SnapEDA has launched a plugin for Altium Designer to allow designers to place CAD models of parts directly for the cloud into PCB designs
The plugin accesses CAD models for millions of electronic components in the cloud, many of which were created in collaboration with leading electronic component suppliers. These templates can be placed directly on an Altium Designer drawing or layout or added to the designer library folder for future use.
Altium Designer is one of the most used PCB design tools today and is the most downloaded format on SnapEDA.
Before the plugin, designers used SnapEDA’s web platform to upload CAD models and then import them into their designs. The plugin does away with the extra step of importing the CAD model and then placing or saving it in a library folder, in addition to creating a native experience for searching right in Altium Designer. This means engineers will no longer have to leave their design environment when adding CAD models to their designs, which will further streamline their workflows.
In addition to placing parts and saving parts directly, the plugin’s component database is also updated in real time as new supplier parts are added to the SnapEDA ecosystem. Designers can also request CAD models through SnapEDA’s InstaPart service when they are not available.
All models imported via the plugin are in the native Altium file types .SchLib and .PcbLib.
“We created this new plugin based on feedback from the SnapEDA community. Over the past several months, we’ve been leading a beta group with hundreds of designers to better understand how they interact with SnapEDA and Altium Designer. This new plugin was created based on that feedback, with the goal of further streamlining their design process, ”said Natasha Baker, Founder and CEO of SnapEDA.
SnapEDA’s Altium Designer plugin is available for free at www.snapeda.com/plugins. Business customers who cannot install add-ons can access
