Graph Layout: Tool or do it yourself?

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1 comment, last by dmatter 4 years, 7 months ago

So I wanted to have an easy peasy visualization of some lifeforms interacting with their food sources(using various abilities effecting feeding strength), so I thought to myself relations can be visualizes as graphs  and I could use some  graph Visualization tool  extract  coordinates and use them in Unity3D.  I tried to use Msagl( or better said Glee) https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/microsoft-automatic-graph-layout/ however the documentation is abysmal and I could not get the bounding box to work. My question is are there any good alternatives for Layout engines or should I just study up on some Layout algorithm and do it myself?

When you have nothing to say,I advise you talk nonsense :D
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You could try Gephi if you don't mind an 'offline' visualisation outside of Unity.

A "force-directed layout" is actually pretty easy to implement yourself though. A simple solver could be achieved with just a couple of simple rules:

  • Graph nodes repel each other (like charged particles) according to the inverse-square law.
  • Graph edges act like springs (Hooke's law)

Implement those physical equations, iterate and integrate using either Euler or velocity-Verlet intégration et-voila.

Plus you don't have to figure this out yourself - there are literally tons of codified examples online that you can "be inspired by" ?

 

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