The second Open Beta version of Altium Designer 18.0 is now available for download. For installation details please check the Installation section below.
This release includes critical Improvements, bug and regression fixes in New Graphic Engine, Properties Panel, PCB and Draftsman. Please see the Release Notes section for the further details.
Important Notes:
A license with valid subscription is required to use Altium Designer 18 Open Beta
Customers who also use Altium Vault who would like to participate in the Open Beta program should switch to Altium NEXUS in “Vault Compatibility Mode” and connect seamlessly to their existing Vault server with full data integrity and preservation of capabilities. The schematic and PCB capabilities and user interface of Altium NEXUS and Altium Designer 18.0 are identical. For more information on Altium NEXUS, please follow this link:
Installation
Altium Designer (Open Beta)
Build: 18.0.8.490
Online installer: https://s3.amazonaws.com/altium-release-manager/Altium_Designer_18/AltiumDesignerSetup_18_0_8.exe
Licenses: Use your Altium Designer license
Altium NEXUS (Open Beta)
Build: 1.0.8.69
Online installer: https://s3.amazonaws.com/altium-release-manager/Altium_Nexus_1/AltiumNexusSetup_1_0_8.exe
Licenses: Please note that Altium NEXUS will (temporarily) use Altium Designer licenses until January 1st, 2018.
Documentation
- New in this Release
- A Fresh User Interface
- Altium Designer 18.0 UI - FAQs
- The Selection Filter
- Designing Systems with Multiple Boards
- Draftsman Improvements
- ActiveRoute Improvements
- Enhanced BOM Management
- Performance Enhancements & New Rendering Engine
- Webinar recording : Altium Designer 18.0 Introduction
- Webinar recording: Altium NEXUS and the future of Altium Vault
Release Notes
New Features and Improvements
#22720 Restored option to ‘show full path in title bar'. To display full path enable the System.LegacyMainWindowCaption setting in Preferences>>Advanced settings.
#23051 PCB - Added the Advanced Options setting Legacy.PCB.3DModelsShowMode to control the display of models, supporting the values - 0(both), 1(Generic only), 2(Extruded only).
#22868 PCB - Restored the Default settings for Drill Table and Dimensions.
#22328 PCB - New shortcut SHIFT+Z was introduced for switching 3D bodies representation On/Off.
#23050 Interactive Properties Panel - added support for editing a PCB Standard dimension.
#23137 Interactive Properties Panel - added support for editing a PCB Leader dimension.
#22593 Schematic - Added text alignment options for Port name and Text Frame.
#23010 Schematic - Selection Filter settings no longer saved in the SchDoc file.
#20795 xSignal connection lines now have the same visibility behavior as net connection lines.
#23244 Added option to run IPP after applying filter through FSO panel.
#22729 Added TXCeedZip replacement for the scripting system.
#22790 Updated to the full version number in the Application title bar.
Data Management
#18854 Data Management - Fixed regression where the preview of a footprint 3D model was not completely loaded in Vault Explorer.
#21204 Data Management - Added 'Check out to:' title to the checkout path box in the Check Out dialog (File > Check Out).
#22101 Data Management - A default ActiveBOM can now be defined in the New Documents Defaults page of the Preferences. Use this to pre-configure: column visibility and order, currency, the number of supply chain solutions, designator groupings, and so on.
#22604 Data Management - Fixed regression in Vault Explorer where parameters did not show after releasing a sim model to the Server.
#22616 Data Management - Fixed bug where edited parameters do not show after releasing component to Server.
#22689 Data Management - Fixed low performance issue during component creation on a large database (TI Vault). SCE/Performance.
#22699 Data Management - Fixed bug where price breaks had NAN value after solution was manually edited in BomDoc.
#22733 Data Management - Fixed regression where it was not possible to change a component's library Source in the Properties panel.
#22792 Data Management - Fixed Regression where unreachable repositories were missing from the Design Repositories Preferences page.
#22793 Data Management - Fixed regression where the application would freeze while opening a managed project whose repository was unreachable.
#22842 Data Management - Fixed bug where errors occurred during attempt to create a project where a client license in not being used.
#22849 Data Management - Fixed regression where was impossible to create / open a .BomDoc due to 'Input string was not in a correct format' error message.
#22881 Data Management - Fixed bug where BOM component height was not filled if datasource is [project] or [ActiveBOM].
#22946 Data Management - Fixed regression where X2 crashes when trying to create new PCL for a component.
#22959 Data Management - Fixed regression in TC2 where Parts Providers options were not being applied during preferences import.
32Bit
#23011 Data Management - Added support page for DBlibs provider and 3D mouse.
#23177 Data Management - Made corrections in warning about disabling Vault support in AD.
Bug Fixes
#10328 PCB - Made additional fixes for a bug where locked textures were not displayed.
#21032 PCB - Fixed bug where the icons in the popup selection dialog were not being scaled for high DPI settings.
#22174 PCB - Fixed regression where PCB Editor Display Preference was falsely marked as modified.
#22204 PCB - Fixed crash that occurred during the rebuilding nets in the PCB editor.
#22392 PCB - Fixed regression where a red outline in 3D and an improper region in 2D were displayed for the 3D body when changing its type to Generic during placement.
#22585 PCB - Fixed regression where components in multi-schema design were cycling in the Properties panel by themselves.
#22755 PCB - Fixed regression in Interactive Routing where a double via was added when attempting to add a fanout via.
#22760 PCB - Fixed Regression where the 3D scene could become stuck while flipping the board.
#22806 PCB - Fixed regression in Interactive routing where via size could not be edited to the user's choice.
#22851 PCB - Fixed regression where an exception would occur when running the RMB > Violations > Show All Violations command.
#22917 PCB - Fixed regression where it was not possible to clear previous measurements while still running a Measurement command.
