SmartGuide™ technology allows you to use results from a previous implementation to guide the next implementation. This helps to reduce runtime, preserve logic, and meet timing. When you use SmartGuide technology, the Map and Place and Route processes use the specified NCD file to guide the new and changed components and nets. SmartGuide technology may move guided components and nets in order to meet timing.

Use SmartGuide technology 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.