In the world of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), clarity and structure are everything. As models become more complex in size and scope, engineers need better ways to organize, navigate, and collaborate effectively. This need inspired Vitech to introduce a Containment organizational structure option in GENESYS.
Introduced in GENESYS 2025, Containment brings a new level of intuitive organization to systems modeling, aligning with both user intent and industry best practices.
What Is Containment?
MBSE models are often organized according to a namespace, or containment strategy, where the model starts with a package definition and all the different entities that make up the model are then placed in that package with either an explicit ownership relationship or an implied ownership due to the placement in the package.
At its core, Containment is a way to structure engineering data based on namespace utilizing an ownership relationship specifically, the owns/owned by relationship in the CSDL schema. This creates a hierarchical view of your model across any combination of classes, making it easier to understand how elements are grouped in relation to each other and how they fit into the broader system.
Think of it like organizing files into folders: containment helps you group related entities together, allowing you to organize your model according to ownership, which can make your model more semantically meaningful.
Containment Tree Example
Why Containment Matters
Intuitive Navigation
The new containment View in GENESYS allows users to explore models more naturally. You can jump directly to any entity and see its context. Containment allows the user to dictate the model tree structure, allowing the logical grouping of entities which can aid in understanding the context of an entity. Each entity’s relationships, views, attributes and parameters are now displayed as nodes in the tree structure, allowing users to view the details of a contained entity in an intuitive tree assembly.
Improved Interoperability
Containment aligns with widely adopted data exchange standards and MBSE platforms, making it easier to collaborate across tools and teams. Whether you’re integrating with PLM systems or sharing models with external stakeholders, containment ensures your data is structured for success.
Methodology Alignment
Many systems engineering methodologies rely on hierarchical decomposition. Containment supports this by organizing models in a way that reflects logical ownership and system architecture, as an alternative to the underlying entity class organization as traditionally done in GENESYS.
How It Works in GENESYS
- Containment Tab: Access the containment view directly from the Project Explorer.
Containment Tab
- “Owns/Owned By” Relationships: Entities are placed in the view based on these relationships. Any entity can be owned by or own any other entity.
“owns/owned by” relationship
- Uncontained Entities: Easily identify and manage entities that aren’t yet part of the containment structure. As entities are added to the containment structure, they are removed from the Uncontained Entities browser.
Uncontained Entities
- “Owns/Owned By” Relationships: Entities are placed in the view based on these relationships. Any entity can be owned by or own any other entity.
Jump to Entity in Containment
Containment in the Context of CSDL
Vitech’s Comprehensive Systems Design Language (CSDL) already emphasizes semantic clarity through its entity, relationship, attribute (ERA) structure. Containment builds on this by adding a layer of logical ownership, helping engineers model systems that are not only technically correct but also organizationally coherent. The standard GENESYS class structure is preserved alongside the containment tree.
Conclusion: A Foundation for Scalable MBSE
Containment is not just a feature: it’s a philosophy of model organization. By structuring systems data around ownership and hierarchy, Vitech empowers engineers to build models that scale, communicate clearly, and integrate seamlessly.
Whether you’re designing a spacecraft, a medical device, or a complex enterprise system, containment in GENESYS 2025 gives you another tool to model smarter, faster, and with greater confidence.
