Force-directed algorithms for schematic drawings and placement: A survey

TL;DR

This survey comprehensively reviews force-directed algorithms used in schematic drawings and placement, categorizing models and applications across various fields over the past 50 years.

Contribution

It provides a full classification and roadmap of classical and hybrid force-directed algorithms and their diverse applications in schematic drawing and placement.

Findings

Classified force-directed algorithms into classical and hybrid models.

Summarized applications in network visualization, circuit design, and sensor networks.

Outlined future research directions in force-directed algorithms.

Abstract

Force-directed algorithms have been developed over the last 50 years and used in many application fields, including information visualisation, biological network visualisation, sensor networks, routing algorithms, scheduling, and graph drawing. Our survey provides a comprehensive summary of developments and a full roadmap for state-of-the-art force-directed algorithms in schematic drawings and placement. We classified the model of force-directed algorithms into classical and hybrid. The classical force-directed algorithms are further classified as follows: (a) accumulated force models, (b) energy function minimisation models and (c) combinatorial optimisation models. The hybrid force-directed algorithms are classified as follows: (a) parallel and hardware accelerated models, (b) multilevel force-directed models and (c) multidimensional scaling force-directed algorithms. Five categories of application domains in which force-directed algorithms have been adopted for schematic drawings and placement are also summarised: (a) aesthetic drawings for general networks, (b) component placement and scheduling in high-level synthesis of very-large-scale integration circuits design, (c) information visualisation, (d) biological network visualisation and (e) node placement and localisation for sensor networks.