Design in Architecture Studio

Architecture Studio is ScrinCloud’s visual design workspace. It gives your team one place to arrange cloud resources, describe their relationships, configure important properties, and preserve a reviewable architecture revision.

This guide goes beyond the first small canvas exercise. It explains how to work confidently in an existing project, keep the diagram readable, and prepare a saved design for validation and Terraform review.

Typical time

20–30 minutes

You need

Edit access to a project

Next step

Validate the design

Before you begin

You should have:

• a ScrinCloud project for the intended provider and environment;
• a workspace linked to that project;
• Editor or Admin access when you need to change the design; and
• a clear, small design goal, such as “show the application network and its database.”

If you are new to the product, complete Build your first architecture first.

Note

Adding or changing a resource on the canvas describes intended architecture. It does not create, update, or delete anything in your cloud account.

Step 1: Open the correct project and workspace

1. Open Projects from the ScrinCloud navigation.
2. Select the project that owns this architecture.
3. Choose the intended workspace.
4. Open Architecture Studio.
5. In the header, confirm the project or architecture name, cloud provider, environment, region, and workspace.
6. Check that the page is not marked Read only.

Use Switch workspace before editing if the header shows the wrong workspace. A diagram and its Terraform workspace must stay aligned.

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Confirm the Architecture Studio context

Show the Architecture Studio header with synthetic project, provider, environment, region, workspace, and save-state context.

Future capture briefCapture a documentation-only project and workspace. Do not show tenant names, cloud account IDs, subscription IDs, email addresses, or customer architecture.

Step 2: Understand the workspace

Architecture Studio has five main areas:

• Resource library: browse or search provider resources you can place.
• Canvas: arrange resources and show their supported relationships.
• Inspector: edit the selected resource and open design workflows.
• Toolbar: zoom, fit, organize, select, and run design checks.
• Header and File menu: manage diagram context, save state, revisions, imports, exports, AI Design, and the Code Editor handoff.

The header save state is important:

• Saved means the displayed design is stored as the current revision.
• A saving or changed state means the canvas has work that may not yet be included in later evidence.
• Save failed means you should stop and resolve the error before relying on validation or generated code.

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Learn the full design workspace

Show the resource library, canvas, Inspector, toolbar, File menu, project and workspace header, and save status.

Future capture briefCapture the full desktop workspace before opening sensitive details. Frame the five areas clearly and use synthetic names throughout.

Step 3: Create or open the intended diagram

Open the File menu and choose the action that matches your work:

• New diagram starts a blank design in the current project.
• Open Diagrams switches to another saved project diagram.
• Save stores the current diagram.
• Save As… creates a separate copy with a new name.
• Revision history shows saved versions and their lineage.
• Export… prepares a portable copy for an approved sharing workflow.
• Import File previews a portable ScrinCloud diagram before anything is added.
• Use template opens the provider-aware template library.
• Clear canvas removes the current local resources and connections after confirmation; the cleared state is not persisted until Save succeeds.

For a new diagram:

1. Choose New diagram.
2. Enter a clear name that describes the system and environment.
3. Confirm the provider, environment, and region.
4. Create the diagram.
5. Wait until the new name and context appear in the header.

For an existing diagram, choose Open Diagrams, verify the name and last saved context, and only then begin editing.

Caution

Use Save as when you intentionally need a separate design. Do not create a copy to bypass read-only access, a conflict warning, or a review boundary.

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Create, open, or manage a diagram

Show the File menu with New diagram, Open Diagrams, Revision history, Save, Save As..., Export..., Import File, Use template, and Clear canvas.

Future capture briefUse a blank or synthetic diagram. Keep the current workspace visible, but remove real file names, project identifiers, and revision metadata.

Step 4: Add and configure resources

Start with the smallest set of resources that explains the design.

1. Use Search resources… in the resource library.
2. Select the correct provider category.
3. Drag a resource onto the canvas.
4. Select the resource to open its properties in the Inspector.
5. Give it a clear display name.
6. Complete required fields before optional fields.
7. Repeat for each resource the design genuinely needs.

