SVG Editor

The SVG Editor allows you to create and edit vector graphics used by toolbar buttons. The editor provides basic drawing tools and properties for defining shapes, colors, and sizes that are compatible with Rhino's icon system.

Interface Overview

The SVG Editor dialog contains the following areas:

Menu bar

The menu bar provides access to commands for managing files, editing objects, and controlling the editor interface.

File
New

Creates a new SVG file.

Open

Opens an existing image file.

  • The SVG Editor supports reading and saving SVG (.svg), JPG (.jpg), PNG (.png), BMP (.bmp), ICO (.ico), and GIF (.gif) image formats.

Save

Saves the current document to a supported format.

Import

Imports an image file into the current document.

Save As

Saves the file with a new name or location.

Close

Closes the SVG Editor.

Edit
Deselect All

Clears the current selection.

Invert Selection

Selects unselected objects and deselects selected ones.

Nudge Left / Right / Up / Down

Moves the selected objects one step in the specified direction. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard.

  • Based on the snapping setting, nudge moves objects by 1 px or 0.5 px. When snapping is disabled, nudge moves objects by 0.1 px.

Flip Stroke and Fill

Swaps the stroke and fill colors in the Properties panel.

Undo

Reverses the last action.

Redo

Restores the last undone action.

Copy

Copies the selected objects to the clipboard.

Cut

Removes the selected objects and places them on the clipboard.

Paste

Pastes objects from the clipboard.

Delete

Deletes the selected objects.

Select All

Selects all objects in the drawing.

Disable Snapping

Turns off grid snapping.

Snap to 0.5 px

Sets the grid snap spacing to 0.5 pixels.

Snap to 1 px

Sets the grid snap spacing to 1 pixel.

Send Backward

Moves the selected objects one step backward in the stacking order.

Bring Forward

Moves the selected objects one step forward in the stacking order.

View
Toggle Properties Panel

Shows or hides the Properties panel.

Toggle Status Bar

Shows or hides the status bar.

Light Mode

Switches the drawing area to display the graphics for the light color scheme.

Dark Mode

Switches the drawing area to display the graphics for the dark color scheme.

Tool
Select

Activates the selection tool.

Line

Draws a line segment.

Rectangle

Draws a rectangle.

  • Hold the Shift key to lock the aspect ratio to 1:1.

Circle

Draws a circle.

Ellipse

Draws an ellipse.

  • Hold the Shift key to lock the aspect ratio to 1:1.

Polyline

Draws connected line segments.

Help
Ask on Discourse

Opens the Rhino Discourse forum in a web browser.

Toolbar

The toolbar provides quick access to usually used file commands and drawing tools.

New

Creates a new SVG file.

Open

Opens an existing image file.

  • The SVG Editor supports reading and saving SVG (.svg), JPG (.jpg), PNG (.png), BMP (.bmp), ICO (.ico), and GIF (.gif) image formats.

Import

Imports an image file into the current document.

Save

Saves the current document to an external file in a supported format.

Save As

Saves the file with a new name or location.

Select

Selects and edits existing objects.

Selection behavior:

  • Drag the mouse from left to right to create a window selection (solid rectangle). Only objects fully enclosed by the rectangle are selected.

  • Drag the mouse from right to left to create a crossing selection (dashed rectangle). Objects that are fully or partially enclosed are selected.

  • Hold Shift while clicking objects or using a selection window to add objects to the current selection.

  • Hold Ctrl (CMD on Mac) while clicking objects or using a selection window to remove objects from the selection.

  • When a single object is selected, a widget appears that allows adjusting the object's width and height.

Line

Draws a straight line segment between two points.

Rectangle

Draws a rectangle defined by two corner points.

  • Hold the Shift key to lock the aspect ratio to 1:1.

Circle

Draws a circle.

Ellipse

Draws an ellipse.

  • Hold the Shift key to lock the aspect ratio to 1:1.

Polyline

Draws a series of connected line segments.

Light Mode

Switches the drawing area to display the graphics for the light color scheme.

Dark Mode

Switches the drawing area to display the graphics for the dark color scheme.

Drawing area

The drawing area displays a pixel grid where shapes can be created and edited. Objects snap to the grid to help align graphics.

Status bar

The status bar below the drawing area shows drawing information and snapping settings.

Coordinates

Displays the current cursor position in the drawing area.

Snap setting

Shows the current snapping mode. Click it to switch between No Snapping, Snap to 1.0 px, and Snap to 0.5 px.

Properties panel

The Properties panel controls the appearance of the current drawing tool. You can also select existing graphics and change their properties.

Stroke

Controls the outline of the shape.

Color

Sets the outline color. Clicking the small triangle next to the color swatch opens the color menu:

Color Picker

Opens the Select Color dialog to choose a color.

Eye Dropper

Samples a color from anywhere on the screen.

Copy

Copies the current color to the clipboard.

Paste

Applies the color currently stored in the clipboard.

Width

Sets the outline thickness. You can change the value by scrolling the mouse wheel or dragging the spinner.

Cap

Defines the style used at the ends of open strokes, including Square, Butt, and Round.

Join

Defines the style used where segments meet, including Bevel, Miter, and Round.

Fill

Controls the interior of the shape.

Color

Sets the fill color. Clicking the small triangle next to the color swatch opens the color menu:

Color Picker

Opens the Select Color dialog to choose a color.

Eye Dropper

Samples a color from anywhere on the screen.

Copy

Copies the current color to the clipboard.

Paste

Applies the color currently stored in the clipboard.

Size previews

Displays a real-time preview of how the icon appears at different icon sizes:

16×16 px

24×24 px

48×48 px

SVG – Shows the full scalable graphic.