Introduction
Starting with Quartus® Prime Pro Edition 26.1, Visual Designer Studio (VDS) has been officially introduced as a feature.
Until now, Platform Designer has been widely used as an FPGA system integration tool, but with VDS, you can design while visualizing the entire system in a more intuitive graphical view.
For users who are using existing Platform Designer-based projects, VDS provides a feature to import existing systems. This article explains how to convert an existing Platform Designer system into a VDS project.
Reference: Visual Designer Studio | Altera
1. What is Visual Designer Studio (VDS)?
1-1. Overview of VDS
Visual Designer Studio is a development environment for making Altera FPGA system design more visual.
While traditional Platform Designer primarily managed IP and connection information in tabular form, VDS allows you to proceed with design while displaying the system structure graphically.
Additionally, since interface connections and hierarchical structures can be visually confirmed, it helps improve understanding and maintainability of large-scale systems.
1-2. Main Features of VDS
- Visual grasp of the entire system
- Graphical display of hierarchical structures
- Visualization of IP connection relationships
- Support for importing Platform Designer systems
- Integration with Quartus® Prime environment
The role of the VDS tool remains the same as Platform Designer. Below is an image illustrating the relationship between the Quartus® Prime compile flow and VDS as introduced on Altera’s web page.
2. Preparing the Project for Migration
2-1. Pre-Check Items
Before migrating to VDS, confirm that the target Quartus® Prime project operates correctly.
Recommended checks:
- Platform Designer system has been successfully generated
- Quartus® Prime compilation has succeeded
- The IPs used are properly installed
Since the existing project can be used as is, there is no need to recreate the design.
Tip: Normally, import is performed easily without errors. If the import does not proceed correctly, suspect that there may be an issue with the Quartus® Prime project targeted for migration.
3. Importing the Platform Designer System into VDS
3-1. Creating a New VDS System
Launch VDS and create a new system. To start VDS, select "Tools > Visual Designer Studio" from the menu bar or click the icon in the menu.
When VDS starts, the System Setup wizard automatically appears. The wizard provides options for creating a new system as well as importing existing designs.
3-2. Selecting the Import Function
On the System Setup wizard, select Import System. Specify the target Platform Designer system (.qsys) and click OK. VDS will then begin analyzing the system information.
Tip: When importing a hierarchically designed Platform Designer system, specifying the top-level .qsys will import the entire system including sub-levels. Especially in hierarchical designs, it is recommended to enable the "Force (delete any conflicting systems)" checkbox.
3-3. Confirming Assignment Conversion Details
During import, a progress bar (without percentage) appears. When analysis of the target project completes, an Assignments Change window is displayed.
Here, you can review the items that will be migrated to VDS. After checking as needed, click OK to execute the import.
Tip: In the current version, even after the Assignments Change window opens, the mouse cursor may remain in a progress (hourglass) state. Since this state does not end with time, please click OK as is.
4. Confirming the System in VDS
4-1. Overall System View
After the import completes, the Platform Designer system is displayed in VDS as a graphical view.
You can visually confirm the system configuration that was previously managed in tabular form.
Tip: Double-click any component in the system to open its parameter setting window. The parameter setting windows and editing methods for each component are exactly the same as in Platform Designer.
4-2. Expanding Hierarchical Structures
VDS also makes it easy to check hierarchical subsystems.
By expanding the system, you can understand connections between IPs and bus structures, which is helpful for understanding existing designs.
Tip: When navigating to a subsystem while the top-level is open, the subsystem opens in reference (read-only) mode. To edit a subsystem, you need to open it directly via VDS’s File > Open System menu.
4-3. Graphical Connection Confirmation
Connection relationships can also be checked diagrammatically.
This makes it easier to trace signal flow and IP connections, improving efficiency in design reviews and debugging.
Tip: Clicking a component’s bus/signal interface in the system view graphically displays possible connection destinations. If the diagram is hard to read in complex systems, you can also use checkboxes in the Connections view to manage connections.
4-4. Display/Edit Mode Equivalent to Platform Designer
If you are not accustomed to VDS’s graphical view, there is also a view similar to Platform Designer.
You can perform connection checks and edits in this view as well.
5. HDL Generation
5-1. Execute Generate from VDS
After confirming the system, run HDL generation.
Generation settings allow you to specify HDL language and simulation model generation, among others. The generation process updates design files such as HDL for the system built in VDS.
6. Integration with Quartus® Prime Project
6-1. Confirm Compile Settings
After generation, changes are reflected in the Quartus® Prime project.
Check Assignments and Project Navigator settings as needed.
Tip: You can confirm that the .qsys file registered in the project has been changed to .vds.
6-2. Execute Full Compilation
After confirming settings, run compilation as usual.
You can proceed with FPGA implementation using the same development flow as before migration.
7. Notes on Migration
7-1. Confirm Support Status
Depending on the design, additional checks may be required for some IPs or specific settings.
After migration, it is recommended to verify the following:
- IP parameter settings
- Top-level connections
- Clock configuration
- Reset configuration
- HDL generation results
- Quartus® Prime compilation results
After completing migration, it is also reassuring to perform a functional comparison with the original Platform Designer project.
Summary
Visual Designer Studio can be started without significantly changing existing Platform Designer-based designs.
The import function for existing systems allows you to leverage your accumulated Platform Designer assets while migrating to VDS’s graphical design environment.
First, try importing an existing project to experience system visualization and the new design flow.