C++ For Artists: The Art, Philosophy, And Science Of Object-Oriented Programming

The purpose of a UML modeling tool is to assist the object-oriented analyst, designer, or programmer in the analysis, design and implementation of their object-oriented software system. A modeling tool also plays a critical role in communicating software designs to other analysts, designers, programmers, managers, and customers. A good UML modeling tool is therefore both a design and communication tool at the same time.

Keep in mind, however, that a modeling tool is simply one of many tools available to software professionals to help them get their jobs done, much like an integrated development environment (IDE) or a simple text editor. In fact, different modeling tools compare with each other in much the same way as IDEs compare to text editors. A text editor will help you create source code files. An IDE will let you create files, compile files, debug programs, and help you with many other programming tasks as well. A simple UML modeling tool might let you draw and print diagrams, but a comprehensive modeling tool will let you effectively manage the entire software system design process.