A preliminary comparison of several tools for drawing UML diagrams

Recently need to draw a UML diagram, from the Internet to find a few tools software, compared a bit, found that each has advantages and disadvantages. UML diagram tools can be broadly divided into two categories, one is a professional drawing tools, with the function of drawing UML, such as Visio, Dia, and the other is specifically used to make UML diagrams, such as argouml and Rose, usually have to generate code directly from the UML diagram.

If it's just a simple painting, these tools are sufficient, but if the details are strictly required, there are inadequacies. If R.martin's "Agile software Development" in the UML diagram as the standard, then use these software can not strictly make the graphics. Of course, Visio, DIA, such as the drawing tools can also be 1.1 points with the basic graphics to spell out, but this is a bit annoying. For example, in a sequence diagram (sequence diagram), a call can have a return value in addition to a message name, denoted by a small circle with an arrowhead, which is not directly available in several of the tools above.

Of course, not because you did not find the perfect tool to draw UML diagram, eventually chose the latest version of the Diav0.96.1. Although the drawings appear rough point, but some of the basic UML graphics have, and focus on a panel, not like Visio divided into several areas, find a graphic and everywhere. In the generation of class diagram and so on when the point-open properties are not rose, Visio, argouml as a lot of properties in front of you, so you choose is not good, not the choice is not good. In the final analysis or because these tools are not completely satisfied with me, then simply choose the simplest one. Of course, there is one reason I prefer open source software, although I will not change its code, but others are at least cross-platform. A dia version of a few years ago ran on my computer all the time, and now it's been a few days, and there's no problem, it seems that stability has improved a bit.

Yesterday in the know to see the great God recommended an online drawing artifact ProcessOn, can spend many kinds of pictures online, complete a lot of work, suddenly a kind of brief encounter feeling.

Also saw a few tools, did not try. Gaphor looks beautiful and developed in Python, but I can't make it run under Windows, so it's only drooling. Graphviz can also be used to draw UML diagram, but the function is limited, I saw someone use it to draw class diagram, and I just want a visual UML drawing tool, do not want to think about the software structure when thinking about how to use dot language to describe a UML graphics problem.

There are a number of UML tools listed here that are interesting to see for yourself:

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listof Uml_tools

Http://plg.uwaterloo.ca/~migod/uml.html

A preliminary comparison of several tools for drawing UML diagrams