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Easy Diagramming
Various handy visual modeling features, including voice document, sweeper, and layer.
Converting a Model Element Type
After spending hours on drawing and organizing an activity diagram, you may find that some "Action" shape should be changed to an "Activity" shape. Fixing it manually could take a little while. But, with the "Change Type" feature, you can do that in just a few clicks. In a list readily available to you, simply review which properties need to be copied from the "Action" shape to the "Activity" shape, select them and click OK.
Create turning points when create shape
Save diagramming time by create connecting objects with multiple turning points at once.
- Bending connectors during creation
Tutorial
Resources-centric modeling interface
Resource-Centric Interface refers to icons that appear around a shape, like a tool belt that follows around. It gives shortcuts to add related elements to a UML diagram. To help avoid mistakes, it provides elements and connectors valid for that particular shape only. No need to memorize the notation syntax!
- Resource centric interface
User's Guide
- Showing and hiding resource icons
Know-how
Annotating diagram
UML, BPMN, SysML and ERD are good graphical notation for describing engineering and business concepts. Having text annotation in diagram increases the readability of the diagram. Visual Paradigm for UML support various annotation options. The following movie shows you how to use UML note, callout shape and freehand shape to annotate diagrams and diagram elements.
- Callout shape
- UML note
User's Guide
Voice documentation
Express your thought and detail with voice documentation feature. Voice documentation lets you records or link any audio recording to all model elements in your project.
- Documenting your model with voice
Tutorial
- Voice documentation
User's Guide
Diagram navigation
Search and locate diagram and model element is a critical feature when project and diagrams are growing bigger and bigger. Visual Paradigm for UML provides a lot of navigation functions for modeler to search and locate diagrams and model elements in a project. These navigation functions include jumping to diagram, jumping to shape, finding alternative views of model element, bookmark shapes and navigating between relationship ends. The following movie shows all of these functions.
- Jumping to shape
User's Guide
Reference to internal and external resources
Visual Paradigm for UML provides a reference feature for linking internal and external resources with model elements. Internal resources include diagrams and shapes. External resources include any type of document (e.g. MS Word, PDF...) and website URL. Modeler may open the linked resource by opening the reference dialog box or by using the reference resource-centric icon attached to each shape. The following movie shows reference feature in action.
Selection facilities
Selection function is a crucial function of drawing tool but people usually not aware good selection function can save a lot of time in diagramming. Visual Paradigm has invented a lot of selection functions to increase the usability. The following movie shows some advanced selection functions. They include general shape selection, inverse selection, select same type of shapes, handi-selection and set selectable on and off.
- Diagram element selection
User's Guide
Mouse gestures
The mouse gestures function is designed for modeler to create and connect shapes in diagram with simple mouse cursor movements. The mouse gestures function can be used with mouse (Windows: dragging with right mouse button down, Mac OSX: dragging with Cmd button down and Linux: dragging with Ctrl button down). The following movie shows mouse gestures in action.
- Mouse gestures
User's Guide
Reclaiming and eliminating spaces with sweeper and magnet
Modeling is not just about creating diagrams but also the ease of refinement. Good visual modeling tool allows modeler to create and manipulate diagrams in effective way. Visual Paradigm for UML provides sweeper and magnet functions for expanding and compacting diagram without messing up the layout. Please see how sweeper and magnet in action in the following movie.
- Applying sweeper and magnet
Tutorial
- Sweeper and Magnet
User's Guide
Automatic expand diagram margin
Automatic expand diagram base on the growth of design. Margin can be defined visually. The following movie shows how automatic expand of diagram margin works in class diagram.
Layout facilities
Visual Paradigm for UML provides several semi-automatic and automatic layout functions. Semi-automatic layout functions include aligning shapes in different directions, making shapes in same width/height, and distributing shapes evenly. Visual Paradigm for UML also supports automatic layout function to tidy up reverse engineered diagrams. The following movie shows both automatic and semi-automatic layout functions in action. You may also check out the effects of circular, organic and orthogonal style automatic layout below.
| Before layout | After layout | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
Package header
Showing deep level of packages may make the diagram very difficult to read and be modified. Visual Paradigm for UML provides a package header to present deep level package in single-lined header. Package header saves a lot of space and increase the readability of diagram. Please see the package header screenshot below.
Model element name completion
Visual Paradigm for UML allows reusing same model element in different diagrams. This function called multiple views of single model element. You may drag a model element from model explorer tree to diagram, or use the completion popup when creating the shapes. The following movie demonstrates how to use completion function to reuse a class in different diagrams.
Pinnable connector end
Visual Paradigm for UML allows temporary or permanently pinning the connector end of connector. The following movie shows you how to use the temporary and permanent pin function.
- Pinning connector ends
User's Guide
Model organization
Organize diagrams and model elements systematically is important when modeling middle to large scale projects. The Model Explorer in Visual Paradigm for UML provides a flexible tree structure to organize diagrams and model elements. The "Model" acts like a folder in file system for organizing project contents. Model explorer allows creating unlimited number and levels of model. A well structured project can increase the performance of the tool significantly. The following movie shows you how to create and manage model, create diagram and shapes under model and share same model element in different diagrams.
- Organize class diagram with model
Tutorial
Multi-language spell checking
Spell check:
Visual Paradigm for UML supports spell checking and suggestion for English, Brazilian, French, German and Spanish.
- Spell checking
User's Guide
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