Interactive Architectural Diagram Tools

Question

Are there any tools that would allow me to easily create an interactive architectural diagram?

I am considering the possibility of viewing a graphic image of architecture at a high level. Then I could click on a specific part of the architecture and drill it, thereby revealing a more detailed partition of that part. Then this process can continue as many levels as possible.

Does anyone know any tools that allow me to create such an experience? Or should I try to achieve this using Visio / Powerpoint?

Answer 1

We use Sparx EA (Enterprise Architect). One option for "exporting" is an "HTML report" that works the way you do. You can archive the received files and send it to someone else who can “view" the model.

http://www.sparxsystems.com/

Answer 2

I agree that such a tool can be valuable. Indeed, this was one of our goals when we decided to develop nWire . We are not yet located, but this is what we hope to develop and extend.

I believe that such a tool should be "live" with a code, not an autonomous presentation, because we never invest in maintaining such documents, and after 5 minutes they are out of date. Therefore, I do not think the Visio solution will come. I also believe in minimal consumer investment, plug-and-play tools.

There are some issues that need to be addressed, although, for example, how to get the architecture from the code so that it makes sense, what are the levels of scaling, etc. I'm not sure that one common solution can fit all projects, you will want to configure it to understand your specific architecture.

If you have more thoughts and ideas, I would love to hear them. Either submit them here or email me on zviki at nwiresoftware.com.

Answer 3

The new architecture tools in the Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate edition can do just that. You can interactively filter the view. See Some sections of MSDN in the "Application Modeling", "Examining Existing Code" sections.