Schematic capture, board layout, routing, signal integrity and manufacturing output in one unified environment rather than a chain of separate tools handing files to each other.
Altium Designer's argument has always been unification. Most board design flows are a chain of separate applications that pass files between them, and every handoff is a place where the schematic and the layout can drift apart. Here the schematic, the board, the library and the manufacturing output are all views onto the same project database, and a change on one side propagates rather than being re-entered on the other.
The schematic side handles multi sheet hierarchical designs with proper design rule checking, parameterised components carrying real manufacturer part numbers and supplier data, variant management for building several configurations from one design, and a component library model that keeps the symbol, the footprint, the simulation model and the purchasing information as one linked object.
Layout is where most of the working hours go and the routing tools are the reason people stay. Interactive routing with push and shove, walkaround and hug modes, differential pair routing with length matching, accordion tuning for delay control, any angle routing, and a rules engine that is scoped by query rather than by layer, so a constraint can apply to exactly the set of objects you describe. The 3D view is a real solid model, so board and enclosure clearance is checked against imported mechanical geometry rather than guessed at.
Beyond layout there is mixed signal simulation from the schematic, signal and power integrity analysis with impedance and reflection checking, rigid flex design with real bend line modelling, and a full manufacturing output package covering fabrication and assembly data, drill files, panelisation and a draftsman documentation view that stays synchronised with the board instead of becoming stale the moment something moves.
Read the whole list before you start. Most of the reports that come into the desk about this title turn out to be a step taken out of order.
| Processor | Intel or AMD, 64 bit, quad core or better |
|---|---|
| Memory | 16 GB minimum, 32 GB for large multilayer boards |
| Graphics | GPU with 2 GB VRAM and DirectX 10 or better for the 3D engine |
| Storage | 20 GB free, SSD required for reasonable project performance |
| Display | 1920 by 1080 or higher, dual monitors strongly recommended |
Install only the extensions you need. Each one adds size and startup time and most designs use a fraction of them.
Keep the application blocked at the firewall. Licence checks run at launch and periodically after it.
| Title | Altium Designer |
|---|---|
| Developer | Altium |
| Version | 26.9.1.10 |
| Category | Engineering & Science |
| Release type | Full version |
| Operating system | Windows 11, Windows 10 (64 bit) |
| Architecture | x64 |
| Interface language | Multilingual |
| Archive size | 5.28 GB |
| File name | altium_designer_26.9.1.10_x64_full.rar |
| Shelf updated | 1 week ago |
| Total downloads | 166,234 |
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Schematic capture and SPICE simulation with virtual instruments that behave like the bench equipment they are modelled on, plus the layout handoff for turning a circuit into a board.