An object oriented approach to CAD tool control [VLSI]

A distributed control mechanism for a large number of VLSI CAD tools is presented. This design framework testbed, named Cadweld, simplifies designer interaction with individual CAD tools and allows arbitrary CAD tools to be easily added or deleted from the design framework. This approach is fundamentally different than many other design framework initiatives that are more concerned with providing a distributed and general data model and tools to support that model. An object-oriented tool integration methodology that treats the tools as objects is presented. This approach simplifies CAD tool control within a design framework, making the framework more general, easier to use, and more capable of supporting a large population of CAD tools. As Cadweld directly extends the unique work of the ULYSSES design framework, the ULYSSES system´s strengths and weaknesses are summarized