The CBOLD Framework |
CBOLD is a C++ framework for schematicless capture of board-level electronic designs. CBOLD replaces schematic capture EDA software in the traditional PCB design flow, allowing you to capture and process a design using a text editor and a C++ compiler.
Instead of entering a schematic into an EDA tool, the designer creates a C++ program that describes the design and the desired outputs. When compiled and run, the program verifies the legality of the design and writes output files (CAD layout netlist, bill of materials, FPGA constraint files, etc.) to disk.
The CBOLD source files contain the bulk of the C++ code needed to create a design, freeing you to concentrate on the C++ code specific to your design task. CBOLD supports several standard output formats, and because CBOLD is extensible, you may also write custom C++ code to perform otherwise tedious tasks, such as generating autorouter command files.
CBOLD can help you avoid many of the shortcomings of the traditional board-level design capture process. As component pin counts rise, even beyond 1000 pins per device, schematics become increasingly awkward and inappropriate.
CBOLD was designed specifically to address the challenges presented by modern board-level designs. Similar challenges have been faced by software engineers for decades and drove the development of improved languages and improved development environments. CBOLD parlays these software improvements and extends them to the realm of board-level design.
Here are some links to the main CBOLD site: