Designers can now search and integrate part models while designing in real time.
SnapEDA achieved its first breakthrough in 2013 when it designed what would eventually be the first search engine for electronics design. This time, the company announced that the platform will now be available through the Autodesk Fusion 360 app, enabling a broad variety of industries to easily access SnapEDA’s online database.
Electronics engineers and designers can make use of its millions of ready-to-use CAD models for a more efficient design experience. This marks SnapEDA’s fourth integration for this quarter, with Autodesk being its biggest partnership to date. Previous integrations included companies such as Proteus, DipTrace, and ExpressPCB.
Autodesk Fusion 360 is one of the most popular 3D tools for electronics and printed circuit boards (PCBs), and is capable of schematic capture, PCB design, library management, simulation, and mechanical design. The addition of SnapEDA bolsters the program’s unique selling point as a multifunctional program that eliminates time-consuming tasks. According to Autodesk, the goal of Fusion 360 is to prevent the need for switching between file formats and complicated library sorting throughout the design process.
“As products get more sophisticated and complex, it’s increasingly critical that the process of designing integrated electronics and PCBs be efficient, accurate, and seamless,” said Srinath Jonnalagadda, Autodesk’s VP of Business Strategy & Marketing for Fusion 360. “Our collaboration with SnapEDA puts its robust libraries of part models easily at the fingertips of Fusion users, immediately benefiting the engineers and designers who are building the future.”
Engineers and designers can now simply search for the part they need by typing the manufacturer part number or a keyword (e.g., USB Type-C connector) and immediately add it to their design or library. This will allow users to easily integrate design parameters in real time while working on designs and also viewing business data such as pricing and inventory. This capability was initially only available through the SnapEDA site but will soon be included in the Fusion 360 app.
For easy collaboration, the library is equipped with Library.io, which allows users to enable cloud-based corporate sharing and syncing with other Autodesk tools such as EAGLE—also a PCB design and electrical schematic software.
According to SnapEDA, the new app will feature thousands of electronic component manufacturers, with new supplier content to be added each day. Currently, the database offers over 500,000 complex connector models from Samtec, an electronic interconnect solutions manufacturer.
Samtec is showing its support for the launch of SnapEDA for Autodesk Fusion 360 by letting Fusion 360 users request the models of any Samtec parts that aren’t yet available on the digital library for free. According to the company, the part symbol and footprint will be delivered to the user through SnapEDA’s InstaPart service within 24 hours of a request. The free requests will be exclusively available to users of the app and the Samtec website during the launch.
For more information, visit the SnapEDA website to find out how to enable SnapEDA for Autodesk Fusion 360.
