diagramsgraphics
I use Inkscape on Windows 7 platform. The principle to enter integrals and other mathematical symbols in Inkscape seems that the best thing to do and write them in a LaTeX compiler and cut them in Adobe PDF and paste it into Inkscape as figures.
Seems to be how you make pictures like this in Inkscape:
Is there any way to type LaTeX code directly into the text boxes Inkscape?
I know this question is ultópica but it never hurts to try.
Others have already pointed to pgfplots, which I'd also agree with. It would probably be useful to have some specific pointers on how to use it to best effect. I wrote a TUGBoat article about this a while ago, but I'll try to highlight some key points here.
The first thing to say is that the exact workflow will depend on the journal your are targeting. For example, I need versions of my plots as separate files, so use the standalone class (again, this has already been mentioned). An alternative, particularly if you are looking for speed gains in a a LaTeX document, is to use the 'externalize' library to build the plots just once. The pgfplots manual describes this in detail.
Again, depending on what you are plotting having your data in a simple text format such as .csv or tab-separated makes life easier. This makes it easy to have a simple 'boilerplate' .tex file and slot in your data (name your data file based on your .tex file and you can use \jobname to add the data).
Not directly linked to the choice of data presentation system is the use of colour: it can be very useful, but needs to be done sympathetically. In particular, not all journals are too keen on colour if black-and-white will do.
Some examples from the TUGBoat article (which contains the source):
Inkscape should export to a pure vector PDF file. There is no need to tweak the DPI value or using the --export-dpi option, since it only affects the rasterized output that you want to avoid.
It can be problematic to convert from one vector format to another. That only works under two conditions:
Problems most likely occur if you use gradients or filters. I don't know how well inkscape handles the conversion of gradients, but when filters are used, the output is always rasterized.
A workaround would be to use the option --export-ignore-filters. Instead of applying the filters and to rasterize the output, inkscape ignores the filters and keeps the vector format, which is — in my opinion — almost always a way better choice.
Here is an example to convert the file drawing.svg to drawing.pdf:
inkscape \
--export-pdf=drawing.pdf \
--export-ignore-filters \
--export-area-drawing \
drawing.svg
--export-ignore-filters forces inkscape to not use filters, which would rasterize the output. --export-area-drawing is used to set the bounding box. Without this option the entire page would be exported.
Best Answer
Here an Inkscape answer (summarizing the comments and some additional info). There are two ways to include LaTeX input.
Use the PDF+LaTeX export built into Inkscape
Advantage: Built-in, text stays editable
Disadvantage: Tex code can be typed but is not rendered, hence you may need to adjust the x,y positioning values later in your document --> annoying. Further, no line break is supported and you need to add a parbox or minipage or something later manually
Get the
textextplug-in for InkscapeAdvantage: Render the code directly in you Inkscape document, including line breaks etc.
Disadvantage: Text becomes a SVG picture and can not be edited outside of Inkscape. No problem within Inkscape of course (objects can be edited by selecting them and using the Extensions->Textext menu item). This means after exporting and including the PDF in your document scaling your graphic will cause the text to scale too --> Possibly undesired effects
Installation details for
textext:Get the Inkscape plugin
textextfrom here.Installing it was a bit tricky for me (Inkscape 0.48). Installation instructions can be read here.
First I placed the extension files in the
~/.config/inkscape/extensionsfolder.Then I installed Pstoedit via the Ubuntu package manager
After that I was presented with an Error from some python modules. This blog post solved it for me: Blogpost
After that I was able to select Extensions->Textext from my Inkscape menu bar. In the box that pops up type you LaTeX code just like you would in a normal document. You can specify a preamble file. I'd include any packages affecting the font in your document as the result is a SVG image of you TeX input, meaning that the font will not change if you decide to change your LaTeX-preamble at some point