diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 13c6fe9..65f2d73 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 /.vscode/
 /Manifest.toml
 .DS_Store
+_local/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/project/vizgadget.jl b/project/vizgadget.jl
index 023bef7..f8eeeed 100644
--- a/project/vizgadget.jl
+++ b/project/vizgadget.jl
@@ -1,38 +1,16 @@
-using UnitDiskMapping, Graphs
+using UnitDiskMapping.TikzGraph, Graphs
+using UnitDiskMapping: crossing_ruleset, Pattern, source_graph, mapped_graph
 
-function command_graph(locs, graph, pins, dx, dy, r, name)
-    cmd = ""
+function command_graph!(canvas, locs, graph, pins, dx, dy, r, name)
     for (i,loc) in enumerate(locs)
         if count(==(loc), locs) == 2
-            type = 2
-        else
-            type = 1
+            Node(loc[1]+dx, loc[2]+dy, fill="none", id="ext-$name$i", minimum_size="$(1.5*r)cm") >> canvas
         end
-        cmd *= command_node(loc[1]+dx, loc[2]+dy, type, i ∈ pins, "$name$i", r) * "\n"
+        Node(loc[1]+dx, loc[2]+dy, fill=i∈pins ? "red" : "black", draw="none", id="$name$i", minimum_size="$(r)cm") >> canvas
     end
     for e in edges(graph)
-        cmd *= command_edge("$name$(e.src)", "$name$(e.dst)") * "\n"
+        Line("$name$(e.src)", "$name$(e.dst)"; line_width=1.0) >> canvas
     end
-    return cmd
-end
-
-function command_node(x, y, type::Int, ispin::Bool, id, r)
-    if type == 2
-        return "\\node[fill=black,circle,radius=$(r)cm,inner sep=0cm, minimum size=$(r)cm] at ($x, $y) () {};\n\\node[draw=black,fill=none,circle,radius=$(1.5*r)cm,minimum size=$(1.5*r)cm,inner sep=0cm] at ($x, $y) ($id) {};"
-    elseif abs(type) == 1
-        if ispin
-            color = "red"
-        else
-            color = "black"
-        end
-        return "\\node[fill=$color,circle,radius=$(r)cm,inner sep=0cm, minimum size=$(r)cm] at ($x, $y) ($id) {};"
-    else
-        error("")
-    end
-end
-
-function command_edge(i, j)
-    return "\\draw[thick] ($i) -- ($j);"
 end
 
 function viz_gadget(p::Pattern)
@@ -45,28 +23,22 @@ function viz_gadget(p::Pattern)
     xmid, ymid = Wx/2-0.5, Wy/2-0.5
     dx1, dy1 = xmid-Gx, 0
     dx2, dy2 = xmid+1, 0
-    source_nodes = command_graph(locs1, g1, pin1, dx1, dy1, 0.3, "s")
-    mapped_nodes = command_graph(locs2, g2, pin2, dx2, dy2, 0.3, "d")
-    return """
-\\documentclass[crop,tikz]{standalone}% 'crop' is the default for v1.0, before it was 'preview'
-\\begin{document}
-\\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.8]
-    \\useasboundingbox (-1,-1) rectangle ($Wx,$Wy);
-    \\draw[step=1cm,gray,very thin] ($dx1,$(dy1)) grid ($(Gx+dx1-1),$(Gy+dy1-1));
-    $source_nodes
-    \\draw[step=1cm,gray,very thin] ($dx2,$(dy2)) grid ($(Gx+dx2-1),$(Gy+dy2-1));
-    $mapped_nodes
-    \\node at ($xmid, $ymid) {\$\\mathbf{\\rightarrow}\$};
-\\end{tikzpicture}
-
-\\end{document}
-"""
+    return canvas(; props=Dict("scale"=>"0.8")) do c
+        BoundingBox(-1,Wx-1,-1,Wy-1) >> c
+        Mesh(dx1, Gx+dx1-1, dy1, Gy+dy1-1; step="1cm", draw=rgbcolor!(c, 100,200,200), line_width=0.5) >> c
+        command_graph!(c, locs1, g1, pin1, dx1, dy1, 0.3, "s")
+        Mesh(dx2, Gx+dx2-1, dy2, Gy+dy2-1; step="1cm", draw=rgbcolor!(c, 200,100,100), line_width=0.03) >> c
+        command_graph!(c, locs2, g2, pin2, dx2, dy2, 0.3, "d")
+        PlainText(xmid, ymid, "\$\\mathbf{\\rightarrow}\$") >> c
+    end
 end
 
