Generate

Specifies whether to generate all or specific virtual hierarchies.

Virtual hierarchy

Controls the generation of virtual hierarchies.

• all: Generates the virtual hierarchy for all hierarchy levels.
• configured: Generates the virtual hierarchy only for the cells selected using the CPH Cells table and generates a completely flat layout otherwise.
  If no cells are marked for virtual hierarchy generation, a completely flat layout is generated.
  Environment variable: vhSelectiveMode

Position

Controls how instances are positioned during virtual hierarchy generation.

• default: Positions instances inside each generated virtual hierarchy.
• grouped by type: Positions instances of a specific type grouped inside each generated virtual hierarchy. Instances are grouped by component type, cell master, device size or as single devices, mfactored instances, or vectored instances. See Virtual Hierarchy Generation.
• grouped by type within virtual groups: Positions instances of a specific type grouped inside each generated virtual hierarchy and adds each group of instances to a created virtual group. Instances are grouped by component type, cell master, device size or as single devices, mfactored instances, or vectored instances.

Environment variables: makeVirtualGroupings, keepVirtualGroupings

Auto Adjustment

Specifies the options for automatically adjusting a virtual hierarchy.

Auto place on edit

Specifies the placement of instances inside a PR boundary or a virtual hierarchy area boundary:

• boundaries automatically places the contents inside the top-level PR boundary or the virtual hierarchy area boundary when either of the area boundaries is modified.
• area boundaries automatically places the contents within the area boundary of the virtual hierarchy if the area boundary is modified using the Adjust Boundary, Stretch, Chop, or Reshape command. If the area boundary is moved using the Move command, the contents of the virtual hierarchy are not automatically placed.
• PR boundary automatically places the top-level design when it contains virtual hierarchies and when the PR boundary is modified by using the Stretch, Chop, or Reshape command. Stretching a fully-selected PR boundary is equivalent to a move and does not trigger automatic placement.
• off disables automatic placement.

Environment variables: autoPlaceOnAreaBoundaryEdit, autoPlaceOnPRBoundaryEdit

Auto place virtual hierarchy

Controls the extent of placement of instances inside a virtual hierarchy:

• outside instances places only those instances inside the virtual hierarchy that are currently outside the area boundary.
  Environment variable: autoPlaceLimit
• all instances places all instances inside the area boundary after the virtual hierarchy area boundary is stretched or chopped.
  Environment variable: autoPlaceAllInstances

Fix placement status on move

Sets the placement status of the selected virtual hierarchy to Fixed and displays an information pop-up indicating the change when an instance is moved, stretched, flipped, or rotated inside the virtual hierarchy.

Environment variable: fixPlacementStatusOnMove

Auto adjust

Resizes the area boundary of a virtual hierarchy to enclose instances and figGroups that are currently outside the area boundary and to preserve the enclosure when instances and figGroups are moved to overlap the area boundary.

• area boundary automatically resizes to accommodate the following:
  • any instances and figGroups other than row region that are manually moved outside the boundary of the virtual hierarchy.
  • any virtual hierarchies that have had their area boundary manually stretched beyond the area boundary of the containing virtual hierarchy.
  • any soft blocks that have had their PR boundary manually stretched beyond the area boundary of the containing virtual hierarchy.
• preserve enclosure automatically resizes the area boundary of a virtual hierarchy to maintain the specified enclosure value when an instance or a figGroup is moved towards the area boundary.

Environment variable: autoAdjustBoundary

Area boundary snap

Controls the snapping of the area boundary when the Generate All From Source, Adjust Boundary, or Stretch command is run.

• None prevents the snapping of area boundary.
• Lower Left creates the area boundary of custom size and snaps the lower-left point of the bounding box to the grid.
• All Points snaps all the points of the area boundary bounding box to the grid. This means the bounding box can be larger than expected if the default least common multiple snapping is applied. By default, the area boundary snaps to all points.

