Interactive Manipulation of Large Graph Layouts

The authors present two techniques for interactive graph layout manipulation which take inspiration from the fields of 3D modeling, mesh deformation, and static graph drawing. The first technique uses a multigrid method for modeling and animating large 3D meshes, the second employs ideas from a simpler mesh deformation scheme together with a basic graph searching algorithm and a user interface to control region of influence. They show how these techniques along with a set of basic graph refinement tools can be used interactively to produce informative visualizations based on graph connectivity alone, and then fine tune existing layouts to reveal insights into specific focus regions. They assume arbitrary, large, connected, undirected graphs, and draw the entire graph in 3D.