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Background

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The Challenge of Documentation

Technical documentation is essential but time-consuming. Engineering teams spend countless hours creating and maintaining documents that must be:
  • Consistent: Following corporate or customer-mandated formats
  • Complete: Covering all required content sections and data
  • Current: Reflecting the latest model state and design decisions
  • Compliant: Meeting standards like MIL-STD, ISO, or contractual requirements
  • Repetitive: Generating similar documents across multiple programs or subsystems
Traditional documentation approaches create significant overhead. Engineers manually populate Word templates, copy data from models into documents, update figures, and struggle to keep documentation synchronized as designs evolve. This manual process is error-prone and often results in outdated documents that don’t reflect the actual system state.

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Why Template-Based Document Generation Matters

Davinci’s template-based document generation transforms documentation from a manual burden into an automated capability:
  1. On-Demand Population: Tell Davinci to generate a document from a template and it populates with current model data
  2. Consistency: Templates ensure uniform formatting and structure across all deliverables
  3. Living Documents: Regenerate documents anytime to reflect the latest model state
  4. Custom Formats: Support any document structure—from design documents to compliance reports
  5. Reusability: Create once, reuse across projects with different model content
  6. Efficiency: Generate documents in seconds instead of hours or days
Template-based generation creates a direct link between your system model and formal documentation. When the model changes, simply tell Davinci to regenerate the document—no manual data copying required.

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Types of Documents You Can Generate

Davinci can generate various document types using templates: System Documentation:
  • System Design Documents (SDD)
  • Architecture Description Documents
  • Interface Control Documents (ICD)
  • Technical Data Packages
  • Concept of Operations (CONOPS)
Requirements & Verification:
  • System Requirements Specifications (SRS)
  • Requirements Traceability Matrices
  • Verification & Validation Reports
  • Test Procedures and Results
  • Compliance Documentation
Program Documentation:
  • Technical Performance Measures (TPM) Reports
  • Design Review Packages
  • Stakeholder Briefings
  • Status Reports and Dashboards
  • Risk Assessment Reports
Standards-Based:
  • MIL-STD-961E specifications
  • ISO 15288 documentation
  • DODAF architecture products
  • Agile documentation artifacts
Templates can include any combination of text, tables, figures, diagrams, and model data. You control the structure and formatting—Davinci handles the content population from your model.

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Modeling with Davinci

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Method 1: Create a Template from Scratch

Davinci can generate templates based on your requirements, creating the structure and placeholders you need.

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Step 1: Describe Your Documentation Needs

Start by prompting Davinci to create a template that matches your requirements: Example: System Design Document Template 
Create a document template for a System Design Document that includes:
- Executive Summary
- System Overview with architecture description
- Subsystem descriptions (one section per part)
- Requirements traceability table
- Interface definitions
- Performance parameters table
Prompting Davinci to create a System Design Document template from requirements
Prompting Davinci to generate a document template based on specific requirements

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Step 2: Review the Generated Template

Davinci creates a template with:
  • Section structure: Organized headings and subheadings
  • Placeholder text: Descriptive content showing what each section should contain
  • Data fields: Marked locations where model data will be inserted
  • Tables: Pre-formatted tables with column headers for model data
  • Figure placeholders: Locations for diagrams and visualizations
Example of a generated template showing structure with sections, tables, and placeholders
Generated template showing document structure with sections, data fields, and table placeholders
Best Practice: Store Templates in the Library - Save your document templates in the project library for easy reuse and quick access. Once stored in the library, you can reference templates using the @ symbol (e.g., @SDD_Template) and edit them manually to adjust formatting, add sections, or modify the structure before generating final documents.

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Step 3: Generate a Document from the Template

Once you have a template, generate a populated document: 
Generate a System Design Document using the @System Design Document Template
for the @CubeSat
Prompting Davinci to generate a document using a specific template and model element
Generating a document by referencing both the template and the model element to document Davinci will:
  • Pull data from your model (the CubeSat system part and its children)
  • Populate all sections with relevant information
  • Generate tables with requirements, attributes, interfaces
  • Create diagrams showing system structure
  • Format everything according to the template
Example of a fully populated System Design Document with model data, tables, and diagrams
Fully populated System Design Document with model data automatically inserted into the template structure

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Method 2: Import and Populate an Invoice Template

Davinci can work with external document templates like invoices, quotes, and order forms—automatically populating them with data from your model.

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Step 1: Upload Your Invoice Template

Start by uploading your existing invoice template document:
  1. Open Davinci and navigate to your project
  2. Upload your invoice template (.docx format recommended)
  3. Reference the template in the file library
Uploading an invoice template document into Davinci
Uploading an existing invoice template with standard fields like part number, description, quantity, price, and totals
Invoice templates work best with clearly labeled fields and table structures. You may include placeholders for: Header information (company name, invoice number, date), line item tables (part number, description, quantity, unit price, total), and summary sections (subtotal, tax, total due).

