Diagram Editor

Create architecture diagrams, ERDs, flowcharts, and network diagrams with icon libraries from Azure, AWS, Kubernetes, CNCF, Lucide and brand collections. Includes presentation mode with animated viewport transitions, infographic mode with canvas presets, version snapshots, architecture transitions, and full auto-layout.

January 22, 2026

The diagram editor in NeoArc Studio operates in three distinct modes: standard diagrams for architecture modelling, presentation mode for animated walkthroughs, and infographic mode for fixed-canvas visual assets. All three modes share the same icon library, shape system, and connector tooling.

Three Editor Modes

Standard Mode

The default modelling canvas for system diagrams, flowcharts, ERDs, network diagrams, and C4 diagrams. Infinite canvas with auto-layout, lineage linking, and tag filtering.

Presentation Mode

Animated slide-style presentations built directly on diagrams. 4 visibility actions (appear, fadeIn, disappear, fadeOut), viewport animation between steps, audio narration, speaker notes, standalone playback, and linked discovery for navigable content.

Infographic Mode

Fixed-size canvas for creating static visual assets. 5 canvas presets (16:9, 4:3, A4, letter, custom), element rotation, grouping, component library, and multi-format export.

Diagram Types

Standard mode supports a broad range of architecture diagram types.

Architecture Diagrams

Systems, services, and their interactions.

Entity-Relationship Diagrams

Built-in ERD table shapes for freeform diagramming. For model-first data architecture, use ERD views derived from the central data model with database profiles and entity picker.

Flowcharts

Decision points, processes, and document shapes.

Network Diagrams

Infrastructure topology visualisation.

C4 Diagrams

Context, container, and component levels.

Cloud Architecture

Official AWS, Azure, and GCP icons.

Kubernetes Architecture

Kubernetes and CNCF icons for cloud-native diagrams.

Data Flow Diagrams

Information movement through systems.

Icon Libraries

The icon library covers all major technology platforms across several categories.

Presentation Mode

Build animated architecture walkthroughs directly on the diagram canvas. Each presentation consists of steps that control element visibility and camera position.

Feature	Details
Visibility Actions	4 actions per step: appear, disappear, fadeIn, and fadeOut
Viewport Animation	Each step defines a viewport rectangle. The camera animates smoothly between steps, zooming and panning to focus on the relevant area
Speaker Notes	Attach notes to each step for presenter reference. Notes are visible in the editor but hidden during playback
Standalone Presentations	Presentations run independently in the viewer with forward/back navigation, no editor required
Linked Discovery	Diagram elements with lineage links remain navigable during playback, so viewers click through to related documentation
Audio Narration	Record or import WebM audio clips per step. Step duration auto-extends to match the audio length. Audio plays back in standalone presentations and audience windows with synchronised step advancement

Infographic Mode

Create fixed-canvas visual assets with precise layout control.

5 Canvas Presets

16:9, 4:3, A4, letter, and custom dimensions. The canvas boundary is visible in the editor and defines the export area.

Rotation

Rotate any element to any angle. Useful for labels, decorative elements, and non-standard layouts.

Grouping

Group elements together for collective move, resize, and alignment operations.

Component Library

Save and reuse groups of elements as reusable components across infographics.

Version Snapshots

Track diagram evolution with snapshot versioning and lifecycle tagging.

Lifecycle Tagging

Tag diagram elements as active, planned, or deprecated. Track element succession and visualise lifecycle state directly on the canvas.

Named Versions

Give each snapshot a descriptive name to identify it in the version list.

Auto-Explanations

The system generates a summary of what changed in each snapshot, making it easy to scan version history.

Architecture Transitions

Model multi-phase architecture changes as a sequence of named states.

Shape Types

The diagram editor includes multiple shape categories beyond icons.

Process Shapes

Processes, decisions, documents, data stores, and more.

Container Shapes

Rectangles, circles, clouds, and cylinders.

ERD Tables

Columns, primary keys, foreign keys, and constraints.

Swimlanes

Cross-functional process diagrams.

Shape Notes and Linking

Every shape supports annotations and cross-references to other parts of your documentation.

