When your customer is the U.S. Army and you need to migrate a system model including over 800,000 elements from Rhapsody to MagicDraw, manual migration is definitely not an option. For Dynetics, a Leidos subsidiary, the mission was clear: deliver a one-time, full migration from IBM Rational Rhapsody to NoMagic’s Cameo Enterprise Architect (MagicDraw) without compromising data integrity or wasting time. Here’s how they made it work, using Sodius’s Publisher for IBM Rhapsody.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Core Mission of Leidos Dynetics
The Business Case
The challenge: recreating data in a new modeling tool while preserving integrity and timeliness
How Sodius’ Publisher for Rhapsody Enabled a Full Migration?
Dynetics’ Feedback on Sodius' Publisher for Rhapsody
FAQ
What is the core mission of Leidos Dynetics?
Dynetics provides highly specialized engineering, scientific, and IT solutions for critical sectors including national defense, cybersecurity, space, and infrastructure.
As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, their mandate is to deliver responsive and cost-effective technology solutions that meet the highest levels of performance and reliability. Their portfolio spans complex systems integration, from components and subsystems to full end-to-end systems tailored for national security and mission-critical environments.
For organizations like Dynetics, the ability to rapidly develop and adapt complex system architectures is paramount. Models are central to that work, especially in projects that must comply with strict customer and regulatory requirements.
What was the business case?
For one of its defense programs, Dynetics needed to migrate a complete system model from IBM Rhapsody UML to NoMagic’s Cameo Enterprise Architect (MagicDraw). This requirement came directly from their customer, the U.S. Army, which mandated that all further development be performed in MagicDraw. “The customer requires a one-time migration to MagicDraw. Further development will be done in MagicDraw.” – Sean F., Project Manager and Lead Systems Architect. This was not a matter of preference or just a simple request. It was a contractual and operational necessity. But the migration posed a serious technical and logistical challenge given the scale and structure of the existing model.
The challenge: recreating data in a new modeling tool while preserving integrity and timeliness
The model slated for migration was anything but small:
- 37,331 individual files
- 812,405 model elements
- 703 diagrams
Manual recreation would have taken months, if not years, and would have introduced a high risk of errors or omissions. “Up until today, this kind of transformation, if done manually, would normally take at least one man-year to complete.” – Larry J., Evaluation Engineer
And this estimate covered only the system model itself, not the separate data model that accompanied it. That alone could have added another man-year of effort. For Dynetics, the stakes were clear: the migration had to be fast, accurate, and verifiable.
How Sodius’ Publisher for Rhapsody Enabled a Full Migration?
Dynetics turned to Sodius’ Publisher for Rhapsody, a model transformation tool already trusted by multiple U.S. Department of Defense programs.
The Publisher’s main capability is to automate the conversion of Rhapsody SysML, UML, and UPDM models into compatible MagicDraw models, while retaining the structural and semantic fidelity of the original model.
What was the conversion process like with Publisher?
Dynetics received configuration support and clear migration instructions from the Sodius team. The process was executed within a secure internal environment, with no data uploaded externally. The Publisher handled:
- Full project conversion in a single session
- Automatic segmentation and recomposition when needed
- Consistent preservation of model structure, hierarchy, and diagram content
The diagrams, blocks, ports, flows, packages, relationships, internal linkages, and profiles are carried over automatically and preserved – a key success criterion for Dynetics. Even custom stereotypes and tagged values defined in the Rhapsody profile were successfully converted.
“100% success criteria for the model migration is: diagrams are converted with minimal need for correction, the tool is able to convert the entire Rhapsody project at one time, or failing that, can successfully break the model into units that can be merged back together. And linkages are maintained within the model.” – Sean F.
“Following the provided instructions, we were able to execute the conversion of the model in just under 9 hours. We found that quite impressive. The conversion worked very well for our needs. It gave us what we needed without any cleanup or diagram issues.”
➡️ Learn more about our Solutions for Systems Model Exchange
Step-by-Step: How the Publisher Works
The workflow with Publisher is designed to be minimal-effort for engineers:
- Open the Publisher interface and select the Rhapsody model to convert.
- Configure export settings, such as the desired output folder or project-specific filters.
- Run the export to generate an XMI file.
- Import the XMI into MagicDraw using the standard import process.
🎉 And...that’s it!
Key outcomes of the migration
The conversion was completed in under 9 hours —far exceeding initial expectations. With some minor post-conversion tuning, the project was ready to move forward.
“This did in 2 months what could have taken 2 years.” – Sean F.
Manual rework was kept to a minimum. Dynetics estimated that only a few weeks of effort would be needed to polish the result. The rest of the time—formerly estimated at two full years—was saved. The automated process enabled the team to stay on schedule while maintaining quality and consistency across all model elements.
The benefits of Sodius Publisher for Rhapsody
The Publisher delivered value in three critical areas:
- Time Efficiency
The entire migration was completed in less than a day. Compared to the projected timeline of one to two years, the time saved was substantial. - Structural Integrity
Models were converted with all diagrams, relationships, and hierarchies preserved. The tool ensured compatibility between source and target platforms, avoiding broken dependencies or incomplete diagrams. - Reduced Manual Rework
While some fine-tuning was needed, the Publisher’s accuracy dramatically reduced the time and risk associated with cleanup.
Dynetics’ Feedback on Sodius' Publisher for Rhapsody
Dynetics emphasized not just the performance of the tool, but also the support they received.
“We did encounter some issues during the conversion, but were pleased with the responsiveness and knowledge of the Sodius team… They were already aware of them, and either had a fix or already had it scheduled as an item to be addressed in a future release.” – Larry J.
This responsiveness, combined with continuous improvement of the product, made the tool a solid long-term investment for Dynetics. The Publisher helped the team avoid waste, reduce costs, and deliver results under pressure.
“We strongly recommend that we buy this product. It will pay for itself many times over for this project.” – Larry J.
➡️ Read another customer story
FAQ: IBM Rhapsody to MagicDraw Model Migration
1. How can I migrate SysML models from IBM Rhapsody to MagicDraw automatically?
You can use Sodius’s Publisher for IBM Rhapsody to automate the migration of SysML, UML, and UPDM models. It transforms complete models (structure, elements, diagrams, profiles) into Cameo Systems Modeler (MagicDraw) while preserving fidelity and layout.
2. Is the conversion process secure and offline?
Yes. The entire migration can be performed within a secure internal environment. No data is uploaded externally. Dynetics, for example, executed their full migration internally with support from Sodius, completing the job in under 9 hours.
3. What kind of effort does it save?
Dynetics avoided 1.5+ years of manual effort, completing the migration in just under 9 hours.
4. Can I convert both diagrams and model elements?
Yes. The Publisher supports complete conversion of SysML/UML/UPDM model elements and diagrams. Diagram layouts are configurable to match MagicDraw styling without editing the original Rhapsody models.
5. Does it support round-trip or iterative model exchange?
Yes. The tool supports bidirectional exchange between Rhapsody and MagicDraw using a unique identifier (UID), making it suitable for iterative development workflows.
6. Can I preserve traceability to IBM DOORS Next requirements?
Absolutely. With the optional DOORS Next add-on, Publisher exports OSLC links and proxy requirements from IBM Rhapsody into MagicDraw, maintaining bidirectional traceability between architecture models and requirements.
Leave us your comment