[pdftex] Re: PdfTeX and SVG graphics

[Jochen Skupin]

>>I have about 700 preexisting figures, used in a series of physics textbooks.
>>I originally did them in Adobe Illustrator, and am now trying to get so I
>>I can do all the editing of them in open-source software. I'm now at the
>>point where my only reason for maintaining a Mac is to run Illustrator.
> 
> If so, what about pstoedit? 
> http://www.pstoedit.net/pstoedit
> 
> Could make you go ai->ps->metapost->svg

I would also give pstoedit a try.
As soon as you can get your figures in
PS or EPS format (which should be possible
if Illustrator is able to produce PDF)
you can use pstoedit to convert to
a number of other (also vector) formats
like: fig, mpost, dxf ...

My preferred format is .fig so the
converted figure can be edited using
Xfig. An oldfashioned but very robust
and (after you accustimize to it) very
usable unix vector graphics program.

Conversion of strings with pstoedit
may be a bit nasty but there are a
few options to play with.
Also sometimes in the original
figure invisible boxes are exported too,
giving a whole bunch of useless objects
that should be deleted.


Kind regards

   Jochen