GDSII OASIS Layout Editing
Slam-Edit is SkyCadEda's professional layout editor built for custom IC engineers who work with large GDSII and OASIS databases on Linux. It delivers fast hierarchy navigation, precise polygon editing, Tcl scripting hooks for workflow automation, and a responsive interface designed for multi-million-cell designs. Slam-Edit serves as a cost-effective Virtuoso layout editing alternative for teams that need a lightweight, secure, and deployable-on-premises IC layout editing tool.
Engagement focus
Capabilities
Slam-Edit reads and writes both GDSII Stream and OASIS (Open Artwork System Interchange Standard) formats natively. OASIS support provides significantly smaller file sizes and faster load times for large custom IC databases, while full GDSII compatibility ensures interoperability with every foundry and EDA tool in your flow.
Navigate deep custom IC hierarchy with instant cell instantiation and flatten-on-demand views. Slam-Edit optimized database engine handles multi-million-cell designs with low memory overhead, enabling smooth zoom, pan, and editing operations even on the largest analog, mixed-signal, and digital full-chip layouts.
Integrate Slam-Edit into automated layout flows using built-in Tcl scripting hooks. Automate repetitive tasks such as cell placement, polygon manipulation, layer filtering, DRC-clean cell assembly, and batch export. Tcl hooks enable custom IC teams to build repeatable, auditable layout workflows that reduce manual effort.
Deploy Slam-Edit on your own Linux infrastructure — no cloud dependency, no external license servers. Designed for defense, aerospace, and security-sensitive IC design environments, Slam-Edit supports air-gapped deployment, SSH-based licensing, and restricted-network operation for maximum IP protection.
Expected outcomes
Modern custom IC design teams increasingly run their flows on Linux workstations and compute servers. Slam-Edit is built from the ground up for the Linux environment, delivering native performance without the overhead of Windows compatibility layers or heavyweight EDA platform dependencies. For layout engineers working with GDSII viewer editor tools, Slam-Edit offers a focused, efficient alternative to full-suite custom IC layout platforms.
Whether you are editing full-chip layouts, performing incremental modifications to IP blocks, or preparing mask data for tape-out, Slam-Edit OASIS layout editor capabilities and GDSII editing tools give you the precision and speed you need. The integrated hierarchy browser, layer visibility controls, and measurement tools streamline daily layout engineering tasks.
Slam-Edit works alongside Slam-View for layout review and sign-off, and Scheture for schematic capture and netlist translation. Together, these tools form a complete custom IC design environment — from schematic entry through layout editing to sign-off verification. Tcl automation hooks connect Slam-Edit to external DRC/LVS tools, PDK utilities, and design flow scripts.
FAQ
Slam-Edit is a Linux-native layout editor for GDSII and OASIS custom IC databases. It is designed for layout engineers, physical design teams, and CAD groups who need a fast, lightweight, and secure layout editing tool for analog, mixed-signal, RF, and digital custom IC design — especially in environments where full Virtuoso licensing is unnecessary or impractical.
GDSII (also called GDSII Stream) is the long-standing industry standard for IC layout data exchange, supported by virtually every EDA tool and foundry. OASIS is a newer, more efficient format that uses compression and smarter data representation to produce significantly smaller files and faster I/O. Slam-Edit supports both formats natively, so you can work with whichever format your foundry or design flow requires.
Slam-Edit is well suited as a standalone layout editor for editing, reviewing, and manipulating GDSII/OASIS data. For teams that do not need the full Cadence Virtuoso environment for schematic-driven layout or advanced constraint-driven editing, Slam-Edit provides a cost-effective Linux layout editor alternative. It integrates with SkyCadEda's Scheture schematic capture tool for netlist-driven workflows.
Slam-Edit exposes a Tcl scripting API that provides programmatic access to the layout database, layer operations, cell hierarchy, and editing commands. Engineers can write Tcl scripts to automate cell placement, polygon generation, layer filtering, batch modifications, and export operations. These scripts can be run interactively, from the command line, or integrated into CI/CD-style layout automation pipelines.