Curvilinear graph drawing using the force-directed method

Abstract

We present a method for modifying a force-directed graph drawing algorithm into an algorithm for drawing graphs with curved lines. Our method is based on embedding control points as dummy vertices so that edges can be drawn as splines. Our experiments show that our method yields aesthetically pleasing curvilinear drawing with improved angular resolution. Applying our method to the GEM algorithm on the test suite of the "Rome Graphs" resulted in an average improvement of 46% in angular resolution and of almost 6% in edge crossings. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.