As web technologies advance and model-based engineering (MBE) gains momentum, the need for lightweight, web-based graphical modeling tools has never been greater.
The Eclipse Sirius project addresses this challenge with Sirius Web, a modern, low-code framework for building domain-specific modeling tools directly in the browser.
A standout example of what’s possible with Sirius Web is SysON, a graphical SysML v2 editor. Together, Sirius Web and SysON represent a major shift in how modeling tools are developed and delivered.
Sirius Web: A Low-Code Framework to Empower Domain Experts
Traditionally, building modeling tools required deep technical expertise, long development cycles, and complex desktop infrastructure. Sirius Web changes the game. It enables tool builders to design and deploy custom modeling environments through a low-code approach that is:
- Open source and backed by the Eclipse Foundation;
- Web-based, eliminating installation hurdles and supporting collaborative modeling;
- Highly customizable, to address domain-specific languages (DSLs) and enterprise-specific needs.
Whether you’re designing complex IT architectures, embedded systems, or multi-disciplinary systems, Sirius Web empowers you to define visual languages with intuitive graphical representations (nodes, edges, containers), complemented by rich form-based editors, and advanced layout options. It delivers a modern UI/UX, encourages reuse, and integrates with other engineering tools.
The Challenge of System Engineering: Enter SysML v2
Modern systems (cars, satellites, aircraft), are made up of thousands, even millions, of interconnected components developed by multidisciplinary teams and suppliers. In this context of growing complexity, Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) has become essential: it enables engineers to formalize system architectures, manage interfaces, and share knowledge consistently across teams.
This is the context in which SysML v2 emerged: a new standard from the OMG designed to offer a more expressive, precise, and interoperable modeling language for systems engineering. But a modern language calls for a modern tool.
SysON: A Web-Based, Open-Source SysML v2 Editor
SysON is a fully web-based SysML v2 modeling environment, built on top of Sirius Web and accessible directly from your browser. It is designed to provide easy access to SysML v2, reduce onboarding time, and enable system engineers to work more efficiently.
It provides:
- Graphical views such as the General View for visualizing model elements, and the Interconnection View for understanding how system parts interact;
- Form-based and tabular editors, all within a web browser;
- Support for model libraries, making reuse and collaboration easier;
- Textual import/export, for exchanging with other tools or users in a human-readable format.
Tailored for Flexibility and Integration
SysON works out of the box, but it also supports deeper customization for organizations with specific needs. Its architecture enables you to:
- Extend the standard with domain-specific concepts, for fields like automotive, avionics, or safety engineering;
- Integrate with existing tools and workflows through REST APIs;
- Customize visual representations to align with your internal modeling guidelines and conventions.
SysON is more than a standalone tool. It can be embedded into broader engineering platforms, or serve as the SysML v2 foundation within a custom toolchain.
This flexibility makes SysON a good candidate to support methodologies, either tailored to specific needs, or well established MBSE approaches like Arcadia. Integration with tools such as Capella is already being explored to support seamless transitions between methodologies and ensure consistent system representations.
Its open-source nature, hosted under the Eclipse Foundation, ensures transparency, community involvement, and a foundation for long-term evolution.
AI Meets Model-Based Engineering: The Next Frontier
AI is also emerging as a game-changer in MBE. Within SysON and Capella, two promising AI-driven applications are being explored:
- AI as a modeling assistant, automating repetitive tasks, generating elements, and guiding users.
- AI as a conversational interface, allowing stakeholders to access model insights using natural language, no need to master the modeling tool.
These innovations are already being prototyped and will soon be part of Obeo’s commercial offerings, reinforcing the accessibility and intelligence of modeling environments.
Learn more about Sirius Web and SysON, and discover how open-source, low-code technologies are shaping the future of system engineering tools.
