Introduction to SysML in Visual
Paradigm
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Table of Contents
Visual Paradigm User Interface
Sleek Interface
Classic Interface
Block Definition Diagram
New Project
Packages
Diagrams
Blocks Definition Diagram
Block Connections and Relationships
Part Association
Shared Association
Generic Connections
Generalizations
Parts
References
Style and Formatting
Value Property
Multiplicities
Connector Formatting
Activity Diagrams
Initial Node
Activity
Object Nodes
Object Flow and Control Flow
Decision Box
Join Node
Activity Final Node
Swim Lanes
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Overview
A model is an abstraction of phenomena in the real world; a Meta Model is yet another abstraction,
highlighting properties of the model itself. The Visual Paradigm software application based on the System
Modeling Language (SysML) allows the description of the elements and related attributes. In this tutorial,
we create a Meta Model (MM) of the Building Programming Process taking into consideration various
programming processes including actors or stakeholders active in those processes. The Meta Model shall
describe the important entities, related attributes and the cross relationships of the whole process.
This tutorial shows how to describe interactions among objects with Activity diagrams in
SysML. Activities are a sequence of actions that take inputs, add value and provide outputs. Through
this tutorial we will use the Stakeholders SysML model as case study and diagram an Activity model
representing a simple Building Programming Process.
Learning Objectives
Understanding what is a Meta Model (MM)
Creating a Meta Model using SysML
Understanding the relationships across elements of the Meta Model
Understanding hierarchical relationships
Understanding and modeling horizontal relationships
Defining abstract object types
Understanding the “has”, “belongs to” and “is a” relationships among Building Blocks
Understanding the notion of multiplicity
Understanding Actions and Activities
Understanding Flow Types
Understanding value property and custom property
Understanding Presentation techniques and Style and Formatting of elements
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Pre-requisites
Visual Paradigm Academic License Installed
Glossary
The following acronyms are used in this document.
DC: Double‐click on left button
LC: Left‐click— also specified as “click” as the default mouse operation
RC: Right‐click
MM: Meta Model
SysML: System Modeling Language
MD: Magic Draw SysML editor
BB: Building Block
act: Activity Diagram
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1. Visual Paradigm User Interface
After installing the academic license version of Visual Paradigm Software on your machine, go to your
desktop and DC Visual Paradigm.exe file to open the application. By default the software loads in Sleek
User Interface. We will switch to Classic User Interface, as for beginners that’s more convenient to work
with. But if you feel confident enough, you can try the Sleek User Interface as well.
Sleek User Interface
1. Toolbar
A tabbed toolbar that allows you to
perform various operations in
Visual Paradigm.
2. Diagram Editor
The diagram will be displayed in
the Diagram editor.
3. Status Bar
Notifications are shown here. You
can also open the message pane
and description pane from the
bottom right of the status bar.
Ref: http://www.visual-paradigm.com/
Go to Windows or Tools menu on
top and click on Application
Options. From the Application
Options dialog box, go to
appearance tab. Click on Classic
User Interface from top.
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Classic User Interface:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Menu Bar
Tool Bar
Diagram Navigator
Properties Pane
Message Pane
Diagram pane
SysML Overview:
In SysML, the diagram is not the model, the tree is the model. The diagram is a “visualization of
the model”. In other words, if you delete the entire diagram or elements from the diagram, you are not
necessarily deleting them from the model. The diagram can represent the entire model, only branches of
the model, or limited levels or views of the model.
The «block» is the basic unit of structure in SysML and can be used to represent hardware, software,
facilities, personnel, or any other system element. In the next section, we would understand the relevance
of a Block in SysML process models, with the help of a Block Definition Diagram.
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2. Block Definition Diagram
In this tutorial, we create a Meta Model (MM) of the Building Programming Process taking into
consideration various programming processes including actors or stakeholders active in those processes.
The Meta Model shall describe the important entities, related attributes and the cross relationships of the
whole process.
New Project
Go to File –> New Project, to
make a new project and name it
“Building Programming Process in
the New Project dialog box. Select
Data type set with UML and click
on Create Blank Project button at
the bottom.
New Package
Go to Model Explorer on left and
RC on the project name. Then go
inside the Model Element menu
and click on Package as shown.
Create a new Package named
Block Diagrams.
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Similarly, create another new
package and name it Activity
Diagrams. You can see both of the
created packages on the Model
Explorer window on the left.
