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SCALABLE VECTOR GRAPHICS (SVG) SOFTWARE RELEASED FROM THE APACHE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION
Apache XML's Batik Project Delivers High Quality Static SVG Toolkit
http://www.apache.org/batik/ - The Apache Software Foundation's (ASF)
XML Project's Batik Team today announced the release of Batik 1.0, a
sophisticated open source, Java-based toolkit for SVG (scalable vector graphics).
SVG is an XML syntax for rich 2D graphics and Batik allows developers
to view, generate and manipulate SVG images with unprecedented
precision, detail and functionality. Since the release of the W3C candidate
recommendation of the SVG specification, Batik continues to set new high-water
marks for the implementation of this maturing specification.
"In the past months the Batik team has moved quickly toward realizing
its goal of providing a full implementation of the W3C's SVG specification,"
said Vincent Hardy of the Batik team. "The latest Batik release provides a
high quality implementation of many of the high-end SVG features. With the
highly modular tool, developers can cut down the cost of creating, viewing
and exchanging graphical content between applications or across the Internet,
and easily generate, manipulate or view SVG content. The contribution,
experience and expertise of companies and individuals has helped create a
team dedicated to the success of the project."
By leveraging the force of XML and the visual strengths of dynamic and
easily accessible vector graphics, the Apache XML Project's Batik team
lead the drive in building an industrial-grade embeddable Web graphics
software solution. Batik delivers core components for three main purposes:
- generating SVG content from any Java applications,
- viewing SVG content, and
- converting SVG to and from other formats.
The vision is to help make SVG the central format for exchanging and viewing
any type of 2D graphical information while still making it easy to convert SVG
images to other formats, for environments that do not yet support SVG natively.
SVG combines two of computer graphic's great practices, vector graphics and
raster graphics, in a resolution independent framework, enabling SVG images
to be rendered with high quality on any screen or printer. The SVG framework
also includes many sophisticated graphics features such as gradient paints,
filter effects, and sophisticated text support. This unique combination of
graphical features in one standard format makes it ideal for describing any
rich image content, from CAD diagrams to postcards to Grandma. Furthermore,
by using an XML syntax, SVG is extremely easy to generate, search, transform
and manipulate. Unlike other formats, SVG becomes a powerful tool for anybody
managing image content for the Web or other environments.
New features in Batik 1.0 release:
- filter effects such as drop shadows and lighting effects
- internal and external use - allows developers to create
highly structured SVG images where common components are
easily reused.
- masking and clipping.
- markers
- linking - the ability to define SVG graphical
elements as 'links' (similar to HTML hyperlinks) which
can point to other graphical elements in an SVG image
(for example allowing you to zoom in a portion of a map)
either in the same SVG image, in another SVG image or
in another document (such as an HTML page).
- sophisticated text support - Batik now supports control over
complex text layout (such as individual glyph advance).
- Run-time extensibilty - Much of Batik can now be extended at
run-time, providing among other things new graphics
primitives, and support for new image file formats.
With this release, Batik provides extensive support of most static
SVG features and includes:
- Improved SVG generator - allows all applications to easily export
their graphics in the SVG format. This generator has been extended
and made more flexible.
- Improved packaging of the Batik modules - making them easier to
integrate into applications. For example, developers
can plug in the Batik's viewing component to add SVG viewing
capability into their applications without having to know
anything about SVG.
Batik delivers a number of sample applications that leverage its core
components, such as an SVG browser. Screenshots of that browser can
be seen at: http://xml.apache.org/batik/svgviewer.html
In the near future, the Batik team aims to provide developers worldwide
support for full dynamic behavior, including scripting and SMIL
(synchronized multimedia integration language) for animations.
"Our relationship with the Apache Software Foundation allows Sun
engineers to develop technology implementations in a collaborative
environment and better enables Sun to deliver robust products based
on open standards. The Batik project demonstrates the synergy between
the Java platform's portable code and XML's portable data. We are
proud to have worked in cooperation with Kodak and ILOG on this
remarkable toolkit for SVG-based graphics."
-- Jon Bosak, Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems
"Kodak congratulates the Apache Software Foundation and the Batik
project on the 1.0 release of the SVG toolkit. Batik will significantly
advance SVG as an important element for enabling both graphical and
image-intensive creative Web-based applications. Because of its open
source nature, ISV's will be able to leverage the powerful and extensible
framework it provides to develop new classes of creative applications
and to deploy SVG in environments not previously possible. Such applications
and systems could prove fundamental to delivering new products and
services through our Internet photofinishing services."
-- Daryl Hunt, Director of Strategic Standards, Eastman Kodak Company
"The goal of the Batik project complements ILOG's goal of creating and
delivering the richer, more compelling online experience that Web content
providers and users want, and we congratulate the Apache Foundation and
the Batik team for this important milestone. A supporter of SVG since its
inception, ILOG will continue its commitment to the standard in our roles
as a W3C working group member, Batik technical
committee member, and with real products, such as ILOG JViews, one of the
first SVG products on the market."
-- Jean-François Abramatic, Senior Vice President of ILOG Research and Development.
The Batik project's name comes from the famous and highly developed art
traditions of the Indonesian island of Java. The Apache XML team seeks
to honor and capture Java's rich history of creating geometric patterned
and colorfully designed textiles through Batik's high quality graphical
representation capabilities.
The Batik Project encourages participation through its mailing list:
http://xml.apache.org/mail.html
For more information about the Batik project please see
http://xml.apache.org/batik/
ABOUT THE APACHE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION
About the Apache Software Foundation
The Apache Software Foundation provides organizational, legal and financial
support for the Apache open source software projects. The Foundation was
established as a nonprofit corporation in order to ensure continuation of the
Apache projects beyond the participation of individual volunteers, to enable
contributions of intellectual property and financial support, and to provide
a vehicle for limiting legal exposure while participating in open source
software projects. For more information on the Apache Software Foundation,
please see http://www.apache.org/.
