium CoDesigner 3.0, CoDesigner for Siemens NX is no longer in beta.

CoDesigner for Siemens NX is no longer in beta.

• Altium Designer 22.6 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.0.0.1610
• Altium NEXUS Client 5.6 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.0.0.474
• CoDesigner 3.0 is not available for Altium CircuitMaker; CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version.

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

Siemens NX - Support for Teamcenter PLM

Siemens Teamcenter PLM brings mechanical engineers together, allowing them to share their parts and their designs across the globe. This release of CoDesigner brings support for Teamcenter PLM when performing operations with the PCB Assembly, the PCB Part, and the Components, in Siemens NX. PCB assemblies can be saved and opened from the Teamcenter interface directly in Siemens NX, as shown below.

CoDesigner stores the 3D component models from each PCB that it pulls from ECAD in one of two locations. The default is to save the component models into the same folder as the MCAD PCB assembly. Alternatively, you can configure a common component folder that CoDesigner uses for all component models from all PCBs pulled from ECAD. The advantage of this approach is that CoDesigner can share component models that are common across different PCB assemblies.

When Teamcenter PLM is being used, if there is no common component folder configured in the CoDesigner settings, CoDesigner will create an \Altium_Components folder in the root of the Teamcenter repository to store the 3D components from all pulled PCB projects. If a Common folder for storing models from ECAD has been configured in the CoDesigner Settings dialog, that location will be used instead.

CoDesigner now supports Siemens Teamcenter PLM.

Fusion 360 - Show Copper and Silkscreen

To simplify the process of working with copper and silkscreen layers in Fusion 360, a new Advanced Geometry ( ) button has been added to the Fusion 360 Altium CoDesigner ribbon. Clicking the button will display the four, top copper, top silkscreen, bottom copper, and bottom silkscreen sketch layers. Click a second time to hide those layers. These layers can also be selectively hidden/displayed in Fusion 360's object Browser.

Use the Advanced Geometry button on the Altium CoDesigner ribbon to quickly show or hide the top/bottom copper/silkscreen layers.

Working between Fusion 360 & Altium CircuitMaker

Developed for the maker community, Altium CircuitMaker makes schematic capture and PCB layout available to everyone. CircuitMaker can also connect to Autodesk Fusion 360 through Altium CoDesigner.

This release of CoDesigner brings a simpler approach to transferring the design back and forth. Click the new Open button in Fusion 360 on the Altium CoDesigner ribbon to load a design from ECAD. You'll also automatically be notified when the design is saved in ECAD, a single click will bring those changes into Fusion 360.

Transferring design changes between Fusion 360 and Altium CircuitMaker is easier now.

• Altium Designer 21.3 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.10.0.1555
• Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.10.0.462
• Altium CircuitMaker 2.1 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.10.0.68

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

Exclude Small Components from ECAD to MCAD Transfer

There are often many small components on a board that are not important to the mechanical engineer as they work on fitting the PCB inside the enclosure. To help with this, a new option has been added to exclude small components from ECAD to MCAD transfer, based on the component's height.

The height limit is configured in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog, in MCAD. Configure this option to exclude components that have a height of less than <Value><Units> when a Pull is performed. Set this option to zero to include all components.

Small components can be excluded from the ECAD to MCAD transfer.

The Height of the ECAD PCB component is defined either in the PCB library editor (left image below), or in the Properties panel in the PCB editor (right image below). Note that it is not the height of the 3D model that is included in the PCB component.

Define the Height of the component either in the PCB library editor, or in the PCB editor.

Support for MCAD Splines

CoDesigner now supports the use of splines in the board shape and cutouts, and Pushing these shapes to ECAD from Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Fusion 360 and Siemens NX. Note that splines are already supported for PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS.

Splines can be Pushed from MCAD to ECAD.

Because splines are not a native design object in Altium's design software, they are converted to suitable native objects during Pull to ECAD. Warnings are displayed during Push from MCAD and Pull into ECAD to advise the engineer about this conversion. For example, a closed spline-shape defining a board cutout in MCAD is converted to an Altium Board Cutout Region. During spline-to-region conversion, the curves defined by the MCAD spline(s) are replaced by multiple polyline edges to form the ECAD object. If that ECAD board cutout is then Pushed back to MCAD, it will no longer be a spline-based shape. To retain the original MCAD splines, disable the Shape Change that would convert them to polylines during Pull into MCAD, as shown below.