New Diagram
RC on the Block Diagrams
Package and go under the Sub
Diagrams menu and click on New
Diagram.
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In the new diagram dialog box
click on SysML Diagrams from
the left and click on Block
Definition Diagram on the right as
shown.
Another Way To Do It
When you Create your New
Project, you will see the adjoining
screen showing different Diagram
Types which can be built in Visual
Paradigm. Select SysML Modeling
to see the set of Diagrams you can
make under this domain.
Click on Block Definition
Diagram ( BDD) to start a new
BDD
In the Block Definition Diagram
Editor, you would be asked to
name your Diagram on top right as
shown. Give it a name of
“Concerned Stakeholders”
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New Block
1. On the Diagram Toolbar
on left click on the Block
Icon.
2. Then Click on the
Diagram Editor on the
right to place the Block
3. Name the Block
“Healthcare Trust”
Using the Resource-Centric
Interface
If you move your mouse pointer
over a shape, you will see a
number of icons surrounding it.
Those are known as the resource
icons. They together form the
resource-centric interface. You can
at times use these buttons directly
for fast work flow instead of
selecting the same commands from
the Diagram Toolbar.
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3. Block Relationships and Connections
Shared Association
Shared Association is a way to represent the “has” relationship. In the Shared Association relationship the
part exists by itself.
Part Association
Part Association represents the “has” relationship in a slightly different manner than Shared Association.
It means that the subparts do not exist by themselves. They only exist as subparts of the higher level
Block.
Generalization
Generalization represents the “is a” relationship. Which means the child is a type of its parent.
Part Association
Make two new Blocks “Clinics”
and “Hospital” which will be
under Healthcare Trust as its part.
Click and hold on the Association
button on the Diagram Toolbar.
Now click on the Part Association
button.
Now first click on the Healthcare
Trust Block and then drag your
mouse to point to Clinics Block
and then release your mouse.
Similarly make the part association
for the Hospital Block.
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Part Property
The Part Property attribute
represents the “has” relationship.
For example, the Healthcare
trust Block “has” the Clinic and
the Hospital. In other words,
Part Property identifies all the
parts of the Block.
Connector Formatting
In order to change the format of the
connector, RC on the connector, in
Style and Formatting‐> Connector
Style‐> Rectilinear.
This will help set the connectors as
orthogonal, which renders the
whole diagram cleaner and more
legible for the user.
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Generic Connector
Make a new block, name it
"Programming Group".
Click on Generic Connector on the
Diagram Toolbar on the left.
Click on the Healthcare Trust and
then click on the Programming
Group to make the connection.
This is used to make a nondirectional relationship between
the Healthcare Trust Block and
Programming Group Block.
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Shared Association
Make three more Blocks which
would be part of Programming
Group, namely, Nurse Consultant,
Architect and Healthcare
Strategists.
But these blocks can exist without
the existence of Programming
Group Block, thus we need to use
Shared Association Connection
between Programming Group and
these three new blocks as shown.
Make the Shared Association
connection similar to the process
of making Part Association.
Generalization
Make new blocks Medical Staffs
and General Practitioner’s under
Clinics Block as shown.
Further make Social Workers,
Attendants, Interns and Charge
Nurse Blocks, all of which are
Medical Staffs. So we use
generalization connection as
shown from the diagram toolbar
on the left.
After clicking Generalization from
the Diagram Toolbar, click
Medical Staffs Block first and drag
your mouse to point towards
Social Workers Block and then
release it when the mouse is
hovered over the Social Worker
Block. Do the same for
Attendants, Interns and Charge
Nurse Block
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Edit Block Specification or
Properties
To change Specification of a block
RC the Social Worker block, and
click on Open Specification or you
can press Enter.
Add Property to a Block
Go to Properties tab, and then
click Add button to add a custom
property. In the attribute
specification dialog box give a
name to the property “number”.
Change multiplicity to 25. Press
Ok to add the property to the
block.
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Style and Formatting of a Block
To change the style and formatting
of any block you can RC the block
and go to Styles and Formatting ->
Formats.
In the Formats dialog box you can
change the line weight, line type,
background color, font size and
font type of the block. You can
play around with multiple
combinations of these.
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Value Property
RC on clinics block and click on
add -> value property menu.
