The set of all orientations of a planar graph with prescribed outdegrees carries the structure of a distributive lattice. This general theorem is proven in the first part of the paper. In the second part the theorem is applied to show that interesting combinatorial sets related to a planar graph have lattice structure: Eulerian orientations, spanning trees and Schnyder woods. For the Schnyder wood application some additional theory has to be developed. In particular it is shown that a Schnyder wood for a planar graph induces a Schnyder wood for the dual.

In this paper we study connections between planar graphs, Schnyder woods, and orthogonal surfaces. Schnyder woods and the face counting approach have important applications in graph drawing and the dimension theory of orders. Orthogonal surfaces explain connections between these seemingly unrelated notions. We use these connections for an intuitive proof of the Brightwell-Trotter Theorem which says, that the face lattice of a 3-polytope minus one face has order dimension three. Our proof yields a linear time algorithm for the construction of the three linear orders that realize the face lattice. Coplanar orthogonal surfaces are in correspondence with a large class of convex straight line drawings of 3-connected planar graphs. We show that Schnyder’s face counting approach with weighted faces can be used to construct all coplanar orthogonal surfaces and hence the corresponding drawings. Appropriate weights are computable in linear time. 1

Abstract We consider rectangle graphs whose edges are defined by pairs of points in diagonally opposite corners of empty axis-aligned rectangles. The maximum number of edges of such a graph on n points is shown to be ⌊ 1 4 n2 + n − 2⌋. This number also has other interpretations: • It is the maximum number of edges of a graph of dimension [3 ↕↕4], i.e., of a graph with a realizer of the form π1, π2, π1, π2. • It is the number of 1-faces in a special Scarf complex. The last of these interpretations allows to deduce the maximum number of empty axis-aligned rectangles spanned by 4-element subsets of a set of n points. Moreover, it follows that the extremal point sets for the two problems coincide. We investigate the maximum number of of edges of a graph of dimension [3 ↕ 4], i.e., of a graph with a realizer of the form π1, π2, π3, π3. This maximum is shown to be 1 4 n2 + O(n). Box graphs are defined as the 3-dimensional analog of rectangle graphs. The maximum number of edges of such a graph on n points is shown to be 7 16 n2 + o(n 2). Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000). 05C10, 68R10, 06A07. 1

Abstract. Orthogonal surfaces are nice mathematical objects which have interesting connections to various fields, e.g., integer programming, monomial ideals and order dimension. While orthogonal surfaces in one or two dimensions are rather trivial already the three dimensional case has a rich structure with connections to Schnyder woods, planar graphs and 3-polytopes. Our objective is to detect more of the structure of orthogonal surfaces in four and higher dimensions. In particular we are driven by the question which non-generic orthogonal surfaces have a polytopal structure. We study characteristic points and the cp-orders of orthogonal surfaces, i.e., the dominance orders on the characteristic points. In the generic case these orders are (almost) face lattices of polytopes. Examples show that in general cp-orders can lack key properties of face lattices. We investigate extra requirements which may help to have cp-orders which are face lattices. Finally, we turn the focus and ask for the realizability of polytopes on orthogonal surfaces. There are criteria which prevent large classes of simplicial polytopes from being realizable. On the other hand we identify some families of polytopes which can be realized on orthogonal surfaces. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000). 05C62, 06A07, 52B05, 68R10. 1

Three types of geometric structure—grid triangulations, rectangular subdivisions, and orthogonal polyhedra— can each be described combinatorially by a regular labeling: an assignment of colors and orientations to the edges of an associated maximal or near-maximal planar graph. We briefly survey the connections and analogies between these three kinds of labelings, and their uses in designing efficient geometric algorithms.

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Orthogonal surfaces are nice mathematical objects which have interesting connections to various fields, e.g., integer programming, monomial ideals and order dimension. While orthogonal surfaces in one or two dimensions are rather trivial already the three dimensional case has a rich structure with connections to Schnyder woods, planar graphs and 3-polytopes. Our objective is to detect more of the structure of orthogonal surfaces in four and higher dimensions. In particular we are driven by the question which non-generic orthogonal surfaces have a polytopal structure. We review the state of knowledge of the 3-dimensional situation. On that basis we introduce terminology for higher dimensional orthogonal surfaces and continue with the study of characteristic points and the cp-orders of orthogonal surfaces, i.e., the dominance orders on the characteristic points. In the generic case these orders are (almost) face lattices of polytopes. Examples show that in general cp-orders can lack key properties of face lattices. We investigate extra requirements which may help to have cp-orders which are face lattices. Finally, we turn the focus and ask for the realizability of polytopes on orthogonal surfaces. There are criteria which prevent large classes of simplicial polytopes from being realizable. On the other hand we identify some families of polytopes which can be realized on orthogonal surfaces.