Messages

1

General Board / SysML-Modelica-EA

« on: December 01, 2013, 03:33:04 pm »

I am getting excited about Modelica:

https://www.modelica.org/documents/ModelicaSpec32.pdf

and SysML integration;

http://www.omgwiki.org/OMGSysML/doku.php?id=sysml-modelica:sysml_and_modelica_integration

"SysML is a standardized general purpose graphical modeling language for capturing complex system descriptions in terms of their structure, behavior, properties, and requirements. Modelica is a standardized general purpose systems modeling language for analyzing the continuous and discrete time dynamics of complex systems in terms of differential algebraic equations. Integrating the descriptive power of SysML models with the analytic and computational power of Modelica models provides a capability that is significantly greater than provided by SysML or Modelica individually."

There is SysML<->Modlica Transformation Specification:

http://www.omgwiki.org/OMGSysML/lib/exe/fetch.php?id=sysml-modelica%3Asysml_and_modelica_integration&cache=cache&media=sysml-modelica:sysml-modelica_xformspec_v.1.0_2010-5-10.pdf

Is anyone aware of any activity to link EA in with these exciting developments?

2

General Board / Port Layout and Diagram Copy

« on: December 01, 2013, 12:35:09 am »

I am early in the learning curve for EA, so forgive me.

I am currently working on diagrams based on SysML 1.3 and I have been experimenting with nested ports. Thanks to the Sparx support, I have learned how to do this.

My problem is that laying out the ports and port annotations neatly and regularly is very difficult because there is apparently no 'snap to grid' functionality, even though this is enabled and works for placing and sizing blocks.

In an ideal world, I think that I'd like to see a two level grid with the main block placement being on the coarser grid, and ports and annotations being on a finer grid derived by a configurable number of subdivisions. This would enable the optimal compromise between rapidly achieving neat and regular placement with flexibility of annotation placement.

It is quite possible that this, or an equivalent facility is provided, though I haven't found it.

The second thing that I find distressing is that, when I copy diagrams, the placement of everything is lost in the copy. I accept that the placements on the copied diagram and the original must be independent, but I see no reason why the copy shouldn't start off identical to the original. I feel that reorganising a complex mess of randomly placed components is almost as soul destroying as starting the diagram all over again. I feel sure that I have to be missing something - it can't be supposed to be like this?

Can anybody put me straight on either of these frustrations?