1. Fpga Synthesis Via Bash Video
2. Fpga Synthesis Tools
3. Vivado Batch Mode Example

I'm just about to order an FPGA dev-board and start learning how to use them. I'm curious what command-line tools are available for Xilinx or Altera FPGAs as this is something I value greatly.I'm interested in the possibility of writing automation scripts, etc, or to interface projects with makefiles.Hypothetically, how much work could you get done using FPGAs without opening an IDE and instead using command line tools? I'm thinking synthesis, bitstream upload, simulation, interfacing soft-core processors etc. With Vivado, the whole flow can be done from commandline, either by running a tcl script in batch mode, or the interactive commandline interface.

HDL Synthesis for FPGAs 1-6 Xilinx Development System. Using FPGA System Features. You can improve device performance and area utilization by creating HDL code that uses FPGA system features, such as global reset, wide I/O decoders, and memory. FPGA system features are. The code in the FPGA must be mapped into real logical gates in the FPGA, therefore, by definition, it must be synthesizable, since synthesis is the process of converting RTL language into gate level language, and hence, into a field programmable gate array.

So it's not too complicated to integrate it into a makefile or a collection of build scripts.Generating Xilinx cores and block diagram editing doesn't really work though. So if you need to generate a MIG or instantiate the PS on a Zynq target, then you'll have a hard time.We usually limit our build flow to use as little of the GUI as possible so when we need to instantiate a Xilinx core like the PS or a MIG, then we save the smallest Vivado project.

If we need to change the core, we can crack open the Vivado project and save it again.Mostly we try to stay away from too much source in the Vivado projects because we frequently change Vivado versions. Netlists are forward and backward compatible, so it's more portable than Vivado projects and block diagrams. Welcome to FPGA hell.

First you must accept fact that Xilinx and Intel (Altera) tools are simple bad designed if you want happy life:.I'm trying (good word here) to make universal cross-compilation flow that will target Xilinx Vivado, Intel Quartus, ModelSim, Vivado Simulator, Verilator and other tools under Linux environment and optionally Windows/Mac with the same code base using CMake. You can look into:.It used with one large project targeting Arria 10 with hard-processor ARM and it is working with continuous integration (CI, build, checks and tests) and continuous deployment (CD).My thoughts:. Intel Quartus Lite/Standard Prime has some differences compared to Intel Quartus Pro Prime. Quartus use.qpf and.qfs files to setup project but this is not enough. Quartus likes to modify these files and this is wrong with source control version tools like git. Also it generates junks where.qpf and.qsf files are located. Solution: dynamically create.qpf and.qsf under your build directory to keep source directory clean.

Quartus Qsys/Platform Designer also generates junks under.qsys,.ip and.tcl files. Solution: copy or create symbolic link between build directory and source directory. For generating bitstream you can simple use quartussh -flow compile name.qpf.

For checking RTL syntax using Quartus synthesis tool. For Lite/Standard: quartusmap -analysisandelaboration name.qpf and for Pro: quartussyn -analysisandelaboration name.qpf. Quartus doesn't support parallel compilation for external.qsys,.ip and.tcl files. This can be easy achieve using build scripts like CMake or Makefile/Ninja. It is recommended that you upgrade all IP cores (.qsys,.ip,.tcl). Again the command line switches are different between Lite/Standard and Pro. If you want changing parameters from command line/source files for Intel IP cores you must create Tcl script for that.

It can be done using Qsys/Platform Designer GUI (!). Then you can use concept like in CMake to change parameters in generated Tcl file as template.

Qsys Tcl script can be transform to.qsys or.ip file using qsys-script tool. Ip or Qsys files can be used to generate Intel IP cores. For that you must use qsys-generateIntel Nios-II soft-processor build flow is so generous:. First you must create.sopcinfo file. For that you use qsys-generate and '.qsys' file from Qsys. Next step is generating settings.bsp file based on generated.sopcinfo file. For that you use nios2-bsp-create-settings command line tool.

It is not easy, I 'm passing almost 20 switches to run this correctly. After you get settings.bsp file you run nios2-bsp-generate-file to create BSP for Nios-2. Next you create Nios-II makefiles using nios2-app-generate-makefile. You can try create own makefiles, but there are too many tools used to compile application from source to executable file:/ It is not a simple compilation - linker flow. You can create.hex file that contain Nios-II firmware and you can embed that in FPGA memory. To create that hex memory file: make meminitgenerateGood luck! I have got tired after writing this everything and this is only a tip of the iceberg.

You sound like you need to actually learn how to use the tools rather than trying to apply knowledge you previously have aquired to them.FPGA venders are silicon companies, not software companies. They do things from the silicon up, and do not always follow the flow a traditional CS degree may teach you.I've clocked almost all of my time on Xilinx tools, and they have been fully scriptable (without using any of the technology you've linked above) for a long time (ISE and XPS just called out to command line tools). Much of which was available via app notes (XAPPS).With the introduction of Vivado, everything has gotten even easier! You can do everything from project creation (or non-project flow) all the way to pulling data out of an ILA all scripted.You should go to training.Edit: fixed autocorrect.Edit 2: you should check out the Avnet hdl repo on guthub.

I don't agree with a lot of decisions they made, but it is an example of how everything is scripted. FPGA venders are silicon companies, not software companies.The most common and stupidest excuse.

They are employers who hired programmers for software stuff like defining process flow for development and building. They may have excellent and experienced silicon engineers I will not deny.

