SolidWorks App Launched for Altium Designer

Altium announced the availability of the new Solidworks modeler for Altium Designer. The new application by ECAD/MCAD collaboration specialist Desktop EDA is the result of Altium's first add-on app development partnership.

"We've worked hard during this past year to open up our DXP platform technologies," said Daniel Fernsebner, director of technical partnerships for Altium. "This partnership with Desktop EDA represents our first steps in building a wider network of third party app developers and providing our customers with leading edge extensions for Altium products."

Through the DXP platform's unified data model, developers can create add-on apps that have access to all aspects of Altium's electronics design system.

According to the company, this can eliminate the need for translation of external files and switching to separate, external, applications; improve standardization and design flow automation by extending and customizing the Altium Designer user interface; and increase team productivity by creating custom links between the Altium Vault and enterprise systems such as PLM, ERP or PDM.

Released earlier this year, the Desktop EDA offering includes apps that extend Altium Designer's native 3D PCB design features by facilitating collaboration between MCAD and ECAD designers.

Altium is currently working with other developers to bring additional apps to electronic designers, and is targeting a wider release of the distribution and licensing system later this year.

For more information, visit Altium.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.