Bottom-up layout algorithms for compound graphs are suitable for presenting the microscale view of models and are often used in model-driven engineering. However, they have difficulties at the macroscale where maintaining the overview of large models becomes challenging. We propose top-down layout, which utilizes scale to hide low-level details at high zoom levels. The entire high-level view can fit into the viewport and remain readable, while the ability to zoom in to see the details is still maintained. Top-down layout is an abstract high-level layout process that can be used in conjunction with classic layout algorithms to produce visually compelling and readable diagrams of large compound graphs.