Model-based Design Process Tool Handles Variants

May 7, 2014

Atego's Vantage addresses the challenges in developing and building complex systems including variation trade-off analysis.

William G. Wong

Atego's Vantage (Fig. 1) addresses the challenges in developing and building complex systems including variation trade-off analysis. It is especially helpful in redeploying common systems and software with variations that target specific applications.

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Figure 1. Atego Vantage is built around model-based tools including Atego Modeler to provide a complete system design support package.

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Atego Vantage combines a number of model-based tools to simplify system and product line designs and improve reuse of components. This helps increase productivity, improve quality and reduces costs while reducing errors through the use of common, proven parts.

The core of the system is Atego Modeler. It supports UML, SysML, UPDM and Orthogonal Variability Modeling (OVM), an ISO 26550 industry standard. Support for the Object Management Group's (OMG) Common Variability Language (CVL) is in the works.

Atego Modeler can essentially support the “150%” model (Fig. 2). That is, a model that includes all options within the design. A particular instance will utilize a subset of these options but it makes maintaining a common framework significantly easier. Each variant is an instance of the complete model.

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Figure 2. A “150%” model may never be fully deployed but a single model can cover all the variants that share common components.

Atego Modeler runs on Atego's Artisan Studio. This supports these tools as well as other Atego compilers. Atego Modeler can be configured for automatic code generation from models into C, C++, C#, Java, Visual Basic and Ada. The tools can be synchronized with 3^rd party tools like PTC Itegrity, The Mathworks Simulink and IBM Rational DOORS.

Atego Vantage also includes Atego Asset Library, Atego Process Director and Atego Check. Atego Vantage provides a common database index to link to these modular system and software design tools. Vantage is based on the Atego Perspective best practice implementation methodology and it supports a top-down, architected modular design while providing bottom-up asset mining and reuse of models.

The Atego Asset Library uses a supplier/consumer where “variable assets” can be used in the modeling process. It has a simple, web browser-based interface that uses an OMG Reusable Asset Specification (RAS). It is file type agnostic allowing easy integration with other tools. It includes a reuse metrics dashboard.

Atego Process Director and Atego Check tend to be used in conjuction with each other. They help author, manage, deploy and audit the Atego Perspective process. The tools work well with other systems and software engineering methodologies allowing developers to customize the process to their needs. For example, Process Director can export XML to tools like Microsoft Project. There is also an API that provides likes to tools like SAP and Microsoft Project.