#22926 PCB - Fixed regression where the 2D view mode of the board was changed by changing settings in the PCB 3D Print Settings dialog.
#22943 PCB - Fixed regression where a value changed in the IPP was reset if AutoBackup ran during an interactive process.
#23053 PCB - Fixed bug where Selection filter had blocked child Primitives.
#22960 PCB - Fixed bug where an Access Violation would occur when the clearance boundaries were displayed during interactive routing in a specific PCB design.
#23043 PCB - Fixed regression where it was not possible to reset the Pad designator during placement.
#22919 PCB - Fixed bug where an Access Violation occurred in the Netlist Manager when attempting to Edit a pin in the focused net.
#23045 PCB - Fixed bug where vias continued to show connection lines after being connected to a polygon on specific customer boards.
#23282 PCB - Fixed regression where was polygon layer and the net cannot be changed in the PCB List panel.
#13975 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where selection and editing primitive handles displayed incorrectly.
#16672 New Graphic Engine - Fixed regression where the surface of a transparent 3D body was through-the-thickness transparent if it coincided with the board surface.
#19870 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where autofit issues occurred after opening PCBs in Orthographic and Perspective projections.
#20448 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where Rigid-flex PCB was partly invisible through a transparent housing 3D model.
#21398 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where the Net names on selected PCB primitives disappeared after 3D > 2D switching.
#21789 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where the layer drawing order for transparent Multi-Layer primitives was random.
#22468 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where the Space Navigator view controlling speed was slow for large PCB designs.
#22955 New Graphic Engine - Fixed bug where the 3D Model Standoff height was incorrectly rendered with a greater gap from the board surface.
#22432 Draftsman - Fixed regression where it was not possible to change the drill table column order for some items.
#22719 Draftsman - Fixed typo 'Lair' to 'Layer' in Drill Drawing properties panel.
#23047 Draftsman - Fixed regression where "Layer stack legend" custom column was not editable.
#23102 Draftsman - Fixed regression where "ArgumentNullException Value cannot be null" error occurs while update particular Draftsman document.
#22478 Draftsman - Fixed regression where SMD and Through-Hole pad graphics disappeared for non-displayed components on a Board Assembly View.
#22486 Draftsman - Fixed bug where no hotkey was assigned for the placement of Additional Views (V) and Annotations (N).
#20470 Interactive Property Panel - Fixed bug where footprint 3D Model displayed with a delay and the UI froze after a double-click on a component on a schematic.
#22359 Interactive Properties Panel - Fixed regression where Tab needed to be pressed twice to activate the Properties panel if it is docked but not pinned.
#22733 Interactive Properties Panel - Fixed regression where it was not possible to change a component's library Source in the Properties panel.
#22866 Interactive Properties Panel - Fixed regression where an "object accessed after being destroyed" error would occur if a second command was run after pressing Tab to access the IPP during a command.
#22905 Interactive Properties Panel - Fixed Regression where an "object accessed after being destroyed" error could occur because certain data updates were not correctly tracked and managed.
#22218 Interactive Properties Panel - Fixed bug where the title block in a user-defined template was reset during opening.
#23107 Interactive Properties Panel - Fixed Regression where "Object accessed after being destroyed" message appeared after modifying net primitives then closing and reopening the PCB without saving.
#22714 Schematic - Fixed regression where negation overline bar formed incorrectly with numbers for netlabel/pin name/etc.
#22859 Schematic - Fixed regression where it was possible to load a schematic template from a location other than the Schematic Template folder.
#22778 Multi-board Assembly - Fixed bug where the colors of some parts (components) did not match those in the source PCB.
#22241 Multiboard Schematic - Fixed bug where “System.NullReferenceException:” appeared after deleting a dangling connection.
#22722 Fixed size of the text box in Object Class Name dialog.
#21618 Fixed truncated text in the Netlist Options list (Options for Project dialog, Options tab).
#19734 Fixed bug where System preferences, Notifications, and User Account buttons were duplicated in several toolbars.
#22595 Fixed bug where 'Paste keepout object' function also assigned a net.
#21888 Fixed bug where invalid operation in GDI+ (Code: 4) occurred on Project Compilation with particular Preferences and machine.
#21935 Fixed bug where Note window in Confirmation dialog was unreadable.
#22254 Fixed bug where the 'Explore' workspace button in the Project panel is always inactive.
#22594 Fixed bug where it was not possible to edit Sheet Number and Sheet Total in Schematic Document properties.
#22912 Fixed bug where the 'Move Component' operation executed the Undo operation which caused the Solder Mask Expansions values to change.
#23048 Fixed bug where an Access Violation error occurred during interactive routing.
#20464 Fixed regression where a 3D model was not displayed when selecting a component in the Libraries panel.
#22371 Fixed regression where opening AD with a previously open custom project would cause a 'Cannot focus a disabled or invisible window...' error crash.
#22558 Fixed regression where Custom AutoFilter did not work.
#22646 Fixed regression where parameters for not fitted components in the BOM were reverting to original, non varied values.
#22914 Fixed regression where data entry style was changed from replacing to append in PCB List and SCH List panels.
#22930 Fixed regression where it was impossible to open a .SchLib that was created by a script that reads a CSV file and creates similar components (same symbol) with different parameters.
#22931 Fixed regression where Local History autosave generates files every second during an interactive process.
#22419 Fixed bug where the number of selected objects was incorrect when clicking Apply in Find Similar Objects.
#22438 Fixed regression where undo-redo functions did not work after a document has been closed.
#22873 Fixed regression where PcbLib 'Delete' key was not working after loading User Preferences.
#23031 Fixed regression where endless compilation was occurring when Variants dialog was open or when compiling a project with components from a SvnDBLib as alternative parts.
