SVG Essentials

From the Publisher: Scalable Vector Graphics -- or SVG -- is the new XML-based graphics standard from the W3C that will enable web documents to be smaller, faster, and more interactive. J. David Eisenberg's insightful book takes you through the ins and outs of SVG, beginning with basics needed to create simple line drawings and then moving through more complicated features such as filters, transformations, and integration with Java, Perl, and XSLT. Unlike bitmapped GIFs, JPEGs, or PNGs, SVG images are both resolution- and device-independent, so that they can scale up or down to fit proportionally into any size display or any Internet device -- from PDAs to large office monitors to high-resolution printers. Smaller than bitmapped files and faster to download, SVG images can be rendered with different CSS styles for each environment. They work well across a range of available bandwidths. SVG eliminates designers' constant need to update graphics by hand or use custom code to generate bitmap images. And while SVG was created with the Web in mind, the language has a variety of other uses. By focusing closely on the markup at the foundation of SVG, SVG Essentials gives you a solid base upon which to create your own custom tools. Explanations of key technical tools -- such as XML, matrix math, and scripting -- are included as appendixes, along with a reference to the SVG vocabulary. Whether you're a graphic designer in search of new tools or a programmer dealing with the complex task of creating and managing graphics, SVG Essentials provides you with the means to take advantage of SVG.