SMAD Portal vs Dassault CATIA Magic / Cameo
SysML modeling vs end-to-end mission engineering workspace
MBSE practitioners evaluating Cameo Systems Modeler for spacecraft programs
- Your program mandates formal SysML 1.x or 2.0 deliverables
- You have an MBSE team trained on Cameo / MagicDraw / OpenMBEE
- You need parametric modeling that drives downstream analysis tools (Modelica, Simulink)
- Your customer requires Cameo project files as part of the deliverable package
- Your team needs the day-to-day mission engineering workflow more than formal SysML diagrams
- You want orbit analysis, link budgets, and phase gates as first-class features
- Your program is small enough that a full MBSE rollout is unrealistic
- You want to ship the first phase gate package in days, not after a 6-month MBSE pilot
Feature Comparison
| Capability | SMAD Portal | Dassault CATIA Magic / Cameo |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Requirements traceability (RTM) | ✓ | ✓ |
| SysML 1.x / 2.0 modeling | — | ✓ |
| Parametric diagrams | Budgets | ✓ |
| Risk register + risk matrix | ✓ | Custom |
| Mass / power / link budgets | ✓ | Parametric |
| Phase gate tracking | ✓ | — |
| Orbit analysis calculators | ✓ | — |
| Engineering calculators (50+) | ✓ | — |
| AI requirements assistant | ✓ | — |
| Air-gap deployment | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMAD methodology built in | ✓ | — |
| Setup time | 10 min | Weeks |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $$$ |
Switching from Dassault CATIA Magic / Cameo?
Export requirements from Cameo via the built-in CSV / ReqIF export
Import into SMAD Portal via the requirements importer
Keep using Cameo for SysML modeling and architecture diagrams
Use SMAD Portal alongside Cameo for the workflows Cameo does not cover — budgets, risks, calculators, phase gates
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SMAD Portal replace Cameo for MBSE?
No. Cameo Systems Modeler is the leading commercial SysML modeling tool. SMAD Portal does not produce SysML diagrams. The two tools solve different problems: Cameo for formal architecture modeling, SMAD Portal for the day-to-day mission engineering workflow.
Can SMAD Portal and Cameo be used together?
Yes. Many programs use Cameo for system architecture modeling and SMAD Portal for requirements management, budgets, risks, phase gates, and engineering calculators. CSV / ReqIF import bridges the two.
What about parametric modeling?
SMAD Portal provides dedicated mass, power, link, thermal, delta-V, and data budgets with live margin calculations. Cameo’s parametric diagrams are more general-purpose. Teams that need free-form parametric modeling will lean toward Cameo; teams that want spacecraft-specific budgets out of the box will move faster in SMAD Portal.
How does pricing compare to Cameo?
SMAD Portal starts at $29/month per user with no minimums. Cameo Systems Modeler is typically priced in the high four-figure range per seat per year. Most organizations buy Cameo only for their MBSE team, not the whole engineering staff.
Other Comparisons
Ready to compare with your own data?
Start a free 30-day pilot and see how SMAD Portal compares to Dassault CATIA Magic / Cameo for your mission.