An important bottleneck in model-based design of embedded systems is the cost of constructing models. This cost can be significantly decreased by increasing the reuse of existing model components in the design process. This paper describes a tool suite, which has been developed for component-based model synthesis. The DESERT tool suite can be interfaced to existing modeling and analysis environments and can be inserted in various, domain specific design flows. The modeling component of DESERT supports the modeling of design spaces and the automated search for designs that meet structural requirements. DESERT has been introduced in automotive applications and proved to be useful in increasing design productivity.