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Canvas Visualizations

Basic Memory can create visual knowledge maps using Obsidian’s Canvas feature. These visualizations help you understand relationships between concepts, map out processes, and visualize your knowledge structure.

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Creating Canvas Visualizations

Ask Claude to create a visualization by describing what you want to map:

Example Requests

  • “Create a canvas visualization of my project components and their relationships.”
  • “Make a concept map showing the main themes from our discussion about climate change.”
  • “Can you make a canvas diagram of the perfect pour over method?”

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Types of Visualizations

Basic Memory can create several types of visual maps:

Document Maps

Visualize connections between your notes and documents

Concept Maps

Create visual representations of ideas and their relationships

Process Diagrams

Map workflows, sequences, and procedures

Thematic Analysis

Organize ideas around central themes

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Relationship Networks

Show how different entities relate to each other in your knowledge base.

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Visualization Sources

Claude can create visualizations based on:

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Documents in Your Knowledge Base

You: "Create a canvas showing the connections between my project planning documents"

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Conversation Content

You: "Make a canvas visualization of the main points we just discussed"

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Search Results

You: "Find all my notes about psychology and create a visual map of the concepts"

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Themes and Relationships

You: "Create a visual map showing how different philosophical schools relate to each other"

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Visualization Workflow

1

Request a visualization

Describe what you want to see by asking Claude to create a canvas

2

Claude creates the canvas file

The canvas file is automatically created in your Basic Memory directory

3

Open the file in Obsidian

View the visualization in Obsidian’s Canvas feature

4

Refine the visualization

Ask Claude for adjustments:

  • “Could you reorganize the canvas to group related components together?”
  • “Please add more detail about the connection between these two concepts.”

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Technical Details

Behind the scenes, Claude:

  1. Creates a .canvas file in JSON format
  2. Adds nodes for each concept or document
  3. Creates edges to represent relationships
  4. Sets positions for visual clarity
  5. Includes any relevant metadata

The resulting file is fully compatible with Obsidian’s Canvas feature and can be edited directly in Obsidian.

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Tips for Effective Visualizations

Be Specific

Clearly describe what you want to visualize

Specify Detail Level

Mention how much detail you need

Mention Type

Specify the visualization type (concept map, process flow, etc.)

Start Simple

Begin with basic visualizations and ask for refinements

Provide context about what documents or concepts to include for the best results.