Re: [Boost-users] [BGL] visualizing large graphs

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] [BGL] visualizing large graphs
From: Marsh Ray (marsh_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-09-30 16:52:39

On 09/29/2010 04:36 AM, Adam Spargo wrote:
> Hi Cedric,
> I have been trying to use a program called Tulip to visualise my graphs,
> it claims to work up to millions of nodes, but as yet I still get
> crashes for relatively small graphs.

That was my experience with Tulip as well.

> My main problem has been that all
> my machines with enough RAM are remote and the x-connection is too slow.
> I have put some more RAM in my desktop but now the graphics card seems
> to struggle. Waiting for a new graphics card ... Tulip does support
> batch mode, so I could run on a big memory machine and output hardcopy,
> but I haven't had a chance to really learn it interactively yet.

I've been playing a little with OpenGL and large graphs. Without making 
a huge amount of code, a simple massless electrostatic model can make 
cool looking layouts and animations.

Having that third dimensions makes the layout problem much much easier. 
It would be interesting to see what you get if you simply squash the 
result back down to two.

Anyone on this list could probably do something in C++ that gets the job 
done without crashing faster than it took me to finally give up after 
trying all those student-project-like viewers written in Java.

> I'll let you know if I have any success.

Yes, please keep us posted.

- Marsh