The MathWorks introduces model-based-design links
Rick Nelson, Chief Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 7/26/2006 1:22:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The MathWorks chose the Design Automation Conference (www.dac.com) held here this week to highlight its support for high-level model-based design. Two introductions—links to Mentor Graphics' ModelSim and TI's Code Composer Studio Development Tools—illustrate the company's approach toward reducing verification and validation efforts, which can make up more than 50% of IC development time, according to Jim Tung, MathWorks fellow.
Higher level design, Tung said, aims to deal with the problem of when problems are introduced (early in the design process) and when they are corrected (late in the design process). Approximately 60% of problems are injected at the specification stage he said, but only about 8% are corrected there, with as many of 53% of errors not caught until test.
Model-based design, he said, provides for multidomain behavior modeling and simulation, it creates an executable specification for a design, it supports simulation-based iteractive design for verification and partitioning, it provides an interface for hardware-synthesys and software-target environments, and it supports verification and validation against original models.
In support of these goals, the company announced Link for ModelSim, which offers full Verilog and VHDL support. Link for ModelSim enables users to verify RTL-level models from within Matlab and Simulink and provides a bidirectional link to the Mentor Graphics (www.mentor.com) ModelSim HDL simulator. In addition, Link for ModelSim now allows product engineering teams to integrate algorithm and system design with hardware implementation using their language of choice, eliminating the errors and time associated with manual processes.
Link for ModelSim is a co-simulation interface that integrates MathWorks products into the hardware design flow for FPGA, ASIC, and SOC development. Using Link for ModelSim, designers benefit from system-level verification, software test benching, component modeling, and analysis capabilities. By adding HDL to the simultaneous, direct, mixed-language capabilities of Matlab and Simulink, Link for ModelSim enables continuous test and verification.
"With direct support for the Verilog HDL now available, this will add to the rapid and accelerated adoption of Link for ModelSim," said Dennis Brophy, director of strategic business development at Mentor Graphics, in a press release. "It addresses a critical pain in the hardware verification flow. Now all designers using VHDL, Verilog, and mixed-HDL can benefit from Model-Based Design."
Base price: Link for ModelSim—$2,000.
The MathWorks also announced the release of Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools, which now enables developers deploying embedded software on TI’s (www.ti.com) digital signal processors (DSP) and microcontrollers (MCU) to perform continuous verification of code. The time savings associated with Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools come from two major improvements, Tung noted. First, the new version uses the CCStudio in-process communications and data-transfer technology to transfer test data between CCStudio software and Matlab or Simulink, delivering up to 50 times faster performance than the previous version. The improved data transfer rates let engineers test embedded applications on TI’s TMS320C6000 DSP, TMS320C5000 DSP, TMS320C2000 DSP-based controller, and OMAP platforms. Second, developers using Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools can now construct test benches directly in Simulink, as well as Matlab, using TI’s RTDXTM (Real-Time Data eXchange) hardware and software to automate code verification.
"Texas Instruments has collaborated with The MathWorks over the past six years to provide tools for faster implementation and verification of embedded software on our DSPs and MCUs," said Lori Vidra, eXpressDSP product marketing manager at TI, in a press release. "The new version of The MathWorks Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools has blocks that let developers construct test benches in Simulink for real-time verification, while they retain the power and flexibility of Matlab for debugging and visualizing DSP software."
Base price: Link for Code Composer Studio Development Tools—$1,000.
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