FMC uses three diagram types to model different aspects of a system:
*'''Compositional Structure Diagram''' depicts the static structure of a system. This diagram type is also known as FMC Block Diagram
*'''Dynamic Structure Diagram''' depicts processes that can be observed in a system. This diagram type is also known as FMC Petri-net
*'''Value Range Structure Diagram''' depicts structures of values found in the system. This diagram type is also known as FMC E/R Diagram
All FMC diagrams are bipartite graphs. Each [[Bipartitebipartite graph]] consists of two [[disjoint sets]] of vertices with the condition that no [[vertex (graph theory)|vertex]] is connected to another vertex of the same set. In FMC diagrams, members of one set are represented by angular shapes, and members of the other set are represented by curved shapes. Each element in an FMC diagram can be refined by another diagram of the same type, provided that the combined graph is also bipartite. This mechanism allows modeling all relevant layers of abstraction with the same notation.
