Dynamic charts with variable ranges

[flashpipe1]

Just thinking through some different ways to build this.

Basically, I already have access to a tool (not flash, no source code available) that does all these complicated calculations based on dozens of variables and generates 2 charts/graphs based on those calculations. I'm making a "light" version that will only use 2 of those variables and a set of "standard values" that will act as a lead in/conversation starter.

So, I have to display 120 different charts/graphs (60 pairs of graphs) that will be calculated by selecting variables from 2 different drop downs (one has 10 selections, the other has 6).

Each chart is made up of 15 different data points that will be displayed on the chart with lines connecting them, so a total of 30 data points for each "set" of variables.

Here are my options:
1) plug the numbers into the tool and grab a screenshot of the charts. Since the charts are ugly, I would have to physically re-draw each of the 120 charts to look the way it needs to in order to match the rest of the application

2)...and this seems like the right way to go if I can figure it out...
I can export the data points from the tool as xml, I use that to build arrays within flash and then dynamically plot the points and draw the lines. The only problem I'm facing conceptually is that the range on the y axis will change so I'll need to dynamically create the horizontal range line indicators, populate the range fields based on that range and keep everything constrained within the vertical limits of the chart...

Any thoughts?? Know of any existing tutorials/samples like this?? Warnings??

[5TonsOfFlax]

If you can avoid it, don't re-invent the wheel.

http://flare.prefuse.org/

[flashpipe1]

Very cool, thanks! Flare looks very cool, but more than what I need for the simple line charts I'm looking to build. I did spend some time looking around (thanks to your input) and found another solution that I think will work nicely, or at least get me started down the right road...

http://developer.yahoo.com/flash/ast.../examples.html


Thanks!!

[cancerinform]

or this one:

http://www.maani.us/xml_charts/

This is for Flash while Flare is for Flex.

[flashpipe1]

Ugg, ugg...

Now that the client settled on the maani.us 3d chart (thanks for that cancer) they want us to make the tool into an iPad app. That's no problem as far as everything else is concerned, but the charts won't work since they load the swf, so, now we've either got to scale them back on that and blow their expectations, figure out how to re-build the 3d chart "wheel" in flash ourselves or we've got to come up to speed REALLY quickly on Xcode to figure out how to built it outside of flash...

Any ideas out there??

Thanks!