Development Model for ADE and ViVA
Virtuoso Analog Design Environment (ADE) and ViVA follow a development model that allows new content to be added in every third ISR. These content ISRs receive additional usability testing, product validation, and demonstrations and beta testing with customers. This development model gives R&D long enough development cycles to add meaningful content while ensuring that quality and stability of the main ISR stream is not compromised.
While this development model provides an excellent method to deploy new features and functionality in a frequent but controlled manner, it also presents challenges in making customers aware of the new capabilities. This blog post outlines some of the new features that first appeared in ISR 3, which was released in November (hence the "-ish" in the blog title). The next content release, ISR 6, will be available at the end of April so look for a fresh post with additional new items soon.
So let's get too it! What's New(-ish) in ADE XL in 616 ISR 3?
- Performance and stability improvements when working with a large number of corners
- Better handling of disk full and other conditions which previously resulted in crashes
- Usability improvements in Annotation Balloons based on user feedback
- Ability to add user defined columns in ADE XL outputs setup and results table
- Allowing individual ICRP processes to be stopped and resubmitted
- Improved error debugging and access to job log
- Setting default results view for single run, sweeps and corners
- Measurements tied more tightly to analyses
- Improved use model for pre-run scripts
- More efficient use of disk space when a netlist is re-used for all points
- Low Discrepancy Sequence (LDS) sampling method support for Monte Carlo
- Ability to launch Debug Environment for Monte Carlo points
- Sample points displayed on histograms with cross selection to ADE XL results table
What new feature are you most excited to see? Are there other features that you would like to have to make your job easier? Do you have questions about ADE XL or other Virtuoso products? Leave a comment below and I will try to address them in future blog posts. Also watch this space for details about new features in ISR 6 when it is released at the end of the month.
Tom Volden