Planned release: end of 2020
Version 2021x adds the ability to use layers in diagrams, automatically create legends, present diagrams or predefined sequences of diagrams in full screen to stakeholders, create compositions and aggregations in matrices, and use predefined element type filters when searching for the necessary model elements. Additionally, the usage of Simulink import and Modelica export has been extended with few enhancements, the Excel/CSV file import functionality has been reviewed and refreshed, and numerous improvements to Excel/CSV synchronization functionality in tables have been added.
Few powerful simulation features will change the way you simulate your models by using diagrams as a simulation dashboard. For your convenience, streaming behavior simulation is now supported and simulation options has been moved to Project Options, animation delay affects only visible diagrams to provide better user experience, guard evaluation on transitions expressed in natural language are now interactive, and more.
This release brings significant performance and scalability upgrades in key product areas: Merge, Teamwork Cloud project load, Teamwork Cloud project saving, table loading, Excel and CSV files import, and such common modeling tool operations as Copy/Paste, Find, Numbering, Element Selection, and Validation.
Last but not least, project merge has been extended to give users the option to show only the changes in directly modified diagrams, hide Target and Equivalent Changes by default, and choose a specific ancestor calculation algorithm depending on merge scenario and expected outcome.
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Modeling and Infrastructure
Layers Based on Legends
Diagrams can get extremely crowded as the model evolves. Therefore, highlighting a chosen piece of information, for example, only one specific aspect of the system becomes a great challenge. For your convenience, you can now filter diagrams by the selected Legend items to make only the necessary diagram layers stand out.
Filtering the diagram by the selected Legend item.
Learn more about layers based on Legends >>
Presentation Mode
Direct the attention of your audience to the diagrams being presented! You can now present diagrams in full screen without showing such user interface components as model browser, diagram palette, status bar, and toolbars. That is not all! You can also define the sequence of diagrams to present one after another.
Diagram in the enabled Presentation Mode.
Learn more about Presentation Mode >>
Intelligent Legend Creation
Seems like Legend creation is a tiresome activity? Not at all! From now on, you can create Legends easier than ever before – extract them automatically from the elements displayed on your diagram instead of relying on a manual creation. What is more, you can now automatically extract Legend items for the existing Legends. Once the Legend items are created, you can customize their adornments representation. They can now be displayed as rectangular shapes or extended lines to represent paths and shapes in greater detail.
Extracting the Port Types legend according to the elements displayed on the diagram as symbols.
Learn more about extracting Legends >>
Renewed Excel/CSV File Import
You can import data from an Excel/CSV file directly to the model without installing Excel and CSV Import Plugins (read more about discontinued products). From now on, the newly created Excel/CSV Import dialog brings an easy to use and clearly understandable graphical user interface. It allows you to import content with just a few clicks by selecting the Excel/CSV file and specifying element mapping options. Additionally, you can save your maps to reuse them, collect saved maps in groups, manage those groups, and use an entire group instead of a single map for data import.
The Excel/CSV Import dialog with specified options for satisfy relationship import.
Learn more about Excel/CSV file import >>
Extended Excel and CSV Sync
Three improvements to synchronize data between Excel or CSV files and a model:
- Unique elements. Elements to be synchronized can now be identified not only by their name, but also by element property or tag value.
- Direct relationships. From now on, you can import direct relationships between the source and target elements as easily as other elements.
- Relationship ends. When importing relationships between different elements, you can select a specific property or tag to identify the source and target end of the relationship.
New mapping options in the Excel/CSV Sync Options dialog: Identification Property, Identify Relationship (end) Source by, Identify Relationship (end) Target by.
Learn more about Excel/CSV Sync in tables >>
Composition and Aggregation Relationships in Dependency Matrix
You can now define relationships between the elements in your model more accurately! The latest release brings an ability to create and display Composition and Aggregation relationships in Dependency Matrix.
Creating and displaying Composition, Aggregation, and Association in Dependency Matrix.
Learn more about Composition and Aggregation creation >>
Predefined Element Type Filters
Find the needed elements in the Select Element dialog faster! You can now filter elements by their types to narrow down the search results and thus perform your searches more effectively. That is not all! More performance-related improvements that help to find and select the needed elements faster are coming.
