Altium's MCAD CoDesigner technology connects the mechanical and electrical design domains, allowing the mechanical and electronic engineers to pass the loaded PCB back and forth between the two domains.
In your Altium design software, this is achieved through an extension that loads and extracts board and component data from the PCB editor, the MCAD CoDesigner extension. In the MCAD software the Altium CoDesigner Add-in performs the same function, loading and extracting board and component data from the MCAD software.
The ECAD and the MCAD software pass design changes through an Altium Workspace, which can be hosted in the cloud on Altium 365, or on your company network using an Altium On-Prem Enterprise Server. The Workspace acts as a bridge, with both the ECAD and MCAD software connecting to it. The Workspace holds the board and component data, allowing the ECAD and MCAD engineers to continue to work autonomously, Pulling and Pushing their changes when they are ready.
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The updates are listed in reverse order on this page - you'll find the latest updates at the top of the page.
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The videos on this page demonstrate CoDesigner features using Altium Designer. The process of CoDesigning between other Altium design clients and your MCAD software is essentially the same.
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For the latest announcements and engaging conversation, head on over to the MCAD CoDesigner forum.
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Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on which features will be available in your installation of MCAD CoDesigner.
Supported Versions
CoDesigner is under continuous development, this page outlines the changes made in each version. Because the CoDesigner extension and Add-ins can be updated separately from the update cycle of your Altium design software, this page also includes information about supported versions of Altium software, as well as the supported versions of MCAD software.
ECAD-MCAD VERSION COMPATIBILITY MATRIX
This matrix provides a summary of the ECAD/MCAD version compatibility. The first line in each cell details the supported Altium Designer or MCAD product version number(s). The second line details the preferred Extension/Add-in to use with that version of Altium Designer or your MCAD product. This information is also detailed in the Supported Versions section of the New In information for each release of Altium MCAD CoDesigner.
Altium Designer/
CoD extension
|
Autodesk Fusion®/
MCAD Add-in
|
Autodesk Inventor®/
MCAD Add-in
|
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS®/
MCAD Add-in
|
PTC Creo Parametric®/
MCAD Add-in
|
Siemens® NX™/
MCAD Add-in #
|
AD24.7 and later
CoD 3.9.0.2195
|
Fusion 360
3.9.0.12
|
2023, 2024
3.9.0.8
2025
3.9.1.7
|
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
3.9.0.9
|
8.X, 9.X, 10.X, 11.X
3.9.0.9
|
1953 - 2312
3.9.0.16
|
AD24.0 - AD24.6
CoD 3.8.0.2085
|
Fusion 360
3.8.0.16
|
2023, 2024
3.8.0.12
|
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
3.8.0.21
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X
3.8.0.16
|
1953 - 2312
3.8.0.14
|
AD24.0 - AD24.6
CoD 3.7.0.2033
|
Fusion 360
3.7.0.7
|
2023, 2024
3.7.0.6
|
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
3.7.0.9
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X
3.7.0.12
|
1953 - 2312
3.7.0.22
|
AD23.9 - AD23.11
CoD 3.6.0.1976
|
Fusion 360
3.6.0.16
|
2023, 2024
3.6.0.15
|
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
3.6.0.34
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X
3.6.0.26
|
1953 - 2306
3.6.0.19
|
AD23.7 - AD23.8
CoD 3.5.0.1900
|
Fusion 360
3.5.0.17
|
2023, 2024
3.5.0.14
|
2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
3.5.0.24
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X
3.5.0.21
|
1953 - 2212
3.5.0.12
|
AD22.10 - AD23.6
CoD 3.4.0.1780
|
Fusion 360
3.4.0.4
|
2022, 2023
3.4.0.3
|
2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
3.4.0.7
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X
3.4.0.3
|
1953 - 2212
3.4.0.9
|
AD22.6 - AD22.9
CoD 3.3.0.1753
|
Fusion 360
3.3.0.6
|
2022, 2023
3.3.0.6
|
2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
3.3.0.9
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X
3.3.0.6
|
1953 - 1996
3.3.0.8
|
AD22.6 - AD22.9
CoD 3.2.0.1730
|
Fusion 360
3.2.0.7
|
2022, 2023
3.2.0.8
|
2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
3.2.0.11
|
7.X, 8.X, 9.X
3.2.0.8
|
1953 - 1996
3.2.0.8
|
AD22.6 - AD22.9
CoD 3.1.0.1709
|
Fusion 360
3.1.0.9
|
2022, 2023
3.1.0.11
|
2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
3.1.0.35
|
7.X, 8.X
3.1.0.28
|
1953 - 1996
3.1.0.9
|
AD22.6 - AD22.9
CoD 3.0.0.1610
|
Fusion 360
3.0.0.14
|
2022, 2023
3.0.0.14
|
2020, 2021, 2022
3.0.0.13
|
7.X, 8.X
3.0.0.13
|
1953 - 1996
3.0.0.13
|
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To confirm the version of the CoDesigner extension installed in Altium Designer, select Extensions and Updates from the Current User Information menu, then click on the MCAD CoDesigner extension icon. (show image
)
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As shown in the table, there can be multiple versions of CoDesigner that work with your version of Altium Designer. It is recommended to update to the latest available version of MCAD CoDesigner to access the latest features and functionality. Check for updates on the Updates tab of the Extensions and Updates view.
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The version number of the CoDesigner Add-In currently installed in your MCAD software is detailed at the bottom of the Altium CoDesigner panel. (show image
)
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On the release of a new version of MCAD software, the oldest currently supported version of that MCAD software is no longer included in the development and testing processes, so is removed from this compatibility matrix.
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Note that older MCAD versions may continue to function, but have not been verified.
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# From MCAD CoDesigner 3.8 onwards, there are multiple versions of the installer for MCAD CoDesigner for Siemens NX, to suit different versions of the Siemens software. These installers all install identical versions of MCAD CoDesigner, they differ only in their detection of the currently installed version of Siemens NX. For MCAD CoDesigner 3.7 and older there is a single installer, and after installation of MCAD CoDesigner Siemens NX may show a warning when launched that the difference between the current version and the signed version is too great. This warning can be ignored, your installation of MCAD CoDesigner will function correctly. Alternatively, the Show Warning when Loading option in the Customer Defaults dialog in Siemens NX, can be disabled (show image
).
Download and install the version of the Add-in you require for your MCAD software from the MCAD CoDesigner Plugins section on the Altium Downloads page.
New in CoDesigner 3.9.0
Released: 8 August 2024 – Version 3.9.0 Hot Fix for Autodesk Inventor
Released: 24 July 2024 – Version 3.9.0
Feature Highlights
Support for MCAD Fillets and Chamfers
A common approach for a mechanical engineer is to apply chamfers and fillets to shape the corners of the board. If these are defined in MCAD as a 3D entities, CoDesigner cannot transfer them to ECAD because the ECAD PCB editor defines the board shape as a 2D object (with a thickness). To help with this, when the 3.9 update of CoDesigner detects such an entity, it offers to convert them to 2D entities and embed them into the board sketch. Previously, CoDesigner warned the mechanical engineer about the existence of such entities, but they were ignored.
3D MCAD fillets and chamfers applied to a z-axis edge can be transformed to 2D by CoDesigner, and pushed to ECAD.
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Fillets and chamfers applied to the board part are supported, assembly-level fillets and chamfers are not.
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Note that fillet and chamfer transformation is a one-way process. Once they have been converted, they can no longer be edited as 3D entities.
