Current orthogonal graph drawing algorithms produce drawings which are generally good. However, many times the readability
of orthogonal drawings can be significantly improved with a postprocessing technique, called refinement, which improves aesthetic qualities of a drawing such as area, bends, crossings, and total edge length. Refinement is separate
from layout and works by analyzing and then fine-tuning the existing drawing in an efficient manner. In this paper we define
the problem and goals of orthogonal drawing refinement and introduce a methodology which efficiently refines any orthogonal graph drawing. We have implemented our technique in C++ and conducted preliminary experiments over a set of drawings
from five well known orthogonal drawing systems. Experimental analysis shows our technique to produce an average 34% improvement
in area, 22% in bends, 19% in crossings, and 34% in total edge length.
Research supported in part by NIST, Advanced Technology Program grant number 70NANB5H1162 and by the Texas Advanced Research
Program under Grant No. 009741-040.