Creating a Bubble Diagram

A bubble diagram is a graphical view of the data from a space planning spreadsheet. Spaces are connected by space links that represent the relationships among the spaces. Thick links indicate a strong relationship between the spaces, while weak relationships are drawn with thin lines. The efficiency of the bubble diagram layout can be determined by calculating its adjacency score.

A bubble diagram is inserted into a drawing automatically when an adjacency matrix is imported (see Importing an Adjacency Matrix Spreadsheet). A bubble diagram can also be created manually by linking spaces with the Space Link tool.

Linking Spaces

 

To link spaces:

1.	Create spaces as described in Creating Spaces with the Space Tool.

2.	Click the Space Link tool from the Space Planning tool set.

3.	Click on the first space to link, and then on the second space. The space link is automatically created.

Space Link Properties

The space links update dynamically as the spaces are moved around in the drawing.

To change the strength of a link, select it and change the Strength value (from 1 to 18) in the Object Info palette.

Calculating the Adjacency Score

The adjacency score object displays a numerical value that represents the efficiency of the space layout. The score value is determined by first multiplying the link length times strength for each space link, and then calculating the sum of these values for all the space links in the file. The lower the score, the more efficient the layout.

 

To insert an adjacency score object:

1.	Click the Adjacency Score tool from the Space Planning tool set.

2.	Click in the document to set the object location.

3.	Click a second time to set the object rotation.

If spaces or space link objects are deleted, the adjacency score object value is not automatically updated. Slightly move any space or adjacency score object in the document to reset the adjacency score object value.