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

rapidcharts.ai

5 points by SamiCostox 9 hours ago

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UML diagrams were meant to standardise system design, but they’ve become outdated — slow to build, hard to change, and rarely used in practice.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!

gardenhedge 6 hours 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 5 hours 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 4 hours ago

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