In the Value Type Specifications,
in the general tab as shown, give a
name to the value type. Name it
Area Dimension
Similarly create a quantity kind,
name it Numbers and create a new
unit “ sq.m.”
‘
Value Properties are attributes of
any Block that can be represented
as a primitive value such as
dimension, area, volume, weight,
thickness, location, or name.
Value is a single attribute.
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‘
Multiplicity
RC on the connector between
Hospitals block and Wards block.
Go to Role B (Wards) then select
Multiplicity button. This section
basically takes care of how many
numbers of such blocks are there.
For this case it is how many wards
are there in the Hospital.
Select “other” from the drop down
menu and manually enter the
number of instances that elements
needs to be.
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Final Block Definition Diagram
( BDD)
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4. Activity Diagrams and Process Flow
An Activity is a sequence of single actions that takes inputs and provides outputs. Visual Paradigm
graphically represents Activities in diagrams. The formal Model is described in the Model Explorer on the
left.
Creating Actions
Actions are singular tasks executed within an Activity. In other words, an Activity is a collection of
Actions. Actions take inputs and provide outputs, and they are represented as rounded squares
New Activity Diagram
To create a new activity diagram,
RC the Activity Diagram Package
in the Model Explorer, and click
on Sub Diagrams -> New
Diagram.
In the diagram creation dialog box
click on activity diagram type on
the right from the UML diagram
sets as shown on the left side.
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Initial Node & Activity
Start the Activity by adding the
Initial Node.
Then add a new activity from the
Diagram Toolbar. Name it “ Study
the initial set of inputs : Develop
Vision for the Project”
Control Flow ( flow between
activities)
Make connection from the Initial
Node, to this activity with the help
of Control Flow button on the
Diagram Toolbar.
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Object Flow ( flow of an object
to and from an activity)
Object Flow represents the flow of
an Object Node exchanged
between Actions within the
Activity. It is similar to a typical
output-input relationships between
two functions.
On the Diagram Toolbar, click on
the object node button and then
click on the Diagram Pane. Name
it “Initial Design Vision Guideline
Documents”.
These are represented as sharp
rectangle shapes.
Join Node
Similarly, make another activity
“Start Gathering More Information
as Input for Building
Programming” and in this activity
there are 5 more documents inputs
as objects. ( as explained
previously)
`
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We can use join node (the thick
black bar) shown in the adjoining
image to connect them together to
the activity node.
Decision Box
To test any decision by the active
stakeholders in the workflow
process we can use the decision
node box, which can have output
either as Yes or No.
Click on the Decision Node Button
from the Diagram Toolbar and
type in the testing question in the
Decision Box.
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When each activity takes place,
there can be input to the activity in
the form of Object Nodes as
previously mentioned.
Similarly, there are output objects
from the activity, which also can
be represented by object nodes
from the Diagram Toolbar as
shown.
Activity Final Node
Click on the Activity Final Node
button on the Diagram Toolbar on
the left. This is used to terminate
the activity. Make a control flow
from the last Activity to the
Activity Final Node to finish the
whole Activity Diagram as shown.
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Swimlanes
From the Diagram Toolbar on left
add the Vertical Swimlanes
element on the diagram area. By
Default it would be added with
two columns. Each columns or
partitions should represent one
Block (Healthcare Trust &
Programming Group for this
example).
The Swimlanes can have multiple
columns or rows (in case of
horizontal Swimlanes). Each
column or rows has to be
represented by a Block which
owns responsibility for the
activities represented in those
columns or rows.
RC the Swimlanes and open its
specification. Select Partition and
click on Open Specification
In this specification dialog box,
click on represents button and
select Block and then “ Healthcare
Trust” Block to let the partition or
1st column represent all the
activities by the Healthcare Trust
Block. Also, rename partition
manually to “ Healthcare Trust”
Similarly do the same for the other
partition and this time select the
Programming Group. Remember
both Healthcare Trust and
Programming Group have
relationship in the Block
Definition Diagram.
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After you make the Swimlanes
with appropriate Blocks as the
partitions, you need to drag and
drop the activity diagram onto the
Swimlanes.
You have to selectively place
activities and objects in the
respective partition, whose
representative block is the block
responsible for those activities.
When you drag the activities and
hover over any of the partitions of
the Swimlanes, the partition
becomes highlighted and the user
interface displays it by a greyish
selection around the partition as
shown.
Final Activity Diagram
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