Solution of a module orientation and rotation problem

The authors study a module orientation and rotation problem. They assume that a set of rectangular modules has been placed according to proximity requirements while they still have the freedom to choose the orientation of the modules, to rotate the modules, and to shift the pins along the boundary of each module. They propose a fast heuristic algorithm to solve the problem, minimising the total length of the connecting wires. Their algorithm produces very good experimental results in no more than two minutes of computation time for problems with hundreds and even thousands of modules