Environment variable: areaBoundarySnap

Snap unknown block type as

Snaps the PR boundary and the pins of unknown block types using the following options:

• Custom: Places the pins and PR boundary on the manufacturing grid.
• Digital: Places pins on the routing grid and PR boundary on the placement grid.
• As-Is (XY Snap Spacing): Places pins and PR boundary on the grid defined by the X Snap Spacing and Y Snap Spacing options in the Grid Controls section of the Display Options form. For more information, see Setting Up Grid Controls.

Display

Specifies the display options for a virtual hierarchy.

Name of

Controls the display of virtual hierarchy and cell name on the layout canvas.

• Virtual hierarchy: Displays only the name of the virtual hierarchy at the top-cell level.
• Cell: Displays only the cell name at the top-cell level.
• Both: Displays both the virtual hierarchy name and the cell name at the top-cell level.

Symbol overlay

Overlaps a virtual hierarchy block at the top-cell level with the schematic symbol that represents the virtual hierarchy.

Environment variable: vhSymbolOverlay

Use bind keys

Controls whether the user-defined bindkeys are used instead of the default Design Planning and Analysis tool bindkeys.

By default the option is ON, which means the Design Planning and Analysis tool bindkeys are used for the design that has a virtual hierarchy.

Environment variable: useBindKeys

Dashed line for placement status None

Displays a dashed line for virtual hierarchy bounding box when the placement status is None.

Clone

Sets the bounding box color for virtual hierarchy clones.

Environment variable: vhCloneColor

Generated

Sets the bounding box color for the generated virtual hierarchies.

Environment variable: vhGeneratedColor

Created

Sets the bounding box color for the created virtual hierarchies.

Environment variable: vhCreatedColor

Macro coloring

Assigns highlight colors for hard and soft blocks so that they are visually distinguishable in the layout canvas.

• Soft block: Specifies the highlight color for soft blocks.
  Environment variable: softBlockColor
• Hard block: Specifies the highlight color for hard blocks.
  Environment variable: hardBlockColor

Pins

Specifies the routing, pin connection, and update options.

Congestion Aware Accuracy

Controls the number of global routing passes performed to improve the balancing of the congestion for the routed nets. In addition, it defines the scope of abstraction down the hierarchy.

• Low: Abstracts instances and shapes 2-levels below in the hierarchy.
• Medium: Performs relatively less abstraction compared to High but substantial enough covering down to the middle of the physical hierarchy. Performs fewer passes of global route, resulting in lesser balancing of congestion.
• High: Performs four passes of global route for balancing congestion by analyzing all the shapes throughout the physical hierarchy.

Environment variable: congestionAwareAccuracy

Allow one pin connection

Controls the number of routing connections per side for congestion analysis with pin optimization.

• per side: Specifies one connection for each side of each opaque virtual hierarchy or a soft block.
• per virtual hierarchy or soft block: Specifies one connection for each opaque virtual hierarchy or soft block.

Environment variable: pinOptOneConnectionPerSide

Pin layers

Controls whether congestion-aware pins are allowed on all routing layers or on a restricted set of layers.

• All: Allows congestion-aware pins to be created on all routing layers.
• Highest Routing Layer + N: Restricts the creation of congestion-aware pins to the layer number derived by adding the highest routing layer for virtual hierarchies and the number (N) of allowed routing layers specified.

Environment variable: pinLayerLimit

N

Specifies the number of routing layers above the highest routing layer supported for virtual hierarchies, which can be used for creating congestion-aware pins.

Environment variable: pinLayerLimitNum

The Pin layer options are also applicable for On boundary pin creation. The N value in this case implies that the pin layer value can vary from the lowest routing layer to the value derived using Highest Routing Layer + N.

Auto resize on snap

Specifies whether pins need to be resized during pin snapping.

Auto update label

Specifies the layers to which labels are to be re-layered when running pin-related commands, such as the Pin Planner and Pin Optimizer.

• custom layer purpose: Enables the Label Layer options button, which opens the Label Layer Purpose form for controlling the label layer and purpose options. For more information, see Updating Label Layer Purpose Pairs.
• layer only: Re-layers the labels to match the pins, leaving the layer purposes unchanged.
• as-is: Leaves the layer labels unchanged.