A visual interactive environment for engineering knowledge modelling

Abstract

Today, the field of modelling of engineering knowledge needs facilitating the specification and programming tasks associated with the modelling of complex systems. In this paper a graphical formalism is suggested as a way to tackle the system modelling problems more quickly. Composition graph (CP-graph) rewriting is suggested as a basis for visual modelling tools. Nodes of a CP-graph have explicit connection elements called bonds to which edges are attached. The proposed Visual MOdelling with GRaphs (VIZMOGR) system offers a simple graphical interface for conceptual designing artifacts, in which outline solutions are determined by spatial and structural relationship of the principal components and major functions. The system allows the user to create structure components of the model in the form of CP-graph nodes labelled by icons representing artifact’s components. Creating edges between bonds of nodes is controlled by means of label-dependent rules. To modify created CP-graphs VIZMOGR system provides schemes of rules, which are most often applied to develop graphs. Moreover VIZMOGR system supports attributed CP-graphs by enabling the user to propagate semantic information and to capture parametric modeling knowledge. The benefits of the proposed approach and usefulness of VIZMOGR system are shown using examples of designing bridges.