Solutions Database

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How to simulate with Workview Office and XACTstep 6.0.1

Record #789

Product Family:  Software

Product Line:  FPGA Core

Problem Title:
How to simulate with Workview Office and XACTstep 6.0.1


Problem 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 XSIMMAKE patch on the
FTP/BBS.  The name of the file is WVOSIM.ZIP and it can be found at:
ftp://ftp.xilinx.com/pub/swhelp/viewlogic.  On the BBS, it is in the
Software Help -> Viewlogic area.  Follow the directions in the readme.
This step applies to Workview Office 7.2 only.



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 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 should only been seen
with Workview Office 7.2 and the xsimmake.xfw 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