CONCERNING LEDIT DRC AND NON-MANHATTANS:

LEDIT indeed performs DRC, though it's not interactive (i.e. it is only done
when you ask for it, not as you go). It does show you where the errors are
directly on your layout, and error ports are tagged with the type of offense.
The DRC costs more, but it is integrated into the LEDIT menu.

The non-manhattan geometry issue is a bit more complex. The editor certainly
supports non-manhattans, and even INCLUDES A CIRCLE DRAWING TOOL. However,
advanced functions which depend on generated layers at this time ignore any
non-manhattan features. So, while you can draw a circle, you can't generate an
annulus by taking the difference between two circles of different radius. This
is also why the cross section viewer fails for non-manhattan features: it
requires a "NOT POLY" generated layer.

Despite this shortcoming, we've had good student response with LEDIT.

Because of the lack of generated layers for non-manhattan geometry, I've
written a macintosh application called CircCIF which generates radial and
circular patterns from stairstep manhattan geometry. It will generate circles,
annulus, spokes, teeth, wedges, and radial wires. It allows variable size,
angle, radii, "stairstep" size, ... It generates CIF, which is easily imported
back into L-Edit or magic. For more info on our use of L-Edit and CircCIF, see:

http://hypatia.dartmouth.edu/levey/ssml/ledit/ledit.html
--Chris Levey
  Solid State Microengineering Lab
  Thayer School, Dartmouth College
  email: [email protected]
  http://hypatia.dartmouth.edu/levey.html