Performing an element search with the applied element type filter.
Learn more about predefined element type filters >>
Other Improvements
The smart autocompletion command Ctrl + Space now works for the Change Event expression in State Machine diagram.
- The Jython 2.7.2 version is now supported.
Simulink and Modelica integration improvements
Proxy Ports in FMU and Simulink import
FMU and Simulink import now support Proxy Port creation. Once you have imported the external FMU/Simulink model, you can select the Proxy Port to be created in your model and then specify an existing or create a new Interface Block to be used as its type.
Selecting the Proxy Port and an Interface Block upon the external model import.
Learn more about FMU and Simulink import >>
Simulink model import to Activities
You can import the Simulink model by dragging and dropping the Simulink file (*.slx) directly onto the Activity diagram. The Activity (stereotyped by «SimulinkBlock») which is assigned as behavior for the Call Behavior Action and its Input and/or Output Pins are created in the model.
Simulink import to Activity diagram.
Learn more about Simulink import >>
IBD-based selective Modelica export
You can now use the Internal Block Diagram to select what to export to Modelica. Only parts, ports, and connectors appearing in this diagram are exported, rather than the entire model. See whole vs partial export comparison in the image below.
The difference between whole (exporting Block) and partial (exporting IBD) export to the Modelica file.
Simulation
HTML Widgets in IBD Diagrams
Cameo Simulation Toolkit introduces a new powerful mechanism to integrate any third-party interactive HTML components (widgets) into SysML diagrams for simulation. A set of predefined widgets is available in UI Widgets Library. You can drag and drop widgets to IBD diagrams and connect them to appropriate value properties to provide inputs or read outputs. If you have basic HTML and JavaScript skills, you can manually create new custom widgets and integrate them into simulation.
Please note that the free Web Server for Cameo Simulation Tookit plugin is required for this functionality.
The example of using widgets from UI Widgets Library in an Internal Block Definition Diagram.
Learn more about integrating widgets for simulation >>
Displaying and Changing Runtime Values in Diagrams
WIth Cameo Simulation Toolkit 20.0 monitoring and manipulating simulation information has never been easier. Now you can display runtime values of Parts in all diagrams based on a Composite Structure Diagram as shown in the figure below. But that is not all, you can also modify runtime values directly in a diagram the same way you do it in the Simulation window.
This sample model demonstrates how you can view and change runtime values of Parts directly in an Internal Block Definition Diagram.
Displaying Active State in Diagrams
Now diagrams based on a Composite Structure Diagram display the active States of Parts when simulating a model. Active states are shown on the bottom of Part shapes the same way they are displayed in the Variables pane of the Simulation window. This new feature improves the readability of simulation information because you no longer need the Simulation window to see how active States change when executing your model.
In this Internal Block Definition Diagram, you can see that active States are displayed both in the Simulation window and on the shapes of initialized Parts.
Displaying Active State Images
Make your model simulation look more illustrative and vivid by displaying active State images on Part shapes. You can do that by assigning an Image Switcher to the Simulation Configuration from which you execute your model or by applying an image to a State. When states change during simulation, state images change as well as displayed in the following figure.
Here you can see how active State images are displayed when simulating a model.
Displaying Flowing Information
Cameo Simulation Toolkit 20.0 allows you to see what information is flowing via paths that are animated during model execution. In Activity Diagrams, the flowing item is displayed as a bubble with a label showing the item name. In diagrams based on a Composite Structure Diagram, a moving triangle is shown on an animated path as illustrated below.
The temperature value flowing in an Activity Diagram.
In this Internal Block Definition Diagram, you can see the neutral signal flowing from the GearShift to the Transmission Control Unit (TCU).
Sending a Trigger in Diagrams
Now sending a trigger during model simulation is even more convenient because you can do it right from a diagram without using the Simulation window. You can send a trigger directly from a Part shape in all diagrams based on a Composite Structure Diagram. When it is possible to send a trigger, a special button is displayed on a Part shape after selecting it.
Simply click the highlighted button to send a trigger from a Part. If it is possible to send several triggers, the trigger list will be displayed for you to select from.
