Show HN: UML is dead – so I'm building the tool to revive it

5 SamiCostox 3 7/18/2025, 7:45:29 AM rapidcharts.ai ↗

Hi HN,

UML diagrams were meant to standardise system design, but they’ve become outdated — slow to build, hard to change, and rarely used in practice. Most tools feel clunky, and diagrams often go stale fast.

I’m building RapidChart, a tool to bring diagramming back to life — fast, flexible, and developer-first.

What makes it different:

Cursor-style interface for rapid diagram creation

Fully customisable and exportable

AI-assisted (works with GPT-4, Claude, etc.)

100% free

This began as part of my research at Imperial College London, and I’d really value your feedback.

Here’s the link: https://www.rapidcharts.ai

Thanks!

Comments (3)

gardenhedge · 6h ago

One benefit of spending 2 hours creating a diagram is that you then understand it. If it's generated for you then you lose that.

RapidChart · 6h ago

The idea is to rely on the tool to handle the tedious part of placing all the shapes, etc., but to do the thinking yourself! That being said, it's a good point

gardenhedge · 5h ago

Yeah that makes sense. I can see it being a huge benefit when you need to change a design