Rational Rose is one of the most widely used software to generate UML diagrams. However, it is quite expensive. StarUML is a free and open source replacement for Rational Rose. StarUML supports both UML 1.4 and UML 2.0 notations. StarUML supports MDA (Model Driven Architechture) approach as well.
StarUML is a very actively developed and supported product. The result is a software that is as robust as its commercial counterparts. StarUML provides excellent extensibility and flexibility. It provides Add-In frameworks for extending the functionality of the tool. The tool can also be integrated with any external tools.
StarUML can create following type of diagrams:
- Class Diagram
- Use Case Diagram
- Sequence Diagram
- Sequence Diagram (Role)
- Collaboration Diagram
- Collaboration Diagram (Role)
- Statechart Diagram
- Activity Diagram
- Component Diagram
- Deployment Diagram
- Composite Structure Diagram
Here are some of the features of this free replacement to Rational Rose:
- Accurate UML standard model based on UML specifications of OMG (Object Modelling Group).
- All files are managed in XML format.
- True MDA support ensures that truly Platform Independent Models (PIM) can be created, and Platform Specific Model (PSM) and executable codes can be automatically generated in any way.
- Applicability of methodologies and platforms
- StarUML provides excellent extensibility by following COM model. So, any language that supports COM can be used to develop add-in for StarUML.
- StarUML can import Rational Rose files.
- StarUML can generate source code in programming languages, and convert source code into models.
StarUML is pretty good, and works really well. If you are looking to get away from Rational Rose, StarUML can be your free alternative. If you are looking for free replacement of Visio, you can try Dia.