Useful Resources
Guides to getting good.
There are many good resources for beginners, or even experienced, SVG authors, both taggers and programmers. They can be hard to find, however. Here are some links that may be useful:
Web Sites
Sites of note.
- SVG at W3C: < www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG > The definitive source of all things SVG, where you can find the Specifications themselves.
- SVG-Wiki: < svg-whiz.com/wiki > A wiki (collaborative Web site) chock-full of tips, tricks, and instructions. I'm contributed quite a bit to it, and am currently in charge of restoring it after it was rendered unusable by spammers. This is a temporary location, until it moves back to its permanent home at svg.org.
- SVG.org: < svg.org > A new community resource page, with news, diaries, and links. Run by SVG guru Antoine Quint.
- SVGX.org: < svgx.org > An SVG portal evangelizing SVG and related technologies.
- KevLinDev: < www.kevlindev.com > An astounding and high-quality collection of tutorials and libraries written by luminary Kevin Lindsey.
- ObjJob at Phrogz.net: < phrogz.net/objjob > A nice reference for all the objects, inheritance, methods, and architecture of SVG1.1.
- SVG Open: < www.svgopen.org > The site for the official SVG convention. I've attended and presented for the last two years, in Vancouver and Tokyo, and plan to go to the next one at Enschede, Nederlands. Browse through the archives for a great survey of what people are doing with SVG, and many authoring tips.
Forums
Ways to interact with experts.
- SVG-Developers List at Yahoo: < groups.yahoo.com/group/svg-developers > The primary mailing list for getting answers on SVG issues.
- SVG IRC Channel: < irc.freenode.net port 6667 channel #svg > A lively and helpful IRC channel populated by knowledgable folks. Logs can be searched at < svg.jibbering.com >. If you dont know how to use IRC, there is a step-by-step tutorial, including where to get a free IRC program, at < www.weretiger.ca/irc.html >.
Books
Books about SVG.
- SVG Unleashed: < www.samspublishing.com/title/0672324296 > The most comprehensive book about SVG, this massive tome has extensive discussions and code samples for a wide variety of tasks. Edited by Andrew Watt and Chris Lilley; published by Sams.
- SVG Essentials: < www.oreilly.com/catalog/svgess > A good short introduction to SVG, and a useful reference manual. Written by J. David Eisenberg; published by O'Reilly.
Authoring Tools
Ways to create SVG.
- Inkscape: < www.inkscape.org > A free, Open-Source native SVG authoring program, based off of Sodipodi. Windows, Linux, (MacOS X?).
- Sodipodi: < www.sodipodi.com > Afree, Open-Source native SVG authoring program. Windows, Linux, (MacOS X?).
- Beatware Mobile Designer: < www.beatware.com/products/md.html > A native SVG authoring program aimed primarily at SVG-Tiny. Windows only.
- Sketsa: < www.kiyut.com/products/sketsa > A native SVG authoring program aimed primarily at SVG-Tiny. Java-based, so runs on Windows, Linux, and probably Mac.
- Jasc Webdraw: < www.jasc.com/products/webdraw > A native SVG authoring program for graphics and animations. Windows only.
- EvolGrafiX: < www.evolgrafix.com > A company with several native SVG authoring programs. Windows only.
- Adobe Illustrator: < www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/ > The 900-pound gorilla of vector-based drawing programs, made by the company that also makes the best viewer. Windows and Mac.
- Mayura Draw: < www.mayura.com > A vector-based drawing program that exports to SVG. Windows only.
- CorelDRAW: < www.corel.com > A popular vector drawing program that exports to SVG. Windows only.
- SVG Factory: < www.svgfactory.com > A free conversion utility to convert graphics files to SVG. Windows only.
Submit Your Resource
Tell me what I've missed.
I've only recently started repurposing and revamping this site, so it's still quite incomplete. If you think I've missed a resource that would be useful, be it yours or one you've found, drop me a line at svg-whiz@schepers.cc.