 function pattern2tikz(folder::String)
-    for (p, sub) in UnitDiskMapping.crossing_ruleset
-        open(joinpath(folder, sub*"-udg.tex"), "w") do f
+    for p in crossing_ruleset
+        open(joinpath(folder, string(typeof(p).name.name)*"-udg.tex"), "w") do f
             write(f, viz_gadget(p))
         end
     end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
+
+pattern2tikz(joinpath("_local"))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/UnitDiskMapping.jl b/src/UnitDiskMapping.jl
index fa2c0c2..e757af8 100644
--- a/src/UnitDiskMapping.jl
+++ b/src/UnitDiskMapping.jl
@@ -17,6 +17,6 @@ include("weighted.jl")
 include("simplifiers.jl")
 include("extracting_results.jl")
 include("pathdecomposition/pathdecomposition.jl")
-#include("shrinking/compressUDG.jl")
+include("tikz/tikz.jl")
 
 end
diff --git a/src/gadgets.jl b/src/gadgets.jl
index 59c8366..63c2fd5 100644
--- a/src/gadgets.jl
+++ b/src/gadgets.jl
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ abstract type Pattern end
 """
 abstract type CrossPattern <: Pattern end
 
-abstract type Node end
-struct SimpleNode{T} <: Node
+abstract type AbstractNode end
+struct SimpleNode{T} <: AbstractNode
     x::T
     y::T
 end
@@ -28,11 +28,11 @@ SimpleNode(xy::Tuple{Int,Int}) = SimpleNode(xy...)
 SimpleNode(xy::Vector{Int}) = SimpleNode(xy...)
 getxy(p::SimpleNode) = (p.x, p.y)
 chxy(p::SimpleNode, loc) = SimpleNode(loc...)
-Base.iterate(p::Node, i) = Base.iterate((p.x, p.y), i)
-Base.iterate(p::Node) = Base.iterate((p.x, p.y))
-Base.length(p::Node) = 2
-Base.getindex(p::Node, i::Int) = i==1 ? p.x : (@assert i==2; p.y)
-offset(p::Node, xy) = chxy(p, getxy(p) .+ xy)
+Base.iterate(p::AbstractNode, i) = Base.iterate((p.x, p.y), i)
+Base.iterate(p::AbstractNode) = Base.iterate((p.x, p.y))
+Base.length(p::AbstractNode) = 2
+Base.getindex(p::AbstractNode, i::Int) = i==1 ? p.x : (@assert i==2; p.y)
+offset(p::AbstractNode, xy) = chxy(p, getxy(p) .+ xy)
 
 export source_matrix, mapped_matrix
 function source_matrix(p::Pattern)
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ function mapped_matrix(p::Pattern)
     locs2matrix(m, n, locs)
 end
 
-function locs2matrix(m, n, locs::AbstractVector{NT}) where NT <: Node
+function locs2matrix(m, n, locs::AbstractVector{NT}) where NT <: AbstractNode
     a = fill(empty(_cell_type(NT)), m, n)
     for loc in locs
         add_cell!(a, loc)
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ for T in [:RotatedGadget, :ReflectedGadget]
 end
 
 for T in [:RotatedGadget, :ReflectedGadget]
-    @eval _apply_transform(r::$T, node::Node, center) = chxy(node, _apply_transform(r, getxy(node), center))
+    @eval _apply_transform(r::$T, node::AbstractNode, center) = chxy(node, _apply_transform(r, getxy(node), center))
 end
 function _apply_transform(r::RotatedGadget, loc::Tuple{Int,Int}, center)
     for _=1:r.n
diff --git a/src/simplifiers.jl b/src/simplifiers.jl
index cbca309..d68c21e 100644
--- a/src/simplifiers.jl
+++ b/src/simplifiers.jl
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ function vertices_on_boundary(locs, m, n)
     findall(loc->loc[1]==1 || loc[1]==m || loc[2]==1 || loc[2]==n, locs)
 end
 