To retain the original MCAD splines, disable the Shape Change that would convert them to polylines.

Support for SOLIDWORKS Part Configurations

SOLIDWORKS 2020 and newer support defining multiple configurations of a part, such as a bolt or a screw. CoDesigner now detects which configuration of a configurable part is used in the PCB/device assembly and sends that specific configuration to ECAD (previously the default configuration was sent).

You can now choose a specific SOLIDWORKS configuration of a part to use on the board.

Improved Arc Behavior

Altium's PCB design software uses a different approach from MCAD software for defining an arc's location and radius, which could result in slight differences between the arc in ECAD and the same arc in MCAD. The algorithms for working with arcs in the board geometry have been improved in this update, to ensure that there are no differences between an arc in ECAD and the same arc in MCAD.

CoDesigner Improvements for Siemens NX

Siemens NX is now supported by CoDesigner, for designers who have an Altium Enterprise Solution.

• Siemens NX now supports previewing changes. When you click on an item in the list of Changes in the Altium CoDesigner panel, the change is displayed in the workspace.

Click on a change in the list to preview the impact of that change on the board.

• CoDesigner now represents the components placement planes in Siemens NX, these planes help the engineer understand where the components are placed with respect to the soldermask layer.
• CoDesigner now represents the relative ECAD Origin in Siemens NX.

The top and bottom placement planes and the ECAD origin are available in Siemens NX.

• Altium Designer 21.3 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.9.0.1522
• Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.9.0.457
• Altium CircuitMaker 2.1 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.9.0.57

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Notes:

1. Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
2. Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.

Altium Designer 21.3 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.8.0.1472

Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.8.0.446

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Improved Display of Information in the CoDesigner panel

Building on the recent improvements to the CoDesigner panel that introduced collapsible history details, the CoDesigner panel has been updated again to improve the workflow.

The key changes in this update include:

• The MCAD CoDesigner panel no longer has Activity and PCB Definition tabs, all of the information, including Board Area and Board Enclosure details, is now presented on the main panel.
• Only the latest Push and Pull actions are visible by default, the previous actions are accessed by clicking the History link.
• The Pull button is now located near the corresponding Push information.

The updated CoDesigner panel makes it easier to keep track of the design changes.

Single Sign-On is Now Supported

Single Sign-On (SSO) is an identity authentication system that allows a user to sign into different services, using an existing, accredited sign-on.

CoDesigner now supports Single Sign-On, including an existing company SSO system, or signing in with a Google or Facebook account.

Single Sign-On can be used to sign into your Workspace.

ECAD Relative Origin Displays in MCAD

CoDesigner now shows the relative ECAD Origin (the origin which is visible in ECAD and defined by the ECAD engineer) in MCAD in the form of two planes that are perpendicular to the XY plane: ECAD X and ECAD Y. If the ECAD's origin is changed, those planes are changed in MCAD accordingly.

The ECAD origin is represented in MCAD in the form of two perpendicular planes.

Support for SOLIDWORKS 2022

This release of CoDesigner includes support for SOLIDWORKS 2022.

CoDesigner now supports SOLIDWORKS 2022.

Support for Siemens NX

Siemens NX is now supported by CoDesigner, for designers with an Altium Enterprise Solution. The solution is initially in Open Beta, download the Siemens NX plugin from the download page. Siemens NX version 1953 or higher is supported.

The following features are not supported in this Open Beta version:

• MCAD component placement.
• Flex and rigid-flex PCBs.
• Advanced copper geometry.
• Change preview.
• ECAD Origin representation in MCAD.
• The ability to create the Altium PCB on the MCAD side.
• Note that this version was not tested with an MCAD PDM system (for example Siemens Teamcenter).

Altium Designer 21.3 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.7.0.1434

Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.7.0.435

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Support for Change History and Rejection Comments

CoDesigner now displays the full history of accepted and rejected changes, along with any comments the engineer has entered if a change is rejected. The history of changes is shown in CoDesigner's panel, making the interaction between the electrical and mechanical engineers more transparent. As soon as changes are applied/rejected on one side the engineer on the other side is notified, and any rejection comments are displayed.

Change history makes it easy for the engineers on both sides to be aware of each other's responses to the changes being made.

