New Draftsman Document

Now reading version 19.0. For the latest, read: New Draftsman Document for version 17.1


The New Draftsman Document dialog. The background image shows local templates available when not signed into an Altium Vault, while the image in the
foreground shows an example of vault-based Draftsman Document Template Items available when signed into an Altium Vault.

Summary

The New Draftsman Document dialog allows for the creation of a new Draftsman document (*.PCBDwf) for a chosen project and source PCB document. You have the option to create the new document based on a defined Draftsman Document Template (*.DwfDot), or create a blank, A4-sized document.

For a high-level look at how the Altium Draftsman Drawing System provides an interactive approach to the creation of production documentation for your PCBs, see Draftsman. For a detailed look at vault-based templates, see Managed Draftsman Templates in an Altium Vault.

Access

The dialog can be accessed in the following ways:

  • From any editor, by choosing the File » New » Draftsman Document command from the main menus.
  • Right-clicking on the entry for the required project, in the Projects panel, and choosing the Add New to Project » Draftsman Document command from the context menu.

Options/Controls

  • Templates List - this list includes any defined Draftsman Document Templates (*.DwfDot). The templates presented depend on whether or not you are currently signed in to an Altium Vault, and whether there are Draftsman Document Template Items defined in that vault:
    • Not using/not signed in to/no templates defined in, a Vault - local templates are presented, that are found in the Templates Location, specified on the Draftsman - Templates page of the Preferences dialog.
    • Signed into a Vault that has defined (and released) Draftsman Document Template Items - only those Draftsman Document Template Items available to you through your vault login, will be presented (no local templates).

Select one of these templates to use in creating the new Draftsman document. Alternatively, to create a new blank, A4-sized Draftsman document (*.PCBDwf), select the [Default] entry.

When using local templates, three Draftsman Document Template files are supplied as part of the installation: Assy Drawing - Main views (rect. board 3x1).DwfDot, Assy Drawing - Main views (square board).DwfDot, and Default Fabrication Drawing.DwfDot. For a default installation of Altium Designer, these can be found in the following location (which is the default Templates Location): \ProgramData\Altium\Altium Designer <GUID>\Extensions\Draftsman\Templates. The default Draftsman Document - Default.PCBDwf - which is used when you select [Default] in the list of templates, is also found here.
  • Templates - click this button to quickly access the Draftsman - Templates page of the Preferences dialog, where the location of the templates directory is defined. Note that this is only used for local templates. If signed into an Altium Vault that has Draftsman Document Template Items defined, this location is simply ignored, as no local templates are available.
  • Layers - the options here determine which board layers - Signal/Plane, Mask, Paste, Silk, (as defined by the Layer Stack) are used to generate Fabrication drawings in the document (at one per sheet), when a Fabrication document template is used. Drawing layers are always included.
  • Project - use this field to select the specific PCB project that you want to create the new Draftsman document for. The drop-down will present a list of all possible projects that are currently open. The newly created Draftsman document will be added to the nominated project.
  • Source Document - with the project selected in the field above, this field will typically auto-populate with the PCB design document found within that project. Use the drop-down to select the right board if more than one are defined within the project. The new Draftsman document will use the specified source board document as its context for drawing data from.

Tips

  1. A Draftsman Sheet Template (*.DwsDot) can be applied once the new document has been created. Again, if you are signed into an Altium Vault, and that vault contains defined (and released) Draftsman Sheet Template Items, only those vault-based templates will be available to you. If not using a vault, not signed into a vault, or no such templates are defined in the vault, you will be able to choose from local templates, found in the specified Templates Location.
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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.