Answers Database How to simulate with Workview Office and XACTstep 6.0.1 Record #789 Product Family: Software Product Line: XACT FPGA Product Part: xsimmake Product Version: 5.2 Problem Title: How to simulate with Workview Office and XACTstep 6.0.1 Problem Description: Urgency: Standard General Description: Because XACTstep 6.0.1 was developed before Workview Office was available, there is no automated tool for simlation like the PROflow utility. The following steps will help get you running both functional and timing simulations. This applies to Workview Office 7.1.2 and 7.2 within Windows versions 3.x, 95, and NT (check Solution Record 902 for more NT information). Solution 1: The first thing that must be done is to download the proper XSIMMAKE patch from the FTP site. For Workivew Office versions 7.2 and earlier (except 7.1.2), the file is ftp://ftp.xilinx.com/pub/swhelp/viewlogic/wvosim.zip, and for Workview Office versions 7.3 and later, the file is ftp://ftp.xilinx.com/pub/swhelp/viewlogic/wvosim73.zip. Workview Office 7.1.2 runs only on Windows 3.x and does not require a patch. Follow the directions in the readme file. Functional Simulation: To functionally simulate a design that is comprised only of design elements from the target family library (xc4000e, for example) and primary libraries, the flow is simple. This means there are no XBLOX or XABEL modules, no CLB primitives, no XNF files instantiated, just primitives and macros along with user-defined hierarchy. Just select Tools -> Create Digital Netlist within ViewDraw, and this will compile the VSM netlist, launch ViewSim and ViewTrace, and even run a command file. If your design does have elements that need to be compiled, like XBLOX and the others mentioned above, you will have to run XSIMMAKE. Within windows, there is a tool within the XACTstep toolset called the Simulation Utility that will run this DOS program. Select the top level schematic, family, parttype, and functional flow for Viewlogic, then press okay. This will create a new simulation design with the name SDESIGN. Aside: SDESIGN refers to the top-level name of your design prepended with the letter "S". It will also create a new directory of the same name and add this path to your VIEWDRAW.INI. However, because the Workview Office Project Manager does not know about xsimmake, the libraries listed in the Project Manager will not be updated. You will have to do this by hand, but this only needs to be done once. First close all Workview Office tools. Then open the Project Manager and select Project -> Libraries. Create a new library with the following information: Path: .\sdesign Alias: sdesign Type: writable Hit the ADD button, select this new library, and use the MOVE UP button to place it second on the list, just below the Primary library. Hit OK then save this .vpj. Now you can go into ViewDraw and open the SDESIGN.1 schematic (it's in the SDESIGN library). Use this to simulate. You can launch ViewSim by hand or use Create Digital Netlist here. It doesn't matter if we recreate the VSM file, as this will all be unit-delay model simulation. Timing Simulation: The first thing you'll need to do is place and route your design. When you do so, be sure to check the following option within the Flow Engine. Select Setup -> Options and check the "Produce Timing Simulation Data" box. Then after the design has been placed, routed and timed, you'll go back to the Simulation Utility and run this again, but this time you'll select the Timing Simulation button. If you did not run this tool for the Functional Simulation, you must do so now, immediately followed by the Timing flow. The Xsimmake timing flow requires things that the functional flow sets up, like the Sdesign and the original SDESIGN.VSM file. You don't need to actually functionally simulate, just run the utility. Next, open the SDESIGN.1 in ViewDraw, but this time do NOT use the Create Digital Netlist option. Instead, open ViewSim via its icon and use the Tools -> Load VSM netlist option to bring in SDESIGN.VSM. Run your command file just like you did with the functional simulation. If you do not see your values annotated to the SDESIGN in Viewdraw, run this command in ViewSim: SCHEMNAM SDESIGN You can put this command in your command file. This is only required for the versions of Workview Office that have installed the XSIMMAKE patch. It is required whenever the name within the .VSM file does not match the name of the schematic that you are trying to annotate. End of Record #789 - Last Modified: 02/20/98 11:09

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