A complete history of the changes that have been made in the project can also be viewed in your Workspace (using your browser), or in your Altium design software.

To view the history in your browser first open the project (it will open in a separate browser tab), then click on History in the panel on the left. To view the history in your Altium design software, select Project » History & Version Control » Show Project History from the menus.

► Learn more about Project History in an Altium 365 Workspace.

The history of changes can be viewed in the Workspace.

Options for Naming of Component Models

CoDesigner now provides four options for controlling how component models are named, during their initial transfer from ECAD to MCAD:

1. <FootprintName>, then <ComponentID> (this is the default option, and how it worked before this change)
2. <ComponentID>, then <FootprintName>
3. <FootprintName>, then <CustomComponentProperty>
4. <CustomComponentProperty>, then <FootprintName>

Configure the Naming of Component Models option in the MCAD CoDesigner section of the Workspace Settings.

Select the Naming option and if it includes a Custom Component Property (parameter), define the parameter name.

These new options simplify the interaction with the components in MCAD, allowing the MCAD engineer to add meaningful information such as part numbers into the Component ID, or the ECAD engineer to add a Custom Component Property in the ECAD component library.

The MCAD model is named based on the naming option configured in the Workspace.

Support for Synchronization of Body-less Components

CoDesigner now supports synchronizing the movement of body-less components that have multiple holes, for example, a mounting hole component created from one large pad surrounded by smaller pads, from MCAD to ECAD. The movement distance and direction are defined according to the movement of the largest hole.

MCAD panel Renamed in Altium NEXUS

The Collaboration panel in Altium NEXUS has been renamed to the MCAD CoDesigner panel. Its capabilities are the same as the capabilities of the MCAD CoDesigner panel in Altium Designer.

Altium Designer 21.3 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.6.0.1377

Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.6.0.412

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Accurate Representation of the Solder Mask

CoDesigner now builds a precise model of the solder mask, including the openings for the pads, as a separate entity in MCAD when the Build 3D Copper option is enabled. Because the mask fills the etched regions between the copper, the thickness of the mask layer in MCAD is the sum of the thicknesses of the top copper layer plus the soldermask layer, as defined in ECAD.

Improved Display of Decals in SOLIDWORKS

CoDesigner now combines all of the decals into one top decal and one bottom decal in SOLIDWORKS, in order to prevent issues with rendering half-transparent solder mask decals which can happen with some graphics hardware.

The Top decal is a combination of the top copper layer, the top solder mask layer, and the top silkscreen layer.

Altium Designer 21.3 (and later) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.5.0.1254

Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 to 5.8, with Collaboration panel extension version 2.5.0.362

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Improved Support for the Latest MCAD Tools

This release sees the introduction of support for the following MCAD tool versions:

• Autodesk Inventor 2022
• PTC Creo 8

Automatically Resolve Micro-Segments in the Board Contour

A variety of techniques are used by the engineering team to define the board shape. Depending on the approach used, there are situations when the board outline can end up with micro-segments in the outline. These micro-segments cannot be transferred by CoDesigner and a warning about this will be displayed when you attempt to Push from ECAD. The consequence of this is that the ECAD engineer must remove the micro-segments before the board can be pushed to MCAD.

This release sees the addition of a new automatic micro-segment removal feature. When they are detected the following dialog will display, click Yes to remove them and allow the board outline to be transferred to MCAD. If you click No the micro-segments will remain and must be resolved manually.

New MCAD-Coordinates Grid

CoDesigner now creates an MCAD Coordinates grid on Pull into ECAD, including an MCAD Origin entity, when the MCAD origin differs from the default (absolute) ECAD origin. This helps the electrical engineer communicate with the mechanical engineer on the positioning of the different board entities.

The representation of the MCAD Coordinates grid can be customized in ECAD, double-click on the entry in the Properties panel to open the Grid Editor dialog. Learn more about Working with Grids & Guides.

Support for a Custom Coordinate System in PTC Creo

CoDesigner in PTC Creo now supports using a custom coordinate system for models placed by the engineer in Creo. Enable this feature in Creo's Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog. Note that on the ECAD side, the models used in the footprints of the corresponding components should be built on the same coordinate system.

Support for SOLIDWORKS PDM

The placement of native MCAD components from a data management system is now supported when SOLIDWORKS is connected to SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional.

