beetem@engr.wisc.edu (John Beetem) (11/27/90)
Announcing the GALAXY CAD SYSTEM...
The Galaxy CAD System is an integrated environment for digital
design and for rapid prototyping of CAD tools and other software.
The system currently includes schematic capture and simulation of
both low-level and high-level digital designs and is being
expanded to include physical design tools. Galaxy runs on a
number of 680X0 platforms, including the Apple Macintosh, HP9000/3XX,
Apollo Domain, and Atari ST. Others will be added according to
demand.
The Galaxy CAD System is an ideal environment for teaching digital
design. It has been used successfully for both introductory logic
design and computer design courses at Wisconsin. Some of the
features of Galaxy that make it suitable for education are:
1. Integrated multiple-window environment: All Galaxy tools run
concurrently in a multiple window environment. Copying data
from one window to another is simple. Any number of simulation
sessions can be active simultaneously.
2. Hierarchy: the schematic editor and simulator are both fully
hierarchical. Building hierarchical designs is simple, including
creating symbols for modules. The simulator is a true hierarchical
simulator: it does not require a time-consuming macro-expansion
step.
3. Integrated editing and simulation: Designs are edited and
simulated in the same environment. Simulation input and output
can be shown directly on schematics, allowing direct manipulation
of net values. Unlike other products, Galaxy does not require
modification of the schematic to insert "switch" and "light"
components. In addition, Galaxy allows display of bus values in
hexadecimal directly on schematics to simplify debugging of
high-level designs. Simulation I/O can also use waveforms,
text files, and tables.
4. Faults: Stuck-at faults can be introduced on the schematic
editor and simulated immediately without rebuilding the
simulation model. This provides an excellent way to display
the effects of faults.
5. Buses: Galaxy supports specification and simulation of bus
structures, including complex extractions, fanouts, and bit
reversal. Buses are specified by annotating nets with text.
For simulation, buses are kept intact so that multiple-bit
high-level components can be used. Galaxy includes a library
of register-transfer components suitable for high-level
computer design and simulation.
6. Alternate specification of designs: In addition to schematics,
Galaxy users can specify design modules using a textual HDL
(GHDL) and using hardware flowcharts and state diagrams. A
hierarchical design can mix these representations as desired.
7. High-quality PostScript output: Galaxy schematics are of excellent
quality. Gates are drawn according to standard practices, e.g.,
OR gates are drawn with the correct circular arcs and not ellipses.
8. Uniform user interface: Galaxy tools have the same user interface
on all platforms, reducing student learning curves. In fact,
the same tool OBJECT CODE runs on all platforms due to the unique
structure of Galaxy.
9. Adding new simulation primitives is straightforward.
10. No cost: Galaxy is available for free via anonymous FTP (Apple
Macintosh version). Other versions will be made available based
on demand.
Galaxy is also an excellent environment for rapid prototyping
of new CAD tools. By building on top of available resources, we have
been able to prototype new tools in days or weeks that would ordinarily
have taken months or years. For more information, send e-mail.
To obtain Galaxy CAD, connect to "eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu" using
FTP. Log in as "anonymous" with password "guest". Galaxy is
in directory "pub/galaxy". The file "README" in that directory
gives further instructions. Please register as a user by sending
e-mail to "beetem@engr.wisc.edu".
John F. Beetem
ECE Department
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI 53706
USA
(608) 262-6229
beetem@engr.wisc.edu