[Tex/LaTex] How to include SVG diagrams in LaTeX

graphicssvg

I'm making all my diagrams in SVG format using Inkscape and then I export them to some other format (e.g. PDF, EPS or PNG). I wrote a short script that does this for me automatically, but I'd like to avoid this step, if possible — sometimes the conversion from SVG converts the text labels into vectors, and that's annoying. Hence the question:

Is there a way to include SVG diagrams directly without conversion to an intermediate format?

Package suggestions, or instructions for specific LaTeX distribution are welcome. Tips and personal experience on which tools you have found to be working reliably would be also appreciated.

Best Answer

There is now (at time of writing for about a month) a package svg on CTAN and also included into the big TeX distributions.

This package makes use of pdfTeX primitives. Not all of these are defined in LuaTeX, so you would get errors on compiling. See answer of Heiko Oberdiek for a solution.

Every SVG file given by the command \includesvg will under the hood be converted with the help of some additional programs, which at least on Windows are not installed by default (the package claims, it wouldn’t run in Windows, but see below):

  • Inkscape (for using the technique already mentioned in other answers)
  • ImageMagick (actually the included convert)
  • only MiKTeX users: Xpdf (actually the included pdftops)

Notes:

  1. For compilation pdflatex needs the command line switch --shell-escape.

  2. All executables/binaries must be located in the search path. In Windows only the “ImageMagick” installer does this by default. For inkscape and pstopdf one needs to add the paths oneself, or I would recommend for each a batch file in the binary path of your local texmf tree (which anyway should be itself in the search path). Additonal hint for MiKTeX users: Create a local texmf tree in MiKTeX.

    inkscape.cmd (it must get this name!):

    @echo off
<path-to-inkscape>\inkscape.exe %*

    pdftops.cmd (it also must be named this way!), not needed for Users of TeX Live:

    @echo off
<path-to-Xpdf>\pdftops.exe %*

    Of course, adjust the paths to your local settings.

  3. The package uses the *nix specific commands mv and rm. In Windows we can emulate them once more with batch scripts, which again must get the names given here and should be put into the bin folder of the local texmf tree:

    mv.cmd:

    @echo off
move /Y %*

    The switch /Y overwrites existing files without any question! I introduced it here for the use with TeX editors.

    rm.cmd:

    @echo off
del /Q %*

    The switch /Q also suppresses any question!

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