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The initial support for 3D-to-2D entity transformation is for 3D fillets and chamfers created on the vertical edges of the board shape in MCAD (edges along the Z-axis).
Fillet and chamfer support:
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Regular (circular) fillets with a constant radius are supported. (show image)
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Chamfers defined by equal distances from the edge (symmetric distance-distance) are supported. (show image)
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Chamfers defined as an angle-distance (show image), or non-symmetric distance-distance, are not supported.
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Fillets and chamfers defined on non-straight side edges, as well as on other fillets and chamfers, are not supported.
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Fillets and chamfers defined on a rigid-flex design are not supported.
The Fillet and Chamfer Transformation Process
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When you click Push to ECAD in the Altium CoDesigner panel and 3D entities are detected, the following dialog is displayed.
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If you click Yes - the 3D entities are transformed into 2D entities and applied to the board sketch. Note that CoDesigner has not performed the Push yet. The following dialog will appear, instructing you to Push again to transfer the design to ECAD. Visually confirm that the transformation has been performed correctly, then click Push to ECAD in the Altium CoDesigner panel to continue the collaborative design process.
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If you click No - the 3D entities are not transformed and the following dialog is displayed, listing all 3D entities that will not be transferred to ECAD. This dialog is also displayed when there are 3D entities that CoDesigner cannot transform to 2D.
Smart Sketch Changes in MCAD
Consider the situation where the ECAD engineer needs to modify the board shape, and that shape has dimensions and constraints applied in MCAD. Previously, the dimensions and constraints in MCAD's sketch would be lost when the board was Pulled back into MCAD. The 3.9 update to CoDesigner greatly improves this. During a Pull, CoDesigner now redraws only the elements of a sketch which were changed in ECAD, so that the dimensions and constraints related to non-changed elements are kept as they were.
Note that in some cases, for example where there are complex mechanical constraints, this behavior may lead to unexpected changes in the geometry. In such cases, it may be more efficient to disable this new smart sketch support feature and Pull again, then recreate the dimensions and constraints (as was required in earlier versions of CoDesigner). That can be achieved by disabling the Smart Sketch Change option in the MCAD Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog.
Smart dimensions that are not impacted by design changes, are retained during a Pull from ECAD.
Pull a Previous Revision of the PCB into MCAD
The mechanical engineer sometimes needs to open a previous release or revision of a PCB design. Previously, that meant they had to ask the ECAD engineer to restore a previous revision temporarily and push that revision to MCAD. The 3.9 update to Altium CoDesigner resolves that, with the introduction of support for Pulling any of the previous Pushes performed in ECAD.
Pulling into an empty MCAD assembly, the mechanical engineer can now select which revision to Pull from a list of previous Pushes. If the ECAD commits have been tagged, then they can quickly filter the list by enabling the Only show tagged commits option in the Select Push dialog.
Use the Select Push dialog to select a previous revision, from all revisions Pushed in ECAD.
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The Workspace performs Automatic Pushing, initiating this process once a Pull into MCAD has been performed. Learn more about Automatic Pushing.
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Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether the Pull a Previous Revision feature is available in your installation of MCAD CoDesigner.
Support for PTC Creo 11
Support for PTC Creo Version 11 has been added in the 3.9 update to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.
Altium MCAD CoDesigner now supports PTC Creo V11 (image courtesy of PTC).
Support for Autodesk Inventor 2025
Support for Autodesk Inventor 2025 has been added in the Hot Fix to the 3.9 update to Altium MCAD CoDesigner.
Altium MCAD CoDesigner now supports Autodesk Inventor 2025 (image courtesy of Autodesk).
Versions Supported by CoDesigner 3.9.0
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Altium Designer 24.0 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.9.0.2195
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CoDesigner 3.3 is the latest version available for Altium NEXUS Client.
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CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version available for Altium CircuitMaker.
This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.9.0.12 |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2023, 2024 |
3.9.0.8 |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - version 2025 |
3.9.1.7 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.9.0.9 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 8.X, 9.X, 10.X, 11.X |
3.9.0.9 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 - 2312 (Note 2) |
3.9.0.16 |
Notes:
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Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
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Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution. From MCAD CoDesigner 3.8 onwards, there are multiple versions of the installer for MCAD CoDesigner for Siemens NX, to suit different versions of the Siemens NX software. These installers all install identical versions of MCAD CoDesigner, they differ only in their detection of the currently installed version of Siemens NX. For MCAD CoDesigner 3.7 and older there is a single installer, and after installation of MCAD CoDesigner Siemens NX may show a warning when launched that the difference between the current version and the signed version is too great. This warning can be ignored, your installation of MCAD CoDesigner will function correctly. Alternatively, the Show Warning when Loading option in the Customer Defaults dialog in Siemens NX, can be disabled (show image
).
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.9.0
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.9.0 Hot Fix for Autodesk Inventor 2025
MCAD-4832 |
Autodesk Inventor 2025 is now supported. |
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.9.0
MCAD-4599 |
On applying changes to the board sketch in MCAD, CoDesigner now retains the elements of the board sketch that were not changed in ECAD. This means the mechanical engineer no longer needs to restore the corresponding mechanical dimensions and constraints when the board shape was changed in ECAD. Note: In some cases (eg with complex mechanical constraints), this behavior may lead to unexpected changes in the geometry. In such cases, it may be more efficient to disable this behavior and to redraw the sketch completely (as it happened before). For that purpose, the "Smart Sketch Change" option can be turned OFF in CoDesigner's settings. |
MCAD-4600 |
In MCAD, CoDesigner now transforms typical 3D fillets and chamfers created by the ME on the vertical edges of the PCB (edges along the Z-axis), to the corresponding elements of the board sketch. Note 1: Previously, CoDesigner just warned ME about such entities. Note 2: For fillets, only regular fillets with a constant radius are supported. For chamfers, only chamfers defined by equal distances from the edge are supported. Fillets and chamfers defined on non-straight side edges as well as on other fillets and chamfers are not supported. As before, CoDesigner will warn the ME about unsupported fillets and chamfers. |
MCAD-4683 |
Siemens NX: Resolved incorrect Free 3D Body transfers from MCAD to ECAD, when the Free 3D Body geometry is based on geometry that is outside of the Free 3D Body. |
MCAD-4804 |
Autodesk Fusion 360: CoDesigner now respects custom construction geometry in the board sketch. It is not considered to be part of the board outline, and not modified when the board sketch is updated. |
MCAD-4835 |
PTC Creo 11 is now supported. |
MCAD-4848 |
In MCAD, CoDesigner now supports Pulling any of the previous Pushes performed in ECAD. Note 1: The policy for Automatic Pushes from ECAD has changed. Starting May 2024, Auto-Pushes are only performed on a project that has been Pulled into MCAD at least once. Note 2: The feature is not available under a Standard subscription. |
MCAD-4925 |
Siemens NX: a configuration setting has been added to ignore components that cannot be obtained from Teamcenter during a Pull into MCAD. To enable the setting, edit the file \Program Files\Siemens\NXXXX\ALTIUM_CODESIGNER\template_parameters_mapping.xml. In the ComponentPart section, set IgnoreComponentsMissingInDMS to 1 (or yes or true): <ComponentPart IgnoreComponentsMissingInDMS="yes" …> |
MCAD-4955 |
Support for synchronizing Harness projects is now out of beta. Note 1: Currently supports SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo, support for other MCADs planned for the mid-term future. Note 2: The feature is available under a PRO / Advanced CoDesigner license. |
New in CoDesigner 3.8.0
Released: 18 April 2024 – Version 3.8.0
Feature Highlights
In the 3.8 update for Altium MCAD CoDesigner, support for ECAD to MCAD harness synchronization moves to Open Beta, making it available to PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS engineers with a suitable Altium Designer subscription.
