SmartDesign components can be instantiated in another SmartDesign component by dragging and
dropping them into the SmartDesign canvas. The low-level SmartDesign components in the
hierarchy must be imported before instantiating in a new project. This is done by
selecting Import > Components in the
File menu. The HDL and corresponding cores associated with
these components must also be imported and configured before instantiating in the new
SmartDesign component. If you just import the .cxf file and do not
import files corresponding to the low-level instances, you will see those instances
highlighted in red and you will be informed of missing components. See the following
example figure.
Using .cxf files is important in the following cases:
- When working on multiple designs with very few changes in the original design blocks.
- When dividing a large design into smaller designs with very few additional blocks.
.cxf files provides the following advantages:- Significant time savings (decreased generation time)
- Minimizes errors in manual connections
The example design above has clocking blocks, multiplier blocks, and adder blocks. You could separate this design into two separate designs— complex_real and complex_imaginary— in either of the following ways:
- Without using
.cxffiles— create two new projects, import and configure all necessary HDL files and IP cores, and make the connections manually. - Using
.cxffiles—From the Project menu, save the original project with a new name using the Save As option. Make the necessary changes in the new project by deleting the blocks and ports you no longer need and adding additional blocks (if necessary), restoring the connections between existing blocks from original design. This saves time while dividing large designs into smaller designs, without the need to make all the connections manually.
To save the original project with a new name, from the Project menu, select the Save As option. Click OK after entering the new project name.
To change the name of the SmartDesign component, right click the component in the Design Hierarchy and choose Rename Component.
To create a SmartDesign component for calculating the real part of a complex multiplication, remove the blocks that are not necessary for calculating real part along with the unused ports. This eliminates many manual connections and reduces generation time. Real designs may not be as simple as this, but this type of dividing saves time while preserving the connections between existing blocks.
See the following example figures.