Recommendations:

1. The MCAD component must be referenced in the ECAD component as a parameter, in the form <vault>:folder\folder\component.sldprt, where <vault> is the name of the PDM vault.
2. It is recommended to set up a common component folder in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog, to put that folder under SW PDM control, and to synchronize that folder with the local storage before collaborating with ECAD. Learn more about Configuring CoDesigner in SOLIDWORKS.
3. It is recommended to synchronize the component libraries with the local PDM storage before pulling the PCB into MCAD.
4. It is recommended to disable the Prompt to check out file if opened in read-only mode option in the SOLIDWORKS PDM settings (accessible from the Tools menu in SOLIDWORKS) as shown below. Doing this means that existing components will not need to be checked out, so there will be no inconvenience to other mechanical engineers. However, in the situation where it is necessary to change component properties, the corresponding components should be checked out.
5. After the changes are applied, it's recommended to check the new components into SOLIDWORKS PDM.

Support for Fusion 360 to Ignore Small Components

To improve performance in Fusion 360 on boards with a large number of components, CoDesigner now supports excluding components below a user-defined height during a Pull from ECAD. For the height threshold, CoDesigner uses the height defined as part of the component properties in ECAD (show image).

Define the threshold height in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog, as shown in the image below. The dialog is accessed via the Altium CoDesigner panel in Fusion 360, select Settings in the panel's menu to open the dialog.

Small components can be excluded during Pull by setting the Height threshold (hover the cursor over to see the board in ECAD).

Improved Support for Previewing Changes

The ability to preview the impact of each change before applying it gives the mechanical engineer greater confidence in accepting the latest changes from ECAD. This release sees the addition of previews in MCAD for:

• Autodesk Inventor
• Autodesk Fusion 360
• PTC Creo

Altium Designer 21.3 with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.4.0.1200

Altium NEXUS Client 4.3 with Collaboration panel extension version 2.4.0.336

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Support for Autodesk Fusion 360® (Open Beta Release)

This release sees the introduction of support for Autodesk Fusion 360 (currently in Open Beta).

Use these tips to get started with Fusion 360:

• Download the Add-In from the Downloads page.
• Install the CoDesigner Add-In in Fusion 360 (AltiumCoDesignerFusion360_<VersionNumber>.exe) - close Fusion 360 before installing the Add-In.
• You work between Fusion 360 and your Altium design software through the Altium CoDesigner panel. Use the image below to help you enable the panel in Fusion 360.

• Board designs are Pushed and Pulled to and from ECAD through an Altium 365 Workspace. If you don't already have a Workspace, visit altium.com/altium-365 to activate your Workspace on Altium 365.
• In Fusion 360, sign in to your Workspace in the Altium CoDesigner panel using your Altium Live credentials.
• Once that is done, you're ready to start CoDesigning. Check out the Direct ECAD-MCAD CoDesign page to learn more about the process.

Rigid-Flex Support for PTC Creo

This release introduces support for transferring rigid-flex board designs between ECAD and PTC Creo.

Rigid-flex board designs can be transferred back and forth between Creo and ECAD.

The Mechanical Engineer, after getting a rigid-flex board from ECAD, can:

1. Preview the ECAD changes in MCAD.
2. Make changes to the geometry of the rigid and flex segments of the board. For example, adjust the board’s shape to suit the geometry of the product enclosure, create cutouts or mounting holes, or change the radius of a bend.
3. Make changes to the placement of existing components, and place new components on the board.
4. Transfer copper and silkscreen detail.
5. Push those changes to ECAD and pull new changes from ECAD.

Capabilities not yet Supported

1. Create a rigid-flex board from scratch in MCAD.
2. Create new rigid and flex board regions in MCAD.
3. Create new bends in MCAD.
4. Transfer boards that include flex regions that have different thicknesses (multiple flex regions are supported).
5. Transfer components mounted on a flex region from ECAD to MCAD.
6. Place components on a flex region in MCAD.
7. New features introduced as part of the Rigid-flex 2.0 update in the Altium PCB editor.

► Learn more about the process of Synchronizing a Rigid-Flex Board (Note that while this page refers to SOLIDWORKS, the overall process is the same in Creo. The page will be updated for Creo soon.)

