---
name: altium-export-molecule
description: Ship an Altium Designer board to the Adom wiki as a molecule — route the .PcbDoc through KiCad 10's native Altium importer on the user's laptop, make it molecule-ready (markers + machine-pin 3D models), then follow kicad-export-molecule / molecule-publish for the OCCT convert, wiki publish, and Hydrogen import. Use when the user says "altium molecule", "publish my altium board", "altium to hydrogen", "altium to the wiki", "PcbDoc molecule", "export molecule from altium". For KiCad sources see kicad-export-molecule; for Fusion see fusion-export-molecule.
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: "<.PcbDoc path> [--owner <hydrogen owner>]"
---

# altium-export-molecule — Altium board → KiCad → wiki molecule

> **Status: adapter — direct-path redesign underway (owner: Barrett).** The
> KiCad pass-through below works today but is interim; the target flow is
> Altium-native (his Adom library importer + native STEP export + an Altium
> board-metadata importer) with no KiCad in the loop. This page will be
> rewritten when that lands.
>
> **Original adapter note.** There is no Altium bridge and the molecule board parser
> (molecule-metadata) reads `.kicad_pcb`/`.brd`, not `.PcbDoc`. The supported
> route is: **convert to KiCad once, then run the KiCad flow.** This skill
> covers the conversion + molecule-readiness fixups; everything after that is
> [`kicad-export-molecule`](https://wiki.adom.inc/adom/kicad-export-molecule).

## Stage 0 — Preflight

- `adom-desktop ping` works and the **KiCad bridge** is installed (the
  conversion runs in KiCad on the laptop; Altium itself is never driven).
- **KiCad 10** on the laptop — its Altium importer is what we use.
- Have the `.PcbDoc` (and `.SchDoc` if a symbol is wanted) on the laptop.

## Stage 1 — Import the Altium board into KiCad (laptop)

KiCad's native importer (GUI, driven via the bridge): **File → Import →
Non-KiCad Board File → Altium** on the `.PcbDoc`, then save as a KiCad
project. `kicad-cli` has no headless project-import, so this step goes
through the KiCad bridge (`kicad_open_*` + window verbs) or the user does it
by hand once.

Verify after import: board outline, copper, and drills survived; footprints
are sane. Altium importer output is good but not perfect — eyeball it in the
board editor before proceeding.

## Stage 2 — Make it molecule-ready (usually required)

Altium boards arrive WITHOUT the Adom molecule furniture. Check and fix:

- **4 corner machine pins + MP1–MP4 marker models** — if absent, this is a
  board-design task: use `kicad-to-molecule` (adds wings + corner machine
  pins) or place them manually from the Adom KiCad library.
- **Machine-pin/contact 3D models resolve locally** — they must load in
  KiCad's 3D viewer to be baked into the STEP.
- Pad drills for machine pins must match the standard buckets so the
  footprint parser classifies them (medium/large).

## Stage 3 — Hand off to the KiCad flow

From here the board IS a KiCad molecule. Follow
**`kicad-export-molecule`** end to end: STEP export on the laptop → OCCT
molecule-mode convert (anchored GLB + footprint + symbol) → `adom-wiki pkg
publish` → `adom-molecule-import` into Hydrogen.

## Footprint-library note (different job)

If the ask is just Altium **footprints** (`.PcbLib`/`.IntLib`) rather than a
board, that's `altium-pcblib` territory (native Rust parser → KiCad-shaped
pad JSON, used by chipsmith/concur) — not this skill.

## Related

- `kicad-export-molecule` — the flow this adapter feeds into
- `fusion-export-molecule` — Fusion 360 sibling
- `kicad-to-molecule` — add wings + machine pins to a plain board
- `adom-molecule-import` — the Hydrogen import half