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Tutorial: Customize Your Diagrams

Make Your Diagrams Perfect for Your Needs This tutorial shows you how to customize Cloudeval diagrams to match your preferences, improve readability, and create documentation-ready visualizations.

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Layout Options

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Automatic Layout (Default)

Cloudeval’s AI automatically positions resources for optimal readability:

• Intelligent Grouping - Related resources grouped together
• Optimal Spacing - Resources positioned for clarity
• Relationship Clarity - Dependencies clearly shown
• Automatic Updates - Layout adjusts as you edit

Best for: Most use cases, quick diagrams

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Manual Layout

Take full control of resource positioning:

1. Click “Layout” → “Manual”
2. Drag nodes to reposition
3. Adjust spacing as needed
4. Save your layout

Best for: Custom presentations, specific requirements

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Hierarchical Layout

Top-down organization showing dependencies:

1. Click “Layout” → “Hierarchical”
2. Resources organized by dependency level
3. Dependencies flow downward
4. Clear parent-child relationships

Best for: Documentation, architecture reviews

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Styling Options

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Color Schemes

Choose from predefined color schemes: Default (Provider Colors)

• Azure blue for Azure resources
• Standard provider color coding
• Familiar to cloud users

Security-Focused

• Green: Secure resources
• Yellow: Warnings
• Red: Security issues
• Helps identify problems quickly

Cost-Focused

• Color by spending level
• Highlights expensive resources
• Shows cost distribution

Custom Themes

• Create your own color scheme
• Match your brand
• Save for reuse

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Node Sizing

Control resource node sizes: Uniform Size

• All resources same size
• Clean, consistent look
• Good for overviews

By Importance

• Important resources larger
• Based on dependencies
• Highlights key components

By Cost

• Size reflects spending
• Visual cost representation
• Good for cost reviews

By Usage

• Size reflects utilization
• Shows resource activity
• Helps identify waste

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Grouping Resources

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Automatic Grouping

Cloudeval automatically groups:

• Resources by resource group
• Related resources by type
• Resources by location
• Dependencies

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Manual Grouping

Create custom groups:

1. Select multiple resources
2. Right-click → “Group”
3. Name your group
4. Customize group appearance

Use Cases:

• Group by application tier
• Group by environment
• Group by team ownership
• Group by purpose

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Collapse/Expand Groups

• Click group header to collapse
• See overview without details
• Expand to see contents
• Navigate large diagrams easily

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Annotations

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Add Text Labels

1. Click “Annotate” tool
2. Click where to add label
3. Type your text
4. Style the label

Use Cases:

• Explain complex areas
• Add context
• Document decisions
• Highlight important points

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Add Arrows and Highlights

1. Select “Draw” tool
2. Draw arrows or shapes
3. Highlight important areas
4. Color-code annotations

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Add Custom Shapes

• Rectangles for grouping
• Circles for emphasis
• Lines for connections
• Custom shapes for clarity

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Filtering and Views

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Filter by Resource Type

Show only specific resources:

1. Click “Filter”
2. Select resource types
3. Diagram updates automatically
4. Clear filters to see all

Example: Show only virtual networks and subnets

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Filter by Tags

Filter using resource tags:

1. Click “Filter” → “By Tags”
2. Select tag key/value
3. See matching resources
4. Useful for environment filtering

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Create Views

Save filtered views:

1. Apply filters
2. Click “Save View”
3. Name your view
4. Switch between views quickly

Use Cases:

• Production view
• Development view
• Security-focused view
• Cost-focused view

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Export Customization

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Before Exporting

Optimize your diagram:

1. Adjust Layout - Perfect positioning
2. Add Annotations - Include explanations
3. Apply Filters - Focus on relevant resources
4. Set Colors - Choose appropriate scheme
5. Add Legend - Explain color coding

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Export Settings

Customize export:

• Resolution - Standard or high
• Background - Transparent or colored
• Include Legend - Yes/No
• Include Metadata - Resource names, tags
• Page Size - For PDF exports

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Best Practices

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For Documentation

• Use hierarchical layout
• Include all resource names
• Add annotations for clarity
• Use consistent color scheme
• Export as SVG or PDF

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For Presentations

• Use automatic layout
• Focus on key resources
• Add highlights for emphasis
• Use high-resolution export
• Keep it simple

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For Architecture Reviews

• Show all dependencies
• Group by application tier
• Use security color scheme
• Include annotations
• Export multiple views

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Real-World Example

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Before Customization

• All resources same size
• Default colors
• Automatic layout
• No annotations

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After Customization

• Resources sized by importance
• Security color scheme
• Manual grouping by tier
• Annotations explaining architecture
• Custom legend

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Next Steps

• Export Your Diagram - Share customized diagrams
• Collaborate - Share with team
• Use AI Chat - Get customization suggestions

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Ready to customize? Start with your diagram and experiment with different options!