Interactive 3D Node Graph Visualization

The Linux Kernel consists of thousands of interrelated subsystems that can be challenging to grasp for developers or curious users. We are presenting an interactive 3D graph visualization tool built in Unity that facilitates the comprehension of the cloned Linux kernel Git repository. The visualization creates an undirected graph representing files or folders of desired subsystems consisting of nodes and edges as connections between them. It includes a canvas with slider filters, where the minimum and maximum years allow for more time-specific visualization, while the intensity represents the total lines of code changed in a diff for the given time frame. The user can also navigate in different directions, move closer to the main file or any other area, as well as move and drag the visualization of the subsystem nodes for a better overview of the subsystem network. The current implementation uses a file-writing script which transfers cleaned data from the cloned respiratory, generating a file in the Unity project folder, later used for the file-reading script for Unity graph rendering. The 3D graph representation can be helpful for newcomers, developers, and researchers seeking to explore and learn the complex structure of Linux Kernel subsystems and draw insights about the commit activity on a chosen time frame.