Logic simulation for rapid prototyping: necessary or inhibiting?

In the course of numerous projects where we utilised User Programmable Logic Devices (UPLD) as a very feasible solution for building hardware system prototypes, we were often forced to decide how much simulation effort is acceptable to stay within time. In this survey we will show by means of several examples that both reliable logic and system simulation are-although sometimes quite time consuming-indispensable prerequisites for fast and efficient prototyping. Especially when dealing with complex UPLDs regardless of specific families, the turn around time of the placement and routing procedure exceeds several hours even if executed on high performance workstations