Synchronizing a Harness Design with MCAD CoDesigner
In the 3.8 update to Altium MCAD CoDesigner, support for MCAD-ECAD Harness Synchronization moves from Focused Beta to Open Beta. A harness is a common assembly in many electronic products, and with this update, designers who work in PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS can now transfer the harness design from ECAD to MCAD, where the harness can be routed and the wire lengths defined. The routed harness can then be transferred back to ECAD, ready for the detailed Draftsman fabrication documentation to be completed.
► Learn more about Synchronizing a Harness Design Project with MCAD CoDesigner
An ECAD harness design, ready to be pushed to MCAD.
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Harness Synchronization is currently available for PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS, support for other MCADs will be added in future updates.
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Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether Harness Synchronization will be available in your installation of MCAD CoDesigner.
Update Harness Wire Lengths in MCAD
As the harness is routed in MCAD, the wire lengths are automatically calculated. These lengths may need to be adjusted by the mechanical engineer - this ability has been added to MCAD CoDesigner in the 3.8 update.
When the MCAD assembly is a harness design, the Altium CoDesigner panel now includes a Length of Harness Objects section, as shown below. The MCAD software determines the Calculated Length based on the routing of the harness. If required, a Corrected Length can be entered and Pushed back to ECAD.
Corrected wire length values are pushed to ECAD in place of the calculated length values.
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Lengths can be corrected for the following types: Wire, Twisted Pair, Cable, and Segment.
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If there is a Corrected Length value present, it is pushed from MCAD instead of the Calculated Length value.
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The units displayed in the Altium CoDesigner panel are the model units. If the units are changed, click the Reload Data button (
) in the panel to refresh the Calculated and Corrected Length values.
SOLIDWORKS - Store all Design Files in the same Folder
Many mechanical designers prefer to store all of the MCAD Part and Assembly files that make up a single assembly, in the same storage folder. This can now be achieved by enabling the Flat Folder Structure option in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog.
The MCAD design files can be stored using a flat folder structure, if required.
A flat folder structure is recommended if you use Windchill with SOLIDWORKS.
Automatic Removal of Intermediate Files
In MCAD, after successful Pull of the design from ECAD, CoDesigner now deletes the intermediate Parasolid files, pictures and checksum files, leaving only the MCAD files. Note that CoDesigner does not delete the \Orig
and \Expt
subfolders (even if they are empty), as internal logic relies on their presence.
Versions Supported
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Altium Designer 24.0 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.8.0.2085
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CoDesigner 3.3 is the latest version available for Altium NEXUS Client.
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CoDesigner 2.10 is the latest version available for Altium CircuitMaker.
This update has been tested on the following MCAD platforms and Add-in versions:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.8.0.16 |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.8.0.12 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.8.0.21 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X |
3.8.0.16 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 - 2312 (Note 2) |
3.8.0.14 |
Notes:
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Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution. From MCAD CoDesigner 3.8 onwards, there are multiple versions of the installer for MCAD CoDesigner for Siemens NX, to suit different versions of the Siemens NX software. These installers all install identical versions of MCAD CoDesigner, they differ only in their detection of the currently installed version of Siemens NX. For MCAD CoDesigner 3.7 and older there is a single installer, and after installation of MCAD CoDesigner Siemens NX may show a warning when launched that the difference between the current version and the signed version is too great. This warning can be ignored, your installation of MCAD CoDesigner will function correctly. Alternatively, the Show Warning when Loading option in the Customer Defaults dialog in Siemens NX, can be disabled (show image
).
CoDesigner 3.8.0 Release Notes
MCAD-1601 |
SOLIDWORKS, CoDesigner now supports storing all of the subassembly and part files in the same folder where the PCB Assembly is stored. Enable the new "Flat folder structure" option in the CoDesigner settings dialog to achieve this. |
MCAD-2690 |
PTC Creo, on the initial pull of a PCB, CoDesigner now checks the definition of base datum planes defined in the Creo Templates and warns the user if that definition does not correspond to the requirements (as described in the documentation). Note: previously in this situation, CoDesigner would build the PCB assembly incorrectly. |
MCAD-2736 |
PTC Creo, when Windchill is being used, CoDesigner no longer duplicates files in the local Creo Working Folder. |
MCAD-3717 |
In MCAD, after successful Pull of the design from ECAD, CoDesigner now deletes the intermediate Parasolid files, pictures and "checksum" files, leaving only the MCAD files. Note that CoDesigner does not delete the \Orig and \Expt subfolders (even if they are empty), as internal logic relies on their presence. |
MCAD-3797 |
Multiboard sync, on building the multiboard assembly in ECAD, CoDesigner now brings all of the PCBs referenced in the Multiboard Schematic. Previously, if there were several PCBs in a PCB project, CoDesigner simply brought in the first PCB. |
MCAD-4524 |
Harness sync, before sending the design from MCAD to ECAD, CoDesigner now supports overwriting (correcting) the physical length of wires/cables calculated in the MCAD model. |
MCAD-4548 |
The policy for the automatic pushing of PCBs on the Altium 365 server has been changed: Now a PCB is only pushed from the server after choosing it in the "Select project for pull" dialog in MCAD (previously, all the PCBs were pushed automatically on "Save to server" from ECAD, regardless if they were required to be built in MCAD or not). Note that once a PCB has been chosen in this way, in future, that PCB will be pushed automatically on each "Save to server" from ECAD. |
MCAD-4571 |
Rigid-Flex, for a fully flex PCB with Stiffeners, CoDesigner now builds the subassemblies for the regions with Stiffeners on the MCAD side in the same way as the rigid regions are built. Note: previously, it was not possible to build such PCBs in MCAD without declaring the Stiffeners as rigid regions in ECAD. |
MCAD-4575 |
CoDesigner now allows the user to terminate a session started by that same user on a PC with a different IP address. |
MCAD-4588 |
Harness sync, twisted pair designators are now supported. |
MCAD-4593 |
Harness sync, CoDesigner now assigns the "Part Number" property for wires/cables in SOLIWORKS (ECAD's parameter name: "PART_NUMBER"). |
MCAD-4596 |
Siemens NX, it is now possible to install CoDesigner into a custom folder by using the installer command line option /DIR="<some_path>". |
MCAD-4611 |
PTC Creo, for rigid-flex PCBs, CoDesigner named the subassemblies and parts according to the initial PCB project name, not to the name of PCB assembly entered by MCAD user on pulling a PCB. Fixed. |
MCAD-4628 |
PTC Creo, the Flow Analysis ribbon became inactive after installing CoDesigner. Fixed. |
MCAD-4637 |
With "3D Copper" turned ON, CoDesigner named the copper subassemblies and parts according to the initial PCB project name, not the name of the PCB assembly entered by the MCAD user on pulling a PCB. Fixed. |
MCAD-4638 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, after the second and subsequent Pulls into MCAD the color of the PCB was incorrectly changed. Fixed. |
MCAD-4641 |
Siemens NX, if a PCB was created on the MCAD side and the PCB outline moved to the negative coordinates, natively placed MCAD components would be incorrectly positioned in ECAD. Fixed. |
