Exported SVG - Unnecessary Grouping, Empty Rectangle (Artboard)

[debraspicher]

Is there a method to stop this grouping from occurring? I've tried various options and I cannot get the groups to go away. It adds a Rectangle in place of the Artboards as well which is not helpful when importing into other programs. Example: Adding a black box in programs such as Cricut, etc, which requires clean up.

I did search the forum and the only suggestion I found was from a mod suggesting to use "Flatten transforms".

SVG Structure After Export:

 

Edit: Unchecking this does remove the Rectangle, but the group remains.
Edit2: Actually no, it doesn't... it just restructures the Rectangle within the main group itself. Fun.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, debraspicher said:

Is there a method to stop this grouping from occurring?

1. If you would have leaved that bottom empty Petal1 group without a group description, so as default (Group) instead of Petals 1, then it won't have been generated via a SVG export. But as far as you name an even empty group (...so give it some own group description text) it will be generated during SVG export with the given name as an ID.
    
2. Hiding the empty bottom Petal 1 group layer before exporting it as SVG will also not generate it during a SVG export. So just hide that empty group. - Further why would someone keep an empty visable group when exporting (?), either hide that (or delete it if it's not further needed) before/when exporting as SVG.
    
3. Artboards are always/generally exported as rects here with their associated naming ID, no matter if they are empty or not. It's probably the way Affinity keeps track of artboards in SVG at all, so that when you (re)open an SVG file generated by Affinity that it can recreate the artboards.

[debraspicher]

28 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

1. If you would have leaved that bottom empty Petal1 group without a group description, so as default (Group) instead of Petals 1, then it won't have been generated via a SVG export. But as far as you name an even empty group (...so give it some own group description text) it will be generated during SVG export with the given name as an ID.
    
2. Hiding the empty bottom Petal 1 group layer before exporting it as SVG will also not generate it during a SVG export. So just hide that empty group. - Further why would someone keep an empty visable group when exporting (?), either hide that (or delete it if it's not further needed) before/when exporting as SVG.
    
3. Artboards are always/generally exported as rects here with their associated naming ID, no matter if they are empty or not. It's probably the way Affinity keeps track of artboards in SVG at all, so that when you (re)open an SVG file generated by Affinity that it can recreate the artboards.

FWIW, the Layer structure in the screenshots are all what happens after export (I edited for clarity). In the actual document, it's a Path inside an Artboard:



It's a shame we can't do anything about #3.

[v_kyr]

15 minutes ago, debraspicher said:

It's a shame we can't do anything about #3.

At least not directly from inside of Affinity. - What you can of course do as a workaround instead is, to edit the by Affinity generated SVG code inside an text editor in order to get rid of the artboard rects and their ID references.

For example removing here the red marked artboard related code portions ...

... so the final SVG code will be without any artboard rects and related ID refences ...

[debraspicher]

Yes, I'm aware. That's not really practical in my case. Thanks.

[Dan C]

11 hours ago, v_kyr said:

Artboards are always/generally exported as rects here with their associated naming ID, no matter if they are empty or not. It's probably the way Affinity keeps track of artboards in SVG at all, so that when you (re)open an SVG file generated by Affinity that it can recreate the artboards.

Just to confirm, the above is logged with our developers as a requested improvement to allow users the choice to disable the <rect> object being created for exported Artboard documents - I'll be sure to add a 'vote' to this for you now @debraspicher. Apologies for any inconveniences due to this in the meantime!

[Colleenregin]

Hi - I am also having issues with exporting to SVG - designer adds layers and changes my curves shapes to raster shapes. This includes the artboard mentioned previously in this thread but it also adds grouping where its not needed - see below - Eye 1 was a single layer with a curves ellipse, but exporting to SVG has created a layer for the title and a raster ellipse. Or maybe this is better described as a grouping where a group is not needed. I have only used solid fill, no strokes, no text, no Fx in my designs. I don't see that anything has been resolved in this post except for a bug report for the art board issue. Editing the code for all my files as mentioned above is not at all efficient either. 

Can anyone help? Is there a setting I am missing? This is super frustrating as I cannot sell the icons I create on Flaticon without an SVG with no unwanted elements. I am a newbie so maybe there is something I am missing or not understanding about the export to SVG process.

thanks

[debraspicher]

2 hours ago, Colleenregin said:

Hi - I am also having issues with exporting to SVG - designer adds layers and changes my curves shapes to raster shapes. This includes the artboard mentioned previously in this thread but it also adds grouping where its not needed - see below - Eye 1 was a single layer with a curves ellipse, but exporting to SVG has created a layer for the title and a raster ellipse. Or maybe this is better described as a grouping where a group is not needed. I have only used solid fill, no strokes, no text, no Fx in my designs. I don't see that anything has been resolved in this post except for a bug report for the art board issue. Editing the code for all my files as mentioned above is not at all efficient either. 

Can anyone help? Is there a setting I am missing? This is super frustrating as I cannot sell the icons I create on Flaticon without an SVG with no unwanted elements. I am a newbie so maybe there is something I am missing or not understanding about the export to SVG process.

thanks

Maybe your Rasterization option is set to "everything"? There is a preset called "flatten" that has this enabled. It can be set to nothing to prevent rasterization.

