ROOM
Reusable Open Object Model · Cap'n Proto · C++17
ROOM — Reusable Open Object Model — is a teaching and application API
(room::) for storing chip design topology: libraries, cells, layers,
shapes, instances, and nets. Layout and schematic data share one model; the view kind
(layout, schematic, symbol, abstract)
lives in CellContent. Data is serialized to a binary
.room file through Cap'n Proto.
The project is part of the IHP open-source IC design flow. Design data is kept in a
format-neutral internal model so tools can load, edit, and save the same representation
without tying the database to a single exchange format. Cap'n Proto is built locally under
third_party/capnp-install/ (CMake runs scripts/mkcapnp.cmd or
scripts/mkcapnp.sh automatically on first configure).
Data hierarchy
On disk (.room, format v1.0), each view stores geometry in CellContent.payload — not a top-level block field. The C++ API exposes the same topology via CellContent::block().
Format v1.0 stores only payload on CellContent (no legacy top-level block field).
Quick start (VS Code)
Ctrl+Shift+B → Example: Build & Run Full Demo
Or build static libraries only: Build: Static Libraries (.a)
Quick start (command line)
cmake -S . -B build -G "MinGW Makefiles"
cmake --build build
.\build\make_sample_gds.exe testdata\sample.gds
.\build\gds_to_room.exe examples\gds_to_room\data\sg13g2_stdcell.gds out\layout.room
.\build\qucs_to_room.exe examples\qucs_to_room\data\rc_lowpass.sch out\schematic.roomPython API
Script ROOM from Python without rebuilding C++ (or reading C++ docs). See the Python API docs for install, CLI, converters, and the full class reference (Database, Cell, types).
pip install ./python
room info design.room
python -c "import room; print(room.open('design.room').cell_names())"API reference
Class pages follow a Qt-style layout:
brief summary, Header/CMake, Public Types/Functions tables, detailed member docs,
private members, examples, and an on-page table of contents.
See docs/DOCUMENTATION_STYLE.md in the repository for authoring rules.
Classes
- Point
- Box
- Transform
- Property
- LayerSpec
- Enums
- room::Database
- room::Lib
- room::Cell
- room::CellContent
- Coordinate scale (DBU)
- room::Block
- room::Shape
- room::Instance
- room::Net
- room::Term
- room::SourceInfo
- sniffRoomFile / FileSummary
- ROOM path helpers
- room::GdsImporter
- room::QucsImporter
- room::QucsExporter
- room::PrimitiveResolver
- room::pin_retarget
- room::XschemImporter
- room::XschemExporter
- room::xschem_bridge
- room::TextDumper
Examples
GDS layout import · Qucs schematic import · Xschem schematic import
Sniff and file naming
sniffRoomFile() reads .room headers without geometry.
View-specific names: <cell>.schematic.room — see
ROOM path helpers and
docs/SNIFF.md.
Project layout
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
src/ | Core C++ API (Database, Cell, Shape, …) |
src/point.h, box.h, box.cpp, … | Basic geometry and metadata types |
src/types.h | Umbrella include for basic types |
src/enums.h | ViewType, Orient, SigType, string helpers |
utils/ | GdsImporter, QucsImporter/Exporter, PrimitiveResolver, pin_retarget, XschemImporter/Exporter, xschem_bridge, TextDumper |
schema/ | Cap'n Proto schemas |
third_party/capnp-install/ | Cap'n Proto compiler and libraries |
scripts/mkcapnp.cmd | Optional manual Cap'n Proto build (CMake runs it automatically if needed) |
examples/gds_to_room/ | GDS import demo |
examples/qucs_to_room/ | Qucs schematic demo |
examples/xschem_to_room/ | Xschem schematic demo |
python/ | Python package + CLI (import room, pip install ./python) |
docs/html/ | This documentation (logo.svg, room-logo.png) |
LICENSE | GNU GPL v3.0 |
Licensed under GNU GPL v3.0 (see repository LICENSE).