Improved Select Project Dialog

The Select Project dialog that you opens when you click the Pull Board button in the Altium CoDesigner panel has been improved.

The Select Project dialog now details:

• ECAD-MCAD exchange information: Last pushed from ECAD details, including the Push comment.
• A table with Variants (if they exist). The first variant is selected by default.

Improved Support for PCB Variants

In previous versions of CoDesigner, if the ECAD design included PCB variants, only one variant could be pushed at a time from ECAD. With this update, all variants are pushed from ECAD, and the required variant can then be chosen in the new Select Project dialog when the board is Pulled into MCAD.

Display of CoDesigner Version Number

In previous versions of CoDesigner, you had to open the Windows Control Panel and check the version number of CoDesigner in Programs and Features. With this release, the version number is now displayed at the bottom of the Altium CoDesigner panel.

Improved Decal Storage in SOLIDWORKS

To better support designers who use SOLIDWORKS with a PDM system, CoDesigner now saves the decals (image files that represent the copper, silkscreen and soldermask layers) directly into the board part file. This simplifies the management of the PCB-related files when a PDM system is used on the MCAD side.

Decals are now stored in the SOLIDWORKS prt file, simplifying the process of working with SOLIDWORKS and a PDM system.

Altium Designer 21.x with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.3.0.1127

Altium Designer 20.2 with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.3.0.1127

Altium NEXUS Client 4.x with Collaboration panel extension version 2.3.0.324

Altium NEXUS Client 3.2 with Collaboration panel extension version 2.3.0.324

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Push the Enclosure from MCAD to ECAD

This update sees the addition of support for working at the device assembly level in MCAD and the ability to transfer the enclosure with the board to ECAD. The video below demonstrates the process of including the board assembly in the device enclosure, and transferring the enclosure to your Altium design software.

► Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether the Enclosure Exchange feature will be available in your installation of MCAD CoDesigner. If it is not, watch this video to see an alternate approach to transferring the enclosure.

CoDesigner Ribbon added to Creo

The Altium CoDesigner ribbon has been added to PTC Creo (the ribbon is already available in SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk Inventor). The ribbon provides an easy way of accessing the common PCB-specific design objects needed during the MCAD-ECAD CoDesign process. Use the ribbon buttons to ensure that the correct MCAD object-type is used to create a compatible ECAD object.

New MCAD Planes for Component Placement

CoDesigner now creates top and bottom side component planes in MCAD, which simplifies the process of placing components in MCAD. Components are now placed to ignore the thickness of the soldermask layer.

Support for Via and Pad Copper Barrels

• Pad Barrels - thruhole Pad barrels are now transferred from ECAD to MCAD when the Build 3D geometry for Copper is enabled in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog.
• Via Barrels - enable the Build Vias option as well to include the Via barrels.

Via and Pad copper barrels are always Pushed from ECAD (left image), use the CoDesigner options described above in MCAD to control if they are Pulled into MCAD (right image).

Simplified CoDesigner Panel

The CoDesigner menu has been updated to include the Help and Settings options that were previously located on the face of the Altium CoDesigner panel.

Improved Support for Keepouts and Rooms

CoDesigner now detects the locked status of Keepouts and Rooms in ECAD, ensuring that these are not moved during a Pull from MCAD.

Altium Designer 21.0 with the MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.2.0.1072

Altium Designer 20.2 with the MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.2.0.1072

Altium NEXUS Client 4.0 with the Collaboration panel extension version 2.2.0.310

Altium NEXUS Client 3.2 with the Collaboration panel extension version 2.2.0.310

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Support for the Latest MCAD Versions

This release adds support for the following versions of MCAD software:

• Autodesk Inventor Professional® 2021
• Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® (Standard, Pro & Premium) 2021

Updated MCAD CoDesigner Panel

The MCAD Altium CoDesigner panel now has two tabs, labeled Activity, and PCB Definition.

• Activity - displays the history of Push and Pull operations and the associated comments, as displayed in earlier versions of CoDesigner.
• PCB Definition - displays Board Area definitions that exist on the board. Currently supported area definitions include Keepouts and Rooms, which can be created on both the MCAD and ECAD sides.
  • Click on a definition to configure Keepout settings, or to add a comment to a Room.
  • If the definition has been renamed in the MCAD feature tree, the change will not be immediately reflected in the PCB Definitions tab of the Altium CoDesigner panel. Switch to the Activity tab then back to the PCB Definitions tab to refresh the definitions.

