Illustrating subsystems with diagrams

Note Microsoft Visio Professional must be installed on your computer. Visio Standard is not supported. Siemens Digital Industries Software assumes that you are familiar with Visio and with XML.

In the Visio Diagram window, you can create and edit diagrams that represent system architectures in the Function and Logical Block views. By expressing these structures graphically, you can show how a product's functional and logical subsystems relate to one another.

Note You can open multiple diagrams simultaneously, though you can work in only one at a time.

Each diagram is based on a diagram template, which you select when you create the diagram. The diagram template governs the diagram content through two associated files:

• A Teamcenter stencil (.vsx or .vssx) defines the master shapes for the diagram.
• A mapping file (.xml) relates the master shapes to Teamcenter object types and properties.

A subsystem diagram starts with a diagram owner — a selected function or logical block — with descendants representing lower-level components.

Note The diagram owner does not appear in the diagram.

When you choose File→New→Diagram, the diagram shapes represent the diagram owner's direct children, the elements at the next lower level.

The diagram template also synchronizes the diagram content with the diagram owner. Interaction is bidirectional between the owner's structure and the diagram — changes that you make in one are reflected in the other:

• When you add a shape to the diagram, a corresponding element is created in the structure.
• When you create an element in the structure, a corresponding shape is added to the diagram.

Tip You can rename the new object by selecting the diagram shape, pressing F2 to open the text block, and typing the new name.

Note If the shape is not displayed, right-click the drawing pane and choose Refresh Diagram. If the diagram is closed when you create the element, the shape is added when you reopen the diagram.

To save time when viewing an object's diagrams, you can preview snapshots in the Relation Browser. Previewing these static images eliminates the need to search for and open the diagram objects themselves.

Related Topics: Visio Diagram view, Master shapes in Teamcenter stencils, Default mapping files, Previewing diagram snapshots