---
name: altium
description: >-
  The map of everything Adom can do with Altium Designer. Invoke when the user
  has Altium open, when a .PcbDoc/.SchDoc/.PrjPcb/.SchLib/.PcbLib/.IntLib is
  present, or when they ask "what are my options" for an Altium project — and you
  need to route them: drive Altium live to add LCSC/JLCPCB-tagged parts, read
  Altium libraries into KiCad, write native Altium .SchLib/.PcbLib/.IntLib,
  source parts, or publish the board as a molecule. Altium is the least-mature of
  the three EDA surfaces; this skill is explicit about what works vs. what is
  blocked. Each surface names its canonical tool; hand off to it.
user-invocable: true
---

# Adom for Altium

You (or Hydrogen Desktop's setup thread) have found the user in Altium Designer.
This is the menu of every Adom surface that works with Altium. **Figure out their
intent, then hand off to the canonical tool for that row** — this skill is a
router, not a doer.

> **Maturity, honestly.** Altium is the newest and least-mature of the three EDA
> surfaces. Native read/write/convert (parsers + `adom-lbr`) is solid; the live
> bridge can add parts to file-based libraries today, but **OutJob → PDF preview
> is currently blocked**. All live Altium surfaces are owned by **barrett-land**,
> not the adom org. Say so plainly rather than promising a feature that isn't
> wired yet.

Detection cues: Altium is a running window (ask the desktop bridge), or the
workspace has `*.PcbDoc`, `*.SchDoc`, `*.PrjPcb`, `*.SchLib`, `*.PcbLib`, or
`*.IntLib`.

## The menu (intent → tool)

### 1. Drive Altium live (their real install)
The **Altium bridge** in Adom Desktop drives Altium via DelphiScript: add
LCSC/JLCPCB-tagged parts to file-based libraries (symbols, footprints with 3D,
value-only display). `AdomAltium.pas` handles refs/3D.
→ `barrett-land/adom-desktop-altium-bridge`. **Working:** part-add. **Blocked:**
OutJob→PDF preview (WorkspaceManager:GenerateReport emits no PDF; needs Altium
Messages visibility / a user Generate click).

### 2. Add parts to an Altium library
- **Any catalog part with its LCSC/JLCPCB PN** attached, so JLCPCB BOM + P&P exports work → `barrett-land/altium-part-importer`
- **Adom machine parts** (pins/contacts) into Altium → `barrett-land/adom-library-importer` (also targets KiCad + Fusion; reads `adom/adom-machine-parts-library`)

### 3. Read Altium libraries → KiCad
- **`.SchLib` → KiCad** — native Rust parser, renders Altium's own geometry → `adom/altium-schlib`
- **`.PcbLib` → KiCad** — native Rust footprint parser → `adom/altium-pcblib`
- **One-shot convert** — `.SchLib`/`.PcbLib` (and EAGLE/Fusion `.lbr`) → KiCad → `adom/adom-sfconvert`

### 4. Write native Altium libraries
`adom/adom-lbr` is the **only** tool that writes native Altium `.SchLib` /
`.PcbLib` / `.IntLib` (with house silk / courtyard / fab-layer conventions), from
one canonical part JSON. Pair it with `adom/adom-ds2sf` (datasheet → symbol +
footprint) to build an Altium library from a datasheet.

### 5. Source parts for Altium
- **Chip Fetcher** — manufacturer-grade bundle including an Altium `.IntLib` (plus STEP + datasheet) → `adom/adom-chip-fetcher`
- **Chip Fetcher Lite** — fast, wiki-first staging → `adom/chip-fetcher-lite`
- **Component pages** — every published part ships an Altium `.IntLib` download.
- **Distributor data** (price/stock/datasheet/LCSC PN, no CAD) → `adom/adom-parts-search`
- **Basic parts** → `adom/adom-basic-parts`

### 6. See / validate
- Any published part/board renders interactive symbol + footprint + 3D viewers on its wiki **component** page (there is no dedicated Altium web viewer — view via the bridge or after conversion).
- **Validate a footprint vs its 3D** (pin-1, EP vias, bake `.step`/`.glb`) → `adom/adom-chipsmith`
- **STEP → GLB** → `adom/adom-step2glb`
- **Browse & add from wiki** → `adom/adom-project-manager` (adds components into the Altium library)

### 7. Publish the board as a molecule
`adom/altium-export-molecule` (KiCad 10's native Altium importer converts the
`.PcbDoc`, then OCCT molecule furniture) → `adom/molecule-publish` → a wiki
**component** page → `adom/adom-molecule-import` into Hydrogen.
`adom/molecule-pipeline` routes the whole thing.

## Sister skills
`adom/kicad` and `adom/fusion` are the same map for those tools. All three are
members of the `adom/eda` family.