New Features in SynaptiCAD Tool Suite v16.0

All SynaptiCAD Programs

Automatic checking for new software version updates. Also manual checking available from the Help > Check for Updates menu.

All Timing Diagram Editors (DataSheet Pro, WaveFormer Pro, Timing Diagrammer Pro)

Virtual states can now be set from waveform equations controls in Signal Properties dialog for quick creation of repetitive bus patterns (See Section 1.3 Generating Waveforms and States with Equations). For example:

(40=FF 10=ZZ 40=AA 10=ZZ)*20

The above Label Equation generated this waveform

New Waveform Block Equation function, GetPrecedingRealValue, returns the state of the preceding event as a real value suitable for analog equations. This is especially important for creating waveform blocks that base their initial Virtual state value from the Virtual state value immediately preceding the block (see Section 8.2 Waveform Equation Blocks for editable Analog waveforms).

Support for displaying bit slices of bus signals in the Timing Diagram Editors (see Section 1.8 Referencing Waveforms from Libraries). Just create a new signal, then use the WaveForm From Library and choose the signal to slice into. Next set the MSB and LSB to the section of the signal to view.

Use Waveform Libraries feature to display a slice of another waveform

New documentation for the BtimPython API, which allows python scripts to read or write timing diagram (btim) files. The documentation is located in the SynaptiCAD > Help > btim.html file.
A timing diagram's dirty flag is no longer "aggressively" set (previously the dirty flag was set as soon as a user left clicked in a diagram window). Now a timing diagram's dirty flag is only set when the timing diagram is actually changed.
Many miscellaneous bug/crash fixes.
Improved crash reporting mechanism.

WaveFormer Pro and DataSheet Pro

Added import for Agilent's 16900 logic analyzer csv file format (see Section 11.6 Agilent Logic Analyzer & Oscilloscope - Import).
Speeded up simulation waveform capture allowing up to 8x faster simulation under GUI.
Faster simulation log window and decreased memory required for text editor and simulation log windows. This speeds up simulations that output a lot of informational data to the log window.
Speeded up simulation under the GUI by reducing overhead between simulator and GUI.

WaveFormer Lite Features

WaveFormer Lite is a less expensive and feature limited version of WaveFormer Pro that works with 3rd party FPGA/ASIC tool flows FPGA design environments including the Actel Libero software.

Added the ability to display Analog waveforms.

In the Timing Diagram, Analog Signal Display is fully controlable using Analog Properties Dialog

New Project Window display in WaveFormer Lite that allows specifying the Models Under Test (see Appendix C.1 WaveFormer Lite Design Flow).

BugHunter Pro

While stepping through the code, new editors will open in a new tab on the most recently active editor window.

Verilog Simulator and Debugger uses tabbed Editor windows to reduce screen clutter

To move a tab to another tabbed window or the Report window, drag and drop the tab to that window.
To open a tab in a new tabbed window drag and drop the tab to a space outside any other tabbed window (see the BugHunter Manual: Section 4.1 Opening, Saving, and Creating New Source Code).
Added support for -g and -G options to BugHunter Verilog preparser to allow the values of parameters in your source files to be overridden at compile time. These options support both absolute paths to a particular parameter and relative paths that match to all instances in the design hierarchy. If an option has an invalid value literal or wasn't found in the hierarchy, a warning message will be issued (see the BugHunter Manual: 5.8 Simx Override Parameter Values Options).
Support for watching bit slices of simulated signals. The bits can be reversed by making the MSB smaller than the LSB. In the above diagram the [7:0] slice has a segment that is 'h43 ('b0100 0011), and the [0:7] slice has a segment that is 'hC2 ('b1100 0010).
Preparser can display "constant" values in project window after project is built (prior to simulation). Particularly useful for checking the computed values of VHDL generics and Verilog params/localparams in large designs.
Improved parsing of VHDL files when packages/components are compiled into multiple VHDL libraries.
Allow individual user source files to be compiled into file-specific destination libraries(see the BugHunter Manual: 2.1 Build and Simulate).
Added destination library management for Incisive simulator (already supported for ModelSim/ActiveHDL/VCS).
Speeded up adding/deleting lots of watched signals (e.g. upwards of 10000 signals).
BugHunter now supports the 64-bit versions of Mentor's ModelSim and Cadence's Incisive. These simulators can now be selected from the Simulator dropdown menu inside BugHunter.See Step 1 Setup the Simulator Path in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual.
The BugHunter build and run commands also create batch files with all the commands needed to build, elaborate, and run the current simulator from the command line. These files can be used to create regression test suites that run on different computers. See Section 5.3 Batch Files for Command Line Simulators in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual.
- SynaptiCAD Simulators: build_simx.sh, run_simx.sh, build_vlogcmd.sh
- Cadence Verilog: build_ncvlog.sh, elab_ncvlog.sh, run_ncvlog.sh
- Cadence VHDL: build_ncvhdl.sh, elab_ncvhdl.sh, run_ncvhdl.sh
- Mentor ModelSim Verilog: build_vlog.sh, run_vlog.sh
- Mentor ModelSim VHDL: build_vcom.sh, run_vcom.sh
- Synopsys: build_vcs.sh, run_vcs.sh
When compiling using Cadence Incisive (i.e. ncsim), BugHunter automatically creates a file called cds.lib in the project directory that tells Incisive how to map symbolic library names to physical directories on disk. This file also includes a link to a file called cds_project.lib (also in the project directory) where a user can add additional symbolic to physical mappings if needed. See Section 5.3 Batch Files for Command Line Simulators in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual.
Enhanced Text Search in the Project window: In addition to the existing "generic" search, faster and more specific searches can now be performed using "hierarchical search" and "instance type search". These faster searches only search through the "Simulated Model" portion of the project window, so you must have previously built your design for these searches to function. See Section 4.4 Searching in the Project Window in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual.
To search for all instances of a component put a period at the beginning of the search string.