For documentation and training, use synthetic names and private example networks such as 10.40.0.0/16. In real projects, follow your organization’s approved naming, region, tagging, and address standards.

Never enter passwords, credentials, access tokens, private keys, or secrets in canvas properties.

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Add and configure a resource

Show Search resources, a selected provider resource on the canvas, and its required Inspector properties.

Future capture briefUse a documentation-safe network resource with synthetic names and private example addresses. Exclude secrets and provider-account identifiers.

Step 5: Model real relationships

A canvas connection should represent a real relationship supported by the product model.

1. Place the related resources near one another.
2. Hover over or select the source resource to reveal connection handles.
3. Drag from the appropriate handle to the target resource.
4. Release when the intended target highlights.
5. Select the connection and review any relationship information.
6. Delete and recreate the connection if its direction or meaning is wrong.

Examples include a subnet inside a network boundary, an application using a database, or a load balancer routing to an approved target.

Do not add decorative lines. Connections become part of validation and Terraform context.

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Model a supported relationship

Show two or three configured resources joined by clear supported connections, with one relationship selected.

Future capture briefUse a small synthetic design that makes relationship direction readable. Do not reproduce a customer network topology.

Step 6: Organize the canvas for review

A reviewer should be able to understand the system without moving every card.

1. Group related resources visually.
2. Keep parent boundaries larger than the resources they contain.
3. Avoid crossing connections where possible.
4. Use multi-select when moving a related group.
5. Use the layout or alignment controls when they improve readability.
6. Choose Fit Content to bring the full design into view.
7. Use zoom and the minimap for navigation, not to hide disconnected resources.
8. Add annotations only when they explain ownership, traffic, trust, or another useful design fact.

Keep names short enough to scan but specific enough to distinguish resources.

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Prepare a readable review view

Show a neatly arranged architecture with visible boundaries, readable connections, Fit Content, zoom controls, and the minimap.

Future capture briefCapture a small synthetic architecture at a readable zoom level. Ensure no resource, label, or connection is cut off.

Step 7: Save and review the revision

1. Open File and choose Save, or use the supported save shortcut.
2. Wait for the header to show Saved.
3. Open Revision history.
4. Confirm the latest revision time and diagram name.
5. Close revision history without restoring anything unless you intentionally need an earlier version.
6. Reopen one or two important resources and verify their properties.
7. Use Fit Content for a final whole-design review.

If a conflict banner appears, read it before choosing reload or overwrite. Confirm whether another editor saved a newer revision. Do not overwrite another person’s work merely to clear the message.

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Confirm the saved architecture revision

Show Saved status and Revision history with the latest synthetic revision selected for review.

Future capture briefCapture only synthetic revision names and dates. Exclude user email addresses, request IDs, tenant identifiers, and real project history.

Check your result

The design is ready for the next guide when:

• the correct project and workspace are visible;
• every resource belongs in the intended design;
• relationships represent real supported dependencies;
• required properties are complete and contain no secrets;
• the full architecture is readable at Fit Content; and
• the header shows Saved for the revision you want to test.

Common blockers

The canvas is read-only

Your role or current resource state does not permit edits. Ask a project administrator for the appropriate access. Do not copy or import the diagram to bypass the restriction.

A resource is missing from the library

Confirm the project provider and search by the provider service name. If the resource type is not supported, record it as a known design limitation rather than replacing it with an inaccurate resource.

Two resources will not connect

The relationship may be unsupported, the direction may be wrong, or the selected handles may not be compatible. Read the Inspector guidance and run a design check instead of drawing an arbitrary line.

Save fails

Keep the page open, read the notification, confirm your connection and access, then try again. If a version conflict is shown, compare the newer revision before deciding how to continue.

The diagram becomes difficult to navigate

Use Fit Content, the minimap, alignment tools, and smaller logical groups. Do not solve readability problems by deleting required relationships.

Continue

Use canvas actions safely for the complete File, Edit, revision, import, download, and AI Design action boundaries.

Use the Inspector’s Validation tab to check the saved design.

Continue with Validate a design.