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The System Architecture page is where you define the structure of your product. Organize your hardware into a tree of systems, subsystems, and components — each represented as a node.

Node tree

The node tree is a drag-and-drop hierarchy on the left side of the page. Each node can have child nodes, creating a breakdown structure that mirrors your actual product architecture.
  • Create a node — Click the + button or right-click to add a child node
  • Move nodes — Drag and drop to rearrange the hierarchy
  • Delete nodes — Right-click and select delete (this removes all child nodes too)
Selecting a node opens its detail panel on the right, showing attributes, artifacts, annotations, and more.

Node types

Nodes can represent different levels of your architecture:
  • System — Top-level assemblies or major subsystems
  • Subsystem — Mid-level groupings of related components
  • Component — Individual parts or lowest-level items

Attributes

Attributes are custom metadata fields you attach to nodes. Use them to track properties like weight, material, cost, status, or any other data relevant to your engineering process. Tandem supports several attribute types:
TypeDescription
TextFree-form text
NumberNumeric values
DateDate picker
SelectSingle choice from a list
Multi-selectMultiple choices from a list
CheckboxTrue/false toggle
LinkURL reference
PersonTeam member assignment
Create attribute definitions from the attributes panel, then set values on individual nodes. You can group related attributes together for organization.

3D viewer

When a node has a CAD file attached, a 3D viewer appears in the detail panel. You can rotate, zoom, pan, and inspect the model directly in the browser. See CAD and artifacts for details on uploading and viewing models.

Thumbnails

Nodes with CAD files automatically get a thumbnail preview generated from the 3D model. These thumbnails appear in the node tree for quick visual identification.