When developing software, I periodically encounter the need to draw some graphics for my own use. Sometimes they illustrate the relationships in the database, sometimes they illustrate the relationships of code files or classes, sometimes there are other objects ... In any case, the basic need is the same - I have a certain set of nodes and edges that I would like to carefully lay out, add some informative colors / texts / styles and, if necessary, print them at the end (if necessary, on several pages).
Is there a tool that would allow me to do this easily? Features I Expect:
- Import the main node / edge information from the file (raw data that I extracted from DB / code / whatever);
- Automatic arrangement of some or all nodes in the chart;
- Allow manually adjust node and placements around the edges;
- Node group manipulation functions (relay output, rotation, scale) will also be very pleasant;
- The ability to manipulate the visual aspects of the image - change lines, colors and fonts; add arbitrary texts and images (possibly by attaching them to nodes / edges);
- The ability to modify the contents of a node (sometimes I need plain text, sometimes it’s a small table, sometimes it’s a bulleted list, etc.).
- Saving / loading / printing (including multiple pages with overlapping areas for gluing) / export to an image (both vector and bitmap with anti-aliasing).
: - , . , , .