According to the MathWorks (Natick, Mass.), Link for ModelSim enables users to verify RTL-level models from within Matlab and Simulink and provides a bidirectional link to Mentor Graphics Corp.'s ModelSim HDL simulator. The Link for ModelSim co-simulation interface now allows product engineering teams to integrate algorithm and system design with hardware implementation using their language of choice, the MathWorks said.

Using Link for ModelSim, designers benefit from system-level verification, software test benching, component modeling and analysis capabilities, the MathWorks said. By adding HDL to the simultaneous, direct, mixed-language capabilities of Matlab and Simulink, Link for ModelSim enables continuous test and verification, the company said.

"With direct support for the Verilog HDL now available, this will add to the rapid and accelerated adoption of Link for ModelSim," said Dennis Brophy, Mentor's director of strategic business development, in a statement. "It addresses a critical pain in the hardware verification flow. Now all designers using VHDL, Verilog and mixed-HDL can benefit from model-based design."

According to the MathWorks, using model-based design and Link for ModelSim, users can streamline the verification process by developing an executable specification, automatically generating code and performing hardware co-simulation throughout the development process. Under this approach, errors are found earlier, when they are easier and less costly to fix, according to the company.

Link for ModelSim also brings increased capabilities to its users, the MathWorks said. Now engineers can exploit the Matlab component capability to re-use Matlab code in hardware simulations when HDL blocks have not yet been coded, the company said. At the same time, users can continue to use Matlab as a test bench to verify HDL implementation of signal processing and other algorithms, the MathWorks said.

Link for ModelSim 2 is available immediately for Microsoft Windows, UNIX/Linux, and Macintosh platforms, the MathWorks said, with commercial U.S. list prices start at $2,000. More information on Link for ModelSim 2 is available on the Mathworks' Web site.