0.1 Phy1002: if you can imagine it, you can draw it using svg  (Page 3/23)

The SVG specification is an open standard that has been under development by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) since 1999. SVG images and their behaviors are defined in XML text files. This means that they can be searched, indexed, scripted and, if required, compressed.

Since they are XML files , SVG images can be created and edited with any text editor, but it is often more convenient to create these types of images with drawing programs such as Inkscape .

All major modern web browsers have at least some degree of support and render SVG markup directly, including Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 9,Google Chrome and Safari. However, no earlier versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) support SVG natively."

The SVG home page

The SVG home page is located at (External Link)

That is where you will find technical specifications for the many capabilities that SVG has to offer. Those capabilities are vast. In this module,you will learn to create SVG files to draw the following basic shapes along with text:

• line
• rectangle
• circle
• ellipse
• polyline
• polygon

You will also learn how to manipulate certain aspects of the following attributes on those shapes and on the text that you create:

• stroke
• stroke-width
• stroke-opacity
• fill
• fill-opacity
• font-style
• font-weight

While this barely scratches the surface in terms of overall SVG capability, it does provide a set of tools that will put you in good stead relative to creatingdrawings for your science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses.

What does this mean to you?

Let me refer back to the most important statement so far in this document:

" Since they are XML files, SVG images can be created and edited with any text editor "

What this means is that if you can imagine a technical drawing in terms of objects created from the basic shapes listed above along with their attributes , and you can mentally organize the sizes and positions of those objects in a drawing, you can use atext editor to create an SVG file, which, in turn can be used to render the drawing on the screen or on paper.

Using the SVG file

Once the drawing exists in the form of an SVG file, it can be printed and submitted as part of an assignment. Also, if you have access to the necessaryequipment or assistance, it can be turned into a tactile drawing for you and other blind students to explore by touch.

You can also use the file format converter at (External Link) to convert the file to other formats such as png and jpeg . This makes it possible for you to use the drawing for other purposes, such as conversion to sound using software thatis available at (External Link) .

And last but not least, if you happen to have access to the IVEO learning system , the SVG files that you create can be used with that system to be explored by touch and sound.

Even though you may be blind or visually impaired and you may never have drawn anything in your life, don't let that stop you. If you can imagine it, you candraw it using SVG. My purpose in publishing this module is to help you develop that skill.