Reorganized Simulation Options
All Simulation options have been moved from Environment Options to Project Options for better user convenience, as it allows customizing simulation to fit a particular project. In addition, all simulation settings will be exchanged among users who collaborate on a server.
Furthermore, most of the Simulation Configuration options are duplicated in Project Options now, so you can specify default values for execution without using Simulation Configuration.
As you can see in this figure, all simulation options are now accessible in the Project Options dialog.
Animation Delay Logic
Animation delay affects only visible diagrams now. All closed diagrams and models run at full speed with no delays.
Interactive Guard Evaluation for STM and Sequence Diagrams
The guard conditions on transitions expressed in natural language cannot be evaluated, so the question dialog will be shown for you to choose. This behavior is consistent with decision nodes in Activity Diagrams.
When simulating this State Machine Diagram, a user is asked to choose whether a user name is valid or not.
Simulink Co-Simulation in Activity Diagrams
A Simulink *.slx file can be dropped into an Activity Diagram to create «SimulinkBlock» Activity and Call Behavior Action for it. If the file is attached to your project or stored in the project directory, Cameo Simulation Toolkit will be able to execute it with given input values and provide outputs to the action output pins.
In this Activity Diagram, a «SimulinkBlock» action has been created from a Simulink *.slx file.
Other
- A new parameter -leaveprojectopen has been introduced into the command-line interface.
It allows leaving a project open for the next simulation if multiple property files are used in the simulation command. - Boolean and Enumeration values are represented in Timeline plots now.
- A new Record Time option is added into CSV export configuration to be able to turn off the timestamp column when it is not needed, e.g., when recording Trade Study or Monte Carlo iterations.
Performance Improvements
Project Merge Improvements
Project Merge has undergone considerable performance improvements. Modeling tool version 20.0 requires 3-4 times less memory to successfully merge two server project branches compared to 19.0 SP4.
A chart comparing merge memory consumption in different modeling tool versions.
Furthermore, the merge speed has increased by 20-70% in 20.0 compared to 19.0 SP4.
Charts comparing merge performance in speed and memory modes.
TWC Project Load Memory and Speed Improvements
Project load memory and speed improvements have been implemented for Teamwork Cloud. The modeling tool now requires only 2GB of heap to load a project (first and second time) when working with TWC projects compared to 8GB in 19.0 SP4. Additionally, as a result of the UML metamodel changes mostly, SysML projects are now opened 2-3 times faster.
N.B Received results cover the project load only, excluding validation, diagramming, and further modeling tool feature usage.
N.B A red border on a bar chart in the image below indicates a low memory occurrence during testing.
Charts comparing load memory and speed improvements between different modeling tool versions.
- 3 projects (sizes ranging from 1M to 2M) in 19.0 SP4 and 3 projects in 20.0 (sizes ranging from 750k to 1M) were used to run the tests.
- Migration time is excluded because already migrated projects were used.
TWC Disk Footprint Improvements
Major TWC disk footprint-related changes are presented in this release. TWC 20.0 requires twice as less disk space for the same amount of projects with no history compared to TWC 19.0 SP4. In addition to this achievement, the disk size growth is cut nearly 5 times in TWC 20.0 compared to TWC 19.0 SP4 for those projects users work actively on.
A chart comparing TWC disk footprint between different modeling tool version
- A database of 50 projects with 2021x commits each was used to run the tests.
- Project sizes ranged between 400k and 2.2M elements (average project size being 700k elements).
Partial Data Loading in Tables
Experience enhanced table loading and scrolling performance! Thanks to the newly-introduced Load Partial mode, data is now loaded in only visible rows, meaning that there is no need to wait until data is calculated in the entire table. What is more, fast scrolling has improved – it is now considerably smoother.
A chart comparing the opening time of Requirement Table having 7 standard columns with a different number of requirements.
Learn more about partial loading in tables >>
Enhanced Copying/Pasting Operation Speed
Recent modeling tool performance improvements have led to an increase in the copying/pasting operation speed. Now you can copy and paste data noticeably faster for maximized productivity.
A chart comparing the copy&paste operation time in various scenarios.
