Check out the Altera site; their "baseline" EPLD compiler is downloadable
for free.
I've done several designs with the Altera "MAX+plusII" compiler and found it
very easy: you may describe your design in sort of a high-level language, or
use standard schematic building blocks, whatever you like better.

Using a "sea of gates" like Altera FLEX that is configured after power-up by
downloading of a config stream from special EEPROM or a microcontroller is a
terrific way to create extremely flexible solutions fast, but I think this
may be oversized for a PIC. Maybe the EPLD types like MAX7000 may be more
suitable.

If you want an example source, email me at: rkoehler_dd@csi.com


Roland Koehler.