Using the Electric VLSI Design System

Chapter IV: THE DISPLAY

| ## 11: 3D Display |

| Electric has the ability to view an integrated circuit in 3-dimensions, allowing a fuller understanding of the interaction between layers. When displaying 3D, you can rotate, zoom, and pan the image to get a better view. However, in 3D mode, you can no longer edit the circuit.

To see a circuit in 3D, use the View in 3 Dimensions subcommand of the 3D Display command of the Windows menu. The circuit is displayed in 3D, and mouse movements cause the circuit to rotate.

Beside rotation, you can pan and zoom the 3D display. To switch to these options, use the Pan View Point and Zoom View Point subcommands (and use Rotate View Point to rotate). These three display modes can also be invoked by simply typing the letters "p", "z", and "r".

To return to a 2-dimensional view, use the View in 3 Dimensions subcommand.

To control the 3D view, use the 3D Options... subcommand. On the left side of this dialog is a list of layers in the current technology. On the right side is an edge-on view of the chip, showing which layers are above which others. The currently selected layer is highlighted in the list on the left and starred in the right-hand view. You can click on layers and drag them to the desired height. You can also set the thickness of a layer by typing a value into the field (typically, only contacts have thickness since they span between layers). Finally, you can choose whether or not to display with perspective. |

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