This presentation explores the possibility of using SysML to rigorously trace requirements for a training simulation game from the applicable government standard. A prototype of an interactive training game is presented. This presentation shows an approach to using SysML to break down the OSHA standard for training of forklift operators and elaborate/trace requirements down to individual scenes/levels in the training game. The SysML model was created using MagicDraw and the prototype training game was developed using the Blender 3D animation package. Presented at Code Generation 2014 in Cambridge, England.

1. Copyright© 2014
SysML Design of Simulation Game
David Hetherington
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2. Copyright© 2014
Introduction
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David Hetherington
Odyssey of Homer Career
‐ Digital PBX
‐ Multimedia Audio
‐ Systems Management
‐ Software Internationalization
‐ Blade Servers
‐ Automotive Radar Chipset
Current: Bring Modeling to
Petroleum Industry

3. Copyright© 2014
Initial Inspiration
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• Experienced operator
had unloaded truck daily
for 15 years – no
problems.
• Broke leg in a sporting
accident.
• Younger replacement
was well trained…
• And was spotted by
another employee with a
walkie‐talkie..
• But misjudged the slope
backing down the ramp.
• No serious injuries, but
some damage to the
forklift.
• Incident investigation
revealed a slight slope to
the truck bed that the
older operator had
simply assimilated into
his routine.
Could we
model this
somehow?

4. Copyright© 2014
The OSHA Standard
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https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9829

5. Copyright© 2014
Reformatting the Standard
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Copy and paste
from website to
Excel. Looks nice,
but format not
ready for SysML
tool input.
Fortunately, a few simple
VBA can dramatically
reduce the pain of
reformatting the data.
Use 80/20 rule. Code
20% of VBA that yields
80% of benefit. Do rest
by hand.

6. Copyright© 2014
Create a New SysML Model
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Here we are using MagicDraw by NoMagic to create
the model. Sparx Enterprise Architect will work well as
well. Papyrus will be problematic because it has no
ability to import requirements from a spreadsheet. That
means that in any realistic project, the task of inputting
(usually hundreds or even thousands of) requirements
into a Papyrus model would be onerous.
Most source requirements documents that you will
encounter are not written by professional systems
engineers. As such, the individual requirements contain
too many different concepts. The requirement below is
a good example. As such, in our new SysML model we
will create packages for “Source” and “Clarified”
requirements.

7. Copyright© 2014
Narrow Down Requirements
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First we narrow down the
requirements to those that are
relevant to a training game, ie: the
truck operations.
Next we notice that the relevant
requirements are in four sections…
From which we make package names…
And Load
them into
the model

8. Copyright© 2014
Load Source Requirements into the Model
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Now we massage the requirements a little more…
And load them into the model

9. Copyright© 2014
Create Clarified Requirements
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Create clarified requirements. For
example, text that contains two unrelated
subjects should be broken into two
separate requirements.

10. Copyright© 2014
Create Derive Relationships
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Create Derive Requirements Relationships

11. Copyright© 2014
Allocate Requirements to Use Cases
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(The anchored note is a really handy method for adding the text
to a use case. Unfortunately, it is a vendor extension rather than a
part of SysML)

12. Copyright© 2014
Model Structure of the Game
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We design a basic game structure:
1. Welcome Screen
2. Some number of Game Levels
3. Closing Screen
After starting the game, the player
can select a level. If the player “wins”
the level, play proceeds to the next
level. If not, the player moves to the
Closing Screen. The Closing Screen
gives the player his score and also
gives him the option of playing the
game again (or exiting).

13. Copyright© 2014
Allocate Use Cases to Game Level Instances
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Now we can allocate the use cases to specific
Game Level instances. We can also make those
specific Game Level instances “satisfy” the
clarified requirements.

14. Copyright© 2014
Model State Machine for Avoid Edge Level
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Now we have a
behavior design
for the level
that we can
design to and
explore for
potential code
generation.