MCAD-4659 |
Siemens NX, CoDesigner now scans all the .pax files in the template folder in order to find templates to be used (previously, CoDesigner only looked into ugs_model_templates.pax) |
MCAD-4669 |
Siemens NX, the installer now includes options to select the specific version of Siemens NX, and the user must make the corresponding choice during the installation process. |
MCAD-4689 |
Autodesk Inventor, the decal images were not scaled correctly on larger PCBs. Fixed |
MCAD-4695 |
Harness sync for PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS moves from Focused Beta to Open Beta. |
MCAD-4721 |
Creo, CoDesigner calculated the length of harness segments incorrectly in some cases, when Creo cable bundles were used. Fixed. |
MCAD-4722 |
Creo, on switching between a harness project and a multiboard project in the CoDesigner panel, the "multiboard/harness definition" section of the panel was not updated in some cases. Fixed. |
MCAD-4723 |
Changes in ECAD to the "UNITS" property for wires were not shown in the "Changes" table on Pull into MCAD (although the changes themselves were applied). Fixed. |
MCAD-4724 |
SOLIDWORKS, a warning is now shown when the CoDesigner "Common folder for models" setting is not defined. A Common folder for models is recommended to: share models between engineers, avoid duplication between projects, and avoid errors caused by the same model name being used for different models in different assemblies. |
MCAD-4732 |
Harness sync, on pushing a project from ECAD, if there were properties assigned to a connection point in the layout drawing, an error appeared. Fixed. |
MCAD-4765 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, crashed on opening a Fusion 360 Electronics Sample design. Fixed. |
New in CoDesigner 3.7.0
Released: 7 February 2024 – Version 3.7.0 Hot Fix for Autodesk Fusion 360
Released: 26 January 2024 – Version 3.7.0 Hot Fix (MCAD CoDesigner extension change to version 3.7.0.2033)
Released: 17 January 2024 – Version 3.7.0
Feature Highlights
The 3.7 update to MCAD CoDesigner brings support for transferring countersink and counterbore definitions between ECAD and MCAD. It also sees the introduction of support for transferring the ECAD Route Tool Path to MCAD, where it becomes an extruded cut. The transfer of project parameters has also been improved, as well as the support for harness definitions. There are also a number of ECAD-MCAD component-linking improvements for MCAD engineers working with Siemens NX.
Transfer Project and Variant Parameters from ECAD to MCAD
In ECAD, user-defined parameters allow the designer to include critical information precisely where it is needed. This update to CoDesigner brings support for transferring:
-
ECAD project-level parameters to the MCAD PCB assembly
-
ECAD variant-level parameters to the specific MCAD PCB variant assembly 1
-
ECAD multi-board assembly parameters to the MCAD device assembly 2
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ECAD harness project parameters to the MCAD harness assembly
1 Not supported by Autodesk Inventor
2 Multi-board assemblies are currently supported in CoDesigner for SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo.
ECAD parameters are now transferred to MCAD properties, for the board, variants, harnesses, and Multi-board assemblies.
Transfer CounterSink and Counterbore Holes to MCAD
CoDesigner now synchronizes Countersink and Counterbore holes between ECAD and MCAD, in both directions. If the 3D Copper option is enabled in MCAD, the precise geometry of copper is built for these holes (note that CoDesigner for Autodesk Fusion 360 does not support building 3D Copper at this stage).
Countersink and counterbore holes can be transferred between ECAD and MCAD.
Transfer the ECAD Route Tool Path to MCAD
A popular technique for removing each board from its fabrication panel is to mechanically route a cutout around the edge of the PCB. In Altium Designer, this is defined as a Route Tool Path, created as a continuous path of tracks and arcs on the mechanical Route Tool Path layer. CoDesigner now supports transferring the ECAD Route Tool Path entity to MCAD, where it is represented as an extruded cut. If that entity is changed in MCAD, it is transferred back to ECAD as a board cutout.
The ECAD route tool path becomes a series of extruded cuts in MCAD.
Siemens NX - Improved Component Linking
Component Linking allows the MCAD and ECAD engineers to each use native component models on their instance of the board design, by mapping references to each other's models in the Altium Workspace. Learn more about Linking MCAD and ECAD Design Components.
MCAD to ECAD Linking
MCAD model to ECAD footprint linking is defined by mapping an MCAD model property to an ECAD component parameter in your Altium Workspace. Previously, CoDesigner could only map ECAD parameters to a single Category of NX model Properties, limiting the options for component linking. With this release, CoDesigner now supports defining both the Teamcenter Category and the Property in the MCAD model property used for mapping and recognition field in the Workspace.
The format is: <CategoryName>::<PropertyName>
The linking Teamcenter Category and Property are mapped in the Workspace settings, using the syntax <CategoryName>::<PropertyName>.
ECAD to MCAD Linking
During pull into MCAD, CoDesigner can be configured to search the MCAD data management system for an MCAD model of that name. If native ECAD-to-MCAD component linkage is used in Siemens NX, the MCAD component reference must be defined in the ECAD component parameter so that it includes the Teamcenter path, with the parameter value in the form:
:root_TC_folder:subfolder1:subfolder12:model_name
The 3.7 update to CoDesigner improves this, adding support for mapping to the Teamcenter Part Identifier
. If the ECAD component parameter value does not start with the :
character, CoDesigner assumes that the parameter value is the Teamcenter Part Identifier
, and will search Teamcenter for a part with that identifier.
The ECAD component parameter can now be configured to search for the Teamcenter Part Identifier.
Siemens NX - Support for Custom Template Configuration and Attributes
CoDesigner now supports custom configurations for templates with Siemens NX, which can include mandatory parameters with (or without) project properties. This is done through the template_parameters_mapping.xml
configuration XML file. This feature works for assembly or part creation where a template is used.
-
The configuration file is located in
C:\Program Files\Siemens\<NXversion>\ALTIUM_CODESIGNER
folder.
-
Note that Units are not managed by the configuration XML, this setting is configured in the Altium CoDesigner Settings dialog.
► Learn more about the XML configuration file
Support for Twisted Pairs in Harness Design
When you use CoDesigner to synchronize a Harness project between ECAD and MCAD, CoDesigner now synchronizes Twisted Pairs with MCAD as Cables, and calculates the physical length of wires considering the Twists per Unit Length and Thickness properties defined in the ECAD Twist object.
The Twists per Unit Length and Thickness are defined as parameters of the ECAD harness Twist object.
The untwisted length of wire is calculated as:
Wire Length (untwisted) = Turn Length x Number of Turns
where:
-
Number of Turns = Twists per Unit Length * Cable Length
-
Twists per Unit Length = number of twists per unit length of cable, defined as a parameter of the ECAD Twist object
-
Turn Length = sqrt((Twist Pitch)^2 + (pi*Thickness)^2)
-
Twist Pitch = 1 / Twists per Unit Length
-
Thickness = outer diameter of the twisted pair, defined as a parameter of the ECAD Twist object
► Learn more about Synchronizing a Harness Design Project (available for PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS)
Versions Supported
-
Altium Designer 24.0 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.7.0.2033
-
CoDesigner 3.4 (and higher) 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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.7.0.7 |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.7.0.6 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.7.0.9 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X |
3.7.0.12 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 - 2312 (Note 2) |
3.7.0.22 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
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.2312, 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
).
