Scalable Vector Graphics Files (SVG)

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a type of file format that is specifically designed to support graphic drawing.

1.Vector Format. SVG is a vector format, which means that drawings are based on coordinates rather than pixels. This means that lines are drawn from point-to-point and many objects consist of line groups of lines. The advantage of this technique is that objects can be scaled, rotated and moved with no pixelation or distortion.

The fact that the format is based on vectors is also very useful for cave maps. Since all the drawings, symbols and other objects are based on vectors, the drawings can be adjusted based on changes in the survey data. Even hand-drawn passage walls and other features can be moved, scaled, rotated and warped in response to changes in the data. When the vectors are adjust in this way, the passages retain their smooth, curving appearance while maintain the same relative position from the survey shots.

2. Open Standard. The SVG format is an open standard promoted by the World Wide Web Consortium, the people responsible for web standards. This means that the file format for SVG is published and widely available. It also means, that the public can contribute ideas and criticisms of the format and the format can improve over time.

3. Widely Supported. SVG files can be read and written by a variety of drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw and Inkscape.

4. Based on XML. Finally, another important advantage of SVG is that it uses the XML. XML is a widely supported format for transporting a variety of data. This has several advantages. First, there is a wide array of software that can read, write and analyze XML. Second, it is a text based format, which means that you can look at the file with any simple text editor such as Notepad. Finally, XML is extensible. This means you can add your own custom data to the file without disrupting other programs ability to read the files.