SynaptiCAD Supports TestBuilder Development
BLACKSBURG, VA, December 15, 2001 –
SynaptiCAD, the design technology leader for timing diagram editing and test bench
generation, today announced the release of TestBencher Pro v8.0, which adds support for
mixed C++ and HDL test benches using the open standard TestBuilder library. TestBencher
Pro provides designers with a graphical environment for rapidly generating system level
test benches composed of cycle-based or time-based bus functional models. TestBencher
generates all of the low-level transaction code, verification code, sequence detection,
error reporting, and file I/O code.
VHDL and Verilog test benches
generated by TestBencher can optionally be linked to C++ code via the TestBuilder C++
library. This library provides many useful verification capabilities, including
constrained random data generation, support for complex data structures, and temporal
assertion checking. TestBuilder also provides an easier method for integrating C/C++ based
models into a test bench rather than using a “raw” PLI-based approach (C-based
models are often used as a golden reference to compare an RTL-level model against during
simulation).
TestBencher Speeds TestBuilder
Development
SynaptiCAD has
also ported the TestBuilder source code to Windows, making it a truly cross-platform
solution. Dan Notestein, president of SynaptiCAD, said “For the first time, designers
can get a complete test bench development environment for under $20K per seat that works
on both Unix and Windows platforms. By combining TestBencher with the TestBuilder library,
we’ve shattered the existing price barrier for advanced test bench verification, and
at the same time created a new standard for speed and ease of use in test bench
development.”
TestBencher
streamlines the process of creating TestBuilder-based test benches, making it easy for new
users to quickly get up and running with C++ based test bench development. Traditionally
C++ based test benches have required a verification engineer with significant knowledge of
PLI-internals, a lot of practical experience, and a lot of patience. Using the
TestBencher/TestBuilder combination, you can build a simple C++ based test bench from
ground up in about twenty minutes.
TestBuilder Graphical Design
Environment
TestBencher
Pro can control external simulators through its graphical interface, so that compilation
and simulation of the project can be handled without having to exit TestBencher. This is
particularly useful for TestBuilder users because test benches are built using a C++
compiler and simulated using a VHDL or Verilog simulator. With TestBencher, all of the
details about the external compiler and simulator are automatically handled, so that the
test bench is seamlessly built and linked into the simulator transparently each time the
user updates his test bench source files. The generated test benches can be compiled and
simulated using all major VHDL and Verilog simulators. The user’s C++ source files
are automatically compiled with either GNU gcc or Microsoft’s C++ compiler. Waveform
results and log files from a simulation run are automatically imported and displayed
inside TestBencher so that you develop and test your design without needing to leave the
TestBencher Pro development environment.
About TestBencher Pro System
Level Design
TestBencher
Pro generates VHDL and Verilog test benches using graphical timing diagrams, information
extracted from the model under test, and a top-level test bench file.
The only code
that the user writes is at the system level (the top-level test bench file); all of the
other code is automatically generated. In the sequencer process of the top-level test
bench file, the user specifies the order and logic in which to apply the timing diagram
transaction calls to the model under test by selecting from a list of available
transactions.
TestBuilder is
a free open source C++ class library that extends C++ into an advanced test bench
development language. For more information on TestBuilder contact Cadence at www.testbuilder.net .
SynaptiCAD products are available now from
EuroEDA. Use this link to request more information,
or download an evaluation now. Additional
information about SynaptiCAD and their full product range may be viewed at www.syncad.com. |
