Sim Altera Software Simulation User Guide
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- ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide
- Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software
ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide January 2013 Altera Corporation
© 2013 Altera Corporation. All rights reserved. ALTERA, ARRIA, CYCLONE, HARDCOPY, MAX, MEGACORE, NIOS, QUARTUS and STRATIX are Reg. U.S. Pat.
& Tm. Off. and/or trademarks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective
holders as described at www.altera.com/common/legal.html. Altera warrants performance of its semiconductor products to current specifications in accordance
with Altera’s standard warranty, but reserves the right to make changes to any products and services at any time without notice. Altera assumes no responsibility or
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services.
January 2013 Altera Corporation ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide
Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera
Software
This user guide describes simulation using the ModelSim-Altera Starter Edition or
ModelSim-Altera Edition software.
The Quartus®II software supports HDL design simulation at register transfer (RTL)
and gate levels in various industry-standard simulators. You can use the Quartus II
NativeLink feature to integrate your EDA simulator within the Quartus II design flow
and streamline simulation processing steps.
For more tool-specific guidelines, refer to Aldec Active-HDL and Riviera-PRO Support,
Synopsys VCS and VCS MX Support, Cadence Incisive Enterprise Simulator Support, or
Mentor Graphics ModelSim and QuestaSim Support in the Quartus II Handbook.
Prerequisites
This user guide assumes you have a working knowledge of the following subjects:
■Verilog HDL, SystemVerilog, or VHDL hardware description languages
■Subjects covered in the Quartus II software “Getting Started Tutorial”
Starting the ModelSim-Altera Software with the Quartus II Software
To start the ModelSim-Altera software, follow these steps:
1. Unzip the provided Quartus II design example project counter.zip.
2. Start the Quartus II software and open the design example Quartus II project file
counter.qpf.
Setting Up EDA Tool Options
You can specify where your third-party EDA simulators are installed with the EDA
tool options settings in the Quartus II software. These settings enable you to start
third-party EDA simulators from the Quartus II software.The ModelSim-Altera tool
path is automatically added during Quartus II installation.
Setting Up the Simulation
To set up the Model-Sim Altera simulation environment, follow these steps:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options and specify the location of your simulator
executable file on the EDA Tool Options page.
2. On the Assignments menu, click Settings.
3. In the Settings dialog box, under EDA Tool Settings, select Simulation. The
Simulation page appears. (Figure 1–1).
1–2 Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software
Running ModelSim-Altera from the Quartus II Software
ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide January 2013 Altera Corporation
1. In the Tool nam e list, select ModelSim-Altera. Ensure that Run gate-level
simulation automatically after compilation box is turned off.
2. Under EDA Netlist Writer settings, in the Format for output netlist list, select
Veri l og HD L . Ensure that the Map illegal HDL characters, Enable glitch
filtering, and Generate Value Change Dump (VCD) file script boxes are turned
off.
3. Under NativeLink settings, select None.
fFor more information about the Quartus II NativeLink feature, refer to the Simulating
Altera Designs chapter in volume 3 of the Quartus II Handbook.
Running ModelSim-Altera from the Quartus II Software
To generate the ModelSim-Altera automation script (.do file), start the ModelSim-
Altera software, and then compile the design files, follow these steps:
1. On the Processing menu, point to Start, and then click Start Analysis &
Elaboration.
Figure 1–1. Simulation Page (Settings Dialog Box)
Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software 1–3
Creating Stimulus Waveforms
January 2013 Altera Corporation ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide
2. On the Tools menu, point to Run Simulation Tool and then click RTL Simulation.
The Quartus II software starts the ModelSim-Altera simulator. You can ignore
error or warning messages about the tcounter.v file. In the next section you create
stimulus waveforms and export the waveforms into tcounter.v testbench file.
Creating Stimulus Waveforms
This section guides you in adding signals to the Wave window, creating the clock
waveform, and creating the reset waveform.
Adding Signals to the Wave Window
To add signals to the Wave window, follow these steps:
1. In the ModelSim-Altera GUI, expand Work in the Library window, and then
right-click counter.
