Altium needs to fix their UI and bugs

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Altium makes a quasi affordable feature rich electronic design tool. Unfortunately, IMHO, their obsession with being everything has resulted in a mishmash of bugs, features, and broken workflows.

I'm 'forced' to write this here, as apparently one needs to have 'points' to post bugs / features requests to Altium, and I assume that getting points means that you've provided the best answer to others seeking help. Unfortunately, this approach, while limiting SPAM and newb nonsense, also means that only the people that have lived through the horrendous problems of the program can offer suggestions.

The other approach would be to join the twitter community Why Altium Sucks, but Twitter requires a phone number before allowing account creation.

Proper Design Paradigm

Software is art. It should exist in many layers providing new meaning at each layer. For a program like DX Designer, an experienced circuit designer within very short time should be to start using the tool. With use, they'll be exposed to a greater set of complexity and capabilities.


List of bugs and stupid UI behavior

SYSTEM

  • consistency!

The way one does something should not depend on what the item is. It should also be consistent with the dominate paragram for the OS its running under (Windows).

--Example : the way one enters sheet symbols is great. but one should be able to do the same with components and device sheets. if the item isn't open, then it should be automatically opened.

--Example: The HelpURL. Pressing F1 open's Altium Tech help in my systems default browser. Pressing F1 in a way that accesses a component HelpURL opens within Altium using IE.

--Example : File open dialog for many items includes favorites - however when EMBED STEP Model from PCB Library - a different dialog is used.

SCHEMATIC

  • Rotating group of components results in Netlabel upside down. Feature?

SCH LIBRARY

  • Autoscrolling in schematic library

Scroll rate appears to be constant sheet velocity (MM/sec) where as it needs to be constant screen velocity (pixels per second). When zoomed in, scrolling is far to fast.


PCB LIBRARY

-select pads in 2d view, switch to 3d view and back, pads are deselected

ORIG

  • Item Grouping :

- need to be able to select which items are grouped on the task bar. - need to have libaries open (so I can edit them!) but this is rare compared to editing schematics. - right clicking could include ungroup group with similar - group with items for this list add to group

  • Contxt Menus:

-in windows, right click an item is to open its context menu. Right clicking on item in altium however, may include some context related items, but most its just another menubar. -right click on a component and the 2nd and 3rd options have absolutely no relationship to a component. -right click on a the 'sheet' including its title block brings up the same menu as RC on a component. But in this case, nothing seems relevant. At least changing the sheet size could be the first option, and maybe 'design document options' would be another choice. -interestingly right clicking on a schematic page panel tab only brings up context items



  • non modal dialogs.

-In the past year, stop using Tango DOS as my primary design tool (it didn't suck). Not surprisingly, when I performed an action (compiled design, view error report, etc), it blocked everything else. Now 23 years later, I find Altium does the same thing!




  • extra windows (non-dialog) shouldn't pop to the top on selection of

another altium window. Think of how most other Windows application deal with multi-windows. I have the message panel open and when I need to see it, I can bring it to the top. I use the 2nd monitor for transcrabing datasheets into altium which the message box is always in the way. these extra windows also seem to disappear when altium looses focus. Let me control the behaivor of the windows. Wow it is so annyoing - I can't look at the message window and work in another application.

  • after compiling project, messages are not sorted (by class) even though

there is an indicator stating that it is.

  • the message in the message window is ordered such that it makes visual

grouping / sorting impossible For example message wanring where an IO pin has multiple types starts with the problem symbol, whereas many other message start with a higher level description of the problem 'nets wire', 'component'


  • PCBLIST - selecting all Solder Mask Override and then clicking check

box deselcts. Inconsistent behavior. Instead space has to be used.

  • footprint wizzard - silkscreen width is reset to default where as other

parameters keep their last used value.

  • PCB - import design changes from .... - report changes - the complete

package name is not displayed (or printed). Should be wrapped or something. Actually one shouldn't have to print it - but the windows are modal!

  • SCH - compile design - complains of many duplicate designators

-go to reset duplicate designators, nothing found

  • PCB - design with device sheets and duplicate designators -

design import the rooms overlap and have components outside them seems like the only way to correct the duplicates is to bring them into PCB and then re-annotate

  • SCH LIB

- how to adjust default location of refdes, comment, etc - position of parameters changes between symbol editor and placement on sheet

  • PCB - copy paste line doesn't make sense.

the paste should have the same positional relationship with cursor as the selection. Instead, it seems to paste at the same location as the selection with a cursor offset

  • PCB - selection should be smart. If selecting a small object within a

large object - use the small object. Or select the item where at least 1 axis is mostly precisely at the center. Use modifier to allow list of choices

  • Project window - autoscrolling not reliable when moving items from free

documents to specific project

  • When editing sheet symbols much more automatic correction between

symbol could be done. For example, when ports are linked - if properties are changed in 1 place, it should change in the other.

CRASH REPORTS

Monkey can crash the program

attempting to rotate component quickly w/Incorrect key stroke (Ctrl R?) component was pasted several times? attempted to stop with ESC a few times? then the info box comes up.

In other words, a monkey or an infant can crash this $12K program in a few millisconds.



I'm a Altium Novice. What do I know?

Not really an Novice anymore. I've been using it on an off for 2 years and mostly non-stop for the past 6 months.

I've also been a circuit design for 30+ years.

In 1985 as a kid, I started to write my own PCB layout tool. Was able to get something somewhat useful, but making circuit boards from printer was nearly impossible. One need to create a transparency (film) with high contrast, add photoresist to a copper board, expose it. It was a very involved process. Then later in the early 90s I flirted with Tango and PADs and the university could make the films.

As some sort of grad student @ The Institute, I started using Viewlogic in the Fall of 1994 on a Sun Workstation. That was a wasted semester and my introduction to expensive software that sucked. A colleague was making quick progress with Tango (DOS) so over the Winter Break I purchased a parallel port emulator to run the program and in few days sent out the first prototype of a DSP based color vision system.

I make great designs with Tango DOS for the next 20 years. The tool is FAST, simple, rarely crashes, has a reasonable autorouter. I was able to extend it in many ways to 'multitask' and add modern features. Unfortunately, I also be the last person in the Affluent parts of the world using it. Most have switched to bloated programs that have pretty graphics that otherwise drain their lives of valuable time. I know - I've evaluated so many of them.

I am now one of these people spending time swearing at this grab bag of features and bugs. I'm writing this because the only outlet of the frequent crashs in the "please provide any additional comments". Altium might be receiving several million of these an hour, so they're probably ignored.

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