Each model element in a UML Designer diagram is represented by a figure, a graphical representation based on UML notation. A figure is attached to an underlying model element, from which it takes most of its properties. Normally, each model element can be represented by only one figure in a single diagram.
A figure also has additional characteristics of its own that control its visual appearance. For example, the figure controls which aspects of the underlying model element appear on the diagram, as well as purely visual attributes such as color.
From a diagrammer, you can edit both the visual attributes of the figures; you can also open browsers (using Open With) and make changes to the underlying model elements.
A diagram has two types of figures:
Figures can also have adornments, which are labels and other decorations that carry semantic meaning on the diagram. The visual attributes of a figure (its font, color, and position on the diagram) exist independently of the underlying model.
Adornments help to make a class diagram more understandable, and they convey additional information about the model elements, including additional UML semantics; for example, they can show the navigability and multiplicity of an association. You can specify whether or not most adornments appear on a figure; however, the properties described by adornments exist in the model, whether or not the adornments themselves are displayed.
Using the UML Designer diagrammers, you can build models in two different ways: