UML tools for eclipse IDE

Comparing eclipse IDE: UML Designer, Papyrus and Eclipse Modeling Tools

UML Designer, Eclipse Papyrus, and Eclipse Modeling Tools are all part of the Eclipse ecosystem, particularly focused on model-driven development (MDD). While they can overlap in functionality, they serve different purposes or cater to different user needs.

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1. UML Designer (by Obeo)

• Overview: A tool dedicated to UML modeling that provides a user-friendly interface.
• Features: Lightweight, drag-and-drop interface, customizable viewpoints.
• Best for: Beginner users who want standard UML diagrams.

2. Papyrus (by Eclipse Foundation)

• Overview: A powerful modeling tool that supports multiple modeling languages.
• Features: Support for UML 2.5, SysML and MARTE modeling languages.
• Best for: Complex modeling, academic and industrial-grade modeling projects.

3. Eclipse Modeling Tools with UML Plugins

• Overview: A general-purpose Eclipse package with optional UML plugins (like MDT UML2, EMF, GMF, etc.)
• Features: Supports multiple modeling languages and frameworks: EMF, GMF, Ecore tools, etc.
• Best for: Developers creating custom modeling tools or DSLs

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Comparison Table

Tool	Purpose	UML Diagram Support	Complexity	Target Audience
Eclipse UML Designer	UML modeling	Good UML support	Medium	Developers needing custom diagram views
Eclipse Papyrus	Multi-language (SysML, UML, MARTE...) modeling environment	Full UML 2.x support	High	System engineers, advanced UML users
Eclipse Modeling Tools	A package that includes EMF, GMF, and more	Varies by plugin	High	Developers building modeling tools

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Note: The UML Designer 9.0.0 standalone IDE is based on eclipse Oxygen (2017) and includes a JRE 8. UML Designer 9.0.0 can only run on older Ubuntu (e.g. 18.04 or 20.04); newer Ubuntu versions will have compatibilty issues with SWT included with UML Designer. The UML Designer 9.0.0 plugin will not work with current eclipse versions running on JDK 17 and higher.
Solution: Try running UML Designer in a Docker container with an older Ubuntu (e.g., 18.04 or 20.04) and the library versions match what UML Designer expects.
You can use an image like this:

FROM ubuntu:20.04
RUN apt update && apt install -y openjdk-8-jdk libgtk-3-0 libcanberra-gtk3-module libfreetype6
COPY UMLDesigner/ /opt/UMLDesigner/
WORKDIR /opt/UMLDesigner/
CMD ["./UMLDesigner"]

Or even easier: use a base image with Eclipse Oxygen preinstalled.