Verilog Simulator and Debugger can search for all
instances of a component by putting a period in front of the search stringn

Use hierarchical names to search for a specific object.

Verilog Simulator and Debugger can search for hierarchical names to a specific object

Right click menu option in source edit window to open Show Drivers dialog on the selected signal/variable.
Major enhancements to information displayed in Show drivers window.

Previously only signal drivers could be viewed, now all statements affecting registers are also displayed, enabling full cause-effect tracing through the entire simulation when simulating with Verilogger Extreme. Note: when using BugHunter with supported 3rd party simulators, Show Drivers can currently only show "signal drivers" but not "register drivers" as the 3rd party simulators don't support the necessary VPI interface functions.
Values of signals and variables in show drivers window can now be changed from the show drivers window by double clicking in the value column.
Values in the Show drivers window that have changed since the last pause in the simulation run will be displayed with red text.
Watch signals in diagram from the Show Drivers dialog via right-click context menu. Watch either a single signal or a signal's immediate driver signals.

New right click menu functions in project tree for setting the debugger interactive scope to the selected instance and opening a source edit window to the instance or the definition of that instance.
Enable watching more signal types (e.g. VHDL time and enum types) in ModelSim and Incisive.

VeriLogger Extreme Features (simx)

Race Detection Options: When you want to check for race conditions in your code, VeriLogger supports several options that can be used to change the event queue order. If your design passes with one ordering, but fails with another, this indicates there is probably a race condition in your design. See Section 5.10 Race Detection Options in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual.

--scd_invert_ queue inverts the default order of executed processes.
--scd_randomize_queue randomizes the default order of executed processes.
--scd_mtilike_queue executes events in a similar order as ModelSim.
--scd_immediate_sensitivity makes event control statements at the beginning of a process immediately sensitive after simulation initialization
--scd_mtilike_dist_functions makes $random and $dist_ functions behave like ModelSim when real-value passed as the seed.

New build optimizations (e.g. some cycle-based optimizations, continuous assign collapsing) for faster runtime performance.
Runtime warnings generated for potential infinite loops in user's Verilog code that allocate too much memory.
Improved errors/warnings/messages/notes for calls to PLI routines.
Support for vpiUse attribute (enables navigation of cause-effect relationships in BugHunter via Show Drivers windows).
New option, --scd_ncsimliketchkmsg, prints timing violation messages in NCSim format.
Flags for ModelSim-Compatible Timing (see Section 5.7 Simx Specify block and SDF Timing Options in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual):

+pulse_path_e/error_percent: Sets the percentage of delay for the pulse error limit only for specify paths.
+pulse_path_r/reject_percent/: Sets the percentage of delay for the pulse reject limit only for specify paths.
+transport_path_delays: Specify path delays will operate as transport delays (shorter pulses will be propagated).

Support for $countdrivers systf function.
Support for ifnone iopaths.

VHDL2Verilog Features

VHDLl2Verilog comes with the automated tool, mapmaker, to help you quickly create map files. At a command prompt, run mapmaker with the list of your source files, and it will generate a vhdl2v.map file in the current directory which contains mappings for all of the packages in those source files, plus the default mappings. See Section 9.3 Mapping VHDL packages to file locations in the BugHunter and VeriLogger Manual.
Proper propagation of a range's direction flag when constructing a discrete range that references another object.
Return the subtype indication's range instead of the range of the element type for arrays.
Improved resolution of overloaded functions.
Improved resolution of parameters in nested function invocations, e.g. f(g(x)).
Added a new option -signed which translates the IEEE.STD_LOGIC_ARITH.SIGNED data type to a Verilog 2005 'signed' data type. Disabled by default.
Added a new option -system_verilog to allow translating VHDL blocks into SystemVerilog nested modules.
More efficient memory utilization allows parsing of very large input files.

Verilog2VHDL

Added support for advanced format specifiers (e.g. "%02d" in $display calls). Also allow macros as $display parameters.
More efficient memory utilization allows parsing of very large input files.

TestBencher Pro Features

IMPORTANT CHANGE FOR EXISTING VHDL CUSTOMERS: We have changed the generic name tb_InstancePath, to the new name, tb_LocalBfmPath. If you have legacy TestBencher projects created before version 15.14a, you will need to change any Post calls in your sequencer processes in these projects to use the new variable name.
Insert Diagram Calls dialog modified to allow inserting Post calls as well as Apply and Abort calls. See the TestBencher Pro manual Step 5: Define Sequencer Process.

VHDL and Verilog Test Bench Generator makes it easy to post transaction calls to the execution queque

Ability to specify a destination library other than "work" for the generated testbench files.
Automatically generates Use Library statements inside the testbench if the MUT is stored in a different library.
Improved code-generation and associated documentation for randomizing transactors in a BFM (bus-functional model).
Generate a default uniform random weighting matrix for transactors in a BFM. See the TestBencher Pro manual Section 7.6: TM fill from Random Generator.
Added new PostRandomTransactionType call for randomly generating a single transaction based off the random weighting matrix. See the TestBencher Pro manual Section 7.6: TM fill from Random Generator.
Improved display of TestBencher-generated log reports during simulation.

Improved Optional Features

Speeded up waveform comparison engine.
Store all print settings in diagram views for better OLE image embedding.

UNIX

Changed default font in simulation log window to speedup scrolling (12x faster) when using a remote X server.
Improved online help display under web browsers and new functions for navigating the help files.
General GUI improvement (fonts, dialogs, buttons, etc).

New Features pages for previous versions:

List of Features in Version 15.0

List of Features in Version 14.0

List of Features in Version 13.0

List of Features in Version 12.0