Graphviz - Graph layout solution

Oct 14

Graphviz - Graph layout solution

Graphviz is an open source automated graph layout software, featuring a new document-based GUI, export to PDF and many more bitmap formats, full alpha transparency, native font and shapefile support and anti-aliasing.

With AT&T Graphviz, you don’t figure out the graph, the program does. Using a simple file format called dot, just describe which nodes should connect to which other nodes. Then the sophisticated layout routines quickly render it into many different output formats.

You get these distinctives with the Mac OS X version:

Document-based GUI with the Macintosh look-and-feel:
- Preview and zoom graphs, from 12.5% to 800%.
- Pan the graph with the hand cursor.
- Tweak settings with a drawerful of switches and component defaults, and see the effect immediately.
- Can’t figure out a setting? Tooltips to the rescue…
- Choose fonts and colors with the integrated font and color panels.
- Print and export graphs using familiar menu commands.
- Click to edit the file, then save it and the changes are automatically picked up.
- Check the activity window for the actual command line calls.
- Open files or portions of text as graphs from other applications.
- Remember settings for the next graph, or change settings via the command line.
Easy installation:
- Drag-and-drop to install, no separate installer required.
- Works out of the box on stock Mac OS X 10.2 or better system, no third-party libraries required.
Quartz rendering:
- Direct export to paged or embedded PDF.
- Supports full alpha transparency.
- Supports native fonts.
- Supports shapefiles: PDF, Postscript, JPEG, PNG and all Quicktime formats.
- Anti-aliases shapes and text.
Quicktime exporting:
- Supports all Quicktime image formats: SGI, Photoshop, Windows BMP, JPEG, Macintosh PICT, PNG, MacPaint, TIFF, Targa, JPEG 2000 and Quicktime Image.
- Automatically recognizes additional export components.
Graphviz is “open-source” freeware, but donations are encouraged.