SMARTDRAW IN VIDEO GAME DESIGN:

Creating UML Diagrams in Video Game Development

Playing Games
Dave Wagner is Engine & Tools Director for Sammy Studios, Inc., an interactive entertainment company that creates and distributes video games. Many of the company's programmers were using a popular diagramming tool to create UML diagrams for video game development.

"We were actually preparing to standardize with one of SmartDraw's competitors," said Wagner.

But there was one problem: the competitor's high price. In order to get all the UML symbols the programmers needed, they would have had to purchase a more expensive version of the product. The price tag? More than $400.

"We just didn't have a need for all the extra features in that version of the product," said Wagner. "We just needed a program that would allow us to quickly create UML diagrams."

That's when SmartDraw entered the picture.

A Clue
Wagner found that SmartDraw offers an entire collection of symbols, templates, and tutorials dedicated exclusively to software design. Users can simply drag and drop the symbols onto the page to create professional-looking UML diagrams in minutes.

"It was just so simple to get into," he said. "And SmartDraw has excellent online help."

Wagner was especially impressed with SmartDraw's automatic connector feature. The connector is a special line in SmartDraw that automatically connects several shapes in evenly spaced patterns.

"I really liked how it spaced out all of the objects evenly as you drop them in," said Wagner. "You don't even have to think about it."

The programmers at Sammy Studios felt the same way.

"They really liked SmartDraw," said Wagner. "They found it did everything they had previously done with the other program, and with better results."

The Winner
The programmers at Sammy Studios use SmartDraw on a weekly basis to create UML diagrams for video games.

"SmartDraw does exactly what we need," said Wagner. "It's fast, intuitive, and the output looks better than the diagrams we were making before."

The company is also using SmartDraw in its H.R. department for org charts and other business diagrams.

"What they were using before wasn't flexible enough," said Wagner. "So SmartDraw is helping them, too."

As Sammy Studios continues to hire more people (the staff of the 130-person company will likely double in the next 18 months), SmartDraw will be an integral part of their expansion. They currently have 20 copies of SmartDraw and expect that number to grow.

"Everyone really likes the product," said Wagner. "We were close to standardizing with one of your competitors, but everyone is happy we made the switch."