SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics

What is SVG?

SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics SVG is used to define vector-based graphics for the

Web SVG defines the graphics in XML format

What is SVG? (Contd.)

SVG graphics do NOT lose any quality if they are zoomed or resized

Every element and every attribute in SVG files can be animated

SVG is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation

SVG integrates with other W3C standards such as the DOM and XSL

SVG History

SVG became a W3C Recommendation in January 2003.

Sun Microsystems, Adobe, Apple, IBM, and Kodak are some of the organizations that have been involved in defining SVG.

SVG Advantages

SVG files can be read and modified by a large range of tools (e.g. notepad).

SVG files are smaller and more compressible than JPEG and GIF images.

SVG images are scalable . SVG images can be printed with high quality at

any resolution . SVG images are zoom able. Any part of the image

can be zoomed without degradation.

SVG Advantages (Contd.)

Text in SVG is selectable and searchable (excellent for making maps).

SVG works with Java technology. SVG is an open standard. SVG files are pure XML.

SVG With Flash

The main competitor to SVG is Flash. The biggest advantage SVG has over Flash is the

compliance with other standards (e.g. XSL and the DOM). Flash relies on proprietary technology that is not open source.

SVG Drawback

Drawback of SVG at the moment is that not all browsers support it. Mozilla browsers, Firefox, and Opera support SVG, and Microsoft plan to support SVG.

Viewing SVG Files

If your browser does not support SVG files, you will need to download an SVG viewer to view SVG files.

Firefox 1.5 and Opera 9 have native SVG support. If you are using one of these browsers, you do not need to install an SVG viewer.

Download an SVG Viewer for FREE from Adobe.

EXAMPLES