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.7.0 Hot Fix for Autodesk Fusion 360
MCAD-4629 |
The geometry of copper and silkscreen was placed incorrectly because of the changes made in Autodesk Fusion 360 v.2.0.18220 (released on Jan 29, 2024). Fixed. |
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.7.0 Hot Fix
MCAD-4610 |
On ECAD side, on pulling a harness project, CoDesigner was not able to read the length of cables transferred from MCAD. Fixed. |
CoDesigner 3.7.0 Release Notes
MCAD-3772 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, CoDesigner was unable to build the bounding box for a "broken model". Fixed. |
MCAD-3773 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, on Push from MCAD, CoDesigner did not read the location of mounting holes correctly when those holes were placed without reference to the geometry (this happens on transferring holes from ECAD) and the overall size of the board would be changed. Fixed. |
MCAD-3868 |
CoDesigner now transfers user-defined parameters from the Project (including Variants) from ECAD to MCAD, and assigns them as properties of the PCB/Harness/Multiboard assembly accordingly. |
MCAD-4072 |
On synchronizing Multiboard projects, CoDesigner now supports multiple levels of hierarchy in the project (previously, it only worked with one level of hierarchy). |
MCAD-4185 |
The ECAD Route Tool Path entity is now supported. In MCAD, it is represented as an extruded cut. If that entity is changed in MCAD, it is transferred back to ECAD as a board cutout. |
MCAD-4290 |
Siemens NX, CoDesigner now supports assigning custom properties to items in Siemens Teamcenter, and mapping those properties to the ECAD project/variant properties. |
MCAD-4347 |
CoDesigner now synchronizes Countersink/Counterbore holes between ECAD and MCAD, in both directions. If the "3D Copper" option is ON in MCAD, the precise geometry of copper is built for these holes (except for Autodesk Fusion 360, where building 3D Copper is not yet supported). |
MCAD-4375 |
On Pull into MCAD, CoDesigner's "Changes" table listed the components using their default names, any name customization was ignored. Fixed. |
MCAD-4390 |
Siemens NX and Teamcenter, CoDesigner now supports using Teamcenter's Part Identifier as a mapping property for native ECAD-to-MCAD component linkage. |
MCAD-4416 |
Within Harness projects, CoDesigner now synchronizes Twisted Pairs with MCAD as Cables, and calculates the physical length of wires considering the "twist per unit length" and "wire thickness" properties set up in ECAD. |
MCAD-4440 |
CoDesigner settings now supports system decimal separators other than the "." (dot) character. |
MCAD-4461 |
Detection of multiple contours within one MCAD keepout sketch was not showing the correct error message. Fixed. |
MCAD-4463 |
Autodesk Inventor 2023, the CoDesigner panel was hidden during Pull from ECAD, so it was not possible to see the progress of Pull. Fixed. |
MCAD-4473 |
CoDesigner no longer validates rigid-flex bends during Push to MCAD, as it resulted in false "manually created bend" errors in some cases. |
MCAD-4481 |
Siemens NX, CoDesigner incorrectly worked with the board outline sketch if the sketch included construction geometry. Fixed. |
MCAD-4484 |
PTC Creo, on building wire Harnesses, CoDesigner now passes the wires through the Connection Points in the same way as they are done with manual passing. Previously, the wires were intersecting each other, requiring them to be manually re-routed. |
MCAD-4535 |
Siemens NX and Teamcenter, added category support for MCAD CCID mapping in NX. |
MCAD-4543 |
Siemens NX version 2312 is now supported. |
MCAD-4545 |
Siemens NX, pulling changes from the context of the device assembly is temporarily disabled because it did not work correctly in many cases. The issues are going to be fixed in the next update. |
New in CoDesigner 3.6.0
Released: 2 November 2023 – Version 3.6.0
Feature Highlights
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.
-
Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether the project History feature will be available in your installation of MCAD CoDesigner.
-
This feature is currently only available to members of the MCAD harness Focused Beta group. Learn more...
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.
Versions Supported
-
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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.6.0.16 |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.6.0.15 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.6.0.34 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X |
3.6.0.26 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 - 2306 (Note 2) |
3.6.0.19 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
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
).
CoDesigner 3.6.0 Release Notes
MCAD-4104 |
Multiboard projects, CoDesigner now shows the preview of synchronization changes in both ECAD and MCAD. |
MCAD-4105 |
Multiboard projects, CoDesigner now synchronizes changes in the nested projects. Previously, it only worked on one level at a time. |
MCAD-4109 |
SOLIDWORKS 2024 is now supported. |
MCAD-4114 |
Multiboard projects, CoDesigner was not able to sync parts of an enclosure that were already declared as an enclosure in a child project. Fixed. |
MCAD-4117 |
Multiboard projects, on sync to ECAD, the "MoveBoard" operation was not taken into consideration, which caused those PCBs to shift in the Multiboard Assembly in ECAD. Fixed. |
MCAD-4123 |
Siemens NX, on push from MCAD, CoDesigner now warns the user if non-supported features have been used, as done when pushing from other MCADs. |
MCAD-4149 |
In the MCAD "Select Project for Pull" dialog, the server-side folders are now shown at the top of the list. |
MCAD-4154 |
CoDesigner now supports synchronizing Harness Projects between Altium Designer and SOLIDWORKS. CoDesigner sends the following information from the ECAD Harness Layout Drawing document to MCAD: Connectors, Splices, Connectivity ("from-to" data), Harness Topology (connection points with the sets of wires and cables going through those points). From MCAD, CoDesigner sends the following results of 3D routing back to the Harness Layout Drawing: the physical length of wires, cables and harness segments. |
MCAD-4179 |
PTC Creo, CoDesigner now builds the physical routing for Cables (previously, it was possible only for the wires inside of a cable). |
MCAD-4256 |
SOLIDWORKS, CoDesigner was not able to process a relatively large number of bends on one flex region of a rigid-flex board. Fixed. |
MCAD-4257 |
SOLIDWORKS, the decal pictures representing copper, silkscreen and soldermask are now embedded into the parts representing the corresponding rigid regions of rigid-flex boards. |
MCAD-4335 |
The algorithm for detecting errors in the board contours on push from ECAD has been improved. Cases with very sharp angles (typically, the tangency cases) are no longer considered as push blockers and are now flagged as a warning. |
MCAD-4358 |
SOLIDWORKS , CoDesigner failed to build a PCB in MCAD if the "Create sketch on new part" option was enabled in the SOLIDWORKS settings. Fixed. |
New in CoDesigner 3.5.0
Released: 17 August 2023 – Version 3.5.0 – Hot Fix (no change to Altium Designer CoD extension)
Released: 27 July 2023 – Version 3.5.0
Feature Highlights
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.
-
Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether Harness Synchronization will be available in your installation of MCAD CoDesigner.
-
This feature is currently only available to members of the MCAD harness Focused Beta group.
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.
Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether Multi-board Synchronization will be available in your installation of 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.
