Electronic design has come a long way in the past few decades. What once took teams of engineers weeks or months to design can now be accomplished by a single engineer in a matter of days thanks to Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tools like Altium Designer and OrCAD. However, not all EDA tools are created equal. When it comes to PCB design, Altium Designer offers some clear advantages over OrCAD that can lead to better design results.
More Intuitive Interface and Workflow
One of the biggest differences between Altium and OrCAD is the overall user interface and workflow. Altium was designed from the ground up to provide a more streamlined, intuitive workflow that follows the natural design progression.
OrCAD, on the other hand, has a somewhat clunky interface that reflects its evolution over several decades of acquisitions and bolt-on features. Moving between tools feels disjointed, and the array of menus and options can be overwhelming for new users.
With Altium, core tasks follow a logical progression through schematic capture, PCB layout, and manufacturing output. Common operations have straightforward access through the ribbons and panels, minimizing clutter while keeping advanced functionality close at hand when needed.
The difference in interface intuitiveness is night and day when speaking to users of both platforms. The intuitive workflow and ease of use offered by Altium allows engineers to focus their efforts on design rather than fighting with their tools.
Unified Environment
Where OrCAD forces engineers to jump between separate schematic and PCB editors, Altium provides a unified design environment. The same panels, menus, and controls are available while working on either the schematic or PCB layout. This creates a seamless workflow between the logical and physical phases of the design.
More importantly, this unified environment provides true bi-directional cross-probing between the schematic and PCB. When checking a connection on the PCB layout, a simple click instantly crosses back to the relevant nets and components on the schematic. This connectivity saves significant time throughout the design process while reducing errors caused by mismatches between schematic and layout.
OrCAD lacks this degree of unification and requires manually flipping between tools to cross check connections across schematic and layout.
Advanced PCB Design Features
When it comes to PCB layout, Altium includes advanced functionality as standard that give users more control and efficiency.
Key examples include:
- ActiveRoute - This revolutionary autorouter integrates routing intelligence right in the PCB editor for interactive, push-and-shove routing. No more waiting for external routers to run.
- Rigid-Flex - Design complex rigid-flex PCBs with flex regions and rigid sections in a single design environment with automatic constraints.
- Draftsman - Built-in PCB documentation engine creates manufacturing and assembly drawings on the fly during layout. Eliminates duplication between mechanical CAD and EDA.
- 3D PCB Visualization - Instant 3D rendering of the PCB directly inside the PCB editor uncovers errors and fit issues early when they are easiest to correct.
- DSP Controlled Power Plane Stitching - Intelligently stitches split power planes while dynamically avoiding placement to route around components and traces.
These advanced PCB design features are available out of the box with Altium. Most are only available via additional add-on tools with OrCAD, if they are available at all. The tight integration in Altium simplifies complex tasks and gives access to better design tools.
FPGA and MCAD Integration
For more advanced designs, Altium provides deep integrations with FPGA design tools and mechanical CAD software. This helps streamline the entire electronic product development process.
The FPGA integration connects directly with industry-leading FPGA tools from vendors like Xilinx and Intel (formerly Altera). It simplifies sharing of I/O constraints and HDL signals between the EDA and FPGA environments. This makes hybrid PCB/FPGA development smoother.
The MCAD integration allows importing complete mechanical assemblies directly from major MCAD tools like SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, Creo and others. This allows designing the PCB in the context of the full product assembly for checking fit and alignment. The integration works bi-directionally so PCB changes propagate automatically back to the MCAD design.
These integrations place Altium ahead of OrCAD for developing advanced electronics like complex FPGAs or developing the PCB in the context of the larger product. The integrations simplify data sharing and reduce errors across domains.
Additional Analysis Tools
To help identify problems early, Altium includes additional design analysis tools right inside the design environment. These provide insight into signal integrity, power delivery, and manufacturability without requiring external tools.
Power plane visualization clearly highlights power rail connectivity and provides current density heatmaps. This helps optimize power distribution without unnecessary board layers.
Signal integrity analysis tools show propagation delays, overshoot, and undershoot. Constraints defined in the schematic validate routing meets timing needs. These ensure the design works at required frequencies.
Design rule checking constantly validates manufacturability based on defined design rules. Violations are highlighted during layout to prevent surprises later at manufacturing time. Layer stackup planning tools also help optimize layer configuration.
3D ECAD/MCAD difference analysis compares the PCB with the mechanical model to identify collisions, mismatches, or fit issues. This avoids costly design spins due to mechanical integration problems.
The breadth of analysis functionality in Altium surpasses what is available with the base OrCAD tools. Additional analysis typically requires supplemental OrCAD modules or slow external tools. The integration in Altium makes it faster and easier to leverage analysis data to drive design improvements.
Tight Supply Chain Integration
For securing components and final manufacturing, Altium integrates tightly with leading data management platforms like Octopart and supply chain platforms like Supplyframe. This gives immediate access to real-time component data and up-to-date manufacturer information right while designing.
The integration goes beyond just component data. The supply chain integrations in Altium allow functions like:
- Uploading fabrication and assembly files directly to manufacturing partners
- Requesting and comparing quotes between vendors
- Tracking orders and revision status
- Automating component lifecycle management
This removes the hassle of gathering supply chain data from separate portals and helps make the manufacturing handoff as smooth as possible.
OrCAD has no comparable integrations with supply chain or manufacturing ecosystems. Design data must be manually shared with external platforms. The ecosystem integration is a major advantage for Altium that spans the entire product development workflow.
Additional Benefits
Outside of the core PCB design tools, Altium provides additional advantages over OrCAD and other competing platforms:
- Application integration - Integration with third party tools like Mathematica, Matlab, and Ansys help connect engineering simulation into the design workflow.
