Vector Graphics

[Greg the Yeti]

I've been thinking since my previous post and although I have no solution I had a very strong thought about all this, so I thought I'd share it.

Like I said I'm no Vector Novice, and the way dotNET was failing to handle things that even Internet Explorer now CAN handle made me think of times up to 15 years ago. Learning how to create Fonts with CorelDRAW and EPS files. It was ugly clunky and just dxxn difficult and slow. That was a lot about learning what the software COUDN'T DO. It was so much of a huge relief to get a proper (very expensive!) Font Creation Program, FontLab.

In comparison with using Vectors within CorelDRAW it seems that the restrictions on Vector Files with dotNETs SVG engine are just prohibitive. (Or is it that us CorelDRAW and Illustrator users have just got spoiled?)

Yet IE could handle it all flawlessly!

It gives me more than a suspicion that the SVG engine is NOT THE SAME in the two! IE has been given the up to date "State of the Art" tech, but dotNET gets a version from 10 or 15 years ago???

Richard - as a programmer is there any way that you can delve into those files and find out if that suspicion is correct? And could that IE file be "nicked" (sorry borrowed) if it would work with dotNET??? Probably Windows File Protection would dissalow that!

Further personal bad news was that I remembered that I had a book on SVG files and their use on the internet. Now this book WAS from about 15 years ago and was difficult to understand even back then, when I read some of it and then burned out of all energy to live... Unfortunately I looked for it and it seems to be one of a number of "Internet" books that got slung out a few years ago - DRAT, DRAT and DOUBLE DRAT! (Dick Dastardly - if you remember)

Well better luck with other improvements to the Program!

Regards
Greg the Yeti

[Programmer]

From what you said before, I think you are creating the graphics in some other format and then converting them to SVG, right? I suspect what is happening is that in the conversion process there are some properties that don't get converted in a completely orthodox way. The tiger cards show correctly because I guess they were created directly using whatever program people use to create SVG files directly, so my guess is that it is really a conversion issue. I imagine that IE, being a web browser, is set up to be very forgiving with slightly non-standard formats, whereas the library that the program uses will only work with according to Hoyle SVG format files. Also I should point out that this is not "out of the box" .NET functionality. The program is using a library which was written by another programmer using .NET, it is not something from Microsoft. It is very likely that gets improved in future versions. Anyway, I understand what you are saying about not wanting to waste time on creating a deck now that you can't get provable results with. I will revisit it again next year and see if there is an update to that DLL.

[Greg the Yeti]

Yes, you're right I am using CorelDRAW, which works in it's own .CDR format. In the same way Illustrator, the other big Vector Drawing Tool, does the same it works in it's own proprietary format .AI - if I remember correctly.

Both programs convert to many other formats. They're both very expensive and their "export/conversion" functions should be as good as are available???

It is a format that has been around for a good few years. We shouldn't be getting compatibility problems like this!! Not with one of the big Graphics Programs!

I'm not aware of Software SPECIFICALLY for SVG files.

Many 3D Design tools also work with vectors and although some of their files are 3D most give the possibility to export in various Vector and Pixel formats. I'm sure they export in SVG!

I'll do some searching and see if I can find out a source of information that might help. As to buying potentially Expensive software - at the moment that would be a no no... even if it existed...

Regards
Greg the Yeti

[Programmer]

Perhaps you could email me a couple of those files that you created that show in IE but not in the program? Maybe there is something dopey I am doing in the program that is distorting the processing of the image - if you send me the file I can at least play around with it.

[Greg the Yeti]

Hi Richard,
yes I've got the Decks I prepared to try them out, zipped to send, but I find I don't appear to have your e-mail.
I sent two messages via a form on this Forum, but it said it would send a copy to my e-mail too, however neither of those have arrived at my inbox, so I don't know if you've received them either??

You should have my e-mail with my registration details..
I did include it in one of the two "Form e-mails" from here.

I didn't want to share the Decks on the P2P or the Forum, for several reasons - one important one being that they don't work!

Regards
Greg the Yeti

[Programmer]

I will have to look for that form you used on the forum, I didn't know it was there so it has probably never been configured! The email address to use is administration at orphalese dot net.

Edit: Saw the email button, not sure why it didn't work, I am looking into it. I hadn't had my first coffee of the day when I replied earlier.

[Greg the Yeti]

Stupid me hadn't updated my e-mail - DOH!

That's done now and my account is re-activated so I can tell you that any e-mail you sent went to a long non-existent address! Sorry!

Will get those files to you ASAP.

Regards
Greg the Yeti

[Greg the Yeti]

While I absolve Miscorsoft of direct blame for a DLL which is not theirs, I still do blame Microsoft in this issue.

They can clearly get it right for their Browser IE - so why is it that all these years later Windows still does not have SVG Vector Graphics integrated? Yes they offer WMF, but the Web seems to have chosen differently. Isn't that the way they always do things. So yes they are still culpable!

Regards
Greg the Yet

[Programmer]

Just to let you know I got the files you sent and I will post back when I have had a proper look at them. Thanks!

[Greg the Yeti]

Good - I'm glad to have got the e-mail info up to date! (I've also taken the opportunity to improve my profile)

I was also thinking that you might perhaps be able to open the original CorelDRAW files?
I think from our discussions that you probably don't have CorelDRAW but Adobe Illustrator might be able to open them?? (CorelDRAW can open Illustrator files,but Adobe as the "Market Leader" haven't seen the need to open other people's files. I remember, when I tried Illustrator that it didn't score so highly on "making an effort for compatibility"...)

If you think you can open it and it would help, I'll e-mail that too.

Note:- I also tried the various files in Firefox (as my prefered Browser). It also displayed all my file creations perfectly. Of course neither Internet Explorer NOR Firefox are displaying with the "Transparent Option" as used in Orphalese. So that won't be tested. However neither showed the "Anti-Aliasing-Crud" that showed up when using the "Transparent" Option in Orphalese. I think it's pretty certain that the DLL you are using has "Anti-Aliasing" switched on as a default and possibly even not switchable?

Regards Greg the Yeti.

I'm fully aware that 3D and SVG graphics is probably less urgent now and will be waiting for when you have time!