Marianne Martinez
Altium is a PCB design software that offers a range of features and controls for designing printed circuit boards. One such feature is the ability to pan the view for easier navigation and editing. While the default setting binds the mouse wheel to zoom functions, users can customize the settings to enable pan-scrolling. This can be achieved by accessing the Preferences dialog and adjusting the auto-panning settings, including speed, step size, and cursor type. With these adjustments, users can control the panning direction and speed, making it a useful tool for designing and editing PCBs in Altium.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Auto-panning | Enabled when the cross-hair action cursor is active and you move the cursor to the edge of the view area |
| Cursor movement during auto-panning | Auto Pan Off, Auto Pan Fixed Jump, Auto Pan ReCenter |
| Auto-panning speed | Controlled by dragging a bar to the left for slower/finer movement or to the right for faster/coarser movement |
| Auto-panning step size | Controlled by entering a value, with smaller values resulting in slower/finer movement |
| Shift step size during auto-panning | Controlled by entering a value, with smaller values resulting in slower/finer movement |
| Cursor type | Large Cursor 90, Small Cursor 90, Small Cursor 45, Tiny Cursor 45 |
| Panning with mouse wheel | Not possible as the function is bound to zoom |
| Alternative panning method | Click-drag on the right mouse button |
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What You'll Learn
Auto-panning
To enable auto-panning, users can go to "Preferences -> Mouse Wheel" and adjust the settings. However, it appears that the option to enable pan-scroll with the mouse wheel is greyed out, making it challenging to achieve the desired pan-scroll behaviour.
As a workaround, users can try mapping the panning function to another mouse button. For example, one suggestion is to map the panning function to a middle-click or right-click and drag. This can be configured in the mouse settings by setting the "Button Held" action for the middle or right mouse button to "Normal Click" followed by "Right Click" after a certain delay.
It's important to note that these settings may vary depending on the user's specific mouse and its driver software. Additionally, different versions of Altium may have slight variations in how auto-panning is configured.
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Manual panning
Another method for manual panning is through the use of keyboard shortcuts. While holding down the Shift key, you can manually pan the view by using the arrow keys. This method allows for more precise and controlled movements.
Additionally, Altium offers a feature called "auto-panning," which can be activated through the Schematic - Graphical Editing page in the Preferences dialog. Here, you can set the speed and step size of the auto-panning function, allowing for a more automated panning experience while still providing some manual control.
For users who prefer a stylus or other input devices, customisation options are available in the application settings. By configuring the button settings, you can assign specific functions to different buttons and create a personalised manual panning experience that suits your workflow.
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Cursor type
The Cursor Type option in Altium allows you to define the shape of the "action" cursor or "crosshair" editing cursor. This cursor is displayed whenever you are performing any editing action, such as placing or moving an object in a schematic document. The available cursor types include:
- Large 90: This cursor consists of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines spanning the width of the screen.
- Small 90: This is the default cursor type, which appears as a small crosshair angled at 90° (e.g., "+").
- Small 45: This cursor is similar to Small 90, but the cross-hair lines are at a 45° angle (e.g., "X").
- Tiny 45: This cursor takes the form of a tiny cross made with 45-degree lines.
- Comp Drag: This cursor type shows how connected tracks are handled when you drag a component. When you drag a component, you can choose from the following options:
- None: Only the component moves, and any attached tracks are disconnected and left in place.
- Connected Tracks: Any connected tracks will remain attached to the component when it is dragged.
In addition to the Cursor Type, you can also enable the Snap To Center option, which automatically snaps the cursor to a defined reference point on an object when selected. This ensures that critical points, such as the pads of a component, are aligned with the snap grid. The Smart Component Snap feature displays the cross-hair cursor on the nearest pad of the selected component in relation to the cursor location.
The Cursor-Snap System in Altium provides multiple levels of cursor snapping during object placement or movement, including Grid and Snap Guides. The Grids option must be enabled for the cursor to snap to a defined grid. Snap Guides provide precise, localized reference lines or points. The Objects for Snapping feature offers three modes: Current Layer, All Layers, and Off, allowing you to enable or disable hotspot snapping for the cursor on different layers.
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Auto-panning speed
Altium Designer's Preferences dialog offers a range of general controls for editing PCB-based documents directly in the design space. One such feature is auto-panning, which can be enabled in the PCB Editor – General page. With auto-panning enabled, the document will pan in the relevant direction when the crosshair cursor is active during any editing action and the cursor is moved past the edge of the document view window.
The auto-panning speed can be adjusted in the PCB Editor – General page. The speed is measured in pixels per second or mils per second, and the number of pixels or mils per second can be set in the Speed field. The default panning style is "Adaptive", where the panning moves at a constant speed when the cursor reaches the edge of the PCB window. However, when there are no design objects in the region where panning is taking place, the cursor speed slows down.
In addition to Adaptive, there are other panning styles available. "Re-Center" re-centers the display around the location where the cursor touched the edge of the main design window. "Fixed Size Jump" pans in steps defined by the Step Size value, and holding the Shift key will pan in steps defined by the Shift Step value. "Shift Accelerate" also pans in steps defined by the Step Size value.
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Step size
When using Altium, the step size is a crucial factor in determining the speed and precision of auto-panning. The step size defines the amount of movement that occurs with each auto-panning step. By adjusting the step size, you can control how fast or slow the document pans when auto-panning is enabled.
To set the step size, access the Schematic Preferences in Altium Designer. Here, you will find the ""Step Size" field. Enter a value in this field to specify the size of each auto-panning step. It's important to note that a smaller value results in a slower and finer auto-panning movement, allowing for more precise adjustments. Conversely, a larger value will increase the speed of auto-panning but may sacrifice the level of detail in the movement.
Additionally, the "Shift Step Size" option allows you to customize the step size when the Shift key is held during auto-panning. Similar to the standard step size, entering a smaller value for the shift step size will result in a slower and more precise auto-panning movement while holding the Shift key. This provides you with even more control over the panning speed and precision, allowing you to make fine adjustments when needed.
The step size settings in Altium give users the flexibility to adapt the panning speed to their specific requirements. Whether you require a slower and more meticulous panning experience or a faster, broader overview of your project, adjusting the step size accordingly will help you achieve the desired results. Remember that a smaller step size equates to slower and more detailed panning, while a larger step size increases the panning speed.
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Frequently asked questions
You can auto-pan in Altium by activating the cross-hair action cursor and moving the cursor to the edge of the view area. You can also adjust the speed and step size of auto-panning in the Preferences dialog.
In the Preferences dialog, drag the bar under the "Speed" field to set the auto-panning speed. The further left the bar is, the slower the auto-panning movement. For the step size, enter a value in the "Step Size" field. The smaller the value, the slower and finer the auto-panning movement.
By default, panning in Altium is mapped to click-drag on the right mouse button. However, you can try going to Preferences -> Mouse Wheel to change the mouse wheel settings and enable pan-scrolling.