Feature	Details
Shape Notes	Attach simple text or rich HTML notes (with links) to any shape. Notes appear on hover in the viewer
Link to REST Endpoints	Connect a shape to a REST API endpoint definition. Viewers click through to the full API documentation
Link to Schemas	Connect a shape to a schema definition for direct navigation
Link to Pages	Connect a shape to any Content Foundry page
Link to Graph Diagrams	Connect a shape to a graph diagram for cross-diagram navigation

Connections

Connect shapes with flexible routing options.

Feature	Options
Path Types	Straight, curved, and orthogonal routing
Line Styles	Solid, dashed, and dotted
Arrow Heads	20+ ending types including standard arrows and shapes
ERD Notation	Crow's foot cardinality (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many)

Search and Filtering

Diagram Search (Ctrl+F)

Search for elements by name or content. Matching elements are highlighted and the viewport centres on results.

Tag Filtering

Assign tags to diagram elements and filter the view to show only elements matching selected tags. Useful for large diagrams with multiple concerns.

Minimap

Navigate large diagrams with a minimap overview. The minimap shows a scaled-down view of the entire diagram with depth-based colouring and theme-aware rendering.

ERD Features

The diagram editor includes built-in ERD table shapes for freeform entity-relationship diagramming. These shapes support column definitions, key notation, crow's foot relationships, and CSV export. For production data architecture, ERD views derived from the central data model (model.neoarc) are the recommended approach, providing database profiles, entity picker, and multi-view support from a single source of truth.

Table Shapes

Structured columns with data types, nullability, and default values.

Key Notation

Primary keys, foreign keys, and unique constraints with visual indicators.

FK Auto-Fill

Automatically creates FK columns when drawing relationships between tables. The FK column inherits the referenced PK's data type.

SQL DDL Import

Create ERDs from SQL DDL scripts in 6 dialects (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Snowflake, Oracle, and DBML). Paste or upload DDL text to import tables, columns, keys, and relationships automatically.

CSV Export

Export ERD table data to CSV for use in spreadsheets and data dictionaries.

ERD-Specific Linting

Validation rules check for missing primary keys, orphan tables, unnamed relationships, and other common ERD issues.

Relationship Panel

Dedicated panel for managing relationships with cardinality, labels, and referential actions.

Example: Project Management Schema

The following ERD shows a project management database with projects, team members, tasks, and time entries.

Loading diagram: project-management-schema.diagram.json

Auto-Layout

The editor arranges complex diagrams automatically.

Hierarchical

For org charts and tree structures.

Force-Directed

For relationship graphs.

Layered

For data flow and process diagrams.

Lineage Linking

Connect diagram elements to the documentation, APIs, and schemas they represent.

Service to API

Link a service box to its API documentation.

Database to Schema

Link a database shape to its schema definition.

Component to Design

Link a component to its design document.

Theming

Apply consistent styling across all diagrams in your workspace.

Colour Schemes

Define project-wide colour palettes.

Typography

Set default fonts and sizes.

Reusable Styles

Create styles for different diagram types.

Export Options

Format	Use Case
JSON	Full fidelity storage and version control
SVG	Embedding in other documents or websites
CSV	ERD table data for spreadsheets

Creating Your First Diagram

Learn the basics of creating diagrams in NeoArc Studio. Add shapes, connect them, and arrange your diagram for clarity.

Diagram Editor Reference

Complete reference for the diagram editor including shape types, connection system, icons, ERD tables, swimlanes, and auto-layout.

Icons Reference

Complete reference for Icon libraries from Azure, AWS, Kubernetes, Lucide, Brand and Tech, and custom icons.

Auto Layout

Let NeoArc Studio automatically arrange your diagrams. Choose from multiple layout algorithms optimised for different diagram types.

Shape Effects and Visual Styling

Apply 11 visual effects to shapes in infographic mode: drop shadow, inner shadow, outer glow, inner glow, Gaussian blur, motion blur, colour overlay, noise, outline, emboss, and colour adjustments. Combine effects with 16 blend modes for professional visual styling.