Digital Twin Design Synthesis
Design representation in SystemGraph follows the same processes a System Engineer uses to define function, relation, and interface. This page discusses system definitions and design considerations.
System definitions
When using SystemGraph, it's recommended to define a system as a tree of system graphs. Graph levels, from top to bottom, define the system view. You can classify system views by the user profile browsing the system synthesis.
Level definitions
A level is a set of SystemGraph Nodes, where each SystemGraph asset on a node represents a specialization of the Mechatronics engineering field. The tree structure, the number of nodes, or level count is variable and defined for each individual project, relative to system complexity. Every system graph on a level can still run independently. This forms the foundation for modularity and re-use in SystemGraph.
Level classification
Level 1 (Top-Level)
Level 1 is important to a system engineer. This level defines the representation of relationships and interface between subsystems of a digital twin. It's possible for a system engineer to derive the ICD (Interface Control Document) at this level from the edges, the node ports, and the properties.
Level N (Mid-Levels)
Level N is pertinent to specialists. The following examples would all be mid-level applications:
- Software engineers working with software definitions.
- Mechanical engineers working with part assemblies.
- Electrical engineers analyzing the propagation of signals between sub-systems.
- Firmware engineers diagnosing bus communication.
Level Unity (Bottom-Level)
Level Unity is of interest to digital twin interfaces with the Unity engine. This is the level where you interact with GameObjects, components, visualization, and physics within Unity. At this level, developers should be fluent with the Unity API and understand the main concepts of the Unity engine. Knowledge of Unity is specific to this design level, as other levels don’t require knowledge of Unity.