Create models for your app
Applies to: 
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio for Mac
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
Modeling diagrams help you understand, clarify, and communicate ideas about your code and the user requirements that your software system must support.
To see which versions of Visual Studio support each type of diagram, see Version support for architecture and modeling tools.
To visualize the architecture of a system or existing code, create the following diagrams:
| Diagram | Shows |
|---|---|
| Dependency Diagrams: Guidelines Dependency Diagrams: Reference |
High-level architecture of the system |
| Code maps Map dependencies across your solutions Find potential problems using code map analyzers |
Dependencies and other relationships in existing code |
| Code-generated class diagrams Working with Class Diagrams (Class Designer) |
Types and their relationships in .NET code |
Related Tasks
| Topic | Task |
|---|---|
| Visualize code | Create code maps and dependency diagrams to better understand unfamiliar code. |
| Model user requirements | Use models to clarify and communicate the users' needs. |
| Model your app's architecture | Use models to describe the overall structure and behavior of your system and to make sure that it meets the users' needs. |
| Validate your system during development | Make sure that your software stays consistent with your users' needs and the overall architecture of your system. |
| Use models in your development process Use models in Agile development |
Use models to help you understand and change your system during its development. |
| Structure your modeling solution | Organize models in a large or medium project. |