2.1. Overview

The system design process starts with the specification model written by the user to specify the desired system functionality. It forms the input to the series of exploration and refinement steps in the SoC design methodology. Moreover, the specification model defines the granularity for exploration through the size of the leaf behaviors. It exposes all available parallelism and uses hierarchy to group related functionality and manage complexity.

In this chapter, we go through the steps of creating a project in SCE and initiating the system design process as highlighted in Figure 2-1. The various aspects of the specification are observed through simulation and profiling. Also, the model is graphically viewed with the help of SCE tools.