Fluid Pcell Evaluation Optimizing Memory and Speed

The patent applies partial action by evaluating only a subset of Pcell geometries during interactive editing rather than all geometries. Specifically, when a Pcell is being dragged or edited, the system evaluates only the minimum necessary geometries to maintain visual feedback, while deferring full evaluation until the editing operation completes. This partial evaluation approach maintains dynamic generation capability while reducing the computational burden that causes visible lag.

The patent implements periodic action by evaluating Pcell geometries at specific intervals rather than continuously. The system evaluates geometries at key events such as when the mouse button is pressed, when dragging starts, and when editing completes, rather than evaluating every pixel movement. This periodic evaluation rhythm provides sufficient visual feedback to users while avoiding the continuous computation that causes delays.

The patent extracts and separates the evaluation of different Pcell geometry components into distinct phases. During interactive editing, only essential geometry evaluations are performed and extracted from the full evaluation set. The remaining geometry evaluations are deferred to post-editing processing, thereby reducing memory utilization during the interactive phase while preserving the ability to generate complete Pcells when needed.

The patent applies nesting by organizing Pcell geometry evaluation into nested hierarchical levels. The outer level represents the complete Pcell evaluation, while the inner level represents the subset of geometries evaluated during interactive editing. This nested structure allows the system to maintain a simplified representation during editing (reducing memory usage) while preserving the capability to expand to the full evaluation when the editing operation completes.