Here's my preset options in Export Persona if you want to give this a try:

[v_kyr]

13 minutes ago, debraspicher said:

It can be set to nothing to prevent rasterization.

-> Nothing—no elements within the design are rasterised on export, therefore unsupported elements are not included in the exported file.

So that's not a warranty that everything is exported at all then, sincecertain  things which are rasterized in the doc will then not be exported!

[Colleenregin]

Hello, thanks for the responses!

19 hours ago, debraspicher said:

Maybe your Rasterization option is set to "everything"? There is a preset called "flatten" that has this enabled. It can be set to nothing to prevent rasterization.

Here's my preset options in Export Persona if you want to give this a try:

 

I had been using the export from the file menu, not the export persona. I have to admit I really don't understand the export persona and why its so complicated. That being said, I did try a bunch of different things previously (click on and off boxes in the export options for example) including 'rasterize nothing' which did not work for me. I tried using the export persona just now with your settings (except the cutty machine preset) and I did not get additional layers being created but still my shapes were raster in the export. Because I cannot save a file as it is (in SVG format) if I convert those shapes to curves and then export again, they are just back to raster in that export.

 

19 hours ago, v_kyr said:

-> Nothing—no elements within the design are rasterised on export, therefore unsupported elements are not included in the exported file.

So that's not a warranty that everything is exported at all then, sincecertain  things which are rasterized in the doc will then not be exported!

What are unsupported elements? usually fx or gradients? are there other things that are generally unsupported?

thanks again!

[v_kyr]

4 minutes ago, Colleenregin said:

What are unsupported elements? usually fx or gradients?

Yes!

5 minutes ago, Colleenregin said:

are there other things that are generally unsupported?

Some applied layer blend modes (... transparency and erase settings ...) will also yield to a rasterization of those layer objects then. And of course generally any pixel/bitmap object data will yield on export to a rasterization of those and then exported as embedded uuencoded base64 bitmap data portions in the SVG file. - You can see and prove that always by opening a SVG file in a text editor and inspecting the supplied SVG XML code.

However, a good first deafult indicator for no rasterization at all is always this initial SVG export panel one ...

... if you now hit the "Export" button usually nothing should be rasterized. Which you can prove afterwards by revieing the generated SVG code in a text editor.

One can further influencing SVG option settings via the show (More) options panel on demand here ...

... here in the next step the empty Preset and "Rasterize: Unsupported properties" setting doesn't play any role in this case, as the previous SVG export panel already told us that (Nothing will be rasterized) for this drawing on export.

[Colleenregin]

so if I add a single extra node to my curve shapes they end up not being rastered in the SVG export. Frustrating because another standard for Flaticon is "no uneccesary nodes". Adding a node and then deleting it and fixing the curve just to get a proper SVG file is super inefficient. 😞

[v_kyr]

1 minute ago, Colleenregin said:

so if I add a single extra node to my curve shapes they end up not being rastered in the SVG export. Frustrating because another standard for Flaticon is "no uneccesary nodes". Adding a node and then deleting it and fixing the curve just to get a proper SVG file is super inefficient. 😞

Predefined Affinity shapes (rect, triangle, ... etc.) or already vector/bezier curves? - Usually any of the predefined Affinity shapes should not yield to any rasterization on SVG export, as far as you didn't applied any FX effect, gradient or transparent layer blend mode etc.

Further in case of Affinity predefined shapes here you can select them and then convert them just to curves, so there's usually no need to add additional nodes manually.

Selected layer then from the topmenu "Layer -> Convert to curves" (Cmd-Enter, or Ctrl-Enter on Win).

[Colleenregin]

4 minutes ago, v_kyr said:

Predefined Affinity shapes (rect, triangle, ... etc.) or already vector/bezier curves? - Usually any of the predefined Affinity shapes should not yield to any rasterization on SVG export, as far as you didn't applied any FX effect, gradient or transparent layer blend mode etc.

Further in case of Affinity predefined shapes here you can select them and then convert them just to curves, so there's usually no need to add additional nodes manually.

Selected layer then from the topmenu "Layer -> Convert to curves" (Cmd-Enter, or Ctrl-Enter on Win).

Hi, I had converted all shapes to curves prior to exporting, but they always end up back as raster shapes in the new SVG file. 

[debraspicher]

2 hours ago, Colleenregin said:

I had been using the export from the file menu, not the export persona. I have to admit I really don't understand the export persona and why its so complicated

The preset(s) in EP are the same as what you would use in File>Export. They work the same, it's just EP is easier for multi-asset export.

It would be helpful if you could screenshot what your export settings are. That way we know what you're working with. If you're in Windows, Alt + Print Screen should just take a screen of active window itself and you can just paste directly here.

[Colleenregin]

Here are my settings, though i have tried multiple other combinations

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Colleenregin

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, Colleenregin said:

Hi, I had converted all shapes to curves prior to exporting, but they always end up back as raster shapes in the new SVG file. 

