You can script the translation via the command line (using pcbtrans commands). This allows you to map Altium layer pairs (e.g., "Top Paste" to "SMD_Paste_Top") automatically across thousands of files. It’s dry reading, but it is the difference between a 3-month migration and a 3-day migration. Is the translation perfect? No. You will still need to re-route some high-speed differential pairs and re-validate your power planes. However, the Altium-to-Xpedition translator has matured significantly.
If your team is currently migrating from Altium Designer to Siemens Xpedition (formerly Mentor Graphics), you know the pain point: How do I move this database without losing my layer stacks, rules, or component placements? altium-R- to xpedition-R- translator user guide
Have you recently migrated a board from Altium to Xpedition? What was your biggest roadblock? Let me know in the comments below. You can script the translation via the command
In an ideal world, every PCB would be designed from start to finish in a single EDA tool. But reality is messy. Mergers, acquisitions, supply chain shifts, or simply a corporate decision to move from a mid-tier solution to an enterprise platform often leave engineers with a mountain of legacy .PcbDoc files that need to live in an Xpedition environment. Is the translation perfect