15. Copyright© 2014
Blender ‐ Overview
• Open source
• Amazing 3D rendering
• “Toy Story” quality
animation
• Built‐In game engine
• Challenging to learn, but
very functional, and lots
of help available on
Youtube
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16. Copyright© 2014
Blender – Model the Forklift
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Find a brochure of a real forklift on the internet
and use it as a background image in Blender to
create a Bézier curve outline of the forklift cab.
After that extrude the outline to create the
initial body shell.

17. Copyright© 2014
Blender – Model the Forklift
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Cut some horizontal holes, slice off
pieces, add some surfaces
Add textures
and lettering
And add a few
more things…

18. Copyright© 2014
Avoid Edge Game Level – Create Platform
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1. Create a platform 20m by 20m and 1m high.
2. Create a ramp up onto the platform 3m wide and 3m long.
3. Create 1m wide safety areas all around the platform that are planes
positioned 2cm above the platform.
4. Add the forklift to the scene
• Lighting is a headache...
• Fonts/Text do not behave well. Convert “Asatte Lift” to a mesh.
• Linked objects are a headache for the physics engine. For the moment, I have
joined the forklift components into a single mesh.

19. Copyright© 2014
Add Basic Motion
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Add keyboard controls to create basic motion of
forklift. Very powerful. Note that we only need to
push the forklift around. The physics engine will
figure out the rest.

20. Copyright© 2014
Detect Entry into Ramp – 1 of 2
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1. Assign the Forklift
object a property
“ForkLift”
2. Assign the Ramp a
sensor that notices
a collision with
“ForkLift”
3. Make that sensor
send a broadcast
message
“StatusEnterRamp”

21. Copyright© 2014
Detect Entry into Ramp – 2 of 2
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The Status Text
overlay (a
separate blend
file) receives the
message and runs
a script.
Now we have the
basic mechanics to
implement the rest
of the game and
also connect the
physics simulation
to the Python
scripting.

22. Copyright© 2014
Prototype of “Avoid Edge” Level Ready
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23. Copyright© 2014
Code Generation Issues
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Issue Work Around
Not much
Python Code
Convert More Logic
Bricks to Python
Tools SysML Tools
don’t
Generate
Python
Work from
XMI file
Use XSLT
(Saxon)
Use Microsoft
Excel Visual
Basic
Final Game
does not
Quite Match
Model
Update the
Model Open Source
Code
Generators

24. Copyright© 2014
Why Bother With Code Generation?
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PowerPoint Compiler
Draw Some
Pretty Charts
p
Feed to
PowerPoint
Compiler
Ship
Finished
Product
Crack Open
a Beer
More Realistic View
Model in
SysML
Prototype by Prototype by
Hand Using
Model
Learn a
*LOT*
Update
Model to
Match Reality
Custom
Design Code
Generator
Generate &
Hand‐Complete
Production Code
Verification
and Validation
Ship a Version
of Product
This vision is very appealing
to marketing guys and non‐
technical executives….
Code generation becomes
the path to replication of
patterns and best
practices across a large
number of levels of a
complex game.

25. Copyright© 2014
What Worked? What Didn’t Work?
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Not so Great Great!
Requirements
Traceability
SysML Model
of Behavior
Reliability of
Game
Code
Generation
SysML Model
of Game
Structure

26. Copyright© 2014
Future Exploration
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Port to
Commercial
Game Engine Use SysML
Parametrics to
Model Physics
Full
Implementation
of Code
Generator
Add Human
Actors
Model Forklift
Controls More
Accurately
How to Test
Fact
Knowledge?
How to Model
Forklift and
Working Area
Inspections?

27. Copyright© 2014
Recommended Reading
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Not for beginners, but
very good working
examples that you can
studyBlender Foundations: The
Essential Guide to Learning
Blender 2.6
Roland Hess
Good starting point
for Blender basics
before tackling game
programming.
Game Development with Blender
Dalai Felinto, Mike Pan
SysML Distilled: A Brief Guide
to the Systems Modeling
Language
Lenny Delligatti
UML and SysML together
make a huge subject. This text
does a nice job of presenting
SysML concisely without
getting lost in a forest of
discussions of layers of
metamodel abstraction.

28. Copyright© 2014
Questions/Comments/Suggestions…
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Send me an e‐mail:
david.hetherington@asattepress.com
My website:
http://asattepress.com