Description
Model-based to Design Matrix (MB2DM) is a tool for the creation of design structure matrices from SysML models. The usage of Design Structure Matrices is widely applied to represent, cluster, and partition complex systems information for different purposes, one of them being systems design. Nevertheless, open-source software for their automatic creation is rare. This leads to manual workshop sessions for subject matter experts to fill in the design structure matrices, a practice that is very tedious and time consuming. The importance and application of Model Based System Engineering has increased over the years, and the need for such a tool has become more and more evident.
MB2DM generates design matrices while extracting information automatically from XML model file of the MBSE software Tool, it can also be adapted to extract information from Papyrus models.
The tool is able to create:
- Design Structure Matrix (DSM),
- Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM),
- Multi-Domain Matrix (MDM).
For more information refer to the paper “Design Structure Matrix Generation from Open-source MBSE Tools” available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9582525
The tool can be found on gitlab: https://gitlab.isae-supaero.fr/DSM/dsm-generation
To use the tool, proceed to clone the repository or download the latest release. Afterwards go to the folder “Application” and run either the executable MB2DM-1.0.exe or the Java application MB2DM-1.0.jar depending on your operating system. On the User Interface you will be able to select an input file (The current release works with TTool XML files. Examples can be found at: https://gitlab.telecom-paris.fr/mbe-tools/TTool/-/tree/master/modeling/AVATAR ). Afterwards select the type of matrix you desire, either a Design Structure Matrix (DSM), a Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) or a Multi-Domain Matrix (MDM) and later its specific type. You can select consequently several types of matrices. You are able to see in the History log which matrices have been requested and can be found on the output files folder. The output files are saved as .xlsx by default and can be found in the “design_matrices” folder inside the “Application” folder.
Since the specific application for the matrices in this tool at the moment is system design, it focuses on functions, components and requirements that can be found in the System models. A Component DSM can present the dependencies between the components, a Requirements DSM the ones between requirements, and analogously a Functions DSM presents the dependencies between functions. The matrices can be binary and directed, if it is the type of matrix you are looking for then click the button “Binary”; the matrices can also be numerical and directed for this type click on “Directed”. The Multi-Domain Matrix (MDM) includes requirements, functions and components; while the Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) shows information regarding the dependencies between a pair of domains, be it: Functions-Components, Functions-Requirements or Requirements-Components.
Contact Details
Sophia Salas Cordero
Department of Complex Systems Engineering (DISC)
Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO)
Toulouse, France
Address: Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, 10, avenue Edouard Belin – BP 54032, 31055 Toulouse Cedex 4, France
The Design Structure Matrix (DSM) 