5.0 What's New - Product Updates, Product Version 5.0


4


Product Updates in 5.0

January 2003

Products and tools included in this document for the 5.0 release are listed below:




Linux Port Product Information

The following products and tools for the IC 5.0 release are not available on Linux:




Cadence Analog Design Environment

The 5.0 release of the Cadence® Analog Design Environment includes the following enhancements.




Cadence AMS Design Environment and Design Simulator

The 5.0 release of the Cadence AMS Design Environment and Simulator includes these features:




Cadence Hierarchy Editor

The 5.0 release of the Cadence Hierarchy Editor includes the following enhancements:




Cadence SKILL Language

Over 300 new and documented SKILL functions are included in the 5.0 release.


CDSDoc, Cadence Online Documentation

Version 2.0 of CDSDoc includes these new features.




DFII/NeoCell v3.2 Integration

For users of the NeoCell automatic place-and-route software for analog/mixed-signal physical synthesis, the IC 5.0 with NeoCell v3.2 flow is more closely integrated than in previous releases. The NeoCell software saves changes made during its execution directly to the Virtuoso layout you specify on the DFII database. Additionally, NeoCell returns its module generators to DFII as parameterized cells; DFII supports modification and specification of module generators as Pcells.

For details about new features in NeoCell v3.2, see the Neolinear NeoCell v3.2 Release Notes, which are supplied with the Neolinear documentation.




DFII to Cadence Chip Assembly Router Translation

The 5.0 release includes the following translation enhancements.




LEF/DEF Interface

Version 5.4 of the LEF/DEF interface contains these enhancements.




PIPO Stream In and Stream Out Interface

In the 5.0 release, PIPO is bundled with Virtuoso Layout Editor and Virtuoso XL Layout Editor and includes these enhancements.




Preview Abstract Editor

In the 5.0 release of Preview Abstract Editor, the Create Obstruction command allows you to draw obstructions on contact and via layers such as cont, via, and via2.




Spectre Circuit Simulator

The enhancements to the Spectre Circuit Simulator in the 5.0 release include the following.




Spectre RF Simulation option

The 5.0 release of the Spectre RF Simulation option includes these enhancements.




Technology File and Display Resource File

The 5.0 release includes these enhancements to the technology file.

The 5.0 release includes these enhancements to the display resource editor.




Virtuoso Compactor

In the 5.0 release of the Virtuoso Compactor, the Inhibit Wire Merge command is included in the Constraints menu. This command handles the no-merge mode of user-specified nets.




Virtuoso Constraint Manager

The 5.0 release of the Virtuoso Constraint Manager, previously called the Constraint Editor environment, includes these enhancements.




Virtuoso Layout Editor

The 5.0 release of the Virtuoso Layout Editor includes the following enhancements.




Virtuoso Relative Object Design (ROD)

The 5.0 release of Relative Object Design includes the following enhancements.




Virtuoso Schematic Composer

The 5.0 release of the Virtuoso Schematic Composer includes the following enhancements.




Virtuoso XL Layout Editor

The 5.0 release of the Virtuoso XL Layout Editor includes the following enhancements.




Wire Editing in Virtuoso XL

The Virtuoso XL wire editing functionality is being implemented in a phased approach. Polygon editing and more extensive rule support will be supported in subsequent releases. The 5.0 release introduces the first phase of this effort and includes these new features.




Custom Placement in Virtuoso XL

The Virtuoso Custom Placer is now a feature in the Virtuoso XL Layout Editor, product number 3000. License 3100 is no longer needed in a 5.0 hierarchy. The following enhancements are included in the 5.0 release.




Environment Variables in Virtuoso XL

A total of 163 public variables are documented in the Virtuoso XL Layout Editor User Guide. This includes106 Virtuoso XL and 57 Wire Editor variables. The following tables list pertinent changes about the variables.


New Virtuoso XL Public Functions

New Wire Editor Public Functions

alignApplySpacings

useRulesFile

alignSelectionMode


allowRotation


compTypeRefLibs


initIOLabelType


lxGenerationOrientation


lxGenerationTopLevelOnly


lxInitResetSource


pathPurposeList


pathSwitchLayer


pathSwitchPurpose


preserveTerminalContacts


rowSupplySpacing


saveAs


setPPConn


traverseMixedHierarchies




Documented private variables *

Obsolete variables, no longer supported

autoRotate

dlrNetConstNetClass

congestionMapLayers

dlrNetConstNetWeight

exportDirectory

dlrRoutingBoundaryOption

logSelectByName

rowGroundOffset

lxGroundNetNames

rowPowerOffset

lxRetainFoldOrient

rowMOSInitOrient

lxSupplyNetNames

rowSTDInitOrient

lxUpdateFoldedWidth

rowMOSAlignment

niceValue

rowHorizontalAlignment

removeExportDir

rowVerticalAlignment

runInTheBackground

rowHorizontalOrientations

templateSections

rowVerticalOrientations

templateMerge

rowComponentTypes

unassignedInstRegionLayer


vxlDebugLog


vxlDebugLogFileName


*For internal use only-changing these variables may cause problems with the software






WaveScan

The WaveScan simulation results-processing application is offered standalone in this release. It consists of an integrated set of powerful postprocessing tools, including


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