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Integrated Libreries
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Cynetik Group

2015

Integrated Libraries Training

Document Version 1.2 April 2015.

This paper was written based on my personal experiences of design and should not be construed
as a definitive guide on the use of Altium Designer software, so it does not replace training
adequately informed or a particular teaching a institute or company training. Herein should be
construed as a guide for the designer, which is full of small tips that will help save many hours of
desperation in the search for a solution to a problem.
This document is under the creative commons license, so the user can copy, distribute, or make
derivative works as long as the authors mention the original document and any derivative work of
this document must be generated under the same license.
These conditions have the following exceptions:
This license does not apply to the contents (texts, graphics, information, images ...) from third
parties such as trade marks or logos as they have their own terms of copying and distribution, so
you should check conditions use.
This document may contain trademarks or logos owned enterprises that own their copyright and
marketing and are only shown herein for illustrative purposes.

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

Integrated Libraries Training

Starting in the Integrated Libraries AD

Altium Designer platform is based on a file structure
that are linked through the main project. This means
that a file Schematic free may not be linked to its
corresponding Footprint unless they are both within
a project previously created. Much of AD beginners
make the mistake of trying to compile a library of
files in Schematic or PCB free, so it can not be linked
not find the option to compile.

Selected Integrated Library in the nex Tab and

chose the Location:

The first thing to understand is that nothing

can be out of the project, the project is the
foundation on which the entire file structure
in AD is based.
Of course you can work separately on both the
schematic and the PCB, but are not able to integrate
all if these files are not included in the project.
Therefore, it is recommended to beginners first build
the proyect and then include the other binding files.

Do not forget to clik OK.

Once generated should look like this:

Starting in the Integrated Libraries AD

Exercise 1: Generate a Integrated Library Proyect

Make a Integrated Library Proyect following these
next route:
File/New/Project..

Now we have created the project. The following

is added libraries Schematic and PCB following
these nex steps:
Right Click on the Integrated Library Proyect and
select the next route:
Add New to Proyect/Schematic Library
and also:
Add New to Proyect/PCB Library
Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

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Integrated Libraries Training

Name your file, chose the Location and click

Save.

Once generated should look like this:

Repeat the procedure for the PCBLib1. Once

you have these files in the Integrated Library
now you can work on them.

Now, right click in the Schlib1. SchLib and selected

the Save As.. Option:

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

Starting in the Integrated Libraries AD

Finally, right click again on the project and selected Save Proyect to unite all files. The Library
should look like:

Integrated Libraries Training

Modifying Previous Libraries

One of the simple tricks to generate a quickly
library is modifying a previous library.
Many libraries Altium found in this link:
http://techdocs.altium.com/display/ADOH/
Download+Libraries
The libraries installed by default can be a good
starting point to create a library.
Exercise 2: Mofifying Previous Library

Thus you can access the files Schematic and PCB

of the library.

Locate the libraries installed on your computer

(usually installed in: C:\Users\Public\
Documents\Altium\AD14.3\Library)

Modifying Previous Libraries

You copy the Miscellaneous Devices library in

the folder where you saved the its own library.

Right double click on the Schematic and PCB

Miscellaneous Devices Library to open on
screen.

Right double click on the Miscellaneous Devices

Library and wait for it to open. In the nex tab
selected: Extract Sources to open the library:

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

Search in the Schematic library the component

for LED in the tab of SCH Library. This tab
usually located docking to one side of the
working window. If not displayed, you can
display it in following the route:
View/Workspace Panels/SCH/SCH Library

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Integrated Libraries Training

Go to your library created and in the SCH

Library Tab set right click and selected Paste.

Do the same with the component in PCB:

Modifying Previous Libraries

Right click on the component and selected Copy in

the tab:

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Integrated Libraries Training

Finally, we go to the Projects tab and we right

click on each file to select and save.

Once we have become accustomed to using

these tools we can go to include a 3D model
in the PCB library .
From here we can modify the libraries of how
we want.

Modifying Previous Libraries

In this exercise we will modify the library in

schematic and PCB to practice using the tools
of the Schematics and Footprints generator.
For the Schmatics generator we will use the
drawing tools:

For the PCB generator we will use others

drawings tools:

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

For this, we copy the * .step file found in the

package of exercises and included in our
libraries folder.