- Scripting - VBScripting in Altium allows automating and customizing repetitive design tasks. Lacking this flexibility makes common tasks cumbersome in OrCAD.
- Cloud integration - Altium 365 provides optional cloud storage and real-time design collaboration capabilities not offered by OrCAD.
- PLM integration - Tighter integrations with PLM platforms like Windchill, Teamcenter, and Enovia simplify data and workflow handoffs between systems engineering and electronics design domains.
- Infrastructure - Altium includes integrated infrastructure for revisions control, data backup, and design release management. OrCAD relies on third-party platforms to fill these needs.
The Verdict
While both OrCAD and Altium cover the core PCB design necessities, Altium pushes further ahead based on:
- More intuitive and unified design environment
- Additional advanced design functionality
- Built-in analysis capabilities
- Tight supply chain/manufacturing integration
- Additional infrastructure tools
These advantages translate directly into a smoother overall design process, fewer design errors, faster iterations, and manufacturing readiness.
For users looking to step up their PCB design game, Altium Design provides noticeable benefits over continuing to use aging solutions like OrCAD. The advances in ease of use, functionality, and integration ultimately enable developing electronic products better, faster, and more efficiently.
Summary Table of Key Differences
<div class="responsive-table">| Feature | Altium Designer | OrCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Interface and workflow | Streamlined, intuitive, unified across schematic and PCB | Clunky, disparate tools, separate schematic and PCB editors |
| Bi-directional cross probing | Yes - single click cross probing | Manual back and forth between tools |
| Core PCB layout features | Advanced included standard - rigid-flex, ActiveRoute, Draftsman, 3D PCB, etc. | Basic features, most advanced require add-ons |
| FPGA integration | Built-in integration with FPGA tools | Limited integration support |
| MCAD integration | Bi-directional integration with MCAD assemblies | No MCAD integration |
| Design analysis | Built-in - power planes, signal integrity, DRC, etc | Requires add-on modules |
| Supply chain/manufacturing integrations | Integrated with supply chain platforms | No supply chain integration |
| Scripting and customization | Powerful VB scripting engine | Minimal customization options |
| Additional infrastructure | Integrated - version control, releases, etc. | Reliant on third-party platforms |
This table summarizes some of the key feature differences highlighting Altium's advantages in ECAD/MCAD integration, advanced PCB layout tools, analysis capabilities, and overall infrastructure. Engineers looking to improve their design workflow and efficiency stand to benefit greatly by choosing Altium over aging solutions like OrCAD.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key reasons to consider switching from OrCAD to Altium Designer?
The biggest benefits of switching from OrCAD to Altium are:
- More intuitive, streamlined, and unified design workflow
- Additional advanced PCB layout features like ActiveRoute, rigid-flex, and 3D PCB visualization
- Tight integrations with FPGA tools, MCAD environments, and manufacturing ecosystems
- Built-in design analysis tools for signal and power integrity
- Scripting and customization capabilities
- Cloud collaboration and data management options
Together these advantages add up to making the overall design process easier, faster, and less error prone.
What resources are available to help transition from OrCAD to Altium Designer?
Altium provides extensive resources to help engineers transition from OrCAD or other tools to Altium Designer. These include:
- Dedicated training courses on migrating from OrCAD
- Webinars showcasing advantages of Altium over OrCAD
- Documentation articles highlighting differences in key features
- Wiki guides covering steps to migrate existing OrCAD projects
- Videos demonstrating workflows and methodologies in Altium
- Ready-to-use project templates and component libraries
Altium also has experienced application engineers available to provide personalized onboarding assistance and ongoing support.
Is the pricing similar between OrCAD and Altium?
The pricing model differs somewhat between the two platforms. OrCAD relies on separate add-on modules to build up functionality. Altium includes most advanced features as standard.
When comparing on a basic schematic/PCB/FPGA license level, the pricing often ends up aligning fairly closely between OrCAD and Altium. However, Altium includes significantly more functionality for the price.
Annual subscriptions can lower the cost of entry and help balance ongoing maintenance and support costs. Altium also offers flexible perpetual licensing options.
Ultimately the ROI comes from Altium's advantages in features, integrations, and efficiency. This outpaces any modest differences in license costs across the lifecycle.
How difficult is Altium Designer to learn compared to OrCAD?
Altium follows more modern interface conventions and workflows aligned with the design process. This focus on ease of use and intuitiveness makes Altium easier and faster to learn compared to OrCAD.
The unified schematic and PCB design environment in Altium also helps smooth the transition between logical and physical design phases. This avoids the constant context switching required between the separate OrCAD tools.
Hands-on experience is always the best way to gauge ease of use. Altium offers a free trial to test the interface and workflow firsthand before making any decision.
Can existing OrCAD designs be imported into Altium?
Yes, Altium can import existing OrCAD projects and libraries. The migration process transfers key data like schematics, PCB layouts, footprints, netlists, etc.
Some manual recreation may be necessary for very complex projects or ones using advanced OrCAD capabilities that lack direct equivalents in Altium. But in most cases, the automated migration path covers the bulk of bringing existing OrCAD designs into Altium.
Altium provides detailed guides on the conversion process. Their technical experts can also provide personalized migration assistance for companies with large existing OrCAD design assets looking to make the switch.
Conclusion
While OrCAD served as a workhorse PCB design solution for many years, today's designs demand modern, intuitive tools like Altium. For engineers seeking to improve their design throughput, quality, and efficiency, Altium delivers clear and compelling advantages over relying on legacy solutions.
The combination of ease of use, advanced features, deep ecosystem integrations, and robust infrastructure demonstrates why Altium has become the tool of choice for so many leading organizations. Engineers looking to step up their game should strongly consider switching from OrCAD to experience the benefits of Altium firsthand.
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