PCB Designer and Electronics
If you are an electronics engineer, choosing the appropriate PCB design software for the creation of your circuits is an essential step in the process. There is currently a great deal of PCB design software available on the internet. It is going to be quite difficult to choose the most effective PCB Designing software from among those options.
Both Altium and OrCad are useful for anyone who is interested in the electronics industry. Currently, they’re the most widely used PCB design program on the market. To build your circuits, which one will you pick? Is it better to use Altium or Orcad?
Before we make a decision, let’s take a closer look at each other. Consequently, you’ll be able to make an informed decision and get the best value for your money.
Altium PCB Designer
Altium Designer is a PCB and electronic design automation software package developed by the Australian firm Altium Ltd. It is a comprehensive tool that allows you to design, simulate, and manufacture electronic products. Altium Designer was launched in 2005 by Altium, known at the time under the name of Protel Systems Pty Ltd.
It has its roots in 1985 when the company introduced the DOS-based PCB design tool called PCB Protel.
Orcad PCB Designer
OrCAD is a circuit design and simulation software that is popular among electronic design engineers and electronics technicians. OrCAD Systems Corporation was a software firm that created OrCAD, which is an exclusive design automation program.
OrCAD was created in 1983 and then acquired by Cadence Design Systems in 1999. OrCAD is a tool that may be used to design schematics for electronic circuits and printed circuit boards (PCBs). It can also be used to simulate the operation of those devices.
Altium Vs Orcad – A Detailed Comparison
Free Trial
The most important characteristic of Altium is that they give a license of 6 months for students and 15 days of free trial to all other customers. The Altium Academic Program is a free online platform that gives students worldwide access to expert content and engineering solutions.
You can also request a free trial of the OrCAD software. We are able to test the software without first having to pay for it because we can download and install the trial version first. If the software meets our needs, we can then pay for the full version.
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Trace Routing and Controlled Impedance Routing
Although both programs include many features in common, they have certain important distinctions. When it comes to tracing and controlled impedance routing, OrCad is missing a significant number of features in comparison to Altium.
Integration
You can easily connect Altium to any product or system thanks to the extensive range of software solutions that the company offers. Since it can be integrated with so many different technologies, it is particularly well-suited for use in large-scale projects.
OrCad is a user-friendly tool for generating 3D models from data. However, because it is designed to work with small programs and limited integration, it is not suited for large projects.
Libraries
Altium has a large selection of libraries available for free. This is not the case with OrCAD. They are only giving out a few libraries for free.
Free Student Programs
The Altium Education Program is a free, online platform that allows students all around the world to access content and professional engineering solutions.Students will get a six-month license from Altium. The license is valid for six months and can be renewed every six months for the verified period of study.
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Altium provides more than 200,000 components and design templates, as well as a wealth of free eLearning courses.
The OrCAD Academic Program is a comprehensive set of design and analysis tools that allows students, instructors, and research groups to learn, instruct, and create electronic hardware. The OrCAD student program provides verified students with an OrCAD education license for free.
But the OrCAD academic program is only available on windows and virtual machines are not supported for academic programs. The students are only able to apply for this program through a valid academic email Id. It will take 30 days for the license to be granted.
Pricing
Altium Designer costs a little more, but you will get a much better value and a better-supported product.
Like Altium, OrCad provides Perpetual License and Time based License.
Unique Features Of Altium
Supply Chain Management
A Bill Of Materials (BOM) for your project can be easily generated. Because of this, there will be no misunderstandings with the manufacturer. You may quickly and easily access all of your manufacturing records from a single area. You will be better equipped to create a product that is a hit. Thanks to this feature, the user will have a pleasant tracking experience.
Unified Library Management
The feature library comprises a number of individual libraries, each of which is a collection of helpful models and components. This intelligent platform includes the schematic symbols and PCB footprints, as well as the lifecycle status and supply chain planning, all in one central spot. Users have access to all of this information, in addition to tools for collaboration that can improve the administration of projects and the development of products.
ECAD/MCAD Collaboration
Altium provides ECAD/MCAD integration. Syncing with other CAD systems like SOLIDWORKS, PTC Creo Parametric, Autodesk Inventor, or Autodesk Fusion 360 is now possible thanks to this feature. It is one of the factors that contributed to Altium’s rise to become the best PCB designing software that is now available.
Cloud-Based Platform
The design and development tool known as Altium Designer is hosted in the cloud, which enables users to perform their jobs from any place. Because of this, individuals are able to view it from any location provided they have internet connectivity. The members of a project team are now able to remotely create and update their projects.
There is something called Altium 365 that comes free with Altium Subscription. With Altium 365, you can design, share, manufacture, and do everything related to your project in the same space without any extra effort. You can also share your designs, and ideas and easily collaborate with your teammates or even clients with Secure Centralized Cloud Storage.
Schematic Capture
A wide range of tools, such as design verification, netlist generation, and variant management, allows you to quickly record your design.
Altium vs Orcad – Conclusion
When comparing Altium and OrCad, which one of these two is the superior PCB design software? Both Altium and OrCad are excellent pieces of software for designing printed circuit boards (PCBs).
Despite the fact that Altium Designer is a little bit more expensive, you will get a better value and a product that is supported better. OrCad has limitations to provide greater quality products.
In this matchup between Altium and OrCad, the Altium Designer product stands out as the superior option due to the innovative and unique capabilities it possesses.
