Dashboard

Altium variants

Choose which Altium design variant to build when your project file declares variants, and what the import does with the choice.

If your .PrjPcb project file declares design variants, the upload page asks which one to build before you create the revision. Upload the project file together with your .SchDoc and .PcbDoc files; see Do you support Altium .PrjPcb files?.

Choosing a variant

The project file's row asks "Which variant should we build?" and lists the base design and every variant in the project, with what each one changes. Your choice is shown on the row and recorded with the revision.

The picker appears only for Altium Designer boards, and only when the upload holds one project file. With several project files the import builds the base design; keep the one that lists your board.

A variant without a name, or one whose name another variant shares (ignoring case), cannot be chosen, because an Altium output job could not select it either. Rename it in Altium and upload the project file again.

What the import does with a variant

  • Not fitted parts are marked DNP in the placements, as a DNP column in a CSV BOM would mark them: they are neither purchased nor placed, and they stay on the bill of materials.
  • Fabrication outputs follow the variant only when the variant has Allow variation of fabrication outputs enabled in Altium's Variant Management. Even then, only the solder paste layer changes: not fitted parts lose their paste openings when Allow variation for paste mask is also enabled. Fitting a part differently never touches silkscreen, copper or solder mask. The picker tells you when a variant's fabrication outputs will be the base design's.
  • Alternate parts and parameter changes are not applied yet. The import uses the base part data for those components and records what the variant asked for. Until they are applied, supply a CSV BOM with the alternates, or tell us in an issue after ordering.
  • Variant-level project parameters take effect wherever special strings use them.

With a separate BOM

A separate BOM is applied after the variant, so its Fitted or DNP column overrides a variant's not fitted parts, and Placements not in the BOM should not be fitted applies as usual.

Uploads without the picker

Uploads through the platform API build the base design, as do revisions created before variants could be chosen.