Visual Paradigm for UML

Visual Paradigm for UML (VP-UML) is a UML CASE tool written in Java, hence can be run on multiple platforms including Linux and Mac OS X. Its Community Edition can be downloaded free-of-charge (for non-commercial use) while has limitation of one-line watermark in printing and one diagram per diagram type. All the other diagramming features are unrestricted in this edition. More information can be found here.

Open API is provided to access and manipulate the UML model and diagrams, through writing plug-in (in Java) and template.

It supports the eight type of standard UML diagrams (Use Case Diagram, Class Diagram, Sequence Diagram, Collaboration Diagram, State Diagram, Activity Diagram, Component Diagram, Deployment Diagram), and added support for Textual Analysis and CRC Card which are traditional ways to model object-oriented systems. Also Business Workflow Diagram can be drawn to model basic business workflows.

However, code engineering is not supported in the Community Edition, real-time Java code synchronization is provided for preview only (no save available). And the claimed multilingual support is not very satisfactory (many UI text are left un-translated).

Compared to other UML tools, it has better support for use case modeling in providing the use case description (including flow-of-events) and use case scheduling. Like contemporary UML modeling tools, all UML diagrams can be edited inline, and VP-UML provides the resource-centric shortcut buttons around shapes to perform context-sensitive tasks (the idea is similar to Argo UML's rapid buttons but VP-UML uses resource-centric more extensively on all diagrams). Also its dockable user interface (like the user interface of VisualStudio .NET and Eclipse that is rearrangeable) is nice, works well in Windows or non-Windows platform.

Commercial editions provide supports to embedded Visio shapes into UML diagrams, import of RationalRose project, import/export of XMI, copy and paste to Microsoft Office as OLE.