Versions Supported
-
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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.5.0.17 |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023, 2024 |
3.5.0.14 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
3.5.0.24 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X, 10.X |
3.5.0.21 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 or later (Note 2) |
3.5.0.12 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.5.0 Hotfix
MCAD-4221 |
If the number of pushes and pulls is big enough, in MCAD, CoDesigner showed the ECAD's push date/time and comment taken not from the latest push. Fixed. |
CoDesigner 3.5.0 Release Notes
MCAD-2210 |
Altium Workspace folders are now represented in the "Select Project from <Workspace>" dialog in MCAD. |
MCAD-3892 |
CoDesigner now checks if the "Use fully defined sketches" setting is turned ON in SOLIDWORKS and restores that state after the PCB is built (CoDesigner can not create fully defined sketches yet, and that setting was not respected previously). |
MCAD-3905 |
CoDesigner now supports synchronizing Harness Projects between Altium Designer and PTC Creo. CoDesigner sends the following information from the ECAD Harness Layout Drawing document to MCAD: Connectors, Splices, Connectivity ("from-to" data), Harness Topology (connection points with the sets of wires and cables going through those points). From MCAD, CoDesigner sends the following results of 3D routing back to the Harness Layout Drawing: the physical length of wires, cables and harness segments. Note 1: To start synchronization, the Harness Layout Drawing should include at least the Connectors transferred from the Wiring Diagram. Note 2: Native ECAD-to-MCAD component linkage can be used for placing the connectors models from MCAD storage, instead of connectors transferred from ECAD. Note 3: CoDesigner does not build the Harness Topology in ECAD's Layout Drawing after synchronizing back from MCAD, so the Harness Topology should be specified in that document before back synchronization. Note 4: The 3D model of the Harness can be sent to ECAD during Multiboard Assembly synchronization, along with the mechanical enclosure parts. |
MCAD-4032 |
CoDesigner now supports synchronizing Multiboard assemblies with PTC Creo. Note 1: Previously, this capability was only available for SOLIDWORKS. Note 2: This capability is in Beta mode for both PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS. |
MCAD-4039 |
CoDesigner did not warn the mechanical engineer about the usage of non-supported features, such as 3D fillets/chamfers. Fixed. |
MCAD-4054 |
The flow with sharing a PCB project with a mechanical engineer who is not yet included into the Workspace has changed: now an "add and share" request is automatically sent to all workspace administrators. As soon as it is approved, that external mechanical engineer is automatically added to the workspace and the project is shared with him/her (previously, these steps needed to be done manually). |
MCAD-4056 |
SOLIDWORKS 2023, in some cases, a "broken component model" blocked the entire batch placement of all the models. Fixed (CoDesigner now detects such cases and places the models individually). |
MCAD-4058 |
PTC Creo 10 is now supported. |
MCAD-4059 |
Autodesk Inventor 2024 is now supported. |
MCAD-4060 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, in some cases, the ends of arcs in the board outline sketch were not associated with the ends of the neighboring sketch segments, which made editing the sketch difficult. Fixed. |
MCAD-4076 |
SOLIDWORKS, after turning the 3D Copper ON in CoDesigner's settings and before Pulling changes, the decals were hidden. Fixed, the decals remain visible until the next Pull is performed. |
MCAD-4083 |
CoDesigner would reset the "Enable Snapping" setting when working with a rigid-flex PCB in SOLIDWORKS, and did not restore it. Fixed. |
MCAD-4084 |
CoDesigner now informs the mechanical engineer about how many components are ignored (filtered out) according to the height limit set up in CoDesigner’s settings (to help avoid confusion with seeing / not seeing components). |
MCAD-4142 |
Siemens NX, the error "Unsupported curve type 'SketchVirtualPoint'" was shown if the board sketch was edited after creating a dimension in the sketch. Fixed. |
MCAD-4147 |
PTC Creo, the second pull of a PCB failed if the filtering of components by size was turned ON and the number of filtered components and their properties was large. Fixed. |
New in CoDesigner 3.4.0
Released: 29 May 2023 – Version 3.4.0.1859 – Hot Fix for GovCloud
Released: 10 April 2023 – Version 3.4.0.1792 – Hot Fix
Released: 23 March 2023 – Version 3.4.0
Feature Highlights
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.
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.
Note that the Advanced Copper Geometry feature is calculation-intensive; depending on the number of layers and the complexity of the copper, it can take substantially more time to Pull the board into MCAD.
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:
-
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;
-
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;
-
sends the parameter and its value to MCAD as part of the Push;
-
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).
Note: the ability to work with Footprint parameters is in Beta in Altium Designer, confirm that the PCB.FootprintParameters
Advanced Option is enabled in Altium Designer.
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
Versions Supported
-
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.
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023 |
3.4.0.8 |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.4.0.9 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
3.4.0.12 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X |
3.4.0.7 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 or later (Note 2) |
3.4.0.13 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.4.0.1859 (Hot Fix for GovCloud support)
MCAD-4024 |
Support for Altium 365 GovCloud (https://www.altium.com/trust/govcloud) has been added. |
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.4.0.1792
MCAD-3951 |
In the list of changes in the ECAD Extension, for the cases where the number of changes is big enough, scroll and column resize were broken. Fixed. |
Release Notes for CoDesigner 3.4.0
MCAD-2958 |
On pulling changes into MCAD, if there were changes made to the board outline in ECAD, CoDesigner now highlights the corresponding change in the Changes table, and shows a corresponding tooltip for that change. This may prevent losing dimensions and constraints created by the mechanical engineer (at the next step of sync), or, it can help the mechanical engineer restore dimensions and constraints that have been lost. |
MCAD-3248 |
Siemens NX, the ability to place PCB components in MCAD and recognize them in ECAD, is now supported. |
MCAD-3249 |
Siemens NX, the ability to place the PCB component models automatically from Teamcenter, is now supported. Note: in the ECAD component/footprint property, the MCAD model reference should include the Teamcenter path, for example :root_TC_folder:subfolder1:subfolder12:model_name |
MCAD-3250 |
Siemens NX, the "Advanced Copper Geometry" capability (creating the precise 3D model of copper layers, copper barrels, vias, and soldermasks) is now supported. |
MCAD-3319 |
For the case of 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 parameter, in addition to the existing support for using a custom Component parameter. This feature better supports the many-to-many relationships between the components and footprints. The logic that CoDesigner now follows is: on Push from ECAD, CoDesigner 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; checks if the parameter named in the Workspace is present as a footprint parameter, and if it is not empty; sends the parameter and its value to MCAD; 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). Note that the ability to work with Footprint parameters in Altium Designer is currently in Beta, confirm that the Advanced Option PCB.FootprintParameters is enabled in Altium Designer to use this CoDesigner feature. |
MCAD-3589 |
SOLIDWORKS, when updating a PCB designed in rigid-flex 2.0 mode, CoDesigner now only redraws the regions whose geometry has changed in ECAD. This allows the designers to keep the MCAD's dimensions and constraints which have been created for other regions, alive. |
MCAD-3753 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, when building the board outline CoDesigner now constrains the sequential sketch segments to each other, making it easier for the mechanical engineer to make changes to the sketch. |
MCAD-3778 |
The algorithm for sending the individual Parts of the mechanical enclosure has been improved. Previously, when several parts were saved at the same time in MCAD (for example, in the case of importing them from exchange formats), it would result in errors when pulling them into ECAD. Fixed. |
MCAD-3783 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, on Push CoDesigner now correctly detects the case when the board sketch refers to an external geometry and displays the error message "Invalid feature profile: Board." Note that such sketches cannot be Pushed to ECAD. |
MCAD-3831 |
Siemens NX, support for NX v.2xxx added. |
MCAD-3857 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, the ability to create keepouts and cutouts using CoDesigner tools was broken because the device assembly context was incorrectly detected. Fixed. |
MCAD-3930 |
On pulling changes in SOLIDWORKS, CoDesigner now keeps "Synchronize component properties" change unchecked by default. It helps user to avoid checking the components out of SOLIDWORKS PDM manually. Note: It’s recommended to clarify why the properties in ECAD and in MCAD storages are different. |
New in CoDesigner 3.3.0
Released: 21 December 2022 – Version 3.3.0
There are no new features included in this release.
