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Generating a pick-and-place (centroid) file

Read a PCB document (.PcbDoc) and emit a pick-and-place / centroid file: one row per placed component giving its reference designator, X/Y centroid, rotation, and board side. This is the file an assembly machine consumes to populate the board.

The complete, compiling source for this guide is Program.cs.

Run

# Uses a bundled TestData board (TestData/USB Power Adapter.PcbDoc)
dotnet run --project examples/GeneratePickAndPlace

# Point it at your own file
dotnet run --project examples/GeneratePickAndPlace -- "C:\path\to\MyBoard.PcbDoc"

Where the data lives

Each placed part is an IPcbComponent. Cast it to the concrete PcbComponent to reach the placement fields.

await using var doc = await AltiumLibrary.OpenPcbDocAsync(input);

foreach (var component in doc.Components)
{
    var pc = (PcbComponent)component;

    var designator = !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(pc.SourceDesignator)
        ? pc.SourceDesignator!         // schematic reference, e.g. "U1"
        : pc.Name;                      // fall back to the footprint pattern

    // A part is on the bottom if it sits on bottom copper or is flipped.
    var bottom = pc.Layer == 32 || pc.FlippedOnLayer;

    var x = pc.X.ToMm();                // Coord -> millimetres (use ToMils() for mils)
    var y = pc.Y.ToMm();
    var rotation = pc.Rotation;         // degrees
}
Column Source
Designator PcbComponent.SourceDesignator (fallback: Name)
Mid X / Mid Y PcbComponent.X / .Y → .ToMm()
Rotation PcbComponent.Rotation (degrees)
Layer (side) PcbComponent.Layer (1 = Top, 32 = Bottom) + FlippedOnLayer
Comment / Footprint PcbComponent.Comment / Pattern

These placement fields live on the concrete PcbComponent, not the IPcbComponent interface — hence the cast.

Sample output

Designator       X (mm)     Y (mm)     Rot  Side    Footprint
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FID1               32.5         38      90  Top     Fiducial-1mm
J1                   56         50       0  Top     CNC TECH 1002-021-01000
J2                 47.5         37       0  Top     Molex 2047110001

The CSV (Designator,Mid X (mm),Mid Y (mm),Rotation,Layer,Comment,Footprint) is written to a temp folder; the program prints the path. Numbers are formatted with the invariant culture so the decimal separator is always . regardless of the machine's locale.

Notes

  • Coordinates are the component origin Altium placed the part at. Some house formats want the body centroid instead; adjust if your assembler requires it.
  • To emit mils instead of millimetres, swap .ToMm() for .ToMils().

See the guides index for the full set of examples.