It's great to see more SVG libraries arriving and SVG.js and Pablo.js look like interesting new tools.
While tools to dynamically generate SVG are needed sometimes the big future of SVG is artist-created images, so we generally in need of ways to manipulate , animate and add-to existing existing SVG images. SVG markup is already a better: clearer, faster, more embeddable way to create SVG images. Our tools should focus on adding value to the markup.
I use a lot of SVG these days and, sadly, SVG has to come with caveats. It currently performs terribly on iOS devices (especially large, detailed images) and there is no way to create progressively detailed svgs or mark areas for baking. Webkit did have an SVG scrolling bug where svgs were constantly repainted but, thankfully, that is fixed now.
Another gripe is SVG drawing tools. I am using a rather strange hodge-podge of a workflow (especially as I am a Mac user). Microsoft Expression Design → export as XAML → translate XAML to SVG.
It's actually quite effective / sensible for a few reasons 1) Expression Design is now a free download 2) XAML and SVG are very similar so the translation is reasonable straight-forward 3) Expression Design gives accurate pixel previews (and I have a second SVG testing tool that can flick between SVG and PNG to see where there are problems).
My tools are written in Go and may be of use / interest to other people. Let me know if you'd like to try them (caveat: they are one-user-one-developer-tools — me — so there is a layer of polish missing that I am happy to live with but you may not) and I'll work out how to upload them to GitHub.
Did you try WebCode (http://www.webcodeapp.com/)? It is a vector drawing app for Mac that instantly generates nice, clean and readable SVG code. You can also choose to generate HTML/CSS and JavaScript/Canvas code from your drawings.
I keep meaning to but haven't got round to coughing up the £35. It does look amazing and is (one direction) of the sort of thing I was talking about. I'd need to see the javascript it generates before I could happily include it a project.
Re: SVG drawing tools - why not Inkscape? It's native format is SVG and it allows editing the markup directly. I get much better results using it than converting XAML to SVG (which is JUST different enough to be annoying). Would love to see the tools you've written... Thanks for sharing.
I've had real issues with Inkscape, especially its user interface. It's just not a Mac app. I'd love to see someone tear the gubbins out of Inkscape and place them in a good user interface. (To be fair I have real issues with Illustrator's UI, too. And the App I choose to use isn't a Mac app to the point of being a Windows App on a PC in Parallels.)
Expression Design has a very simple, powerful interface: scroll is zoom, space bar is pan, unmodified click is select. I'd like to see someone make an SVG editor with a cross between it and Bret Victor's Gestural Zoom And Pan.
While tools to dynamically generate SVG are needed sometimes the big future of SVG is artist-created images, so we generally in need of ways to manipulate , animate and add-to existing existing SVG images. SVG markup is already a better: clearer, faster, more embeddable way to create SVG images. Our tools should focus on adding value to the markup.
I use a lot of SVG these days and, sadly, SVG has to come with caveats. It currently performs terribly on iOS devices (especially large, detailed images) and there is no way to create progressively detailed svgs or mark areas for baking. Webkit did have an SVG scrolling bug where svgs were constantly repainted but, thankfully, that is fixed now.
Another gripe is SVG drawing tools. I am using a rather strange hodge-podge of a workflow (especially as I am a Mac user). Microsoft Expression Design → export as XAML → translate XAML to SVG.
It's actually quite effective / sensible for a few reasons 1) Expression Design is now a free download 2) XAML and SVG are very similar so the translation is reasonable straight-forward 3) Expression Design gives accurate pixel previews (and I have a second SVG testing tool that can flick between SVG and PNG to see where there are problems).
My tools are written in Go and may be of use / interest to other people. Let me know if you'd like to try them (caveat: they are one-user-one-developer-tools — me — so there is a layer of polish missing that I am happy to live with but you may not) and I'll work out how to upload them to GitHub.