The strategic process of placing component footprints onto the digital board area in CAD software. It involves grouping functional blocks, orienting connectors for mechanical fit, and planning the general flow of signals and power to ensure the board can be successfully routed later.
I spent the whole morning floorplanning the new mainboard to make sure the high-speed memory traces stay short.
Good floorplanning solves 90 percent of routing problems before a single trace is drawn.
Also heard as
- Placement
Related terms
Floor plan
A high-level spatial arrangement of major component groups on a blank board.
Autorouter
A software tool that automatically generates copper traces between components on a circuit board.
Rat's nest
Tangle of straight unrouted connection lines a layout tool draws between pads that belong to the same net.