-struct GridGraph{NT<:Node}
+struct GridGraph{NT<:AbstractNode}
     size::Tuple{Int,Int}
     nodes::Vector{NT}
 end
diff --git a/src/tikz/tikz.jl b/src/tikz/tikz.jl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a69ba22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tikz/tikz.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+module TikzGraph
+export rgbcolor!, Node, Line, BoundingBox, Mesh, Canvas, >>, command, canvas, generate_standalone, StringElement, PlainText
+
+const instance_counter = Ref(0)
+abstract type AbstractTikzElement end
+
+struct Canvas
+    header::String
+    colors::Dict{String, Tuple{Int,Int,Int}}
+    contents::Vector{AbstractTikzElement}
+    props::Dict{String,String}
+end
+
+function canvas(f; header="", colors=Dict{String,Tuple{Int,Int,Int}}(), props=Dict{String,String}())
+    canvas = Canvas(header, colors, AbstractTikzElement[], props)
+    f(canvas)
+    return canvas
+end
+
+Base.:(>>)(element::AbstractTikzElement, canvas::Canvas) = push!(canvas.contents, element)
+Base.:(>>)(element::String, canvas::Canvas) = push!(canvas.contents, StringElement(element))
+
+function rgbcolor!(canvas::Canvas, red::Int, green::Int, blue::Int)
+    instance_counter[] += 1
+    colorname = "color$(instance_counter[])"
+    canvas.colors[colorname] = (red,green,blue)
+    return colorname
+end
+function generate_rgbcolor(name, red, green, blue)
+    return "\\definecolor{$name}{RGB}{$red,$green,$blue}"
+end
+
+struct StringElement <: AbstractTikzElement
+    str::String
+end
+command(s::StringElement) = s.str
+
+struct BoundingBox <: AbstractTikzElement
+    xmin::Float64
+    xmax::Float64
+    ymin::Float64
+    ymax::Float64
+end
+function command(box::BoundingBox)
+    return "\\useasboundingbox ($(box.xmin),$(box.ymin)) rectangle ($(box.xmax-box.xmin),$(box.ymax-box.ymin));"
+end
+
+struct Node <: AbstractTikzElement
+    x::Float64
+    y::Float64
+    shape::String
+    id::String
+    text::String
+    props::Dict{String,String}
+end
+
+function Node(x, y;
+        shape::String = "circle",
+        id = string((instance_counter[] += 1; instance_counter[])), 
+        text::String = "",
+        fill = "none",
+        draw = "black",
+        inner_sep = "0cm",
+        minimum_size = "0.2cm",
+        line_width = 0.03,
+        kwargs...)
+    props = build_props(;
+        fill = fill,
+        draw = draw,
+        inner_sep = inner_sep,
+        minimum_size = minimum_size,
+        line_width = line_width,
+        kwargs...)
+    return Node(x, y, shape, id, text, props)
+end
+function build_props(; kwargs...)
+    Dict([replace(string(k), "_"=>" ")=>string(v) for (k,v) in kwargs])
+end
+
+function command(node::Node)
+    return "\\node[$(node.shape), $(command(node.props))] at ($(node.x), $(node.y)) ($(node.id)) {$(node.text)};"
+end
+
+struct Mesh <: AbstractTikzElement
+    xmin::Float64
+    xmax::Float64
+    ymin::Float64
+    ymax::Float64
+    props::Dict{String,String}
+end
+
+function Mesh(xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax; step="1.0cm", draw="gray", line_width=0.03, kwargs...)
+    Mesh(xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax, build_props(; step=step, draw=draw, line_width=line_width, kwargs...))
+end
+function command(grid::Mesh)
+    return "\\draw[$(command(grid.props))] ($(grid.xmin),$(grid.ymin)) grid ($(grid.xmax),$(grid.ymax));"
+end
+
+struct Line <: AbstractTikzElement
+    src::String
+    dst::String
+    controls::Vector{Int}
+    props::Dict{String,String}
+end
+
+function Line(src, dst; controls=Int[], line_width = "0.03", kwargs...)
+    Line(string(src), string(dst), controls, build_props(; line_width=line_width, kwargs...))
+end
+Line(src::Node, dst::Node; kwargs...) = Line(src.id, dst.id)
+
+function command(edge::Line)
+    head = "\\draw[$(command(edge.props))]"
+    if isempty(edge.controls)
+        return "$head ($(edge.src)) -- ($(edge.dst));"
+    else
+        return "$head ($(edge.src)) .. controls $(join(["($c)" for c in edge.controls], " and ")) .. ($(edge.dst));"
+    end
+end
+
+struct PlainText <: AbstractTikzElement
+    x::Float64
+    y::Float64
+    text::String
+    props::Dict{String,String}
+end
+function PlainText(x, y, text; kwargs...)
+    PlainText(x, y, text, build_props(; kwargs...))
+end
+function command(text::PlainText)
+    "\\node[$(command(text.props))] at ($(text.x), $(text.y)) {$(text.text)};"
+end
+
+function command(node::Dict)  # properties
+    return join(["$k=$v" for (k,v) in node], ", ")
+end
+
+function generate_standalone(header::String, props::Dict, content::String)
+    return """
+\\documentclass[crop,tikz]{standalone}
+$(header)
+\\begin{document}
+\\begin{tikzpicture}[$(command(props))]
+$content
+\\end{tikzpicture}
+\\end{document}
+"""
+end
+generate_standalone(canvas::Canvas) = generate_standalone(canvas.header, canvas.props, join([[generate_rgbcolor(k,v...) for (k,v) in canvas.colors]..., command.(canvas.contents)...], "\n"))
+
+function Base.write(io::IO, canvas::Canvas)
+    write(io, generate_standalone(canvas))
+end
+
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/weighted.jl b/src/weighted.jl
index 2d934d6..ca6e123 100644
--- a/src/weighted.jl
+++ b/src/weighted.jl
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ function Base.show(io::IO, x::WeightedCell)
 end
 Base.show(io::IO, ::MIME"text/plain", cl::WeightedCell) = Base.show(io, cl)
 
