LEFT — A learning tool for early floorplanning

Abstract

In this paper a new, interactive approach to floorplanning is presented. The learning tool LEFT provides an environment for the creation of floorplan topologies. LEFT's input is a list of blocks to be placed on a two-dimensional area and a specification of their connections. The designer uses LEFT as an extended, graphical design editor and selects operators that perform single floorplanning steps. In this way a floorplan is created interactively. LEFT's learning component creates from observed design steps specific production rules and generalizes them by means of a new and optimized inductive machine learning mechanism. Each time a rule matches on the current state of the design process LEFT proposes the execution of the corresponding operator in the right-hand rule side of the rule. In this way LEFT works as an apprentice system that supports the creation of early floorplans, adapts to the design style of the user and increases its knowledge during the use of the system.