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Step 2: Prompt Davinci to Populate the Invoice

Tell Davinci to fill out the invoice using parts from your model: 
Generate an invoice using @Invoice for all parts in the 
@Power Subsystem. Include part numbers, descriptions, quantities, 
and calculate unit prices based on the cost attribute.
Prompting Davinci to generate an invoice using model data
Instructing Davinci to populate the invoice template with part data from your system model Davinci will:
  • Extract part numbers and names from the model
  • Pull descriptions from part documentation
  • Use quantity attributes or default to 1
  • Retrieve cost/price data from part attributes
  • Calculate line totals and grand totals automatically
Example of a completed invoice with part data, quantities, prices, and calculated totals
Completed invoice with all fields populated from the model—part numbers, descriptions, quantities, unit prices, and automatically calculated totals

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Step 3: Review and Adjust

Review the generated invoice and make any necessary adjustments: 
In the @Power_Subsystem_Invoice, update the Price for the 
@Solar Panels to 2000 and recalculate the totals
Refining invoice price and recalculating totals
Making adjustments to price and having Davinci recalculate totals automatically
Refining invoice price and recalculating totals document
Davinci successfully made adjustments to price and recalculated totals automatically
Once your invoice is finalized, export it as a Word document or PDF for distribution. The template remains in your library for future use with different subsystems or parts.

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Why This Matters

Template-based document generation delivers transformative value throughout the program lifecycle: Eliminate Manual Documentation: What traditionally takes hours of copying, formatting, and updating now happens automatically in seconds. Engineers focus on design instead of document maintenance. Always Current: Generated documents reflect the actual model state—no risk of outdated documentation. When the model changes, simply regenerate the document. Consistency Across Programs: Create templates once, reuse them across multiple projects. Every document follows the same structure and quality standards. Rapid Response: Generate status reports, design reviews, or compliance documents on-demand for stakeholder meetings or milestone reviews. Reduce Errors: Automated population eliminates transcription errors and ensures traceability between documents and model elements.
Organizations that rely on manual documentation face significant risks: outdated documents that don’t match the design, inconsistent formats across teams, and enormous effort required to update documentation when designs evolve.

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Best Practices

Start Simple

Begin with basic templates covering common sections, then add complexity as needed

Standardize Early

Create organizational templates early in the program to ensure consistency

Version Templates

Maintain template versions aligned with program phases or customer requirements

Test with Real Data

Generate test documents to validate templates before using for deliverables

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Tips for Better Templates

  1. Clear Section Headers: Use descriptive headers that clearly indicate content purpose
  2. Consistent Formatting: Establish formatting standards (fonts, spacing, numbering) early
  3. Flexible Structure: Design templates that work for systems of different sizes or complexity
  4. Include Examples: Add sample content or annotations showing what belongs in each section
  5. Document the Template: Maintain notes on what model data maps to which template sections
  6. Iterate and Improve: Refine templates based on stakeholder feedback and document reviews

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Common Workflows

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Milestone Deliverable Generation

  1. Select the template for the required deliverable (SRR, PDR, CDR)
  2. Reference the system or subsystem being documented
  3. Generate the document and review for completeness
  4. Export to Word for final formatting touches and submission
  5. Regenerate if model changes before the milestone

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Requirements Documentation

  1. Create requirements template with sections for each requirement category
  2. Include traceability tables linking requirements to implementing parts
  3. Add verification sections showing test procedures and results
  4. Generate complete specification directly from model
  5. Update as requirements evolve by regenerating the document

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Interface Control Documents

  1. Design template with sections for each interface type (mechanical, electrical, data)
  2. Include interface tables showing connections, protocols, and specifications
  3. Add diagrams visualizing interface relationships
  4. Generate ICD for each major interface or subsystem boundary
  5. Maintain consistency across all ICDs using the same template

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Status Reports

  1. Create report template with sections for progress, issues, and metrics
  2. Link to model attributes tracking technical performance measures
  3. Include summary tables showing requirement status, verification progress
  4. Generate weekly or monthly with updated model data
  5. Track trends by comparing generated reports over time

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Proposal Writing

  1. Build preliminary model based on proposal requirements and concept design
  2. Create proposal template matching RFP section structure and compliance matrix
  3. Generate technical volumes with system architecture, requirements flow-down, and design descriptions
  4. Include compliance tables mapping proposal sections to RFP requirements
  5. Update and regenerate as the proposal evolves and team refines the technical approach
  6. Export final documents for integration with management and cost volumes

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Next Steps

After establishing template-based documentation:
  • Build a Template Library: Create templates for all common document types in your organization
  • Train Your Team: Ensure team members understand how to generate and customize documents
  • Integrate with Workflows: Make document generation part of your regular design review process
  • Customize for Stakeholders: Create different template variants for technical vs. executive audiences
  • Help Automate Reporting: Set up regular document generation period for your team to create status reports and dashboards
  • Maintain Living Documentation: Regenerate key documents as the model evolves to keep documentation current
Template-based document generation transforms documentation from a time-consuming burden into an automated asset. Your documentation becomes a living reflection of your system model—always current, always consistent, and always available.