-struct WeightedNode{T,WT} <: Node
+struct WeightedNode{T,WT} <: AbstractNode
     x::T
     y::T
     weight::WT
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index fbb46ae..90f0e13 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -28,3 +28,7 @@ end
 @testset "weighted" begin
     include("weighted.jl")
 end
+
+@testset "tikz" begin
+    include("tikz/tikz.jl")
+end
diff --git a/test/tikz/tikz.jl b/test/tikz/tikz.jl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..182c203
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/tikz/tikz.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+using UnitDiskMapping.TikzGraph, Test
+
+@testset "commands" begin
+    n = Node(0.2, 0.5)
+    @test command(n) isa String
+    m = Node(0.6, 0.5)
+    @test command(n) isa String
+    l = Line(m, n)
+    @test command(n) isa String
+    b = BoundingBox(0, 10, 0, 10)
+    @test command(b) isa String
+    g = Mesh(0, 10, 0, 10)
+    @test command(g) isa String
+    s = StringElement("jajaja")
+    @test command(s) == "jajaja"
+    s = PlainText(20.0, 3.0, "jajaja")
+    @test command(s) isa String
+end
+
+@testset "canvas" begin
+    res = canvas() do c
+        Node(0.2, 0.5; draw=rgbcolor!(c, 21, 42, 36)) >> c
+        "jajaja" >> c
+    end
+    @test res isa Canvas
+    @test generate_standalone(res) isa String
+    write("test.tex", res)
+    @test isfile("test.tex")
+    rm("test.tex")
+end
\ No newline at end of file