Revolution EDA v0.9.0 Released — LVS, Multi-Simulator Netlisting, and Plugin Ecosystem Overhaul

14/06/2026 — Major release bringing hierarchical LVS integration, multi-simulator netlisting, AI terminal, plugin/library registries, and a relicense to MPL-2.0.

Revolution EDA v0.9.0

Huissen, the Netherlands — We are excited to announce the release of Revolution EDA v0.9.0, a major milestone that brings LVS integration, multi-simulator netlisting, an AI-assisted terminal, a complete plugin and library ecosystem overhaul, and a relicense to the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

Highlights

Revolution EDA v0.9.0 delivers professional-grade analog IC design capabilities that were previously exclusive to expensive commercial tools — all in an open, extensible platform.

New Features

Schematic Driven Layout (SDL)

Initial SDL implementation allowing layout generation guided by schematic connectivity, bridging the gap between front-end design and physical implementation.

LVS (Layout vs. Schematic) Integration

  • Hierarchical LVS netlist extraction from both schematic and layout editors
  • KLayout LVSDB parser with mismatch detection and prioritized confirmed-match logic
  • LVS results dialog with tabs for extracted netlists, schematic netlists, device tables, and cell tables
  • Cross-probing: click an LVS error to highlight the offending instance in the schematic editor

Multi-Simulator Netlisting

  • Xyce netlist generation module
  • Spectre and VACASK netlist backends (work-in-progress)
  • Hierarchical netlisting now supports buses and instance arrays
  • Verilog-A HDL line generation improvements

AI Terminal

  • Natural-language design modification via Claude, Gemini, and Mistral AI backends
  • API keys stored in encrypted form; models selectable per session
  • Available as a premium plugin with Amazon Bedrock support

Plugin and Library Registries

  • Plugin Registry (Tools → Plugins → Setup Plugins) — GUI installer that downloads and installs plugins from the Revolution EDA plugin registry
  • Library Registry (Tools → Libraries) — download Revolution EDA-compatible design libraries directly from a GitHub-hosted registry
  • Plugins are now fully external — the plugins/ directory has been removed from the main repository

Plugin Licensing

  • Ed25519-signature-based license validation for commercial plugins
  • Machine-fingerprint activation and checkout workflow
  • License checks integrated into the plugin loader; unlicensed plugins degrade gracefully

PCell Preview

Live preview of parametric layout cells before instantiation, enabling faster design iteration.

Constrained Move

Move items under orthogonal and diagonal constraints across all editors (Shift+M).

Net Stretch

Stretch nets interactively in the schematic editor while maintaining connectivity.

Project Management

  • Directory-based workflow with per-project .env, library.json, and reveda.conf
  • Switching projects triggers a clean application restart to reload PDK/plugin modules
  • Recent projects tracked and accessible from the File menu

Security and Robustness

  • Removed eval() from JSON loading — replaced with safe getattr() to prevent code injection via malicious design files
  • JSON schema validation added for symbol, schematic, and layout file formats; invalid files are rejected at load time
  • FileCache integrated in schematic scenes for faster and safer repeated file access

Performance

  • Editor loading speed improved across schematic, symbol, and layout editors
  • Layout polygon creation optimized
  • Shape handling and rendering performance enhancements

Architecture and Code Quality

  • Type annotations added to common graphics shapes, editor scenes, data definitions, library model views, and JSON loading modules
  • Overhauled plugin and PDK loading — plugins/PDKs can now inject their own menu items via config.json without modifying core source
  • Threading refactored with proper signal handling and argument support
  • Undo/redo and net handling refactored for clarity and reliability
  • Grid snapping improvements across schematic net handling

License Change

Revolution EDA is now licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0), replacing the previous license. This enables broader community use while maintaining copyleft protections on individual files.

Documentation

  • New Symbol Tutorial with updated images
  • Commercial Plugin Development Guide
  • License Issuance Guide for plugin vendors
  • Linux build script and enhanced developer documentation

Notable Bug Fixes

  • Fixed layout instantiation crash
  • Fixed nets not snapping to grid after event-filter changes
  • Fixed label export in GDS output
  • Fixed label properties dialog
  • Fixed threading issues in GDS import and circuit netlisting
  • Fixed plugin loading when no plugins are present
  • Fixed Shift/Ctrl selection behavior
  • Numerous net drawing and library browser fixes

Installation

An installable file for Windows and an AppImage for Linux are provided. The Windows version installs per-user. The Linux AppImage requires no installation — make it executable and run directly.

After changing the configuration of a project, reload it using File → Recent Projects so that configuration changes propagate correctly.

Download Revolution EDA v0.9.0

Get Started

  • Downloads — grab the installer for your platform
  • Documentation — learn how to use Revolution EDA
  • Plugins — explore premium plugins for simulation, plotting, and AI assistance
  • Pricing — view subscription options for commercial plugins