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Set up Virtuoso simulation with Ocean SKILL. Use when configuring simulator, design target, model files, or design variables before running simulation.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Based on SOC occupation classification
| name | sim-setup |
| description | Set up Virtuoso simulation with Ocean SKILL. Use when configuring simulator, design target, model files, or design variables before running simulation. |
| argument-hint | ["design target","e.g. \"myLib/myOTA schematic for tran\""] |
| allowed-tools | Bash(virtuoso *) |
Configure Ocean environment for circuit simulation via virtuoso-cli.
virtuoso sim setup --lib <LIB> --cell <CELL> --view <VIEW> --format json
View defaults to schematic. Check available views first if setup returns nil:
virtuoso skill exec 'let((cell) cell=ddGetObj("LIB" "CELL") foreach(mapcar v cell~>views v~>name))' --format json
virtuoso skill exec 'modelFile(list("/path/to/models.lib" "tt") list("/path/to/models.lib" "res_tt"))' --format json
Critical: Do NOT include entries with empty section names "" for .lib files — spectre will fail with SFE-675. Only .ckt files can have empty sections.
virtuoso skill exec 'desVar("L" 130e-9)' --format json
virtuoso skill exec 'desVar("VGS" 0.6)' --format json
Check required variables by looking at spectre.out errors — they list undefined parameters.
virtuoso skill exec 'resultsDir("/tmp/my_sim_results")' --format json
The correct order for a fresh simulation is:
# 1. Setup simulator and design
virtuoso sim setup --lib LIB --cell CELL
# 2. Set resultsDir BEFORE anything else
virtuoso skill exec 'resultsDir("/tmp/my_sim")' --format json
# 3. Set modelFile with CORRECT absolute paths (verify files exist!)
virtuoso skill exec 'modelFile(list("/path/to/model.lib" "tt") list("/path/to/model.lib" "res_tt"))' --format json
# 4. Set design variables
virtuoso skill exec 'desVar("L" 130e-9)' --format json
# 5. Run
virtuoso sim run --analysis dc --param saveOppoint=t --timeout 120
# 6. Measure
virtuoso sim measure --analysis dcOp --expr 'value(getData("/NM0:gm" ?result "dcOpInfo"))'
simulator('spectre) resets modelFile — always re-set modelFile after sim setuplet blocks — call simulator(), design(), analysis(), run() at top leveldesign() returns nil: two causes — (a) the cell may not have the view you specified (check v~>name), or (b) the library is not registered (Virtuoso started from wrong directory — restart from the project dir whose cds.lib includes the library)run() takes <0.3s and no spectre.out: modelFile not set or paths wrong — spectre silently failsrun() takes >1s with spectre.out: real execution happened — check spectre.out for errorsnotes cell)oa/)Import P&R (Genus + Innovus) products into Virtuoso: GDS layout, Verilog schematic/symbol, power labels, and label restyling. Four-step pipeline driven entirely from vcli skill exec — no Python bridge or GUI required. Use when: (1) user wants to pull a routed GDS or post-P&R netlist into Virtuoso, (2) layout labels look giant/unreadable after import, (3) user mentions strmin / ihdl / digital import / P&R-to-schematic flow.
Generate Virtuoso schematics from topology descriptions via vcli schematic commands. Use when: (1) user wants to draw/create a schematic in Virtuoso, (2) user says "draw the OTA" or "create the schematic", (3) after sizing is complete and ready to build the circuit, (4) user provides a topology and wants it instantiated.
Read Maestro/ADE simulation output values directly from PSF binary files — no Virtuoso GUI or bridge required. Parses maestro.sdb + active.state XML to extract output expressions, resolves the PSF directory from history.sdb, evaluates Ocean-style expressions (getData, dB20, phaseDeg, bandwidth, ymax, VF, VT…), and returns structured JSON results. Use this skill whenever: - The user asks "what is the gain / phase margin / bandwidth from the simulation?" - `maeGetOutputValue` returned nil (requires GUI results loaded in memory) - The user wants to check simulation results offline or from a script - The user wants to read PSF files / evaluate output expressions from a Maestro session - Any request involving Maestro output expressions, PSF files, or ADE results without GUI
Maestro (ADE Assembler) session management and simulation. Use when: running simulations via Maestro, configuring tests/analyses/outputs, updating design variables, reading results.
Evolve skills from vcli session history. Use when: (1) user says "根據歷史進化技能" / "evolve skills from history" / "覆盤技能", (2) after a debugging session to capture what went wrong, (3) periodic skill maintenance to close knowledge gaps revealed by real usage. Reads cmd.jsonl + per-session SKILL logs, finds failure/correction/gap signals, maps them to skills in .claude/skills/, and writes concrete improvements.
Execute SKILL code on Virtuoso. Use when running SKILL expressions, querying cellview data, listing libraries/cells, or interacting with Virtuoso programmatically.