Question

What tools are available for metamodelling?

Especially for developing diagram editors, at the moment trying out Eclipse GMF

Wondering what other options are out there? Any comparison available?

Answer 1

Your question is simply too broad for a single answer – due to many aspects.

First, meta-modelling is not a set term, but rather a very fuzzy thing, including modelling models of models and reaching out to terms like MDA.

Second, there are numerous options to developing diagram editors – going the Eclipse way is surely a nice option.

To get you at least started in the Eclipse department:

• have a look at MOF, that is architecture for ‘meta-modelling’ from the OMG (the guys, that maintain UML)
• from there approach EMOF, a sub set which is supported by the Eclipse Modelling Framework in the incarnation of Ecore.
• building something on top of GMF might be indeed a good idea, because that’s the way existing diagram editors for the Eclipse platform take (e.g. Omondo’s EclipseUML)
• there are a lot of tools existing in the Eclipse environment, that can utilize Ecore – I simply hope, that GMF builts on top of Ecore itself.