Now, go to your PCB Library and place this

3D Bodys following the route:
Place/3D Body

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Integrated Libraries Training

You must enable the Generic STEP Model

option:

In this dialog box you must select the file

location to include as explained below:

You must press the button Embed Step Model

to select the path where the file is to be
included.

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

Modifying Previous Libraries

Once done you enable the option to select the

location of the file to include:

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Integrated Libraries Training

In this dialog box you must select the file location

and select : LED5MM Leads.STEP and click Open.

Modifying Previous Libraries

In the next dialog box make sure the file is correct

and press ok. In other time will be returned to this
dialog to configure other options.

Once you click ok you can place the component on

the footprint. Only a square is displayed when in 2D
mode.

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

If this is done correctly should look something like

this:

Once you place the component and left click will

automatically reopen the dialog box above, this
makes for replacing another component. We will
use this option to place the following model * .STEP
click on Embed Step Model.

When the dialog box appears select the next

component in * .STEP named LED5MM Light Blue.
STEP. This should be done as above procedure.

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Integrated Libraries Training

11

Once we click the Open button, will re-open a

dialog box where we need to ensure we have the
correct component later to click on the OK button.

Also you must ensure that the file is correct.

Trick: Usually the option of Preview the file * .STEP
is disabled. So it is useful to activate for greater
certainty that component will include. We do this
by clicking in the green arrow located at the upper
right of this dialog box. This can only be done in
some versions of AD.

This is an easy way to select the correctly 3D body

before placing in the footprint.
Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

Modifying Previous Libraries

Once you click ok you can place the component on

the footprint. If this is done correctly should look
something like this:

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Integrated Libraries Training

Once are placed the two 3D bodies we proceed to

place them in their proper position. To do this, we
need to view the PCB in 3D view.
To display the 3D view only have to press the 3
button on the keyboard.

We rotate the components to give a view

similar to the following:

We use the tool Aling Face Whit Board

found in the route: Tools/3D Body Placement/
Aling Face Whit Board:

Modifying Previous Libraries

The first thing to do is place the leads. Press shift

button a sphere appears in the place in which
position the mouse. Whit this sphere we can rotate
the 3D component in view that we want.

Pressing this tool will only see that the cursor

a sign +. With this cursor will indicate which
face we want to align with PCB. First we will
press ONLY ONE Left click in the base of
one of the leads.

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

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Integrated Libraries Training

13

Do the same with LED5MM Light Blue body,

Clicking on the bottom of the dome:

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

Once displayed so, we will proceed to place

them in the correct position.

Modifying Previous Libraries

Was observed with a box selected blue. Pressing

one more time Left click , this aligned with the
PCB.

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Integrated Libraries Training

Press Shift and move the cursor for show the

bottom face.

Press double click in the 3D Body Leads to

display the dialog box component properties.
In this dialog we will modify the position of the
component Standoff Height to place the leads
within the holds of the pads. Once done we
click on OK.

We subjected the leads and align with the holes in

the pad.

Modifying Previous Libraries

Again we press shift and rotate the display to show

this:
You must do several times to find the right
position where you must place the component.
The suggestion is to play around with these
settings to get used to them.

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Integrated Libraries Training

15

Go to the properties of LED5MM Light Blue

3D Body component and change the 3D Color
Opacity for to make the most realistic display.

Modifying Previous Libraries

Repeat this procedure for the LED5MM

Light Blue 3D body and place it on the leds
in the proper position until you have this
appearance:

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Integrated Libraries Training

Be sure to save all once you finished the above

steps.

To add the model footprint go to the bottom

and check what library is included in the
Editor.

To add the model footprint click on the Add

Footprint.

Go to your personal Schematic Library. It is in this

library where we schematic linking the PCB.

Modifying Previous Libraries

In the following dialog box should seek the

Library previously generated by pressing the
Browse button.

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

In the following dialog box we must ensure that

the component library PCB is correct. Once done,
we press the button OK.

Always make sure to save everything after each

modification.

Lets go to the tab Projects. We click in the

right button on your personal Integrated Libres
and selected Compile Integrated Library.

Once this is done our library appear in the

repertoire of altium libraries.
Zion Blue

Review by Zion Blue | Cynetik Group

17

Modifying Previous Libraries

When it opens another dialog box must select the

footprint model just made.
Note: when is not yet saved the component, this
is not displayed within the options above.
Select it and we click on OK.

Cynetik Group

2015

Integrated Libraries Training