README

arbor.js
--------

Arbor is a graph visualization library built with web workers and
jQuery. Rather than trying to be an all-encompassing framework, arbor
provides an efficient, force-directed layout algorithm plus
abstractions for graph organization and screen refresh handling.

It leaves the actual screen-drawing to you. This means you can use it
with canvas, SVG, or even positioned HTML elements; whatever display
approach is appropriate for your project and your performance needs.

As a result, the code you write with it can be focused on the things
that make your project unique – the graph data and your visual style
– rather than spending time on the physics math that makes the
layouts possible.

Installation
------------

To use the particle system, add jquery and the file at lib/arbor.js
to your path somewhere and include them in your html:

  <script src="path/to/jquery.min.js"></script>
  <script src="path/to/arbor.js"></script>  

If you want to let arbor handle realtime color and value tweens for
you, include the arbor-tween.js file as well. This will add a pair of
new tweening methods to the ParticleSystem object (see the docs to
decide if this appeals to you or not).

  <script src="path/to/jquery.min.js"></script>
  <script src="path/to/arbor.js"></script>
  <script src="path/to/arbor-tween.js"></script>


Getting Started
---------------

The docs folder contains a sample project that demonstrates some of the
basic idioms for working with the library to build a visualization. More
detailed documentation can be found at http://arborjs.org/reference.

Colophon
--------

Arbor’s design is heavily influenced by Jeffrey Bernstein’s excellent
Traer Physics[1] library for Processing. In addition, much of the
physics code has been adapted from Dennis Hotson’s springy.js[2]. The
Barnes-Hut n-body implementation is based on Tom Ventimiglia and Kevin 
Wayne’s vivid description[3] of the algorithm.

Thanks to all for releasing such elegantly simple and comprehensible
code.

[1] <http://murderandcreate.com/physics/>
[2] <https://github.com/dhotson/springy>
[3] <http://arborjs.org/docs/barnes-hut>

License
-------

Arbor is released under the MIT license. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_License