The idea
Most mind mapping tools give you one layout and call it a day. Tectonian has seven because the way one person's brain works may not be the same as the way your brain works, even within the neurodivergent community. This way, no matter the topic and no matter the brain, there will be a layout that will work for you.
You can switch layouts anytime from the toolbar dropdown. Your content stays the same, only the arrangement changes. Try different views on the same map and see which one clicks.
Quick switch: Use the layout dropdown in the toolbar to change layouts. All your nodes, connections, and content stay intact — only the spatial arrangement changes.
↓ Top-Down
Top → Down
The classic. Core nodes sit at the top, branches flow downward. Depth levels stack vertically with clear parent-child hierarchy. This is the default layout and the one everyone starts with.
Best for: Project breakdowns, org charts, decision trees, anything with a clear top-level concept branching into details.
↑ Bottom-Up
Bottom → Up
Same structure as top-down, flipped. Core nodes at the bottom, branches grow upward. Sounds simple, but it genuinely changes how you think about the map. Building up from foundations instead of drilling down from concepts.
Best for: Root cause analysis, building arguments from evidence, anything where the "base" feels more foundational than the "top."
→ Left to Right
Left → Right
Core nodes on the left, branches extend rightward. Reads like a page — your eye naturally follows the flow. Horizontal space gives nodes more room to breathe, especially if your titles are long.
Best for: Workflows, processes, timelines-as-trees, reading-order content planning.
← Right to Left
Right → Left
Mirror of left-to-right. Core nodes on the right, branches extend leftward. Useful if you're working in a right-to-left language, or if you just want a different visual perspective on the same information.
Best for: RTL language workflows, reverse-engineering a process, alternative visual perspective.
◎ Radial
Radial
Core nodes arrange in a ring at the center. Branches radiate outward in concentric circles — level 1 on the first ring, level 2 on the next, and so on. Multiple node trees share the same center, each taking a slice of the circle.
This is where mind mapping gets visual. Instead of reading top-to-bottom, you get a sense of everything in your workspace. So you can take a step back and look at the big picture.
Best for: Brainstorming, concept mapping, seeing relationships between parallel ideas, anything where hierarchy matters less than connections.
Radial tip: If your map feels cluttered, try adjusting the ring gap and grouping sliders in the layout settings. More ring gap = more breathing room between depth levels. Higher grouping = tighter clustering around parent nodes.
⌓ Rotational
Rotational
Like radial, but you only see part of the circle at a time. It's a visible arc that you can rotate through. Think of it like a carousel for your mind map. Nodes outside the visible arc fade away, keeping your focus on one section.
Use the ← and → arrow keys to rotate the view. The arc width, tilt, and ellipse shape are all adjustable in settings.
Best for: Presenting sections of a large map one at a time, focused exploration of deep trees, reducing visual overwhelm on complex maps.
⚛ Force Graph
Force Graph
No grid, no rings, no levels. Just nodes on a canvas — put them wherever you want. Think of it like sticky notes on a wall. Drag things around, group related ideas together, spread things out when you need space.
This is the most free-form layout. There's no "correct" arrangement — whatever makes sense to you is the right answer. Connections still draw between parent-child nodes, but positioning is entirely up to you.
Best for: Freeform brainstorming, spatial thinking, grouping ideas by feel rather than hierarchy, working with maps where traditional tree structure doesn't apply.
Force graph tip: Use this layout when you want full control over where things go. The cluster, link distance, and untangle sliders in layout settings control how the arrangement looks.
Useful shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts that work across all layouts:
- Ctrl+S — Save your map
- Ctrl+Z — Undo
- Ctrl+Y — Redo
- Ctrl+F — Search nodes
- F — Toggle focus mode
- N — Toggle navigation mode
- Ctrl+E — Edit selected node
- Delete — Delete selected node(s)
- Ctrl+A — Select all nodes
- Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V — Copy / paste nodes
Rotational-specific:
- ← / → — Rotate the view by 15°
Persistent vs Auto-Organize
The Persistent toggle in the toolbar controls whether nodes remember their positions when you switch layouts.
Persistent ON: Nodes stay where you put them. Switch to radial, arrange things how you like, switch to top-down, come back to radial — everything is where you left it. Great for maps you've carefully organized and don't want disrupted.
Persistent OFF (Auto-Organize): The layout engine arranges nodes for you every time. Add a node, switch layouts, resize the window — things just flow into place. Good for brainstorming sessions where you're adding fast and don't want to fuss with positioning.
When to use which: Start with auto-organize while you're building. Once your map has a shape you like, flip on persistent to lock it in. You can always hit ↕ Align to reorganize once without changing the toggle.
That's the full layout system. The best way to learn these is to throw some nodes on the canvas and cycle through the layouts. You might find one you didn't expect to like.
Open the app and try them out.
— Tectonian