Using SmartGuide

SmartGuide allows you to use results from the previous implementation to guide the next implementation. Use SmartGuide at the end of the design cycle, when your timing requirements have been met and you are making small design changes. A small design change typically is contained within a module. Other design changes that work well are changes to pin locations, attributes on instantiated components, relaxing timing constraints, adding a ChipScope Pro™ core, or other similar changes.

When SmartGuide is used, Map and Place and Route processes use the most recently routed NCD file to guide the new and changed components and nets. SmartGuide may move guided components and nets in order to meet timing. The first goal of SmartGuide is to meet timing and the second goal is to reduce runtime.

Note SmartGuide replaces the guide modes "exact" and "leverage". The guide mode and guide file properties are no longer available in Project Navigator.

To Use SmartGuide

In the Sources tab, select the top module .
Select the Source > Use SmartGuide menu command. SmartGuide will be enabled .

Implement your design.

What to Expect

The previously routed NCD file will be used to guide the implementation run.

Note If you want to use a different NCD file as the guide file, you can specify -gf <filename> in the Other Application_name Command Line Options field for both Map and Place and Route. For more details, see Setting Command Line Options using Process Properties.