Versions Supported
-
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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023 |
3.3.0.6 |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.3.0.6 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
3.3.0.9 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X |
3.3.0.6 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 or later (Note 2) |
3.3.0.8 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
Release Notes
MCAD-3587 |
SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo, CoDesigner now supports defining Keepouts and Rooms on rigid segments of rigid-flex boards. |
MCAD-3650 |
The way of checking Altium's license for On-Prem servers has been changed. Previously, all the "Pro" capabilities were available for On-Prem servers by default. Now, CoDesigner checks every single "Pro" capability separately. For working with the recently introduced "Pro" capabilities - Multiboard Sync and Keepout/Room Sync - the "Altium Enterprise Server & CAL" license should be updated. |
MCAD-3666 |
In alignment with Altium's licensing policy, the ability to create Keepouts and Rooms in MCAD is now possible under the "PRO" and "Enterprise" subscriptions only. Note: existing Keepouts and Rooms created previously in MCAD under a "Standard" subscription will not be affected, but any changes made to such entities from now on will no longer be transferred to ECAD. |
MCAD-3745 |
SOLIDWORKS, the way that the board segments in a rigid-flex 2.0 board are mated has been improved, with an additional angle mate being applied to avoid potential microscopic alignment issues. |
MCAD-3746 |
In Siemens NX, CoDesigner now supports setting up the custom Item Type for storing the PCB entities in Siemens Teamcenter. |
MCAD-3812 |
CoDesigner was not able to synchronize Multi-board projects through on-premises servers where Firebird DBMS was used. |
New in CoDesigner 3.2.0
Released: 17 November 2022 – Version 3.2.0
Feature Highlights
Release 3.2 for Altium MCAD CoDesigner sees the introduction of a demo mode, use this if you're new to Altium MCAD CoDesigner and would like to explore the features. Because the demo uses simulated ECAD data, you're free to explore without needing the design to be pushed by an ECAD engineer. To use the demo mode you only need a compatible MCAD solution with the latest Altium MCAD CoDesigner Add-in for your MCAD software installed.
There are a number of other enhancements in this release, including: an Open in Web button in the MCAD Altium CoDesigner panel that opens the ECAD version of the project in your web browser; support for PTC Creo Version 9; an easy-to-use Fold / Unfold button for when you are working with rigid-flex designs in PTC Creo or SOLIDWORKS; and enhanced component change details on Pull into MCAD, making it easy to quickly confirm the reason that a component parameter change is being performed.
Demo Mode for CoDesigner
CoDesigner now includes a demo mode in MCAD. To access the Demo mode, you will need:
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.
Don't have an Altium Account?
In Demo mode, the mechanical engineer can:
-
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.
-
Pull a design change and explore the Change control features (CoDesigner simulates ECAD changes to the Demo PCB).
-
Build precise 3D geometry of copper (building 3D copper is not yet supported in Autodesk Fusion 360 and Siemens NX).
-
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.
The Suppress state of the first bend feature in the model tree is used to determine if all bends are to be Suppressed or Unsuppressed.
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)
Versions Supported
-
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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023 |
3.2.0.8 |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.2.0.7 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
3.2.0.11 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X, 9.X |
3.2.0.8 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 or later (Note 2) |
3.2.0.8 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
Release Notes
MCAD-2932 |
In MCAD, CoDesigner now shows detailed information about proposed changes to component properties during ECAD-to-MCAD sync (previously, these changes were represented by a single record in the list of changes). This helps a mechanical engineer investigate the situation when the ECAD and MCAD libraries are not in sync, due to automatic changes made by MCAD or PDM on the previous sync. |
MCAD-3404 |
PTC Creo, the algorithm for building 3D Copper has been improved: the problems with building repeated small elements of copper have been fixed, and the overall performance has been improved. |
MCAD-3498 |
PTC Creo, added support for Creo Version 9. |
MCAD-3500 |
CoDesigner was cropping the decal images for a large PCB (where the decal size was more than 32768 pixels). Fixed. |
MCAD-3510 |
SOLIDWORKS, for building a cutout that covers more than one region, CoDesigner now uses SOLIDWORKS-derived sketches. |
MCAD-3590 |
PTC Creo, after changes have been made to the board outline in ECAD, CoDesigner now rebuilds only the changed regions of a rigid-flex board (previously, the entire board was rebuilt). |
MCAD-3599 |
CoDesigner now includes a "Demo mode" in MCAD, if there are no Workspaces associated with the user. In Demo mode, the mechanical engineer can do the following: a) Build the model of Demo PCB in the MCAD’s native format, check the structure of the model, check how to associate/constraint the model with the enclosure, b) See how to control changes (CoDesigner simulates ECAD changes to the Demo PCB), c) Build the precise 3D geometry of copper (building 3D copper is not yet supported in Autodesk Fusion 360 and Siemens NX), d) Check the mechanical PCB definition, including: changing the board shape, the placement of components, creating mounting holes, and creating keepouts/rooms. |
MCAD-3647 |
SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo, a button for folding/unfolding a rigid-flex PCB has been added to the CoDesigner ribbon toolbar. Previously, mechanical engineers had to fold/unfold a rigid-flex PCB by manually suppressing/unsuppressing the bend features in the MCAD model tree. |
MCAD-3686 |
In MCAD, you can now open 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. |
MCAD-3718 |
SOLIDWORKS, the snapping settings were reset to the default state when a PCB was first pulled, if the "3D Copper" option was turned ON in CoDesigner's settings. Fixed. |
MCAD-3728 |
PCB Project name is now included in the name of parts and subassemblies which represent different regions of a rigid-flex board in SOLIDWORKS, simplifying working with PDM if the control of uniqueness of names is turned ON there. |
New in CoDesigner 3.1.0
Released: 4 October 2022 – Version 3.1.0
Feature Highlights
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
).
-
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.
-
The decals representing the top/bottom copper, silkscreen, and soldermask are now applied to the rigid regions in RF2 mode in SOLIDWORKS.
-
At this stage, the creation of new regions and bends in MCAD is not supported in boards using the Advanced Rigid-Flex mode.
-
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.
-
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.
-
After making changes to bends, an MCAD Rebuild operation will be required in most cases.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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:
-
Board thickness
-
Bend Radius
-
Bending angle
-
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.
Versions Supported
-
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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023 |
3.1.0.11 |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.1.0.9 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
3.1.0.35 (Note 3) |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X |
3.1.0.28 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 or later (Note 2) |
3.1.0.9 |
Notes:
-
Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
-
Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
-
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.
Release Notes
MCAD-2438 |
CoDesigner wasn't able to push a rigid-flex PCB from ECAD if there were two or more layers with the same name defined in the different layer stacks. Fixed. |
MCAD-3234 |
If CoDesigner is connected to a custom server in MCAD, the name of that server is now shown in the plugin ("Custom Server" was shown previously). |
MCAD-3242 |
CoDesigner now shows the Year of change in the history if that change was made in the past year, in order to avoid confusion. |
MCAD-3466 |
CoDesigner now synchronizes PCBs designed in Advanced Rigid-Flex (RF2) mode, with SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo.
Note 1: The structure of the PCB assembly in RF2 mode in SOLIDWORKS differs from the structure of the assembly in RF1 mode, 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.
