# QuestaSim/ModelSim simulation gives me unkown value in wave window. However I get them as X and x, what is the difference between the two?

What is the difference between big X and small x when we get red (unknown) signals in QuestaSim? I would assume it to be the same in ModelSim simulation as well.

IEEE Std 1364-1995 § 14.1.1.4 "Unknown and high impedance values" and IEEE Std 1800-2012 § 21.2.1.4 "Unknown and high-impedance values":

• If all bits in a group are at the unknown value, a lowercase x is displayed for that digit.
• If all bits in a group are at a high-impedance state, a lowercase z is printed for that digit.
• If some, but not all, bits in a group are unknown, an uppercase X is displayed for that digit.
• If some, but not all, bits in a group are at a high-impedance state, then an uppercase Z is displayed for that digit, unless there are also some bits at the unknown value, in which case an uppercase X is displayed for that digit.

Example:
8'b1111_xxxx => displays as 8'hFx
8'b00x0_1001 => displays as 8'hX9
8'b1010_zzzz => displays as 8'hAz
8'b0z00_0110 => displays as 8'hZ6
8'b0zx0_1010 => displays as 8'hXA (unknown has higher display priority over high impedance)

Are you viewing a signal in hex radix? IIRC big 'X' means all the bits of your radix are unknown, while little x means that some but not all of the bits are unknown.

Maybe something like:

4'hX = 4'bxxxx;
4'hx = 4'b000x;


I don't know if this the standard on all simulators, but you could check to confirm by looking at the binary radix.