Karlsruhe, Germany – 29 August 2013 – Altium Limited <http://www.altium.com/> , a global leader in Smart System Design Automation, 3D PCB design (Altium Designer <http://products.live.altium.com/> ) and embedded software development (TASKING <http://www.tasking.com/> ), has announced the availability of the new SolidWorks modeler for Altium Designer. The new application (app) by ECAD / MCAD collaboration experts 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. Coupling this with Altium’s enterprise-ready design data management system, DXP App Server, apps for Altium Designer can:

• Eliminate the need for translation of external files and switching to separate, external applications through unprecedented access to Altium Designer’s design data and user interface.
• Improve standardization and design flow automation by extending and customizing the Altium Designer user interface.
• Increase team productivity by creating custom links between the Altium Vault and enterprise systems such as PLM, ERP or PDM.
• Reach Altium users through the new app distribution and licensing system.

Altium’s first app developer partner using the new DXP 2.0 platform, Desktop EDA, has more than 16 years experience in developing 3D MCAD integration tools for electronics design systems like Altium Designer, Protel and Mentor Graphics PADS. Released earlier this month, the Desktop EDA offering includes apps that extend Altium Designer’s native 3D PCB design features by facilitating advanced 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.

To learn more about developing extension apps for Altium products, please contact Daniel Fernsebner (daniel.fernsebner@altium.com). Desktop EDA apps are available exclusively through Altium Sales channels, for more details click here <http://altium.com/en/partners/apps/solidworks-modeler> .