Then you've probably applied something which yields to rasterization in your document! Show your ADe document and generated SVG files (if it's a ADe v2 doc somebody else has to look on it, as I don't use v2 apps). - And for screenshots also show the layers panel with expanded groups (structure overview) in order to detect if some FX or blend mode is applied.

Though your above screenshot shows that usually nothing should be rasterized.

[Colleenregin]

Here is a link to my original AD file, my export settings and the resulting SVG https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m7jKP_uBrhvgNkK4OaY4IcSjlro6sTIx?usp=sharing 

Unfortunately I use V2. If it helps, these are my layers in the original and the exported SVG. I have no strokes, gradients or fx applied - just simple filled in shapes. Maybe there is a setting somewhere that is causing this but I can't figure out what it is.

[debraspicher]

4 minutes ago, Colleenregin said:

Here is a link to my original AD file, my export settings and the resulting SVG https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m7jKP_uBrhvgNkK4OaY4IcSjlro6sTIx?usp=sharing

You should be good. The SVG is fully vectorized. It's also visible in the code and Inkscape:


Code (See Tags (<>'s) for Paths, Ellipses, Coordinates):


The SVG also opens as expected in AD:

[v_kyr]

5 minutes ago, Colleenregin said:

Unfortunately I use V2. If it helps, these are my layers in the original and the exported SVG. I have no strokes, gradients or fx applied - just simple filled in shapes. Maybe there is a setting somewhere that is causing this but I can't figure out what it is.

There's nothing rasterized in your Chicken (2) SVG file ...

... so I wonder why you tell that there always do occured some rasterization? - It's all plain SVG vectors, also the "ellipse" and "circle" SVG commands will yield to plain vectors here!

 

[v_kyr]

Is your problem maybe that you need all as SVG paths (aka the SVG ellipses + circles) and you confused that with bitmaps/pixel data & rasterization?

However for those ellipses + circles shapes you have to add (annoyingly as you've already did before) add a node, as Affinity's SVG generator otherwise writes them always out as SVG circle + ellipse commands and not as paths. - Also just converting these always to curves won't change anything here for the SVG code generation (at least not under my v1 ADe app) if no additional node is added.

Don't know though if that has been addressed and corrected for V2 apps here (?), but I somehow doubt that. All in all it's a known problem which probably is still unfixed for SVG output code generation.

[Colleenregin]

Ok so the fact that I can 'convert to curves' those elipses in the SVG file in AD doesn't mean they are rastered? I clearly just don't understand some of the technical stuff and terminology I guess 🙂 . Thanks for your patience!

[v_kyr]

2 hours ago, Colleenregin said:

Ok so the fact that I can 'convert to curves' those elipses in the SVG file in AD doesn't mean they are rastered? I clearly just don't understand some of the technical stuff and terminology I guess 🙂 .

No, rasterization means here that something is then stored as pixels/raster/bitmap (image) data and not as vectors at all. Such things look in the SVG code when opened in an text editor then like this ...

... and are also clearly indicated (see the whole red and especially the green rect enclosed area above) then as image data (aka as a png base 64 uuencoded data stream).

 

Instead such SVG XML commands in an SVG file here ...

<ellipse id="Head" cx="16.413" cy="16.117" rx="13" ry="10.677" style="fill:white;"/>
...
<circle id="Eye-highlight-2" serif:id="Eye highlight 2" cx="21.913" cy="12.966" r="0.5" style="fill:white;"/>
...
<path id="Chin-wattle" serif:id="Chin wattle" d="M16.413,24.368C16.581,24.322 16.769,24.602 16.901,24.73L19.739,27.485C19.934,27.675 19.934,27.982 19.739,28.172L19.032,28.858C18.837,29.047 18.52,29.047 18.325,28.858L16.413,27.002L14.501,28.858C14.306,29.047 13.989,29.047 13.794,28.858L13.087,28.172C12.892,27.982 12.892,27.675 13.087,27.485L15.925,24.73C16.057,24.602 16.245,24.322 16.413,24.368Z" style="fill:rgb(255,14,12);"/>

... are all SVG vector commands!

[debraspicher]

21 hours ago, Colleenregin said:

Ok so the fact that I can 'convert to curves' those elipses in the SVG file in AD doesn't mean they are rastered? I clearly just don't understand some of the technical stuff and terminology I guess 🙂 . Thanks for your patience!

The easiest way to think about it is "rasterized" data is converted to individual pixels/bitmap data. Vectors are mathematically-based.

If you're curious the benefits of Export Persona (which might be for you because you're doing icon packs), you can listen to this course. It's long, but I suggest it could be worth the time if you're jumping into asset creation:

Largely the benefits are achieved with Artboards, but as I've found in subject of this thread, it can show up as a black square in some laser cutting programs.

*You can also use EP to export art on a Layer by Layer basis, but it's only possible if the images are outputting to the same dimensions+DPI (for obvious reasons).

Edited September 7, 2023 by debraspicher
Wording

[Colleenregin]

this is great, thank-you!