Principal Story Teller @wavenumber_llc Create | Communicate | Serve
State College, PA
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altium-cruncher "toon" 2026.9.20 now has some interesting features and bug fixes based upon some feedback on github
1. we now have initial support for altium's rigid flex stackups. it renders the polyimide and bend line references. check out the imu board
2. overhangs, edge launch connectors and reverse mount / mid mount parts render correctly. checkout the sexy led die in the toon render!
github.com/wavenumber-eng/al…
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altium-monkey
2026.9.18
release news & new features
>> .intlib writer support.
you can now arbitrarily package .intlibs as you see fit without a .libpkg. this means packing whatever symbols, footpints your want and having full control over parameters, etc . great for static builds/distributions of a library
general idea was to create static library builds using ci/cd (headless, altium not needed to do the packaging)
>>sch compiler/netlist
with this release the sch compiler/netlist matches altium for an obscene number of cases. the internal test system has several hundred test case covering of multi channel, flat heirachical, .annotion file. this was a key feature and this update dialed it in a bit more
>> some hardening on parsing oddball/old files, wierd unicode things and semi-corrupt files that certain version of altium woudl make.
looking forward this fall (eta Nov):
- headless gerber / odb++ / ipc-2581 output
- proper embedded board array support
- a new manfuactring intermmediate representation for customizing outputs
- experimental rust / native port
in the future you will be able to make manufacturing outputs without altium running (once again for ci/cd / cli / headless).
goal is to fix every bug related to gerber/odb++/ipc2581 posted on the altium forum.
altium-monkey will become the prefered gerber/manufacting output generator
github.com/wavenumber-eng/al…
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For those who follow the PCB automation space, this is where I am going and hope people follow.
If you are interested in solving some really interesting problems, probably the most important programming language right now is LEAN
I think in a couple years all of this nonsense about go vs rust vs c++ vs python will be total noise.
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my dream of pcb renders in the style of Legend of Zelda Wind Walker is now complete.
altium cruncher "toon" is now available for kicking the tires. boards are rendered to svg for docs / cover art using a cell (cartoon) shading algorithm.
here is a demo w/ @QVHenkel 's open source PiMX8MP
dont let the 2d view fool you. this required a full 3d pipeline and some rather interesting algorithms to create.
the open source geometer library is doing the math with altium-monkey doing the file parsing.
github.com/wavenumber-eng/al…
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if you ever think you should buy solidworks and the cloud 3d experience. don't. its garbage.
i am so angry that I am going to make solid-monkey and decrypt the whole fucking format so people can escape
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altium cruncher "toon" will be dropping in a few days (along with a kicad version)
generate toon shaded pcb SVG (and png) files for manipulation in inkscape/illustrator, etc.
perfect for docs and diagrams
this uses geometers new illustration api.
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inverse problems are interesting.
new work in geometer for a new pcb doc system.
given a random 3d model, create a 2D Toon Shaded (Legend of Zelda Wind Waker style) downloadable as SVG (or code for or HTML canvas) for technical documentation / instruction manuals.
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we have arrows in kicad.
should be in nightly build for the am
the line endings also work on polyline segments, so you can make wire drawings with square and circles and the nodes/vertices
the MR has the algorithm I used for the 1st implementation.
gitlab.com/kicad/code/kicad/…
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