Bill Of Materials

A Draftsman Bill Of Materials is an automatically generated table object that lists the physical assembly items in a PCB design. The BOM table data is derived directly from the project PCB file, or if one is present in the current project, an Active BOM document. A Draftsman BOM Table can also represent the constituent items from a specified design Variation or a placed Board Assemby View.

The BOM table's visual style and included data content is configurable in (or via) the Properties panel.

A Bill Of Materials table split over two BOM objects. In the above example, the BOM content is filtered to include the items from the Top side Board Assembly View.
A Bill Of Materials table split over two BOM objects. In the above example, the BOM content is filtered to include the items from the Top side Board Assembly View.

To place a BOM table, select the BOM table placement tool . After launching the command, BOM data is retrieved from the source PCB file or Active BOM document, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and the generated BOM table is attached to the cursor. Move the cursor to the desired position then click to confirm the placement.

Note that BOM data is retrieved from the PCB document specified in the Source section of the Properties panel when in Document Options mode. To change the panel to that mode, deselect all objects in the design space (click in free space).

The position of a placed Bill Of Materials may be graphically changed by selecting the table in the design space then dragging it to a new location. Note that the table cannot be graphically resized, but will automatically scale to accommodate the font style/size as specified in the Properties panel.

The data included in a Draftsman BOM table is determined by settings in the Properties panel and the potential presence of an ActiveBOM document in the project:

  • When an ActiveBOM document is available in the current project, its configuration and content becomes the data source for a Draftsman BOM Table. Note that this applies when the Data Source entry in the Properties panel is set to Project – an available ActiveBOM document is not used as a source when the Data Source property is set to Board.
  • When an ActiveBOM document is not included in the project (or the Data Source option is set to Board), the data in a Draftsman BOM Table is drawn directly from the source project files. An Alias entry for a table column entry Name (available in under the Properties panel’s Columns tab) is then editable since it is not determined by an Alias property entry in an ActiveBOM document.

In general, the Properties panel options can restrict BOM entries to those included in the Board layout (as opposed to the entire PCB project, including any custom component Parameters) or to a specific Variation of the design. Further tailoring of the included entries is available through specifying the top or bottom view of a placed Board Assembly View.

Use the Properties panel's Columns tab to manage the BOM table's data columns. This allows control of the BOM table column visibility, text alignment, width, and data sort order. BOM Table headings may be changed by entering an Alias for a table column parameter name – applies if an ActiveBOM document is not determining the table content (see above).

Manipulate the columns of a placed BOM Table in the Columns tab of the Properties panel.
Manipulate the columns of a placed BOM Table in the Columns tab of the Properties panel.

Split BOM tables

The Bill of Materials (BOM) document for most advanced PCB projects tends to have a large number of entries, which can be difficult to recreate as a table that will fit into a drawing document. Rather than resorting to font and table scaling, multiple custom table entries or an external document, the Split BOM capability in the Properties panel allows a BOM Table to be presented over a number of 'pages'.

To create the multiple BOM Pages, select a placed BOM (which is likely to exceed the document Sheet height) and check the Limit Page Height box in the Properties panel’s Pages section. This will restrict the height of the BOM table to the nominated height entry (Max Page Height, mm), and therefore the number of lines shown in the BOM table.

Hover mouse cursor over image to see the Limit Page Height result.
Hover mouse cursor over image to see the Limit Page Height result.

Draftsman detects that the entire BOM 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 BOM (here, BOM Table ID: 0), place another BOM (Place » Bill of Materials) and specify the next page under Page in the Pages section of the Properties panel.

Since each Page of the BOM is placed by adding another BOM table, and then configuring it accordingly, the individual BOM Pages (sections) can be placed on any Sheet in a Draftsman document. To place another, different set of split BOM Pages, specify an alternative BOM Table ID on a placed BOM – say, 1 rather than 0.

Note that the Max Page Height property specifies the height of the first page in the BOM Table. When the second page is selected (Page 2), the Max Page Height property is defining the height of the first excluded page (Page 1). Page 2 therefore shows the remaining BOM entries. Start by making the Max Page Height property identical for each page.
If you find an issue, select the text/image and pressCtrl + Enterto send us your feedback.
Note

The features available depend on your Altium product access level. Compare features included in the various levels of Altium Designer Software Subscription and functionality delivered through applications provided by the Altium 365 platform.

If you don’t see a discussed feature in your software, contact Altium Sales to find out more.