Vitruvius is a framework for view-based (software) development. It assumes different models to be used for describing a system, which are automatically kept consistent by the framework executing (semi-)automated rules that preserve consistency. These models are modified only via views, which are projections from the underlying models.

Idea

Vitruvius is based on the idea of a Single Underlying Model (SUM), which represents all information about a system in a single, redundancy-free und inherently consistent model. A SUM requires the definition of one overarching, redundancy-free model for every development project, although in practice different tools for different purposes are used and thus such a SUM is hard to construct and maintain. Vitruvius extends the concept to a Virtual Single Underlying Model (V-SUM). It is virtual, because it behaves like a SUM in the sense that it is always consistent, but it does not achieve this by being free of redundancies and implicit dependencies but by having explicit rules that preserve consistency of the different models after they have been changed via views.

Vitruvius stands for "VIew-cenTRic engineering Using a VIrtual Underlying Single model".

Realization

Vitruvius is realized as a set of Eclipse plug-ins. It depends on the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) as the modelling environment, on Xtext for language development (in particular the languages for specifying how consistency is preserved), and Xtend and Java for code.