Optimal Morphs of Convex Drawings

We give an algorithm to compute a morph between any two convex drawings of the same plane graph. The morph preserves the convexity of the drawing at any time instant and moves each vertex along a piecewise linear curve with linear complexity. The linear bound is asymptotically optimal in the worst case.Comment: To appear in SoCG 201

Convexity-Increasing Morphs of Planar Graphs

We study the problem of convexifying drawings of planar graphs. Given any planar straight-line drawing of an internally 3-connected graph, we show how to morph the drawing to one with strictly convex faces while maintaining planarity at all times. Our morph is convexity-increasing, meaning that once an angle is convex, it remains convex. We give an efficient algorithm that constructs such a morph as a composition of a linear number of steps where each step either moves vertices along horizontal lines or moves vertices along vertical lines. Moreover, we show that a linear number of steps is worst-case optimal. To obtain our result, we use a well-known technique by Hong and Nagamochi for finding redrawings with convex faces while preserving y-coordinates. Using a variant of Tutte's graph drawing algorithm, we obtain a new proof of Hong and Nagamochi's result which comes with a better running time. This is of independent interest, as Hong and Nagamochi's technique serves as a building block in existing morphing algorithms.Comment: Preliminary version in Proc. WG 201

Morphing Planar Graph Drawings Optimally

We provide an algorithm for computing a planar morph between any two planar straight-line drawings of any $n$-vertex plane graph in $O(n)$ morphing steps, thus improving upon the previously best known $O(n^2)$ upper bound. Further, we prove that our algorithm is optimal, that is, we show that there exist two planar straight-line drawings $\Gamma_s$ and $\Gamma_t$ of an $n$-vertex plane graph $G$ such that any planar morph between $\Gamma_s$ and $\Gamma_t$ requires $\Omega(n)$ morphing steps

Pole Dancing: 3D Morphs for Tree Drawings

We study the question whether a crossing-free 3D morph between two straight-line drawings of an $n$-vertex tree can be constructed consisting of a small number of linear morphing steps. We look both at the case in which the two given drawings are two-dimensional and at the one in which they are three-dimensional. In the former setting we prove that a crossing-free 3D morph always exists with $O(\log n)$ steps, while for the latter $\Theta(n)$ steps are always sufficient and sometimes necessary.Comment: Appears in the Proceedings of the 26th International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2018

On contractible edges in convex decompositions

Let $\Pi$ be a convex decomposition of a set $P$ of $n\geq 3$ points in general position in the plane. If $\Pi$ consists of more than one polygon, then either $\Pi$ contains a deletable edge or $\Pi$ contains a contractible edge

A Note on Plus-Contacts, Rectangular Duals, and Box-Orthogonal Drawings

A plus-contact representation of a planar graph $G$ is called $c$-balanced if for every plus shape $+_v$, the number of other plus shapes incident to each arm of $+_v$ is at most $c \Delta +O(1)$, where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree of $G$. Although small values of $c$ have been achieved for a few subclasses of planar graphs (e.g., $2$- and $3$-trees), it is unknown whether $c$-balanced representations with $c<1$ exist for arbitrary planar graphs. In this paper we compute $(1/2)$-balanced plus-contact representations for all planar graphs that admit a rectangular dual. Our result implies that any graph with a rectangular dual has a 1-bend box-orthogonal drawings such that for each vertex $v$, the box representing $v$ is a square of side length $\frac{deg(v)}{2}+ O(1)$.Comment: A poster related to this research appeared at the 25th International Symposium on Graph Drawing & Network Visualization (GD 2017