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In simple terms Expressive-IV provides an easy-to-use graphical front-end to your normal VHDL or Verilog text editior.
It was originally developed as a replacement for the white-board or pad-of-paper traditionally used to map out the basic structure of a new
ASIC design, I am sure you will recognize the type of flow diagram shown here. It allows the design engineers, working individually or in a teams, to ‘blue sky’ a design by drawing circles of functionality with proposed signal connectivity and potential I/O connectors, all done without the need to name signals, blocks, connections etc.
Expressive-IV still performs this original functionality but as with all good ideas over time it has developed additional features and functionality way beyond the original specification, but even with this increased functionality the developers have kept to an original goal; that it should be quick to learn, easy to use and run on a normal spec. laptop.
The top level graphical layer allows the easy creation of the hierarchy of a design including in-house re-useable blocks as well as those supplied by third-party suppliers. Once the hierarchical block structure starts firming up users can then start identifying bus names and widths, control signals, I/O connections, as well as adding textual comments and functional descriptions. Functional blocks can contain more levels of Expressive hierarchy, existing functionality or the outline definition for functionality to be written in VHDL or VERILOG by the designer. A couple of mouse click will generate the shell of the HDL file to be used in the designers normal text editor.
Add to this the ability to create and integrate test benches, provide full hierarchical documentation, integrate into other documentation tools, share databases over the web, and a myriad of other useful functionality you will agree Expressive-IV offers excellent value for money to help you, the designer with your task.
Why not look at our extensive product specification and FAQ, better still, why not download a fully functional trail version and start reaping the benefits of Expressive-IV now!
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