Open DEF files in your browser
A placed and routed design, from its floorplan to its last wire. Open one right here with its LEFs, every cell placed and every net drawn. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your layout opens with its cells down one side and its layers down the other.
- Every cell and what it places • Sharp at any zoom
- Layers by name • Hide one, show one alone or pull them apart in 3D
- Measure in microns • Find a cell, pin or label
- Export • PNG, SVG and the cell list as CSV
About DEF
DEF is LEF's partner from Cadence. Where a LEF describes a library, a DEF describes a design built from it, and place and route tools like OpenROAD and Innovus write one at each step from the floorplan to the routed chip.
A DEF holds the die's outline, the rows cells sit in, each placed cell with its orientation, the pins at the edge, the power grid as special nets, and every signal net with its wires and vias on each metal. The cells' own shapes aren't in it: they're in the library's LEF.
Filepeek reads the file in your browser and draws the whole design sharp at any zoom: the die, rows, wires and pins on their layers, and every cell placed from the LEFs dropped with it. Search finds a cell or a net by name and lights it, the cell list counts how many of each kind are placed, and the layers lift apart in 3D.
Design Exchange Format
.def
Format
- MIME type
- text/x-def
- Made by
- Cadence
Inside the file
- Die and rows
- The design's outline and where cells sit
- Components
- Each placed cell, turned or mirrored
- Nets
- Signal and power wiring, with their vias
- Pins
- The design's connections at its edge
Opens in every browser
Browsers download DEF files, and place and route tools need installing. Filepeek opens them in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, with the LEFs dropped with them.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Questions
How do I open a DEF file?
Drop it on this page or choose Peek a DEF, with its LEFs if you have them. It opens on the whole design, with the cells it places listed beside it and nothing to install.
Why don't my cells show?
A DEF places cells but doesn't hold their shapes, which are in the library's LEF. Drop the LEFs with the DEF, the technology LEF too, and every cell draws in place. Show details names any cell no LEF has.
Can I find a net?
Yes. Choose Search and type its name. Every match is counted, and the net you step to is lit along its whole length on every layer.
Can I hide a layer?
Yes. Choose Layers to hide a metal or show one alone, with all the wiring on it. Blockages, fill and rows start hidden, and the die's outline can be hidden too.
Which DEF files open?
DEF files from OpenROAD, Innovus and other place and route tools, at any step from the floorplan to the routed design, with their wires, vias, pins and blockages.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The design opens inside your browser and never leaves your device.