The MCAD Altium CoDesigner panel now has a PCB Definition tab, use this to configure Rooms and Keepouts that have been added to the board.

New Altium CoDesigner Ribbon

A new Altium CoDesigner Ribbon has been added to SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk Inventor (solution for Creo is coming soon). The tab provides an easy way of accessing the common PCB-specific design objects needed during the MCAD-ECAD CoDesign process. Using these buttons ensures that the correct MCAD object-type is used to create a compatible ECAD object.

Support for Keepouts

A PCB Keepout is a region or area of the board that has been configured to restrict the placement of specific ECAD objects. Keepouts can be defined for either side of the board, or to apply to all PCB layers. The objects that are to be kept out of this area are selected as Keepout Restriction properties.

Defining a Keepout in MCAD:

• Click the Keep Out Area button on the Altium CoDesigner ribbon.
• You will be prompted to choose a face, surface or plane, click on the side of board that requires the keepout. If the keepout is to apply to all layers it can be drawn on either side.
• Click on a suitable MCAD sketch tool, for example Rectangle, to define the keepout. Note that the sketch must only include one contour, internal contours are not supported.
• Draw the shape required for the keepout.
• Exit the Sketch mode.
• The properties of the feature can now be edited. You can think of the keepout as a fence around the keepout area, edit the Depth to a small value, for example 1mm.
• This keepout will become an ECAD layer-specific keepout, on the layer it has been drawn in MCAD. To define an all-layer keepout, in MCAD configure the keepout to extrude in both directions, setting the Depth in the second direction to a value that is large enough to extrude it through the board.
• Click the MCAD Accept button to finish the feature definition process. If required, the feature can be renamed in the Feature tree.
• In the Altium CoDesigner panel, select the PCB Definition tab and configure the keepout restrictions as required. The keepout can now be pushed to ECAD, where it will be added as a Keepout Region. Depending on how it was configured in MCAD, it will become a Top Layer Keepout, a Bottom Layer Keepout, or a Keepout Layer Keepout. If required the keepout shape can be adjusted in ECAD, and pushed back to MCAD.

Support for Rooms

A PCB Room is a design rule that is used to define an area that specific components must be placed in, or excluded from. A common use for this rule is to define a component height restriction in the board area covered by the Room. Typically the Room rule will be applied to an individual component, or a class of components.

Defining a Room in MCAD:

• Click the Text Note Room button on the Altium CoDesigner ribbon.
• You will be prompted to choose a face, surface or plane, click on the side of board that requires the room.
• Click on a suitable MCAD sketch tool, for example Rectangle, to define the room. Note that the sketch must only include one contour, internal contours are not supported.
• Draw the shape required for the room.
• Exit the Sketch mode.
• Click the MCAD Accept button to finish the feature definition process. If required, the feature can be renamed in the Feature tree.
• In the Altium CoDesigner panel, select the PCB Definition tab and enter a comment for the room that explains its purpose to the ECAD engineer. The room can now be pushed to ECAD, where it will be added as a Placement Room design rule, on the layer it has been drawn in MCAD. The only property that can be transferred between MCAD and ECAD is the Comment, which becomes the Placement Room design rule comment.
• The Placement Room design room can now be configured as required in ECAD.

Keepout areas and Rooms can now be defined in MCAD and pushed to ECAD.

Improved Support for the Transfer of Layer Colors

The color of the Core layer defined in ECAD is now transferred and applied to the board part in MCAD. The color and transparency of the Solder Mask layers defined in ECAD is now transferred to MCAD and applied to the corresponding decals in MCAD.

Solder Mask and Core colors are transferred between ECAD and MCAD.

Renaming the Board in ECAD

Changes made to the name of the board in your Altium design software are now supported. A board that has already been pushed to MCAD can now be renamed, and pushed again to MCAD.

Altium Designer 20.2 with the MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.1.0.1033

Altium NEXUS Client 3.2 with the Collaboration panel extension version 2.1.0.302

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Support for PCB Variants

Altium's PCB design software allows the electronics designer to create variations of the product they are designing. Supported variations include: flagging a component as not fitted; modifying a component's parameters, including the component value that is silkscreened on the board; or replacing a component with an alternate component (which may or may not use a different footprint).

