Digital Thread View

The Digital Thread View visualizes requirements and their relationships as an interactive graph, providing a comprehensive view of requirement traceability and interconnections throughout your system model.

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Overview

The Digital Thread View creates a network diagram showing how requirements relate to each other and to other model objects. Each requirement appears as a node, with arrows representing relationships between them. This visualization makes it easy to understand requirement dependencies, trace satisfaction paths, and identify gaps in your requirements structure.

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Graph Elements

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Nodes

Each node in the graph represents a requirement object and displays:

• Requirement Name: The identifier for the requirement
• Satisfaction Status: Visual indicator showing if the requirement is satisfied (TRUE/FALSE)
• Parent Path: Hierarchical location in the model
• Documentation: Descriptive text explaining the requirement (when enabled)
• Constraint Children: Any constraint objects belonging to the requirement

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Edges

Arrows connecting nodes represent relationships between requirements:

• Child Relationships: Parent-child hierarchical connections
• Uses Relationships: Dependencies where one requirement references another
• References: Links to related requirements or objects
• Custom Relationships: Any custom relationship types defined in your project

Each edge is color-coded and labeled according to its relationship type, making it easy to distinguish different connection types at a glance.

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Interactive Features

Pan and Zoom: Click and drag to pan around the diagram. Use mouse wheel or pinch gestures to zoom in and out. Click Nodes: Click on any requirement node to navigate to that requirement object for detailed viewing or editing. Click Edges: Click on relationship arrows to view relationship details.

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Layout

The Digital Thread View uses a force-directed layout algorithm that automatically positions nodes to minimize edge crossings and create a clear, readable diagram. The layout:

• Spaces nodes evenly with repulsion forces
• Pulls connected nodes closer together with spring forces
• Optimizes readability by preventing node overlap
• Adapts automatically as you add or remove requirements

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Use Cases

Requirement Traceability: Visualize how high-level requirements decompose into lower-level requirements and trace satisfaction through the system hierarchy. Dependency Analysis: Identify which requirements depend on others and understand the impact of changes. Gap Identification: Spot requirements without implementing components or components without requirements by analyzing the graph structure. Design Reviews: Present requirement relationships and traceability to stakeholders in an intuitive visual format. Impact Assessment: Understand which requirements will be affected by changes to specific system elements. Verification Planning: See which requirements are satisfied and which need additional work.

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Building a Digital Thread

The Digital Thread automatically includes:

1. The focused requirement (root)
2. Child requirements (hierarchical structure)
3. Related requirements (via relationships)
4. Constraint children of each requirement
5. Connected objects that satisfy or impact requirements

As you build relationships between requirements and other objects (parts, constraints, etc.), the digital thread grows to show the complete traceability network.

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Best Practices

Clear Naming: Use descriptive requirement names to make the graph easier to understand at a glance. Relationship Types: Use appropriate relationship types to clearly indicate the nature of connections between requirements. Hierarchical Structure: Organize requirements in a clear parent-child hierarchy for better visualization. Documentation: Add documentation to requirements to provide context when viewing nodes in the graph. Regular Review: Use the Digital Thread View during design reviews to verify complete traceability and identify missing connections.

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Export

The Digital Thread diagram can be exported as an image for documentation, presentations, and design reviews.