Try to clear the cookies from your browser, use an incognito window, or use a different browser. Some people have reported problems with getting the Intel License Center working, especially when using an old account. ! About possible Intel-Questa license request issues: Click the Register link on the page to create one.

If you don’t already have one, you need to register for an account. Next, you can request a free license from the Intel FPGA Self-Service Licensing Center. Select the Questa-Intel FPGA Starter Edition option when prompted, as shown below, because this is the free version. Select the QuestaSetup Windows or Linux version, as shown below.Īfter downloading the installer, click the executable to start the installation. To skip that, click the Individual Files tab on the current page after following the previous step. You don’t have to install Quartus Prime to use Questa. To download Intel-Questa for free, go to Intel’s FPGA Software Download Center and filter out Intel Quartus Prime Lite Edition Design Software for Windows or Linux, as shown in the image below. Skip to the next subsection to see how to prevent that. It looks and feels the same as ModelSim, except that Questa removes unused signals by default. Intel recently replaced the free Intel-ModelSim version with Questa, a more updated version of ModelSim with some additional features. This is my favorite free Questa/ModelSim edition because it’s the most up-to-date version. Works on: Windows, Linux (Red Hat or Ubuntu) Questa-Intel FPGA Starter Edition (ModelSim) But they all look and feel the same, and they are sufficient, even for advanced VHDL projects. That’s why you will find many installation options for ModelSim on this list.Īll free ModelSim versions are speed-restricted in some way. ModelSim / QuestaSim, produced by Siemens EDA (formerly Mentor Graphics), is one of the most popular HDL simulators. I recommend installing another operating system in a virtual machine to get around the problem. Mac OS is the most challenging platform because there’s only one open-source simulator that works natively. But with a little effort, you can make it work in other distros, including Ubuntu. FPGA vendors usually only support the Red Hat Linux distribution.

Microsoft Windows is the easiest to install on, but many simulators also have a Linux version. But fortunately, there are many free and legal alternatives that you can download and install. Professional VHDL simulators are more expensive than most individuals can afford.

Download modelsim student version