Re: SVG comment - inline images?

Dave Landers wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I may have missed something, but it looks like the <image> element
> is set up to XLink to external images. 

Yes

> That is good, but I feel
> there should also be some facility for inline (non-external) images.

Difficult to do without hugely bloating the file size.

> If images are always separate, then the graphics containing both
> images and vector elements will rely on multiple documents, data
> streams, files, etc.

Yes.

> I am evaluating SVG with the objective of using it as a graphics
> file and interchange format: saving graphics to a file as well as
> transmitting them between programs via a data stream.  If I must
> save and organize multiple files or transmit multiple, independent
> streams, then I have more issues (that are unrelated to the graphics)
> than I really care to deal with.

The Web has been using multiple files since its inception. HTTP/1.1
deals with multiple requests over a single stream.

> I am thinking that the <image> object should allow inline content
> (similar to what is done in PostScript, for example), or maybe it
> should be able to reference an inline image that is defined in a
> <defs> section.

Both these tend to produce large files. Base64 encoding a compressed
raster image still produces a very large file compared to the original
compressed image. Performance will suffer.

--
Chris
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> --
> Dave Landers
> Senior Software Engineer
> Visual Numerics, Inc.

Received on Tuesday, 16 February 1999 16:48:52 UTC