Incremental Grid-like Layout Using Soft and Hard Constraints
This work addresses the need for improved diagram layout in domains like systems biology, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing constraint-based methods.
The paper tackles the problem of generating high-quality, grid-like graph layouts with axis-aligned edges by integrating grid conventions into a force-directed, constraint-based framework, resulting in more flexible layouts that capture conventions like SBGN and adapt to user constraints and interaction in systems such as Dunnart.
We explore various techniques to incorporate grid-like layout conventions into a force-directed, constraint-based graph layout framework. In doing so we are able to provide high-quality layout---with predominantly axis-aligned edges---that is more flexible than previous grid-like layout methods and which can capture layout conventions in notations such as SBGN (Systems Biology Graphical Notation). Furthermore, the layout is easily able to respect user-defined constraints and adapt to interaction in online systems and diagram editors such as Dunnart.