But when you make some software you should hire engineers with some software skill and sense. And they don't know simple basic like when you are providing input files (like for example qsf, qsys or ip) to their tools which shouldn't change their context. You image for example gcc or clang that will modify your C/C source files. And like normal developer you are working with source version control tool and collaborate with multi team. This is an insane.

Or why Intel Qsys/Platform Designer is slow during upgrade/generating their IP cores? Because their write XML files (qsys or ip) character by character! Try call it with linux strace command line tool. How you have to be crazy to implement something like that. Basic and fundamental programming skills.do not always follow the flow a traditional CS degree may teach you.Give me one academic/university that will teach about code review, unit testing (TDD), working with source version control tools, (meta) build scripts, good development process practices, continuous integration, continuous deployment etc.

I will transfer the top of the gold (bit)coins. Sorry but it's not '90 anymore.

We have now 2018 and these topics are important in modern development of any kind including RTL development to keep high quality, reliability and reusability HDL source code base. FPGA development process should inherent more from software world. For example you should use every possible tool with your project at the same time to increase HDL portability, reliability and quality. It is normal to build the same source code using different gcc/clang/cygwin/mingw/arm-eabi/m$ toolchains to early catch many pitfalls.

FPGA project also should be passed through other tools like Verilator, ModelSim/Questa, VCS, Intel Quartus Lite/Standard, Intel Quartus Pro (yeah, different synthesis engine from lite/standard) and Xilinx Vivado. And automate them in continuous integration (CI) process.they have been fully scriptableI'm doing the same.

Using CMake.You should go to trainingTraining about how to be inefficient, make less reusable, reliable and tested implementation? Using old fashioned development methods that are not suitable for multi team collaboration. No thanks.Edit 2: you should check out the Avnet hdl repo on guthub. I don't agree with a lot of decisions they made, but it is an example of how everything is scripted.Next awful company and very bad example.

I really like travel deep in other git repositories for find interesting stuffs for learning or avoiding pitfalls. This repo is the second option:.

Fpga Synthesis Via Bash Video

Duplicating (many times!) software source files. It should be in single common place. Try to find how many for example avnetconsole.h file has copy!.

If you go through IP sub directory, there is not a standard way for defining IP component. Look at my CMakeList file example:, you pick up only module name in another CMakeList and you will have true tree-leaf dependency between each HDL modules or vendor IP files. And using high level configuration I can working with different tools (Vivaod, Quartus, ModelSim, Verilator.) at the same time with the same code base. And pull only necessary HDL/IP files that I'm using. Good build scripts should be split to low level stuff and high level configuration to support many tools and environments. In every place I've worked we use makefiles and TCL scripts, works great even with IP cores. The tools generate lots of crap (logs, intermediate files, binary blobs) but you can easily clean/ignore them for version control.

Even simulators can be run without a GUI, so you can have full FPGA flow without ever leaving the command line. Every engineer I've worked with avoids the IDE flow like the plague because designs become hard to maintain/reuse, and tend to break between versions of the software. We use Vivado IDE only to view block diagrams and device placement/routing (it's really helpful when you want to visualize critical paths and apply constraints) but I've never met a SINGLE professional that uses the IDE project flow for VHDL/Verilog design.However, as others have pointed out, working with embedded processors is not as easy. I've tried to automate a Xilinx Microblaze flow in the past and failed miserably. Recently I got a and tried the provided demo. To my surprise I still needed to do the same litany as I did 10 years ago with Microblaze: Create a project, click here, double-click there, update IPs, try to generate a bitstream, fail.

Open the Zynq block diagram double-click every block and check settings in dozens of tabs, hmm some pins are connect the wrong way, finally the bitstream builds, open another IDE to write software, try to run, fail. Check a dozen different settings, clean, rebuild, fail. Change toolchain, fail. Turns out I have sightly newer version of Vivado, tough luck. Install the 'correct' version (a few months older), everything works.The amount of crap produced by the tools is 3x the normal flow and the directory structure makes absolutely no sense. I'll stop ranting, you get the pointI'm not familiar with Altera but seeing tymonx's post I'm now convinced that there's a vendor wide conspiracy to make engineers as miserable as possible:(.

EditorsYou can use any editor you want to write your design, but I want to suggest. Sigasi 2.0 is a powerful editor based on Eclipse that provide auto-completion, refactoring, code beautification and much more. I've used Vim a lot in the past, but Sigasi has really been a significant performance booster.

Fpga Synthesis Tools

It's free for academic use, so I suggest that you see for your self.SimulatorsAlthough most vendor suites include some sort of compiler, you might be better of with a simpler alternative:. GHDL: Open-source VHDL simulator based on GNAT and GCC.

Simili: Free for small projects VHDL simulator and IDE.Both of these are great tools that are handy since they don't require a license which might be a problem when your on the road or at home.SynthesisBoth Altera, Xilinx and Actel provide free versions of their suite that you can use if you want to run your design on a real target. Working in this field, I can simply tell you the serious vendors, including Xilinx and Altera, already have Linux versions of their tools. Both pale as code editors in comparison to emacs with the relevant modes.For simulation interfaces they are fine, with ghdl, icarus verilog or verilator followed by gtkwave the free alternative; I don't know of a convenient interface for the simulation other than possibly (which is primarily a circuit simulator, like spice, but uses freehdl and icarus verilog to simulate digital components). Gtkwave is often enough for analysis, though the data amounts get rather large.As for final synthesis and place and route to FPGA, there's currently no real alternative to the non-free tools. Programming once you have the bitstream in a suitable format is less restricted, and for boards like (which I helped design) we do use free tools such as.

Vivado Batch Mode Example

If you're aiming at ASICs, Alliance is an interesting possibility.