GDS-TXT
GDS-TXT is a human-readable text representation of GDSII data. It allows inspection, manual editing, and scripted manipulation of mask layout data using standard text tools.
Format Summary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .gdstxt, .txt |
| Encoding | ASCII |
| Import | |
| Export | |
| License | GDS-TXT Option |
| Hierarchy | Full cell hierarchy (matching GDSII) |
| Layers | Numeric layers with datatypes |
File Format
GDS-TXT uses a structured text syntax that mirrors the GDSII record structure:
HEADER 600
BGNLIB 2024-01-15 12:00:00
LIBNAME mydesign
UNITS 0.001 1e-9
BGNSTR 2024-01-15 12:00:00
STRNAME topcell
BOUNDARY
LAYER 1
DATATYPE 0
XY 0:0 1000:0 1000:1000 0:1000 0:0
ENDEL
ENDSTR
ENDLIB
Import Options
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| (Standard GDSII options apply) | Same as GDSII import | — |
Export Options
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| (Standard GDSII options apply) | Same as GDSII export | — |
Common Workflows
GDSII → GDS-TXT
Convert binary GDSII to text for inspection, diff, or version control.
GDS-TXT → GDSII
Reassemble a text-edited design back to binary GDSII for fabrication.
Scripted Layout Generation
Write GDS-TXT files programmatically (using Python, shell scripts, etc.) and convert to GDSII.
Technical Notes
- GDS-TXT is a lossless representation of GDSII — round-trip conversion preserves all data
- Coordinates use the
X:Yformat separated by spaces - The file is human-readable and can be processed with standard text tools (grep, sed, diff)
- The GDS-TXT Option license bundle is required