On Nearly Symmetric Drawings of Graphs

We propose a force-directed approach for drawing graphs in a nearly symmetric fashion. Our algorithm is built upon recent theoretical results on maximum symmetric subgraphs. Knowing the sequence of edge contractions sufficient for turning an asymmetric graph into a symmetric subgraph, our approach in symmetric drawing begins by drawing a graph’s maximum symmetric subgraph using a force-directed method first; then the contracted edges are re-inserted back into the drawing. Considering symmetry as the underlying aesthetic criterion, our algorithm provides better drawings than the conventional spring algorithms, as our experimental results indicate.