The ability to recognize polygon-based layout as a collection ofobjects representing circuit elements connected by path-based wires,enables existing designs implemented using an older fabricationprocess to be reimplanted quickly in a new process.The approachtaken here, based on layout generator technology, is to create acollection of parameterized circuit objects that, with appropriatearguments, are able to represent the devices (e.g., transistors,contacts) implicitly described in the flattened design.Therecognition engine is fully programmable, is independent of anyparticular technology or device set, and is not restricted to manhattanor even octilinear geometries.In this paper, we describe a novelthree-phase approach to object recognition: device recognition, exactwire recognition, and wire synthesis.We believe exact wire recognitionto be entirely new and cover it in detail.Experimental resultsdemonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithms on actual layout.