The latest version of Enterprise Architect, version 17, brings with it a range of innovative features that take diagram creation and editing to a new level. Of particular note are the new ‘Smart Placements’ and ‘Guides’, which make it much easier to create accurate and professional-looking diagrams. In this blog post, we take a detailed look at these exciting new features and their impact on the modelling process.

What are Smart Placements?

Smart Placements is a new technology in Enterprise Architect 17 that intelligently supports the positioning of elements in diagrams. This feature allows users to place elements precisely and efficiently without the hassle of manual alignment.

What are the changes in V17?

Improved snap points

One of the main improvements to Smart Placements is the enhanced snap points. Users can now snap elements not only to edges and corners, but also to centre points between two objects. This enables even more precise alignment and improves the visual harmony of the diagram.

Automatic size adjustment

Smart Placements goes beyond mere positioning. The function also makes it possible to automatically adjust the size of elements so that they have the same height or width as other objects in the diagram. This contributes to a uniform and professional appearance.

Visual guides for precise placement

To further increase the precision of element placement, Enterprise Architect 17 introduces visual guides. These guides show the user in real time which type of snap is currently being applied. This allows you to ensure that your elements are perfectly aligned, be it in terms of height, width or position.

Improved user-friendliness

The combination of Smart Placements and visual guides makes diagramming more intuitive and efficient. Users can quickly and easily create professional-looking diagrams without having to worry about the details of alignment and sizing.

Enhancements for different chart types

The new placement features are not limited to a specific diagram type. Enterprise Architect 17 offers enhancements for a variety of diagrams, including

Class diagrams

In class diagrams, elements can now be placed and aligned more precisely, resulting in a clearer visualisation of class relationships.

Sequence diagrams

The improved placement functions make it easier to add and position elements in sequence diagrams, optimising the representation of interactions between objects.

State diagrams

Users also benefit from the new functions in state diagrams by being able to place activities and states more precisely.

SysML diagrams

For users of SysML (Systems Modelling Language), Enterprise Architect 17 offers special improvements, such as the ability to place elements directly on ports in internal block diagrams.

 

Effects on the modelling process

The introduction of Smart Placements and visual guidelines has far-reaching effects on the entire modelling process in Enterprise Architect.

Time saving

By automatically aligning and resizing elements, users save considerable time when creating and editing diagrams. What used to require tedious manual work is now done with just a few clicks.

Improved diagram quality

The precise placement and uniform sizing of elements results in more visually appealing and professional diagrams. This not only improves the aesthetics, but also the readability and comprehensibility of the models.

Consistency across projects

The automated placement functions help to ensure a consistent presentation across different diagrams and projects. This is particularly valuable for large organisations and teams working on complex projects.

Integration into the workflow

The new features in Enterprise Architect 17 are seamlessly integrated into the existing workflow. Users can start using Smart Placements and Guides immediately, without the need for extensive training or changes to the way they work.

Intuitive operation

The visual guides and automatic adjustments are designed to be intuitive to use. Users will quickly realise how easy it is to create accurate diagrams.

Customisability

Despite the automated functions, the user retains full control. The smart placements can be overridden or deactivated as required to ensure maximum flexibility.

 

Conclusion and perspective

The introduction of Smart Placements and visual guides in Enterprise Architect 17 marks a significant advance in diagram creation and editing. These features not only improve the efficiency and quality of modelling, but also contribute to a more consistent and professional representation of complex systems and processes.

With these innovations, SparxSystems once again underlines its position as a leading provider of modelling tools. The continuous development and improvement of Enterprise Architect demonstrates the company\’s commitment to meeting the requirements of modern software development and system modelling. For Enterprise Architect users, this means a significant improvement in their daily work. The creation of diagrams will become more efficient, more precise and ultimately more enjoyable. It will be interesting to see how these new functions are accepted in practice and what other innovations SparxSystems will introduce in future versions of Enterprise Architect.