vwf2tikz

Program that reads Quartus Vector Waveform files (.vwf extension) and emits LaTeX code that uses TikZ (and the tikz-timing package) to create a timing diagram representing it. This graphic can then be embedded in documents.

This is a sister project of bdf2tikz, which renders schematic files using TikZ, and actually calls some of its code for rendering.

The program can generate one of:

• LaTeX source for a minimal complete document (using the standalone class).
• LaTeX code for the graphic (i.e. to be \input into a document).
• tikz-timing table characters (i.e. to be \input inside a tikztimingtable environment).

The third one allows for maximum control, you can supply your own TikZ styles. The second and first ones will use a template with predefined styles, which can be seen at template.tex.

In the first case, this will all be wrapped inside a standalone document with a second template that can be seen at document.tex.

Main features:

• Adjustable scale and viewport.
• Support both single bit nodes as well as buses.
• Supports and obeys all Quartus options for rendering bus values, user can also define custom value renderers.
• Optional special rendering for clock (no slope and/or vertical lines on rising edges).
• Obeys state in which the .vwf was closed (collapsed nodes won't be rendered).
• Understands "unknown" states on bits and buses.
• Customizable rendering for node names (inherited from bdf2tikz).
• Optional rendering of the time grid.
• Customizable number formatting.
• Hides labels from data nodes that are too small.
• Add extra TikZ arguments, global and per-row.

Rendering of time scale grid (using actual units) still a TODO.

Install

This program needs the pyparsing module to be available. Install with:

pip install pyparsing

However, you need a LaTeX distribution installed in order to compile the resulting code into a PDF. The code only has dependencies with TikZ and the tikz-timing package.

The template also depends on the amsmath package.

Usage

python main.py <VWF file> out.tex

Note that main.py can also be used as a module for programmatic rendering. (Option parsing is still pending.)