Your First Waveform

This tutorial walks you through loading and exploring a waveform file in NovyWave. By the end, you will have navigated a timeline, inspected signal values, and changed display formats — the core skills for everyday waveform work.

Prerequisites

• NovyWave installed (Installation Guide)

This tutorial uses test_files/simple.vcd from the NovyWave repository. You can also use any .vcd, .fst, or .ghw file from your own simulations.

Step 1: Launch NovyWave

Open NovyWave from your applications menu or terminal:

novywave

You’ll see three main panels:

• Files & Scopes (top-left)
• Variables (top-right)
• Selected Variables (bottom)

Step 2: Load a Waveform

Click Load Files in the Files & Scopes panel header.

Navigate to test_files/simple.vcd and select it. Click Load.

Your file appears in the Files & Scopes tree with its time span:

simple.vcd (0-250s)

Step 3: Explore the Hierarchy

Click the chevron (>) next to your file to expand it.

You’ll see the module hierarchy:

simple.vcd (0-250s)
  └── simple_tb
      └── s

Step 4: Select a Scope

Click the checkbox next to s.

The Variables panel now shows the signals in that scope:

A    Wire 4-bit
B    Wire 4-bit

Step 5: Add Signals to View

Click on signals in the Variables panel to add them to the waveform view:

1. Click A — it appears in Selected Variables
2. Click B — added below A

Step 6: View the Waveforms

The Selected Variables panel now shows your signals:

• Name Column: Signal names with remove buttons
• Value Column: Current value at cursor position
• Wave Column: Visual waveform timeline

Step 7: Navigate the Timeline

See the Full Picture

Press R to reset and see the entire simulation time.

Zoom In

Press W repeatedly to zoom into an area of interest.

Move the Cursor

Click on the waveform to position the blue cursor line. Watch the values update in the Value column.

Scan Through Time

Hold E to move the cursor forward through time. Hold Q to move backward.

Step 8: Find Signal Changes

Press Shift+E to jump to the next signal transition.

This is useful for finding specific events without scrolling through constant values.

Step 9: Change Value Format

Click the dropdown in the Value column (showing Hex, Bin, etc.) and select a different format:

• Bin — Binary (e.g., 1010)
• Hex — Hexadecimal (e.g., A)
• UInt — Unsigned integer (e.g., 10)

Step 10: Save Your Workspace

NovyWave automatically saves:

• Which files you loaded
• Which signals you selected
• Your cursor position
• Panel sizes

Close and reopen NovyWave — your workspace is restored automatically.

Troubleshooting

File tree is empty after loading? Check that the file loaded successfully and expand the file tree by clicking the chevron.

Variables panel shows “Select scope…”? Click the checkbox next to a scope in the file tree.

Waveform shows all “N/A”? Press R to reset the timeline view — the cursor may be outside the file’s time range.