Reuse of Managed Symbols and Footprints

In modern electronics design environments, component libraries are centralized systems that store schematic symbols, PCB footprints, and complete component definitions for reuse across multiple projects. These libraries allow engineering teams to standardize design data, reduce errors, and accelerate development by ensuring that validated component models are readily available to designers.

Managed component libraries also support the broader engineering workflow of component selection and circuit reuse. When engineers reuse validated symbols and footprints from a shared workspace, they ensure that new designs use the same verified land patterns, pin mappings, and graphical representations that have already been used successfully in previous projects. This reduces design risk and shortens development cycles.

Component Selection and Library Reuse

The process of selecting components usually begins with system requirements and a block diagram that defines the functional architecture of the design. From that architecture, engineers identify the devices needed to implement each subsystem. In some cases, the key components are already dictated by system requirements, software constraints, or vendor relationships. In other cases, engineers must evaluate multiple devices before choosing a part.

Regardless of how the component is selected, once a part number is chosen the design must include a corresponding schematic symbol and PCB footprint. Creating those library elements from scratch every time is inefficient and introduces unnecessary risk.

Instead, engineering teams often reuse previously validated symbols and footprints stored in a centralized component library. When those models are managed through a shared workspace, such as an Altium 365 Workspace, the library becomes a structured repository of reusable design assets.

Why Engineers Reuse Components

In many projects, engineers prefer to reuse parts that have been used successfully before rather than searching for entirely new components. This strategy reduces design uncertainty and speeds up development.

When a component has been used previously, the engineering team often already has:

• Validated schematic circuits
• Known working footprints
• Verified pad geometries
• Existing simulation models
• Tested firmware or configuration settings
• Known power and thermal behavior

Reusing those parts means the engineer is not starting from scratch. Instead, the design can incorporate circuits that have already been tested and validated in real hardware.

For example, if a specific voltage regulator has already been used successfully in several designs, the engineer likely has a known good circuit including the correct compensation network, decoupling capacitors, and layout practices. Reusing that regulator eliminates much of the uncertainty involved in selecting a new power device.

Managed libraries support this reuse by ensuring the symbols and footprints for those components are easily accessible and consistently defined across projects.

Managed Component Libraries in Altium

Centralized library management platforms allow teams to store component models and reuse them across multiple projects. In Altium, this functionality is typically implemented through a company workspace connected to Altium 365.

Within the workspace, engineers can access the Explorer panel to browse managed design assets. These assets typically include folders that contain reusable models such as schematic symbols and PCB footprints.

For example, a library structure might include:

Symbols and footprints stored in these folders can be referenced when creating new components. This prevents duplicate library data and ensures that each model remains consistent across the entire organization.

Adding Existing Symbols and Footprints

Instead of creating new models, the engineer can choose to add existing models from the workspace library.

For the schematic representation, the engineer selects an existing symbol and navigates to the symbol library folder. From there, a previously defined symbol can be selected and added to the component definition.

The same process applies to the PCB footprint. The engineer can search the footprint library for the appropriate land pattern and add it directly to the component.

When the footprint is selected, the component editor typically displays the footprint geometry and any associated 3D model. This allows the designer to confirm that the correct package has been chosen.

This workflow ensures that the same footprint can be used consistently across many components and projects. For example, multiple capacitor components may share the same 0402 footprint while having different electrical values.

Releasing the Component to the Workspace

After the symbol and footprint models are attached, the component can be released to the workspace.

Releasing the component publishes it to the managed library so that it can be used by other engineers and future projects. The release process also allows engineers to add release notes that document changes or provide context for the component.

Once released, the component becomes searchable through the components panel. Engineers can quickly locate it by name and confirm that the correct symbol and footprint models are attached.

This workflow ensures that the component definition is stored in a central location where it can be reused across designs.

Reusing Circuits Along With Components

The reuse of managed symbols and footprints also supports a broader engineering workflow: the reuse of proven circuit blocks.

When engineers reuse components, they often reuse the associated circuitry as well. Examples include:

Because the components already exist in the library with validated footprints and symbols, engineers can easily copy these circuits into new designs without needing to recreate the component definitions.

This approach significantly reduces design time and improves first pass success rates.

Library Management Reduces Design Risk

One of the most significant advantages of managed libraries is risk reduction. When symbols and footprints are reused from a validated library, engineers can trust that the component representation has already been verified.

Common issues that can occur with poorly managed libraries include:

• Incorrect pin assignments
• Incorrect pad sizes
• Inconsistent symbol graphics
• Duplicate components with different metadata

A managed workspace prevents these issues by maintaining a single authoritative definition of each model and component. Over time, the library becomes a valuable engineering asset that captures the collective experience of the design team.

Summary

This video demonstrates how to reuse managed symbols and footprints to create new components.  The video shows users the process to create, save, release and then edit a new component within the components panel. 

This process begins by opening the explorer panel within a workspace and a component folder.  In this, one can see the symbols and footprints for a previously imported component within Altium 365.  The user then creates a capacitor component and adds a model and symbol to the new component.  A footprint, and preset 3D model are also included before the component is saved, and the name is copied for future quick search. 

The video concludes with the release of the component, and a search for the new component in the components panel. This process enables new or experienced users to create or edit components within their workspace component library to better customize their component choices within their projects.

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:18:02
In this video, I'll show you how to reuse managed symbols and footprints when creating components. The first thing you'll do is go and connect to your company workspace.

00:00:18:03 - 00:00:24:07
Then you can go to the panels button and open the explorer panel.

00:00:24:09 - 00:00:34:14
If we navigate to the components folder, you'll see there's a models folder with symbols and footprints.

00:00:35:00 - 00:00:42:08
These symbols and footprints have been previously imported into Altium 365.

00:00:42:09 - 00:00:49:12
The models may be added to other components that have been released.

00:00:49:13 - 00:01:22:08
I'll show you how to create a new component using the file new component option. I'll select the capacitors from the component types. It'll open a single component editor, and here I can give the component a name. I will type in caps underscore 402. And I'll give it the same name in the description.

00:01:22:09 - 00:01:55:03
Under the advanced settings. I want to double check the folder that they are going to be stored in. And you'll see it's capacitors, which is great. I'll also change the package size to 402. Now I can add an existing model by clicking existing. I'll navigate to the models folder so I can choose a symbol, and I can scroll down the list to find the capacitor that I want to use.

00:01:55:03 - 00:02:00:13
For this symbol.

00:02:00:14 - 00:02:11:10
We can see there are a few in the list. I'll choose the top one.

00:02:11:11 - 00:02:19:11
And just click okay.

00:02:19:12 - 00:02:28:12
This will add it to the component. I will do the same for the footprints. I'll choose existing.

00:02:28:13 - 00:02:51:12
And instead of scrolling I'll go ahead and type in the footprint name.

00:02:51:13 - 00:03:00:03
I'll just select the top one here. You can see there's a 3D model showing.

00:03:00:04 - 00:03:09:00
Along with the footprint. And it'll be added to the component as well.

00:03:09:01 - 00:03:36:02
At this point we can go ahead and save it to the server. But before I do that, I want to copy the name so I can quickly find it from the components panel. Once it is released. I'll choose release here. I'll put in a release note.

00:03:36:03 - 00:03:42:05
And now it's saving to the Altium 365 platform.

00:03:42:06 - 00:04:07:13
I will open my components panel that's already docked, and go ahead and paste the name into the field. Then it filters and you can see it found it. So now I will edit the component. And here you can see we have the symbol and footprint that were added as existing models.

00:04:07:14 - 00:04:10:12
Thank you for watching.