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wasted ability to choose different footprints?

Sparkylabs

The ability to assign multiple footprints to a part is nice but it immediately creates a conflict for BOM's as supplier links or other ordering information entered into the parts "parameters" become useless as for example I could create an opamp part and assign both DIP8 and SOIC8 footprints to it but there is as far as I know, no way to assign different parameters based on footprints. Is this correct or is there some functionality I don't know about?

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  • in reply to Sparkylabs

    Yes, I'm quite sure that in CS (and also in Altium AD) you cannot copy the individual parameters in bulk between the schematic symbols.  You can only copy individual text strings in the usual Windows manner.  You can certainly copy entire SCH and PCB library parts between libraries by the right-click-COPY-PASTE method.

     

    In AD you can use the Parameter Manager tool to do quick parameter manipulation and editing on a library or an individual design though.  CS lacks this and my guess it is intentional to differentiate a higher end AD from the low-end CS products. At some point, you have to decide if the extra productivity enhancements justify the upgrade from CS to AD.

     

    I think it is possible for smaller companies to have one seat of AD and another couple of CS seats for schematic entry only and maybe for simple PCBs.  Library management can then be done in AD since libraries are compatible.  If you are an individual or a very small company and cannot afford AD at all then it is a productivity issue.

     

    For that reason, I have previously suggested that Altium allow a few possibilities of separate add-on purchases such as:

    - Find similar searching (and global edit/replacement)

    - Parameter Manager in both schematic library and in schematics

    - IPC footprint generator

    - Cam viewer

    - Footprint manager in both pcb library and in PCB designs

     

    I would consider paying an extra fee for some or all of these features.  If you could add them all to CS you would almost have AD but not quite.  They could still choose to not offer the flex circuit designs or the logic-based searching or some of the 3D mode manipulation in PCB (e.g. moving silk legend in 3D) as the highest level of product differentiation.