This user guide provides an overview of working with the Vivado® Design Suite to create a new design for programming into a Xilinx® device. It provides a brief description of various use models, design features, and tool options, including preparing, implementing, and managing the design sources and intellectual property (IP) cores.
The Vivado Design Suite offers multiple ways to accomplish the tasks involved in Xilinx device design, implementation, and verification. You can use the traditional register transfer level (RTL)-to-bitstream FPGA design flow, as described in RTL-to-Bitstream Design Flow. You can also use system-level integration flows that focus on intellectual property (IP)-centric design and C-based design, as described in Alternate RTL-to-Bitstream Design Flows.
Design analysis and verification is enabled at each stage of the flow. Design analysis features include logic simulation, I/O and clock planning, power analysis, constraint definition and timing analysis, design rule checks (DRC), visualization of design logic, analysis and modification of implementation results, programming, and debugging.
The following documents and QuickTake videos provide additional information about Vivado Design Suite flows:
- Vivado Design Suite QuickTake Video: Vivado Design Flows Overview
- Vivado Design Suite Tutorial: Design Flows Overview (UG888)
- Vivado Design Suite QuickTake Video: Getting Started with the Vivado IDE
- Xilinx Video Training: UltraFast Vivado Design Methodology
The entire solution is integrated within a graphical user interface (GUI) known as the Vivado Integrated Design Environment (IDE). The Vivado IDE provides an interface to assemble, implement, and validate the design and the IP. In addition, all flows can be run using Tcl commands. Tcl commands can be scripted or entered interactively using the Vivado Design Suite Tcl shell or using the Tcl Console in the Vivado IDE. You can use Tcl scripts to run the entire design flow, including design analysis, or to run only parts of the flow.