Freeform diagramming with cloud infrastructure in Lucidchart

Freeform diagram introduction

You can create Lucidchart freeform diagrams with imported cloud infrastructure data. Freeform diagrams are manually designed. This means you decide exactly where each resource appears on the canvas, giving you precise control over the layout.

This is different from working with a cloud frame, which automatically generates the layout by applying rules to your imported data. 

Automatic visualization

If you want automatic visualization rather than manual layout, there are two options:

• Create a Lucidscale document. A cloud frame is set up automatically, and Lucidscale exposes the full settings for configuring views within it. For instructions, check out the following articles:
  • Import and manage AWS infrastructure data in Lucidscale
  • Import and manage Azure infrastructure data in Lucidscale
  • Import and manage Google Cloud infrastructure data in Lucidscale
• Add a cloud frame to an existing Lucidchart document. Embed a cloud frame directly on the canvas, create an initial view, then switch to Lucidscale to manage your views. For full instructions to add a cloud frame to a Lucidchart document, read our article.

Two ways to start a freeform diagram

There are two primary methods to initiate a new freeform diagramming document:

• From the Data Hub
• From a prompt with Cloud Agent (beta)

From the Data Hub

To create a Lucidchart freeform diagram with imported cloud data, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Lucid.
2. Click Data hub from the bottom of the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the page.
3. From the providers list, select: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
4. Click + Create new document at the top of the page.
5. Select an existing data source.
   • For AWS, select at least one account.
   • For Azure, select at least one subscription.
   • For Google Cloud, select at least one project.
6. Click Choose [data source] in the bottom-right corner.
   • “Data source” will be an account, subscription, or project depending on your provider.
7. Under “document type”, select Freeform diagramming.
8. Click Create document in the bottom-right corner.

From a prompt with Cloud Agent (beta)

Alternatively, you can leverage natural language prompts to configure your diagram with the Cloud Agent. This is available to Cloud Accelerator users with beta access. It is only available for AWS at this time.

Cloud Agent allows you to generate a fully editable, data-linked freeform diagram from your imported cloud data using natural language prompts, offering a quick and intuitive way to generate diagrams for your specific architectural needs.

Customize a freeform diagram

Once you’ve created a freeform diagram from your cloud data, the customization options are highly flexible. Read on for instructions to access and manage your data.

Access the Cloud menu

Navigate to the Cloud (Beta) menu in the Primary Toolbar on the left side of the workspace to access your resources. Use the arrow icons to the left of a resource type to expand or close a list of resources. You can then drag and drop resources onto the canvas to manually diagram.

View resource metadata

From the contextual panel to the right of your diagram, you can view additional details on a selected cloud infrastructure shape, including data linking status, tags, configuration, and related resources.

Drag related resources onto the canvas

Click and drag an entry in the related resources section onto the canvas. Use this functionality to quickly create an accurate diagram after adding an initial resource to the canvas.

Automated vs. freeform

Whether you want a diagram that maps itself automatically or total creative freedom over your layout, your canvas handles cloud changes differently. Choose the approach that matches your workflow:

Give feedback on this article