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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.

Layout Options#

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

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

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

Styling Options#

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

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

Grouping Resources#

Automatic Grouping#

Cloudeval automatically groups:

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

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

Collapse/Expand Groups#

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

Annotations#

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

Add Arrows and Highlights#

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

Add Custom Shapes#

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

Filtering and Views#

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

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

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

Export Customization#

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

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

Best Practices#

For Documentation#

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

For Presentations#

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

For Architecture Reviews#

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

Real-World Example#

Before Customization#

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

After Customization#

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

Next Steps#

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