Altium NeXUS 4.0 Released: 17 December 2020 - Version: 4.0.8 (build 67)

This latest update to Altium NEXUS continues to deliver new features and enhancements to the software's core technologies, while also addressing many issues raised by customers through the AltiumLive Community's BugCrunch system. Along with delivering a range of new features that develop and mature the existing technologies, it also incorporates a large number of fixes and enhancements across the software as a whole, helping designers continue to create cutting-edge electronics technology.


Enhanced Document Commenting
In conjunction with the recent updates made to Commenting features in an Altium 365 Workspace, Altium Designer now offers a parallel set of revised and enhanced Commenting capabilities when connected to an Altium server.
Commenting in the design space has been notably improved in terms of graphics, usability and relevant information, and remains backward compatible with previously placed comments. Comments are now placed directly from within the Comments panel, include a preview screen capture, offer freehand drawing capabilities, the mention/assignment of team members, and flexible visibility and filtering options.

Schematic Editor Productivity Improvements
New and improved tools simplify the task of analyzing the connectivity in a schematic project. Hover the mouse over a net to examine both the logical (schematic) and the physical (PCB) net name; Alt+Click on the net to highlight that net throughout the project; and Alt+Double+Click on the net to display a tree of all sheets that the net is on, then click to check out that net on one of those sheets.
- Simplified net analysis and improved net details.
- Automatic sheet numbering in the Projects panel.
- Page references for Off Sheet connectors.

Design Collaborator Visualization and Conflict Prevention
To fulfill the need for real-time document sharing status and control in an Altium design editing environment, a series of updates to both the Altium design and server platforms has introduced a new system for visualizing and reacting to the current status of shared design documents.
The system allows you to see, in real-time, who is viewing or editing a shared document, and is enabled by the free flow of document sharing data between design clients via an Altium Workspace (required). The visualization for collaborators is realized through a series of new status icons, a Collaborators Bar and additional file locking logic.

Generic Components
This release introduces the concept of standard Generic Components, which can quickly be placed in a design without the need to find and choose a specific manufactured part.
Generic Components are intended as placeholders that are easily replaced by parameter-matched real-world components later in the design process

SPICE Simulation User Interface Updates
Following on from the recent introduction of an advanced new SPICE Simulation engine for Altium Designer, which delivered improved speed, solution convergence, accuracy and reliability, this new release focuses on user interface improvements to the software's mixed-signal SPICE Simulation workflow.
The Simulation interface updates include a new intuitive Simulation Dashboard panel, a revised Sim Model dialog and general interface updates. The new Simulation workflow (based on the Simulation Dashboard) is offered as an alternative to the existing approach based on the Analyses Setup dialog. Also included is a comprehensive range of ready-to-use Simulation Generic components.

New Design Rules Editor
The new design Rules Editor offers an alternative approach to viewing, creating and managing the design constraint rules used for PCB layouts. Provided as a document-based user interface, the reimagined Rules Editor coexists with the existing Rules and Constraints Editor, but takes a design-orientated rather than rule-orientated approach to PCB design rules and constraints.
Accessed from within the existing Rules and Constraints Editor, the new Rules Editor takes a simplified, more intuitive approach to the creation of design rules by avoiding query-based rule scoping, integrating multiple rules by object type, automatically deducing and applying rule priority, and more...

New PCB Length Tuning Patterns
This release sees extensive improvements to the PCB editor's length tuning technologies with the introduction of new Trombone and Sawtooth tuning patterns. These new tuning patterns are rendered within a tuning sleeve, making it easy to slide the pattern along a route and around corners.

Improved Interactive Dragging
Via dragging behavior has been improved with the introduction of Gloss Effort controls for both the net under edit and any Neighbor nets. Differential pair dragging has also been improved, pairs now remain coupled regardless of the dragging direction, and via pairs also remain coupled during dragging.

Rigid-Flex Design Improvements
This new release includes significant improvements to the process of working with Rigid-Flex board designs in Altium Designer. Along with a large number of bug fixes and enhancements, this next stage of development in Altium's Rigid-Flex technology - Rigid-Flex 2.0 - delivers functional improvements in the following areas:
- The ability to build the Board Shape up by interactively defining the individual Regions in Board Planning Mode.
- Simplified definition of Bending Lines.
- Improved editing of the Regions and Bending Lines in the Properties panel.
- Coming soon - realistic stack-up visualization in the Layer Stack Manager.

