NAME¶

graal - symbolic layout editor

SYNOPSIS¶

graal [-l file_name] [-scale n] [-debug] [-xor] [-install]
[-force]

ORIGIN¶

This software belongs to the ALLIANCE CAD SYSTEM developed by the ASIM team at LIP6 laboratory of Université Pierre et Marie CURIE, in Paris, France.

Web : http://asim.lip6.fr/recherche/alliance/
E-mail : alliance-users@asim.lip6.fr

DESCRIPTION¶

Graal is a hierarchical symbolic layout editor. All functionnalities can be accessed through different menus. Among them exists a design rule checker performing verifications inside a user defined window. Graal works under Motif and X11r6. When entering Graal, the main window appears and shows 7 different menus on the top bar.These menus can be entered by simply clicking on the mouse left button. The main window is sensitive to the mouse, and the mouse wheel can be used for scrolling up and down, left and right when <Shift> is pressed during wheel movement, and zooming in and out, when <Ctrl> is pressed while turning the wheel.

Below is given the description of graal's menus.

File

New : clean the entire window and save the current cell.
Open : load an already existing cell.
Save : save the current cell.
Save as : rename and save the current cell.
Quit : quit graal.

Edit

Undo : undo the previous action.
Copy : copy a selected object.
Move : move a selected object.
Delete : delete a selected object.
Stretch : strech a selected object (transistor or segment length).
Modify : modify the caracteristics of an object (name, width, etc...).
Identify : identify a selected object.
Search : search an object according to its type.

Window

This menu allows user to perform the same actions than the previous menu Edit, not on an object but on a group of objects belonging to a defined window.The two opposite corner of the window are set by clicking on the mouse left button.

Create

Instance : add a new instance in the current cell.
Abutmentbox : define the abutment box of the current cell.
Segment : add segments.
Via : add vias or contacts.
Connector : add connectors.
Transistor : add transistors.
Reference : add references.

View

Zoom : perform zoom in, zoom out, center, fit, refresh on figure.
Layer : select types of layers displayed.
Map : show cursor position in the entire figure.
Arrows : show arrows for moving at the grid step.
Grid : Set the X,Y step of the grid if displayed.

Tools

Equi : highlight all objects electrically connected to a given object.
Flat : virtual hierarchy flattening of an instance (display all visible objects inside a given instance).
UnFlat : undo the virtual flattening of an instance (done before with the Flat command)
Peek : virtual hierarchy flattening (display all visible objects inside a given window).
UnPeek : undo the virtual flattening of a window (done before with the Peek command)
Druc : call the design rule checker in a given window.
RealFlat : real hierarchy flattening of instances included in a window (this command can not be undone, and should be used very carefully)
Hierarchy : navigate into the current figure hierarchy
Load Error : load a real layout file and superpose it to the current figure.
Message : display the last error messages

Setup

Save or load a user defined configuration of default displayed menus.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES¶

MBK_CATA_LIB

indicates the path to the read only libraries to be used.

MBK_WORK_LIB

indicates the path to the read/write directory for the session.

MBK_IN_PH

indicates the file format to be used for the leaf cells.

MBK_OUT_PH

indicates the file format to be used for the generated figures.

GRAAL_TECHNO_NAME (optionnal)

indicates the path to the techno name file used by Graal.

RDS_TECHNO_NAME (optionnal)

indicates the path to the RDS configuration file used by Graal.

SEE ALSO¶

mbk(1), MBK_CATA_LIB(1), MBK_IN_PH(1), MBK_OUT_PH(1), RDS_TECHNO_NAME(1)

BUG REPORT¶

This tool is under development at the ASIM department of the LIP6 laboratory.
We need your feedback to improve documentation and tools.