Note2: The decals representing the top/bottom copper, silkscreen and soldermask are now applied to the rigid regions in RF2 mode in SOLIDWORKS.
Note 3. Creation of new regions and bends in MCAD is not yet supported, as well as applying decals to the flex regions. |
MCAD-3528 |
Autodesk Inventor 2023, the Choose Project dialog sometimes went to the background and prevented any further work. Fixed. |
MCAD-3548 |
SOLIDWORKS 2023 is now supported. |
MCAD-3655 |
Due to changes made to the security policy on Altium Servers, a regular ECAD user (non-Administrator) can no longer invite an external Mechanical Engineer to the Workspace. In this situation, the behavior of enabling the Share option during a Push in the ECAD CoDesigner extension has changed: CoDesigner now reports to the non-Admin ECAD user that a Workspace Administrator must Invite the external Mechanical Engineer to the Workspace. |
MCAD-3658 |
The CoDesigner button has been added to the default ribbon in Autodesk Inventor. Use this to open the CoDesigner panel, solving the problem where there was no access to the panel in Autodesk Inventor 2023 when no files were open. |
New in CoDesigner 3.0.0
Released: 18 July 2022 – Version 3.0.0
Feature Highlights
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.
Refer to the Note in the right-hand pane for information on whether Multi-board Synchronization will be available in your installation of 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.
|
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.
Note that after insertion into the device assembly, Autodesk Fusion 360 retains the positions of the PCB components relative to the device assembly. In the situation where the PCB is moved in the device assembly in MCAD and then the components are moved in ECAD, it is recommended to remove the PCB from the device assembly and insert it again, in order to reset those relations and to keep the proper placement of the components in the context of the device assembly.
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.
Automatic Pushing has been enabled for Altium 365 Workspaces. Support for On-Prem Enterprise Server Workspaces will be added soon.
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.
If an automatic Push cannot be performed, the MCAD engineer is warned that the version of data they are pulling is not the latest (show image
).
Automatic Pushing is not performed when:
-
The PCB file has only been saved to the working folder, it is yet to be Saved to the Server. Once a Save to Server has been performed, automatic Pushing will resume.
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There are multiple PCB files in the ECAD project, which have all been Saved to the Server. This can be resolved by the ECAD engineer performing a manual MCAD Push on the correct PCB.
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The PCB has failed CoDesigner's validation checks, these must be resolved before an automatic or manual MCAD Push can be performed.
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.
Versions Supported
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Altium Designer 22.6 (or higher) with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.0.0.1610
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Altium NEXUS Client 5.6 to 5.8, with MCAD CoDesigner extension version 3.0.0.474
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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:
MCAD Version |
MCAD Add-In Version |
Autodesk Inventor Professional® - versions 2022, 2023 |
3.0.0.14 |
Autodesk Fusion 360® (Note 1) |
3.0.0.14 |
Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS® - versions 2020, 2021, 2022 |
3.0.0.13 |
PTC Creo Parametric® - 7.X, 8.X |
3.0.0.13 |
Siemens NX® - version 1953 or later (Note 2) |
3.0.0.13 |
Notes:
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Altium CircuitMaker only supports Autodesk Fusion 360.
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Siemens NX is only available to designers as part of an Altium Enterprise Solution.
Release Notes
MCAD-2364 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, working in the context of the Device Assembly and Enclosure Exchange are now supported (these capabilities are already supported in other MCADs). Note that after insertion into the device assembly, Autodesk Fusion 360 retains the positions of the PCB components relative to the device assembly. In the situation where the PCB is moved in the device assembly in MCAD and then the components are moved in ECAD, it is recommended to remove the PCB from the device assembly and insert it again, in order to reset those relations and to keep the proper placement of the components in the context of the device assembly. |
MCAD-2775 |
PTC Creo, CoDesigner can now read templates from a PTC Windchill PDM Link. |
MCAD-3038 |
PTC Creo, 3D model of copper for non-circular plated holes was built incorrectly (too rough) with certain Creo Templates. Fixed. |
MCAD-3154 |
For synchronizing Multi-board Projects, the assembly which represents the Device/System in MCAD should be linked with the corresponding ECAD's Multi-board Project through the "Link Multiboard" feature in the CoDesigner panel on the MCAD The functionality allows the synchronization of the placement of PCBs and the mechanical enclosure elements, in 3D space. The child PCBs themselves must be synchronized individually in the regular way. |
MCAD-3221 |
Keepouts and Rooms created or changed in ECAD are no longer shown in MCAD, removing information that is redundant for the mechanical engineer. |
MCAD-3239 |
In SOLIDWORKS, CoDesigner was unable to process the board outline contour if the board sketch included a centerline that intersected the sketch so as to divide it into more than one region. CoDesigner now warns the user about this. |
MCAD-3294 |
PTC Creo, CoDesigner was not able to build the internal copper polygons in some cases. Fixed. |
MCAD-3297 |
PTC Creo, 3D models of small elements of copper were built incorrectly (too rough) with certain Creo Templates. Fixed. |
MCAD-3303 |
In MCAD, CoDesigner now allows the user to work with the last successful push from ECAD, if the latest automatic push from ECAD was not successful for some reason. |
MCAD-3322 |
PTC Creo, in "use models from data management system in MCAD" mode, if there were several ECAD components referring to the same MCAD model, CoDesigner was not able to re-use the existing MCAD models (ECAD models were used instead). Fixed (now the MCAD models are properly re-used). |
MCAD-3329 |
Siemens NX, unhiding small components did not work properly after changing the component height limit. Fixed. |
MCAD-3335 |
PTC Creo, CoDesigner now warns if the Creo template has incompatible orientation of planes. |
MCAD-3345 |
SOLIDWORKS, native component linkage did not work correctly when PCB Variants were used. Fixed. |
MCAD-3347 |
Autodesk Fusion 360, CoDesigner was not able to properly process cutouts, keepouts and rooms with complex shapes that included arcs. Fixed. |
MCAD-3379 |
CoDesigner for Siemens NX has been switched from "Beta" to "Production". |
MCAD-3391 |
CoDesigner now warns ECAD user when a component is placed on a layer where the component placement is not allowed (CoDesigner can not guarantee the correct placement of such components in MCAD). |
MCAD-3396 |
PTC Creo, 3D model of copper was built incorrectly (too rough) on Vias with certain Creo Templates. Fixed. |
MCAD-3397 |
PTC Creo, complex keepouts and rooms (entities with arcs in sketch) defined on the Bottom PCB face were not properly transferred to ECAD. Fixed. |
MCAD-3398 |
SOLIDWORKS, CoDesigner was not able to send parts of the mechanical enclosure if SOLIDWORKS PDM STANDARD was used. Fixed. |
MCAD-3400 |
If the common component folder was used and controlled by a PDM system on the MCAD side, CoDesigner was not able to change the intermediate files with the graphics of layers in the "\Orig" subfolder of that common component folder. Fixed (the "\Orig" subfolder is now stored in the project folder, where it can be easily found and checked for changes). |
MCAD-3402 |
PTC Creo, changes to the component height limit were not processed properly in some cases. Fixed. |
MCAD-3403 |
SOLIDWORKS, components could not be unhidden if the model of the component was changed in ECAD. Fixed. |
New in CoDesigner 2.x
Released: 22 May 2020 (Version 2.0.3) – 25 May 2022 (Version 2.10.0)
Learn more about the updates in the MCAD CoDesigner 2.x releases.