In Altium's design software, there is only one board design. Variant information, such as details about an alternate component, is stored in the project file and applied to the board when the variant is selected in the Projects panel. The [No Variations] version of the board is saved as the PcbDoc.

Altium's design software can be used to create variations of a board design.

Pushing a Variant from ECAD

For this release, CoDesigner has been updated to support Pushing and Pulling a specific variant of a board between ECAD and MCAD. When you perform a Push from ECAD, you are pushing the variant you are currently looking at in the PCB editor.

Double-click in the Projects panel to select the required variant to be Pushed.

Pulling a Variant in to MCAD

A PCB variant is Pulled to MCAD in the same way as a non-variant PCB, by clicking Pull Board from Server button in the Altium CoDesigner panel. If the board is a variant, additional information detailing the variant name is displayed at the top of the Altium CoDesigner panel, as shown below.

Each component that is varied is identified by including the variant name in the designator, as detailed below.

• Non-varied component: <EcadDesignator>
• Varied component: <EcadDesignator>_VARIANT_<VariantName>

Varied components are identified by their MCAD part name and their designator.

Pushing a Variant from MCAD

In MCAD, CoDesigner is aware if a component is part of the base design [No Variations], or belongs to a specific variant. Changes made to a component in the base design [No Variations] will impact all variants of the board in ECAD, while changes made in a specific variant will only be applied to that variant in ECAD.

Modifications made to a variant are pushed from MCAD to ECAD in the usual way, by clicking Push in the Altium CoDesigner panel.

Pulling a Variant in to ECAD

If you attempt to perform a Pull into ECAD and the wrong variant is currently active, you will receive the following error message. The applicable variant name is displayed in the Error dialog, switch to that variant and Pull again.

The Pull cannot be completed as the wrong variant is currently active in ECAD.

If there have been changes made to a component in the base design, they can be applied in any variant in ECAD. Those changes will then be present in all variants in ECAD.

Improved Support for Problematic Models

Each ECAD and MCAD tool has its own model conversion software, offering different levels of support for importing and converting a model that has issues with inconsistencies or inaccuracies in the model description. To help in this situation CoDesigner now transfers single-body Parasolid models directly from ECAD to MCAD, without transformation and without converting (which could sometimes result in the corruption of a model).

If a model is causing problems during a Push-Pull between ECAD and MCAD, extract it from the ECAD component, import it into your MCAD software and save it out as Parasolid (confirming that it opens correctly in MCAD), then import it back into the ECAD component.

► Learn more about the Requirements for the MCAD and ECAD models

Altium Designer 20.2 with the MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.0.5.885

Altium NEXUS Client 3.2 with the Collaboration panel extension version 2.0.5.284

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Rigid-Flex Board Definition in MCAD

Substantial improvements to rigid-flex support – the board shape and bending definitions can be now be defined and modified in SOLIDWORKS^® and components can be placed and moved in SOLIDWORKS. (rigid-flex support for PTC Creo^® and Autodesk Inventor^® coming in a future update)

The board shape and bending definitions can now be defined and modified in SOLIDWORKS.

► Learn more about Synchronizing a Rigid-Flex Board

Stronger Support for Complex Board Shapes

Improved support for board shape definition issues – micro-segments and self-intersections in the ECAD board sketch are now detected and reported on Push. Their locations are detailed, and are fixed automatically in MCAD where possible.

► For issues that cannot be resolved in MCAD, learn more about Resolving Issues with the Board Contour in ECAD

Improved Component Synchronization

Handling of locked components has been simplified – Fixed or Constrained MCAD parts now translate to Locked components in ECAD, and Locked in ECAD becomes Fixed in MCAD. Changes to the Locked/Fixed state now synchronizes between MCAD and ECAD.

ECAD component properties now transfer to MCAD – All ECAD PCB component parameters now transfer to the MCAD part.

ECAD PCB component parameters transfer to the equivalent MCAD part.

Altium Designer 20.2 with the MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.0.4.829

Altium NEXUS Client 3.2 with the Collaboration panel extension version 2.0.4.272

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:

Altium Designer 20.1 with the MCAD CoDesigner extension version 2.0.3.721

Altium NEXUS Client 3.1 with the Collaboration panel extension version 2.0.3.255

This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions: