Where to find additional component libraries for SOLIDWORKS PCB

When you first install SOLIDWORKS PCB there are only a limited selection of components which you can choose from to create your PCBs. In most cases these libraries won’t be enough to create your designs.

However SOLIDWORKS PCB uses the same library formats as Altium, so this means we can download any library files intended for Altium and install them into SOLIDWORKS PCB. A great source of these libraries is on the Altium website: https://designcontent.live.altium.com/#UnifiedComponents

Simply download any selection of these or the full set and unzip it.

Now inside SOLIDWORKS PCB we can access these new libraries by launching the Libraries panel > Libraries > Install…

You can now select all the libraries which you wish to install from. (You can shift select the whole lot if required):

Now when we utilize the library search we can search all the libraries for the parts we are after (saving you having to define which library should be searched.)

This should save you a whole heap of time when it comes to utilizing manufacturers components in creating your PCBs.

About the Author:

Logan Pegler

Elite Application Engineer

Based in Auckland, New Zealand