Making graphics with DOT is an easy way to create graphics based on text files. The text file contains relations and markup. You need software: http://graphviz.org/Download..php When finished with a DOT file you want graphics: $ dot -Tsvg yourdotfile -o yourdotfile.svg & firefox yourdotfile.svg This generates a svg you can use in Inkscape, insert in LibreOffice, etcetera. Stuff to read: Comprehensive: http://www.tonyballantyne.com/graphs.html Official: http://www.graphviz.org/pdf/dotguide.pdf