I’m reading through Miro Samek’s book on UML Statecharts for C/C++ development and I really like how clean and professional his state diagram illustrations look. The formatting and visual style of these charts is exactly what I want to achieve for my own project documentation.
Does anyone know what drawing software or diagramming tool he used to create these statechart visuals? I’ve tried a few different programs but can’t seem to get the same polished appearance that his diagrams have. The lines are crisp and the layout looks very organized.
I’m hoping to find the same tool so I can maintain consistency with this established style for my technical documentation. Any ideas about which application might have been used for these particular UML state diagrams?
I’ve worked with embedded systems docs for years, and Samek’s diagrams definitely look like they came from a specialized engineering tool, not just generic drawing software. The state transitions and those precise curved arrows scream UML modeling tool - maybe Rational Rose or early Enterprise Architect, then touched up in a vector editor. What really gives it away is how the fonts and line antialiasing match perfectly with the text throughout the book. They clearly ran everything through the same rendering pipeline. Want that exact look? Export from a proper UML tool to EPS and see how it plays with your document workflow.
yeah, i bet he used some older CAD software. those diagrams have that super precise, mechanical look - screams autoCAD or smth. the line weights and text are way too perfect to be hand-drawn. check the book’s acknowledgments - authors usually mention their tools there.
I worked on early tech docs in the late 90s/early 2000s, so I can tell you Samek probably used a mix of tools. Those state diagrams have that classic computer-generated look from back then - likely a CAD program or custom drawing software, not standard UML tools. Most of us were using CorelDRAW or Illustrator to polish up sketches we’d started in simpler programs. The secret to that crisp look? Vector graphics with consistent spacing and proportions. If you’re trying to copy his style now, don’t worry about the exact software - just focus on his design principles.
I’ve worked on similar technical publishing projects, and those diagrams definitely weren’t made with standard diagramming tools. The typography and precise positioning scream professional typesetting software - probably Adobe FrameMaker or LaTeX with specialized diagram packages. Publishers back then usually forced authors to use specific toolchains to keep everything consistent across their technical book series. The mathematical spacing and how the text flows with graphics shows this was part of a complete document system, not just some standalone drawing program. Check what Newnes typically used for their technical series during that time period - you’ll probably get much closer results.
From what I remember, Samek used Microsoft Visio for the diagrams in his UML Statecharts book. Visio was the go-to tool for technical diagrams when that book came out, and it creates that clean, professional look you’re seeing. The snap-to-grid feature and built-in UML shapes explain why his layouts look so organized and consistent. I’ve used Visio for similar docs and it does give you that polished look. These days you’ve got alternatives like Lucidchart or draw.io, but if you want to match his exact style, Visio’s your best bet.