Mentor Graphics ModelSim-Altera Software
There are two versions of the Mentor Graphics® ModelSim®-Altera® software:
- ModelSim-Altera Edition for use with Quartus® II Subscription Edition software
- ModelSim-Altera Web Edition for use with Quartus II Web Edition software - No License Required!
Table 1 provides a brief overview of the ModelSim products.
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Table 1. ModelSim Products
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Product Name
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Available From
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Device Support
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ModelSim-Altera
Web Edition
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Free from Altera
Use with Quartus II Web Edition software - License is no longer Required
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CPLDs and small FPGAs
Support limited to Windows XP only
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ModelSim-Altera Edition
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Free from Altera
Available with a Quartus II subscription
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CPLDs and FPGAs
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ModelSim PE
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Mentor Graphics
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All Altera devices
Support limited to Windows 98/NT/ME/2000/XP only
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ModelSim SE
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Mentor Graphics
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All Altera devices
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The ModelSim-Altera tool supports behavioral simulation and VHDL or Verilog testbenches for all Altera devices.
ModelSim-Altera Q&A
Is the ModelSim-Altera software the same as the ModelSim PE or the ModelSim SE software?
No, the ModelSim-Altera Edition software is licensed as a single language—either VHDL or Verilog HDL for each active subscription—and only supports Altera gate-level libraries. The ModelSim-Altera software includes all ModelSim PE features including behavioral simulation, HDL testbenches, and tool command language (Tcl) scripting. However, the simulation performance of the ModelSim-Altera software is slower than that of the ModelSim PE and SE software.
ModelSim-Altera Web Edition software is the same as ModelSim-Altera Edition software except for two areas. ModelSim-Altera Web Edition’s performance is one half that of ModelSim-Altera Edition and has a line limit of 10,000 lines compared to the unlimited number of lines allowed in the ModelSim-Altera Edition.
How do I upgrade my version of the ModelSim-Altera software?
Contact your local Mentor Graphics sales office to upgrade software to ModelSim PE or ModelSim SE editions. Contact information is available on the Mentor Graphics website.
How do the ModelSim-Altera configurations compare?
Table 2 provides an overview of the available ModelSim-Altera configurations.
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Table 2. ModelSim-Altera Software Comparison
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Product Feature
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ModelSim-Altera Edition
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ModelSim-Altera Web Edition
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100% VHDL, Verilog, Mixed-HDL Support
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Supports only single-HDL simulation
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Supports only single-HDL simulation
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Complete HDL Debugging Environment
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Optimized Direct Compile Architecture
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Industry-Standard Scripting
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Flexible Licensing
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No License Required
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Platform Support
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Windows, UNIX, Linux
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Windows only
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Line Limit
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Unlimited
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10,000 lines
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