Modelio

UML diagrams can make it quite easy to visualize a program's architecture, which can be very useful during its development stages. This is where Modelio comes in. Besides UML modelling, the program serves many other purposes. One of its main advantages is the fact that it provides combined support for UML and BPMN modelling. This means that you can illustrate a program's architectural blueprint and graphically represent the specifications of its business processes using a single tool. The software comes with many other features, as well as a wide variety of modules, for different designers.

Modelio is free and open source. It is compatible with all popular Windows versions and it can be used on Linux and Mac OS X platforms as well. The software doesn't need to be installed. All you have to do is extract its core files from a ZIP archive and run the executable. Also, the hardware requirements are modest and you don't have to install any prerequisite tools.

The software's user interface has a familiar design and its controls are easy to spot, but it should go without saying that you need to know a few things about software engineering to use them. Modelio places a wide range of elements at your disposal, such as class, component and instance models, impots links and much more. They are categorized in a series of collapsible menus, next to the main editing area and you can insert them instantly, without any effort, just like in any other diagram application.

Certain elements can be inserted within existing ones, in the editing area. For example, you can add components, ports, attributes and other items, in class models or other elements. It is also possible to add various stereotypes to individual elements, such as frame works, metamodels, aliases and more. Creating and customizing stereotypes is another possibility. The inserted elements are displayed in a tree structure, on the left side of the interface, along with their contained attributes and other components.

Besides UML and BPMN modelling, the software provides support for Java code generation, XMI importing and exporting, HTML model publishing. Also, Modelio supports the Jython scripting language and it can be extended for any other language or modelling technique, through a series of modules, which you can download and install. You can find modelling modules for Java, XSD, WSDL and more. The best part is that you can build your own modules, to adapt the program to your own needs.