Additional Enhancements and Improvements
Along with the major updates listed above, a key focus for this release has been polishing and improving the existing feature set. Based on forum feedback and Altium's BugCrunch system, there are numerous additional enhancements in this release. A few of these improvements include:
- Component Pin to Multiple Pad Mapping is now available in the Single Component Editor, using the new Pins panel.
- Alternate schematic component symbols can now be given a user-defined name.
- Additional options for the PCB Component Clearance design rule - you can now exclude components without a 3D Body from being checked, as well as choose to have clearance checked using the component boundary.
- Internal planes can now use the same pouring algorithm as polygons placed on a signal layer, giving improved shape definition and pad/via connections.
- Embedded Board Arrays now support array placement at any angle.
- New PCB Special String For Layer Thickness.
- Quick Routing and Quick Differential Pair Routing Tools for more responsive interactive routing.
- Updated ODBᐩᐩ Setup Dialog - giving better control of how mechanical layer data is merged into the outputs.
- A new rectangle object has been added to the PCB Editor's Place menu.
- Simpler process of placing a Graphic on the PCB, via the new Place » Graphic command.
- Numerical keypad support for 3D View Move and Rotate actions.
- Mechanical Layers can now be included in the 3D - ideal for annotating the 3D image.
- New Export command to output the 3D PCB as an image - with user control over the format and image resolution.

Altium NEXUS 4.0.9 (Update 1 Hot Fix) - Build: 70 Date: 11 January 2021

Schematic
41253 User-defined variant parameter values were not displayed on the schematic document.
41983 Alpha Numeric Suffix was not applied for Numeric state.
42325 Variant parameters included in Special strings were not shown on the Schematic sheet.
42845 Parameter values with a dash (-) and zeroes display incorrectly. (BC:14889)
PCB
42726 Paste Masks are not displayed for primitives in the PCB library. (BC:14892)
42863 Dead copper around a Keepout was not removed when repouring Polygons.
42973 Incorrect 3D models are displayed in the 3D view when the PCB document is opened.
Platform
42572 Access violation in ScriptingSystem.dll during component creation in Altium Library Loader script from Samacsys.

Altium NEXUS represents decades of innovation and development focused on creating a truly unified design environment - One that enables users to effortlessly connect with every facet of the PCB design process. With features that have pioneered change and an ever-growing community of users, advocates, educators, and experts, Altium NEXUS is truly transforming the industry and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Experience the world's finest PCB design product for yourself and see why more Engineers and Designers choose Altium than any other product available.

Altium Design 21: A Better Way to Design - What's New Webinar









Altium Ltd. is a multinational software corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, that focuses on electronics design systems for 3D PCB design and embedded system development. Altium products are found everywhere from world leading electronic design teams to the grassroots electronic design community. Founded in 1985, Altium has offices worldwide, with US locations in San Diego, Boston and New York City, European locations in Karlsruhe, Amersfoort, Kiev, Munich, Markelo and Zug, and Asia Pacific locations in Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney.

Product: Altium Nexus
Version: 4.0.9 (Update 1 Hot Fix) Build 70
Supported Architectures: x64
Website Home Page : www.altium.com
Language: english
System Requirements: PC *
Size: 3.3 Gb


Below are the recommended system requirements to install and run Altium NEXUS.

Recommended System Requirements

- Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit only), Windows 8 (64-bit only), or Windows 10 (64-bit only) Intel Core i7 processor or equivalent
- 16GB RAM
- 10GB hard disk space (Install + User Files)
- SSD
- High performance graphics card (supporting DirectX 10 or better), such as GeForce GTX 1060/Radeon RX 470
- Dual monitors with 2560x1440 (or better) screen resolution
- 3D mouse for 3D PCB design, such as the Space Navigator
- Adobe Reader (version XI or later for 3D PDF viewing)
- Internet Connection
- Up to date Web browser
- Microsoft Office 32-bit or 64-bit (Microsoft Excel required for BOM, Microsoft Access required for DbLibs). 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 (required for DbLibs) - this is included in Microsoft Office 64-bit, but not included in Microsoft Office 32-bit).