Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for implementing electronic designs using flexible routing tracks

Abstract

One aspect interconnects two regions subject to different rules and using transition rule(s) in a transition region or cost mechanism(s), where these rules may include soft rule(s), hard rule(s), or combinations thereof. These two regions may reside on the same routing layer or on different routing layers. This aspect allows physical design tools to transition across gridded, gridless, tracked, or trackless regions subject to different rules on the same or different layers. Another aspect interconnects an object subject to the first rule(s) and the second rule(s), while the object satisfies or violates the first rule(s). These aspects use spacetile(s) on a spacetile layer as search probe(s) to find viable implementation solutions, although the spacetile(s) and hence the search probe may violate one or more rules. A spacetile layer may be identified or created for each rule and may be associated with relevant features subject to relevant rule(s).