Force Layouts A Force directed layout is a rendering of a physics simulation in which each node pushes away from other nodes while edges pull the nodes together. There is no intrinsic meaning to node position or edge length. Rather, the rendering is designed to result in a graph that’s visually pleasing and reasonably easy to navigate. GraphXR renders data in a default force-directed layout, but you can: Set force layout parameters for rendering the entire (non-pinned) graph. Temporarily disable (and enable) force layout for the entire (non-pinned) graph. Randomize node positions for all or part of the graph. Pinned nodes are left where they were placed. This applies to nodes you’ve moved manually on the project canvas, and to those pinned automatically with a geometric layout. To release pinned nodes, either use the Pin/Release toolbar icon or right-click menu, or the Release button in the Geometric layout panel. Set Force layout parameters In the Layout panel and Force subpanel: Use the slider controls organized under Basic Settings and an Advanced Settings dropdown to adjust key parameters for the entire graph except for pinned nodes. The new force layouts are rendered as soon as you change the sliders. Set Basic Settings Basic Settings includes controls for two parameters that are often adjusted: Link Distance. Adjusts the relative distance between nodes (i.e. edge length). Gravity. Pulls the nodes toward the center of the project canvas (i.e. the point the view rotates around when nothing is selected). To restore default settings, click the Default Settings button at the bottom of the panel. This action applies only to slider settings, not to the 2D - 3D or Enable - Disable Force Layout toolbar toggle icons. Set Advanced Settings Advanced Settings includes controls for additional, but less often used force layout parameters: Link Strength. Adjusts how strongly the links (i.e. edges) pull the nodes together. Charge. Adjusts how strongly the nodes push away from one another. Collision. Adjusts the degree to which nodes are allowed to overlap each other. For a 2D layout, adjusting Collision helps to un-stack nodes projected on top of one another. Some overlap can still occur. Z Compress. Compresses nodes on the Z axis into a flatter, more 2D rendering, while still allowing 3D rotation. To project a 3D view to near-2D, set the Z-Compress slider all the way to the rightmost position. To switch to full 2D rendering, click the 3D-2D toggle icon in the toolbar. When set to full 2D, the Z-Compress slider no longer appears in Advanced Settings. Enable or disable Force layout The force layout is continuously adjusted as you move your viewpoint on the canvas, but you might not always want this to happen. In particular, separating subgraphs on the canvas can be easier when force layout isn’t operating.That’s because when you rotate or move the entire graph on the project canvas, the nodes and edges retain their last force layout positions relative to one another. Only the viewpoint changes. To disable force layout: Click the Enable - Disable Force Layout toggle icon in the toolbar to temporarily turn off force layout rendering. You can still adjust force layout slider controls, but the changes will not take effect until you enable force layout again. Toggle between 2D and 3D rendering 3D visualization is a powerful advantage for exploring high-dimensional data. However, you can switch to full 2D mode at any time, or even work exclusively in it. A flat 2D project space can be useful when creating and sharing views for analytic reports. Many of the Geometric layouts translate well to purely 2D presentation, including Line, Circle, Spiral, and Grid, as well as hierarchical Rings or Trees To toggle to 2D rendering: Click the 3D-2D toggle icon in the toolbar. Project data are now arranged on a 2D plane, and can no longer be rotated in 3D. In the Force layout subpanel, the Z-Compress slider is no longer displayed. Geometric 3-dimensional Cube, Spring, and Sphere layouts are no longer displayed. To return to 3D rendering at any time, click the 3D-2D toggle icon in the toolbar. On the canvas, the data will still be flattened. In the Force layout subpanel, click Randomize Position or Run to render a full 3D force layout. Randomize Positions In Force layout, nodes are initially rendered in randomized positions. The Randomize Positions button lets you render a different random arrangement either for selected data, or all data if no data are selected (except for pinned nodes). Other force layout controls operate on the entire graph (except for any pinned nodes). If force layout is enabled, the selected data is randomized as a group. If force layout is disabled, the selected data is randomized as a compact cube (or square) cluster. This can be useful for isolating data and moving it away from other data on the canvas. To randomize positions in a force layout: If desired, click the Enable - Disable Force Layout toggle icon in the toolbar to temporarily turn off force layout rendering. Select nodes using any method. If no nodes are selected, all node positions are randomized, except for pinned nodes. In the Layout > Force subpanel, click the Randomize Positions button. The example below shows a Randomize Positions operation when force layout is disabled. Run and Stop With force layout enabled, you can: Click Run to run a brief (1- or 2- second) force layout simulation. Click Stop to freeze the layout when you see a rendering you like.