Imagine reviewing a service that crosses several departments. Colour each element by Owner and the handoffs become easier to spot. The same approach works for lifecycle, priority or cost.
Colour by owner
- Add an Owner property to the elements you want to distinguish. Use consistent values.
- Choose Menu → Colour mapping….
- Select Systems and choose Owner as the property.
- Use Automatic or Categories and choose a palette.
- Inspect the legend and save the model. To colour connections, configure Interactions separately.
Choose how values become colours
| Mapping | Best for | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | Names such as owners or departments | Each value receives a colour. Existing values keep their colours as values are added or removed. |
| Ordered | Scales such as Low, Medium, High | A light-to-dark sequence. Use the order controls to correct the value order. |
| Numbers | Costs or other numeric properties | Values are grouped into ranges; a small set may receive individual colours. |
| Automatic | A quick starting point | Revelation selects a mapping from the values and shows its choice. |
Pin colours and handle missing values
Select a value's colour to pin your own. Remove its pin to return to the palette. If the palette runs out of distinct colours, extra categories share Other. A system without a value keeps its type colour. The legend shows the values drawn by the current view.
Model or view scope
Every view supplies the default wherever a view has no override. This view only gives the current view a separate mapping. Choosing Every view again drops that override. Use the type filter to restrict mapping to selected element types.
Imported elements can carry their own colours. The option to keep colours elements set themselves preserves those values; otherwise mapping can replace their appearance. Set a legend title if the property name alone is not clear.