DrawMode

Built for software thinking.

All the diagram types, all drawn with one low-friction gesture language: mind maps, timelines, the working set of UML 2, the eight C4 views, database schemas, flowcharts, feature models and UI mockups. One page can mix categories freely — classes beside mind maps beside free shapes.

Every screenshot below is a live DrawMode diagram from the user manual — click any of them for a closer look.

Mind-map infographic of the DrawMode diagram types — **The DrawMode range** A mind-map infographic of the diagram types DrawMode supports — General drawing, UML 2, the eight C4 views and the software family, radiating from one hub. Drawn, of course, in DrawMode.

A DrawMode mind map with three presentations of one model — **Mind map** One hierarchical model with interchangeable presentations — a classic map, an infographic radial and a to-do card share this single page. The fastest way from brainstorm to structured plan.

A vertical timeline diagram — **Timeline (vertical)** Date-led topics become a chronology automatically: entries order and space themselves, ranges wear duration bars, and long empty stretches are cut with a marked break.

A horizontal timeline diagram — **Timeline (horizontal)** The same timeline model laid across the page — ideal for slides and wide displays.

A UML class diagram of a flight-booking domain — **Class diagram** The structural backbone: classes, interfaces and the six UML relationships. The shared vocabulary for a domain model.

A UML package diagram — **Package diagram** The namespace view: packages own their members, nest, and connect through «import», «access» and «merge». Shows whether your layering actually holds.

A UML component diagram with ports and interfaces — **Component diagram** How a system splits into replaceable parts: composite classifiers with internal parts, border ports, delegation, and provided/required interfaces wiring them together.

A deployment diagram of a Kubernetes cluster in a datacenter — **Deployment diagram** Where the software runs — 3-D nodes for execution environments, infrastructure elements, client devices and the communication paths between them.

A use case diagram with actors and a subject boundary — **Use case diagram** What the system is for and for whom: actors (with inheritance) around a subject boundary of use cases — the scope conversation on one page.

A UML sequence diagram of a booking scenario — **Sequence diagram** One scenario over time: lifelines, nested execution bars, synchronous and asynchronous messages, fragments and timing constraints. The go-to view for an interaction.

A UML communication diagram with numbered messages — **Communication diagram** The same interactions arranged by structure instead of time — numbered messages ride the links, so the layout is free to mirror the architecture.

A UML state machine diagram with nested states — **State machine diagram** The lifecycle of one thing: nested composite states, entry and exit points, regions and fork/join — precise enough to double as a specification.

A UML activity diagram with fork and join — **Activity diagram** A flow of work with real concurrency — decisions, fork/join, signal send and receive, and time events for the timeout paths people forget.

A C4 system context diagram — **C4 — System Context** Level 1 of Simon Brown's C4 model: the system among its users and neighbouring systems, every relationship reading as a sentence. The diagram for stakeholders.

A C4 container diagram — **C4 — Container** Level 2: the deployable pieces — web apps, APIs, databases, stores — and how they communicate. The architecture view for the delivery team.

A C4 code-level UML class diagram — **C4 — Code** Level 4: the final zoom is plain UML — the classes inside one component, for the people writing them.

A database schema with crow's-foot relationships — **Database schema** Tables with PK/FK/UQ/IX key markers and inline types, joined by crow's-foot relationships — identifying or non-identifying — with notes carrying the physical design.

A flowchart with decisions and I/O — **Flowchart** The classic notation for anything procedural — terminators, processes, decisions and I/O, readable by absolutely everyone.

A feature diagram with progress badges — **Feature diagram** A product broken into a feature hierarchy, with progress badges and constraint links (requires / excludes) — a model that doubles as a delivery map.

A UI mockup drawn with real widget semantics — **UI mockup** Interfaces sketched with real widget semantics — windows, tab bars, cards, inputs and tables that nest properly — so the mockup stays coherent while you rearrange.

Free shapes and icons forming a hexagonal architecture — **Shapes & free drawing** General shapes, icons and connectors for everything else — here a hexagonal architecture, mixing freely with UML classifiers on the same canvas.

Also in the box: the remaining C4 views — System Landscape, C4 Deployment and the two Dynamic views (sequence and collaboration) — drawn with the same notation you see above. And the set keeps growing: we're extending coverage to new diagram types all the time.

Beyond the diagrams themselves — the canvas, the exports and the team working around them. Click any shot for a closer look. (The assistant has a page of its own.)

DrawMode with several diagrams open in split panes — **Tabs & split panes** Open many diagrams at once and tile the canvas however suits the work — split it across as many panes as you need. Drag a tab clear off the window and it becomes a floating canvas of its own.

The Mermaid text import/export dialog — **Import & export as text** Diagrams round-trip as plain text. DrawMode reads and writes Mermaid, PlantUML and OPML, so a model moves cleanly between your docs, your repo and other tools — and back again.

The team chat panel beside a shared diagram — **Team chat** Talk to the whole project — the discussion lives next to the work it's about, for everyone editing live.

A composite classifier with internal parts and ports — **Advanced classifiers** Switch on the advanced classifier menu and classes and components become full composite structures — internal parts, border ports and the connectors that wire them together. Deep UML rigour, there when you want it.