Valid Logic Systems, San Jose, California has come up with a new design transfer capability in version 1.5 of its ValidFLAT schematic flattener program, which enables designs created on Computer-Aided Engineering systems other than those supported by Valid to be transferred to Valid systems where they can be edited, validated and netlisted using Valid’s CAE application tools. ValidFLAT accomplishes the transfer by reading a design netlist and parts list prepared on the foreign CAE system, and redrawing the schematic on the Valid-supported system. Netlists and parts lists are generally available since any physical design implementation, such as layout of a printed circuit board, requires them. Schematics thus created are logically equivalent to those created on the foreign system. They are not graphically identical, however, since ValidFLAT performs logical and not graphical translations. ValidFLAT Version 1.5 is immediately available on the IBM Personal AT and on the company’s own SCALDsystems S-320, SCALDsystem ST, and SCALDstar workstations. It will be available on DEC’s VAXstation II family near the end of the first quarter of 1987. Price is $10,000 for versions running on Valid’s SCALDsystems and DEC’s VAXstations, and $5,000 for the AT version.
