Automatic Layout

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When using the automatic layout, the placement of vertices is determined by a force-directed algorithm.

The default constructor of ForceDirectedSpringGravityLayoutStrategy uses (experimentally determined) values that can fit most graphs, namely:

• repulsiveForce = 25
• attractionForce = 3
• attractionScale = 10
• gravity = 0.01

However, depending on your needs, these can be adjusted. The following table explains these parameters and their effect:

Parameter	Effect	Increase to...	Decrease to...
repulsiveForce	Prevents vertices from clustering	Reduce overlaps, spread out more	Allow denser clusters
attractionForce	Pulls adjacent vertices together	Tighten clusters, emphasize edges	Let related nodes drift
attractionScale	Defines “natural” edge length	Increase distance between connected	Reduce distance between connected
acceleration	Multiplies final forces before applying to positions	Make layout faster (but risk unstable)	Stabilize movements, slower convergence
gravity	Pulls all vertices to the center of the panel	Faster convergence, less separation	Slow convergence, more separation

You can use the following table as a reference to derive more optimal values for the intended type of graph visualization:

Type	repulsiveForce	attractionForce	attractionScale	acceleration
Sparse	15–20	2–3	15–20	0.7–0.9
Dense	30–50	5–8	5–10	0.5–0.8
Balanced	20–30	3–5	8–12	0.7–0.85