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This post is a basic aide-memoire for me to remember the characteristics of the Archimate Application Layer model elements. For a detailed description refer to the main Archimate 3.0 documentation.

The model elements are divided into 3 categories:

• Active Structure
• Passive Structure
• Behaviour

Active Structure

Element	Description	Notes	Notation
Component	Encapsulation of application functionality aligned to implementation structure Modular and replaceable Encapsulates behaviour and data Exposes services and makes them available through interfaces	A self-contained unit Independently deployable, re-usable, and replaceable Performs one or more application functions Functionality is only accessible through application interfaces
Collaboration	An aggregate of two or more application components that work together to perform collective application behaviour	Specifies which components cooperate to perform some task A logical or temporary collaboration of application components Does not exist as a separate entity
Interface	A point of access where application services are made available	How the functionality of a component can be accessed Exposes application services The same interface may expose multiple services

Behaviour

Element	Description	Notes	Notation
Function	Automated behaviour performed by a component	Describes internal behaviour of a component Functions are exposed externally through one or more services May access data objects
Interaction	A unit of collective application behaviour performed by two or more application components	Collective behaviour performed by components that participate in a collaboration
Process	A sequence of application behaviours that achieves a specific outcome	The internal behaviour performed by a component to realize a set of services May realize application services May access data objects A component may perform the process
Event	Denotes a state change	Does not have a duration May be internal or external May have a time attribute
Service	An explicitly defined exposed application behaviour	Functionality is exposed through interfaces Realised by one or more functions Provides a useful unit of behaviour

Passive Structure

Element	Description	Notes	Notation
Data	Data structured for automated processing	A self-contained piece of information Clear business meaning

This post refers to DaVinci Resolve 12.5.

Real-time rendering in DaVinci Resolve can be slow. One of the first things to try is optimising your media. As I understand it, Resolve will use optimised media – which is more efficient - as a proxy for the original format media in the timeline.

To optimise a media item you can right-click on it in the media gallery and select Generate Optimised Media.

The output will end up in the same place as other cached items (see my previous post for details).

Not surprisingly, generating optimised media can take quite a while and it appears that using this method you can only do one clip at a time.

This post refers to DaVinci Resolve 12.5.

Problem

OK, I don’t have a system that’s setup for video editing. As a result, playback in DaVinci Resolve is slow once I’ve added more than a few clips to the timeline, especially if I’m layering clips.

How can we speed up DaVinci Resolve so we get smooth real-time playback in the editor?

Solution

A solution might be to use the render cache in DaVinci Resolve. You can activate the render cache via the Playback > Render Cache menu item.

Note that the render cache has 2 modes: Smart and User. In short, using the Smart option allows Resolve to automatically cache items as it sees fit. In User mode clips are only cached when you indicate you want them cached. To do so, right-click on the clip and choose Render Cache Clip Source > On from the pop-up menu.

When you first add an item to be cached a red line will appear at the top of the timeline above the clip. Once a clip is cached you’ll see the line turn blue.

Tip: If you use the Smart mode and you already have a number of clips added to the timeline it might take a while to add to the cache. Your system might be slow for a while as the cache is built.

Changing the render cache location

Firstly, add the path you want to use to the Media Storage section of DaVinci Resolve > Preferences… screen. I had to restart Resolve after adding a new location or the next step failed.

Secondly, open File > Project settings… and go to General Options. The cache file location is at the bottom of the screen.