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Sun Microsystems Inc. Sun Microsystems Inc. (Mountain View, CA) has formed a new subsidiary, Sun Microsystems Laboratories Inc., formed to investigate and develop new hardware and software technologies. Sun has […]

A change in the direction of vendors and the establishment of some de facto standards for software for computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) is making it increasingly possible for users to employ just one 32-bit workstation for all CAD-CAE applications. For the five standard workstations, several general-purpose logic simulators can be found which will run on any of the five plus on several other systems. Since workstation makers are hardware specialists, they also offer users enhancements for the machines including add-in boards and repair services. Such a variety of tools is available for CAD and CAE applications that an entire system can be designed on a single workstation.

A computer-aided engineering (CAE) workstation used for circuit design can be connected to a computer-aided design (CAD) workstation used for pc-board layout by using a VAX computer and two custom software programs. This CAE-CAD interface will: provide seven tasks; permit transfer of circuit's net list from the CAE system to the CAD system for board routing; overcome differences in formats. The design of a CAE-CAD interface starts with the definition of each task and the designation of which computer will perform the task. A Sing program is described which uses a Master Control File to query the design database and to direct two models for extraction of nets and components. A search of the database by a signal model will find signal names, find pins connected to the signals and construct a pin list.

Developments in hardware and software have made design-automation tools more accessible, less expensive and easier to use and an overview of the state-of-the-art for computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) is presented. A circuit design may be built on one system thanks to integrated databases, and packages which automate placement and routing permit the layout of complex pc-boards without extensive experience. Packages are available which let circuit designers carry out concept-to-layout development for pc-boards and which perform schematic entry, logic verification, layout, circuit analysis and fault simulation. Some CAE-CAD vendors are working on the problem of logic simulation, and some CAE workstations can program programmable-logic devices. A look at the market shows the integration and overlapping of CAE and CAD.