Evaluating PCB layout tools: A board developer’s perspective
Altium Designer:
Altium Designer was created based on the idea of a unified electronics design system. It uses a single data model that holds all the design data to create a product. FPGA design, PCB design and layout, simulation, CAM tools, and embedded software development are all housed in one software system.
Altium Designer is a decent PCB layout tool. The main advantage that it has over other tools is its cost. Due to its cost alone, it has taken over much of the PADs and Allegro market over the last few years. All the options are provided at one cost. Another plus that it has over other tools is its gentle learning curve. A designer who has used any of the other layout tools will not find it difficult to learn this relatively new tool.
Thirdly, Altium's tool gives the PCB designer an almost perfect balance between its intuitive GUI and its powerful options facilitating the designer to have more control over the layout. Figure 4 below shows how one can selectively modify characteristics of individual component pads. The schematic tool within the Altium designer is sync’ed perfectly with the layout tool which allows easier engineering change orders (ECOs) during the design process.
Figure 4: Changing characteristics of individual component pads in Altium Designer (To view larger image, click here).
Fourthly, creating a parts library for your project is easiest in Altium. The package includes thousands of already created and vetted parts from various manufacturers. Its library creating tools give the designer a comprehensive set of options that are fairly straight forward at the same time.
One of its library creation utilities also allows creation of package symbols based on the IPC-7351 standard. It also allows the designer to incorporate 3D bodies into the layout by importing step models to an extent that was not possible with any of the other layout tools.
The design community and mechanical engineers in particular favor this option. Detailed 3D drawings of the completed layout can be generated once the layout is finalized. Figure 5 below shows a 3D view of a completed board layout from within Altium designer.
Figure 5: 3D visualization engine of Altium Designer showing a completed board (To view larger image, click here).
Generating manufacturing outputs is very easy in Altium. Unlike other tools, output generation is not overly complicated and gives all the options that the designer would require. CAM tool is also provided with the Altium designer package, based on the CamCASTIC, which allows the designer to view the Gerber data.
Finally, Altium recently bought Morfik Technology a provider of cloud-based software applications. Altium expects that cloud technology will pervade future electronics and embedded systems. Even though the technology has a lot of potential, it is yet to be seen how it will assist the board designer.
Like other tools, Altium Designer also has its limitations. First and foremost are its limirws capabilities for handling high-speed designs. The simulation tools that come with the package are not powerful enough to handle speeds above 2GHz. So designs that incorporate speeds in excess of 5GHz must be simulated in other tools like HyperLynx or AnSoft.
A second drawback is its overly comprehensive query system, which is based on the query language. Even though it is a powerful system, the designer will have to write the queries to do simple tasks much of which is automatic in PADs.
Finally, some tools that are incorporated into Altium Designer have been acquired from existing software, e.g. CAMCASTIC. The drawback of this approach is that its GUI is rather different with the layout tool, which can sometimes be frustrating to the designer. A better approach would have been to redesign the CAM tool such that the GUI and hotkeys were identical to the layout tool.
All type of boards can be designed by any of the layout tools. It is a question of preference, cost and the limitations of each tool. However, for every board, I am sure there will be a tool that best suits its complexity and requirements.
References:
1 – David Lieby. “The constraint Manager from a User Perspective.” Web. 22 Oct. 2011
2 - Wikipedia contributors. "Altium Designer." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.
3 – Gabe Moretti. “Altium releases 3D PCB visualization”. EE Times. 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2011
Syed Wasif Ali is an advanced certified designer (CID+) and a layout engineer at NexLogic Technologies, Inc., San Jose, CA. He received his BSEE from N.E.D. University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi Pakistan.
This article provided courtesy of Embedded.com and Embedded Systems Design Magazine. Sign up for subscriptions and newsletters. Copyright © 2011 UBM--All rights reserved.
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