Free CAD tools 'Alliance'

[Harryzhu]

Hello, Everyone

I've found one free CAD tool named as Alliance and which website is
http://www-asim.lip6.fr/recherche/alliance/.
It includes a VHDL compiler and simulator, logic synthesis tools, and
automatic place and route tools. A complete set of portable CMOS libraries
is provided.
Alliance VLSI CAD System is free software. Binaries, source code and cells
libraries are freely available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
You are welcome to use the software package even for commercial designs
without any fee.
Has anyone tried it?
BTW,Since it's VHDL supported, I remember there's one small script which
can convert verilog HDL to VHDL, doesn't it? But I cannot find it now. If
you have one, would you please share it? Thanks for your help!

Best Regards,

Harryzhu

 

[Bernd Fischer]

Harryzhu wrote:

BTW,Since it's VHDL supported, I remember there's one small script which
can convert verilog HDL to VHDL, doesn't it?

If you'r looking for a free Verilog Simulator go to
http://icarus.com/eda/verilog/

Bernd

 

[fogh]

Bernd Fischer > wrote:

Harryzhu wrote:

BTW,Since it's VHDL supported, I remember there's one small script
which
can convert verilog HDL to VHDL, doesn't it?


If you'r looking for a free Verilog Simulator go to
http://icarus.com/eda/verilog/

Bernd
for a simulator, you could be better off with antrim's

http://www.pragmatic-c.com/gpl-cver/
since it s native compiled.

 

[Svenn Are Bjerkem]

Harryzhu wrote:

I've found one free CAD tool named as Alliance and which website is
http://www-asim.lip6.fr/recherche/alliance/.
It includes a VHDL compiler and simulator, logic synthesis tools, and
automatic place and route tools. A complete set of portable CMOS libraries
is provided.
Alliance VLSI CAD System is free software. Binaries, source code and cells
libraries are freely available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
You are welcome to use the software package even for commercial designs
without any fee.

I think you have to mention that the design was created with alliance if
you use it. Could be a snag if your design flow has to be certified.
(Somebody to blame financially if something blows up)

Has anyone tried it?

Not lately, I tried to compile it at home one weekend some years ago,
but it is limited how much I want to fight CAD tools on my spare time
.... It didn't compile clean then, so I dropped it.

If you want to evaluate free tools, then check out electric on
www.staticfreesoft.com. Steve Rubin is rewriting his soft to run on
java. Has been used for designs.

There is also magic http://bach.ece.jhu.edu/~tim/programs/magic and
xcircuit http://xcircuit.ece.jhu.edu/index.html that Tim Edwards
maintain that also has been used for real designs. Magic can be used as
a nice GDSII viewer if you know your layers.

--
Svenn