Moving from CM to Altium - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: hitech95
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2019, 12:07:29 pm
content: Hi,For my hobby projects I've used CM since it's release due to the fact that it's free... (And i was moving away from Eag ... ehm Autodesk)Feature wise it was not bad, even if sometimes it have proper designed software locks to slow down the development)Anyway, I have decided to try out the full Altium (for my new more complicatedproject) so I have asked a trial.I'm still having some problems in finding all the options and the keymap is partially different. My main problem so far is that i don't know a better way to quickly move stuff around.On CM you just needed to select the components (or symbols) and with the M key you was able to move them around and by pressing SPACE it was also rotating.Now on Altium I have to press M ath than use the mous to select an option on the context menu. Is there a better solution?I don't have the access to the vault (beeing a demo) and it don't have lots of footprint, so I seached for a library project.I'm using JLCPCB/LCSC a lot I I know that they have a Library for theirSMT assemblyline.I downloaded it, all the footprints are present but for the resistors.schlib file (Once the project is compiled and imported) the symbol is not present and I cannot place it.I then tried to see if was a corrupted file, but opening directly the resistor.schlib file the symbol was present. I than created a new .schlib file and I copied the component into that.Also this new component had an empty symbol.What am I doing wrong?The only solution that i've found so far is to create the symbol from scratch!Another question that i have, on CM the layers had names like "Outline for M1". Is there a way to configure them?If I use the "Use short name version" it shows back the M1, M2.And so far I don't exactly know what match what.Thanks,hitech95

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2019, 04:16:25 pm
content: QuoteNote that in the context menu a letter in each of the options is underlined. You can use those letters to navigate through the menus. So for instance, hit M, then S to move selection. To place a wire use P,W. This is especially powerful in the pcb editor which has a lot more menu options.I'm not sure about the library issue, as I use a DBLib of my own creation, but are you trying to place from the SchLib? I think you need to build it as an IntLib so that the schematic and footprint symbols are linked and then place from that, but I haven't messed with IntLibs in a while.

author: hitech95
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2019, 05:50:54 pm
content: Quote from: ajb on May 30, 2019, 04:16:25 pmYes i've discovered a fiew shortcuts in the first minutes (also by using some YT videos) but the one to move the selection was missing. So it'sM+Sgood to know.Quote from: ajb on May 30, 2019, 04:16:25 pmYes, the library project is a IntLib that (once compiled) it's included by default.I have both the pcblib and the schlib.But as you can see if I open the schlib file directly i can place and I have the symbol.If I use the Library panel on the right it shows all the components but for some reason the resistor don't have the symbol.

author: hitech95
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2019, 12:01:58 pm
content: Is there any way to automate library copy & paste of symbols and parameters?Unfortunatly the only way to make this working is to create the chlib from scratch.