2. Click Create Wave (Figure 1–2).
Three signals (clk, reset, and count) from the counter design example are added in
the Wave window, where you can create stimulus waveforms for each signal to
simulate the design. In this example, you will create stimulus waveforms for the
clk and reset signals. The count signal is not needed and can be deleted.
3. Right-click the count signal in the Wave window, and then click Delete.
Figure 1–2. Create Wave on the Shortcut Menu
1–4 Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software
Creating Stimulus Waveforms
ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide January 2013 Altera Corporation
Creating the Clock Waveform
1. Right-click the clk signal in the waveform, point to Edit, and then click
create/modify. The Create Pattern Wizard appears (Figure 1–3).
2. Under Patterns, select Clock.
3. For Start Time, enter
0
, for End Time, enter
5000
, and for Time Unit, enter
ns
.
4. Click Next.
5. For Clock Period, enter
100
, for Time Unit enter
ns
, and for Duty Cycle, enter
50
.
6. Click Finish.
Creating the Reset Waveform
1. Right-click the reset signal in the waveform, point to Edit, and then click
create/modify.
2. In the Create Pattern Wizard, under Patterns, select Constant.
3. For Start Time, enter
0
, for End Time, enter
5000
, and for Time Unit, enter
ns
.
4. Click Next.
5. Enter
St0
(Strong 0) for Val ue.
6. Click Finish.
fFor more information, refer to Chapter 13, Generating Stimulus with Waveform Editor in
the ModelSim User’s Manual. In the ModelSim-Altera software, on the Help menu,
point to PDF Documentation, and then click User’s Manual.
Modifying Stimulus Waveforms
To modify stimulus waveforms, follow these steps:
1. Click in the waveform window to enable the Wave menu.
2. On the Wave menu, point to Mouse Mode and then click Edit Mode. Make sure
the Wave window is activated. To activate it, click in the Wave window.
Figure 1–3. Create Pattern Wizard
Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software 1–5
Creating Stimulus Waveforms
January 2013 Altera Corporation ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide
3. Select the reset signal from 0 ns to approximately 120 ns. The selection does not
need to be exact (Figure 1–4).
4. On the Wave menu, point to Wave Editor, and then click Invert. The Edit Invert
dialog box appears (Figure 1–5).
5. For Start Time, enter
0
, for End Time, enter
120
, and for Time Unit, enter
ns
.
Figure 1–4. Inverted Waveform for reset Signal
Figure 1–5. Edit Invert Dialog Box
1–6 Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software
Exporting Created Stimulus Waveforms as an HDL Testbench
ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide January 2013 Altera Corporation
6. Click OK to invert the waveform. Figure 1–6 shows the inverted waveform.
Starting Simulation
To start the simulation, follow these steps:
1. Expand the Work library, right-click counter and click Simulate.
2. Drag the count signal from the Objects window to the Wave window.
3. In the Transcript window, type the command
run –all
r.
After you type the
run -all
command, the example counter design is simulated with
the created stimulus waveforms for the clk and reset signals. The clk signal is a
continuous clock waveform. The reset signal is asserted for the first 120 ns. When the
reset signal is deasserted after 120 ns, the counter begins to increment, once on each
rising edge of clk.The output signal count produces the simulated waveform, in the
Wave window, adjacent to the stimulus waveforms.
Exporting Created Stimulus Waveforms as an HDL Testbench
An HDL testbench file is typically written in the same hardware description language
as your design, and interacts with your design as an instantiated module. An HDL
testbench file is conceptually similar to a waveform like the one created in “Creating
Stimulus Waveforms” on page 1–3, but because it is written in HDL, it is able to
accommodate more complexity and flexibility than a graphical waveform.
Figure 1–6. Inverted Waveform for reset Signal (0–120 ns)
Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software 1–7
Exporting Created Stimulus Waveforms as an HDL Testbench
January 2013 Altera Corporation ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide
The stimulus waveforms you created for the simulation can be exported as a HDL
testbench file. You can then use the HDL testbench file to simulate your design again
without manually recreating the stimulus waveforms.