Profiling Changes in the UML 2.5.1 Metamodel
Significant changes have been implemented to the UML metamodel for performance reasons. The InstanceSpecifications, Slots, and ValueSpecifications are no longer used to store profiling data. Instead, new model element types and properties are introduced while some have been removed (see the diagram below).
Profiling changes in the UML metamodel.
As shown in the figure above, Element references the TaggedValue that is used to specify the Boolean, Integer, Real, String, or Element values of the applied stereotype properties. This approach uses fewer model elements to store profiling data, which leads to a decrease in the total number of elements in SysML and UAF projects by 40-80%.
N.B Expressions based on the previously implemented profiling data storing metamodel no longer work, meaning that they have to be updated manually.
Discontinued Products
The development of the following plugins is discontinued:
- Document Modeling Plugin (Model-based reports). For more effective model publishing and reviewing on the web, use Cameo Collaborator.
- Methodology Wizard Plugin.
- QVT Plugin.
- Excel Import Plugin. Use Excel/CSV Sync or Excel/CSV Import features instead.
- CSV Import Plugin. Use Excel/CSV Sync or Excel/CSV Import features instead.
- Web portal reports are no longer available. For more effective model publishing and reviewing on the web, use Cameo Collaborator.
- WSDL Code Engineering and WSDL diagram are no longer available.
- C# Code Engineering and C# Professional Edition are no longer available.
- The 32-bit installation files are no longer offered for download.
From Teamwork Server to Teamwork Cloud
Teamwork Server is no longer supported in the latest release. Teamwork Cloud should be used as a product for collaborative modeling and model version control. Customers still using Teamwork Server have to migrate their server projects to TWC 19.0 series first and then upgrade to TWC 20.0.
Collaboration
Detecting Changes in Diagrams During Merge
You can now specify in the Environment Options dialog whether to compare only the direct or all the changes in diagrams during the Project Merge and Project Comparison operations. By default, only the changes made by the user in loaded (open) diagrams are analyzed, leaving out unintentional diagram changes that occurred due to indirect changes in the model. This feature not only eases both merge and project comparison processes for the user since the number of diagrams with changes is considerably reduced but also optimizes modeling tool performance.
An Environment option to specify the changes to detect in diagrams.
Learn more about diagram changes in model merge and project comparison >>
Further Merge Usability Improvements
The model merge has undergone further usability improvements. From now on, changes from the Target and Equivalent Changes are automatically hidden by default, meaning that only the Source changes are shown. As a result, fewer changes need to be reviewed by the user.
What is more, the model merge has been extended by adding a capability to select which ancestor calculation algorithm to use. You now have the freedom to choose a Branch Point as an ancestor for your merges. This is especially useful in those cases when merge results become too complex to understand and analyze due to previously rejected changes. By default, Lowest Common Parent ancestor calculation algorithm is used.
Selecting the ancestor for future merges in the Merge Project dialog.
Other Features
Report Wizard
An empowering tool of the Document Report Designer diagram is now available for conveniently drafting and designing new templates of Microsoft Word Document (DOCX) format. Discover more about Report Designer >>
Document Report Designer for drafting and designing new templates of Microsoft Word Document (DOCX) format.
Web Publisher 2.0 now has the Quick properties panel, at the lower left similar to MagicDraw, show the documentation settings in the Documentation tab and properties in the Properties tab of elements selected in the diagram and from the Containment tree. Learn more about the new Quick properties panel >>
The Quick properties panel: Documentation and Properties tabs.
You can utilize a new sorter function for sorting elements as they appear in the Containment tree. Learn how to use this sorter tool >>
- Reference bookmarks and their links can be created for DOCX numbered items. Learn about using these bookmark tools >>
- Functions for displaying lists of properties in property groups for given elements and stereotypes are ready to use. Learn how to use this group of report tools >>
You can check the list of publicly available issues or your own reported issues fixed in Cameo Systems Modeler 20.0.
Note: You will be required to login. Use the same username and password as for www.nomagic.com.
Version news of servers and plugins
- Cameo Simulation Toolkit 20.0
- Cameo DataHub 20.0
Plugins updated due to compatibility purposes
The latest Cameo Systems Modeler Documentation