To export the stimulus waveform as an HDL testbench, perform the following steps:
1. Click in the Wave window to ensure it is active.
2. On the File menu, point to Export and then click Waveform. The Export
Waveform dialog box appears (Figure 1–7).
3. In the Export Waveform dialog box, under Save As, select Verilog Testbench.
4. For Start Time, enter
0
, for End Time, enter
5000
, and for Time Unit, enter
ns
.
5. In the File Name box, type the name of your testbench or click the Browse button.
6. Click OK.
The testbench appears in the <Quartus II project folder>\simulation\modelsim
folder. You can use the testbench file for the simulation of your Quartus II design.
Figure 1–7. Export Waveform Dialog Box
1–8 Simulating with the ModelSim-Altera Software
Exporting Created Stimulus Waveforms as an HDL Testbench
ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide January 2013 Altera Corporation
January 2013 Altera Corporation ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide
Additional Information
This section provides additional information about the document and Altera.
Document Revision History
The following table shows the revision history for this document.
How to Contact Altera
To locate the most up-to-date information about Altera products, refer to the
following table.
Typographic Conventions
The following table shows the typographic conventions this document uses.
Date Version Changes
January 2013 2.0 Updated Linux and GUI information.
June 2011 1.0 Initial release.
Contact (1) Contact Method Address
Technical support Website www.altera.com/support
Technical training Website www.altera.com/training
Email custrain@altera.com
Product literature Website www.altera.com/literature
Non-technical support (General) Email nacomp@altera.com
(Software Licensing) Email authorization@altera.com
Note to Table:
(1) You can also contact your local Altera sales office or sales representative.
Visual Cue Meaning
Bold Type with Initial Capital
Letters
Indicate command names, dialog box titles, dialog box options, and other GUI
labels. For example, Save As dialog box. For GUI elements, capitalization matches
the GUI.
bold type
Indicates directory names, project names, disk drive names, file names, file name
extensions, software utility names, and GUI labels. For example, \qdesigns
directory, D: drive, and chiptrip.gdf file.
Italic Type with Initial Capital Letters Indicate document titles. For example, Stratix IV Design Guidelines.
italic type
Indicates variables. For example, n + 1.
Variable names are enclosed in angle brackets (< >). For example, <file name> and
<project name>.pof file.
Info–2 Additional InformationAdditional Information
Typographic Conventions
ModelSim-Altera Software Simulation User Guide January 2013 Altera Corporation
Initial Capital Letters Indicate keyboard keys and menu names. For example, the Delete key and the
Options menu.
“Subheading Title” Quotation marks indicate references to sections within a document and titles of
Quartus II Help topics. For example, “Typographic Conventions.”
Courier type
Indicates signal, port, register, bit, block, and primitive names. For example,
data1
,
tdi
, and
input
. The suffix
n
denotes an active-low signal. For example,
resetn
.
Indicates command line commands and anything that must be typed exactly as it
appears. For example,
c:\qdesigns\tutorial\chiptrip.gdf
.
Also indicates sections of an actual file, such as a Report File, references to parts of
files (for example, the AHDL keyword
SUBDESIGN
), and logic function names (for
example,
TRI
).
r An angled arrow instructs you to press the Enter key.
1., 2., 3., and
a., b., c., and so on
Numbered steps indicate a list of items when the sequence of the items is important,
such as the steps listed in a procedure.
■■■Bullets indicate a list of items when the sequence of the items is not important.
1The hand points to information that requires special attention.
h A question mark directs you to a software help system with related information.
f The feet direct you to another document or website with related information.
cA caution calls attention to a condition or possible situation that can damage or
destroy the product or your work.
w A warning calls attention to a condition or possible situation that can cause you
injury.
The envelope links to the Email Subscription Management Center page of the Altera
website, where you can sign up to receive update notifications for Altera documents.
Visual Cue Meaning
