SVG Stock Images

[Keith Smith]

Hi

I currently use Shaper Studio software to create carvings with my Shaper CNC router. The software comes with thousands of stock SVG files but is fairly limited in its capability. I have researched and decided to trial Affinity. I cannot find any stock files (Pumpkins, ponies, T-Rex etc. )

Please could you advise if the stock files exist or alternatively, a good online source for SVG files.

With thanks and kind regards 

Keith

[Hangman]

Hi @Keith Smith and welcome to the forums,

The Affinity apps include stock libraries from Pixabay and Pexels. Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher include Pixabay stock vectors which, if you drag onto the canvas as an Embedded file, will allow you to edit the vector content...

[firstdefence]

Looks like Shaper Studio is more CAD and in a similar vein to all the other printer/plotter/cutter apps.

Are the vectors stored on the system or do you search and download what you want from within shaper?

5 Million premade designs slightly more than thousands lol and to answer my own question they are online and searchable and you can download them as SVG see downloaded file from shaper: Rocket.svg 

This is how it looks in shaper

 

[thomaso]

On 10/26/2023 at 9:00 AM, Hangman said:

The Affinity apps include stock libraries from Pixabay and Pexels.

Does Affinity indeed include this libraries, images or their previews – or does the "Stock" panel rather 'just' include an interface to search online on the related websites for their linked images + download ?

When using the option it maybe worth to be aware of a logged issue with these downloaded files that may lose them on app relaunch or computer reboot.

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/search/&tags=AFD-5529 (this tag got changed meanwhile to…)

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/search/&tags=AF-964

[Hangman]

11 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Does Affinity indeed include this libraries, images or their previews – or does the "Stock" panel rather 'just' include an interface to search online on the related websites for their linked images + download ?

Well, the Affinity apps provide an interface I guess without the need to directly navigate to the specific website though you are still bound by the respective site's Content License...

[thomaso]

20 hours ago, Hangman said:

Affinity apps provide an interface I guess without the need to directly navigate to the specific website

Yes. I was rather wondering about the mentioned "include … libraries", compared to the OP's wording "comes with" …

On 10/26/2023 at 8:20 AM, Keith Smith said:

my Shaper CNC router. The software comes with thousands of stock SVG files

… which might mean the images get stored locally with an app installation and before usage. – As the linked bug report shows, this difference can matter.

[thomaso]

13 minutes ago, thomaso said:

As the linked bug report shows, this difference can matter (in particular if a downloaded file doesn't get edited as in your video).

@Hangman, I just noticed in APub v1 that an attempt to edit (e.g. change colour or resize) this placed t-rex file (or a 'pumpkin', too) causes an immediate + reproducible app crash. I assume it is related to the auto-used file path (system folder "private/var/…").

So I am curious what file path the Resource Manager displays for you in your AD v2 for this resource before + after editing?

[Hangman]

11 minutes ago, thomaso said:

So I am curious what file path the Resource Manager displays for you in your AD v2 for this resource before + after editing?

Pre and post-editing it appears to be cached here...

/var/folders/cw/dpswk0z567v_xsg88xv0pz2r0000gn/T/

Which I believe is a per-user temporary files and caches folder.

[thomaso]

6 hours ago, Hangman said:

/var/folders/cw/dpswk0z567v_xsg88xv0pz2r0000gn/T/

Which I believe is a per-user temporary files and caches folder.

Thanks, good to know that editing the image doesn't cause an app crash for you in V2 although "/var/folders/…" is within the hidden parent system folder "private".

Nevertheless, the mentioned bug report was created for V2, which might mean your downloaded .SVG in this cache folder may get deleted with a reboot of your mac.

Oddly, although the Affinity apps have custom folders in this directory 'T' …

… the downloaded stock files get stored in 'T' but outside of the Affinity folders:

 

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, Hangman said:

Pre and post-editing it appears to be cached here...

/var/folders/cw/dpswk0z567v_xsg88xv0pz2r0000gn/T/

Which I believe is a per-user temporary files and caches folder.

I apologize for this being a bit off-topic but I am confused because for one thing the AD 2 resource manager does not show anything for the  Jozefm84 t-rex file when I drag it from the Stock panel into my workspace to create a new untitled file.

I also do not have a /var/folders/cw/ folder, just ones like /var/folders/20/ & /var/folders/zz; with various Affinity-related items in a subfolder of the 20 one, but nowhere do I see where the unsaved file with the t-rex in it might be located. Possibly this is related to the older macOS version I am using but I would still like to know how to find where the file is cached.

[Old Bruce]

@R C-R, The cw in that file path is most likely an auto generated folder name made by the OS. That path after var/folders/ will not have any analog on your machine or mine. 

[R C-R]

21 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

@R C-R, The cw in that file path is most likely an auto generated folder name made by the OS. That path after var/folders/ will not have any analog on your machine or mine. 

Thanks. I more or less assumed that was an OS difference but aside from that I do not see anything in the AD resource manager for the t-rex vector stock image. Do you?

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Thanks. I more or less assumed that was an OS difference but aside from that I do not see anything in the AD resource manager for the t-rex vector stock image. Do you?

This one? Or do I have the wrong stock image?

[R C-R]

9 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

This one?

Yes, that one. What I see in AD 2:

 

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[R C-R]

24 minutes ago, Return said:

Maybe this will help you @R C-R

I don't think I made myself very clear. I know that it is different if I drag the vector into a preexisting file instead of (as I said) dragging it into the workspace window to create a new untitled file from scratch. But I don't know if or where in the latter case the file is cached.

It seems to me it should be the same either way but apparently not.

[Obscured]

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[walt.farrell]

44 minutes ago, R C-R said:

But I don't know if or where in the latter case the file is cached.

Sorry; I didn't understand you were talking about two ways of using the Stock panel.

If you drag out a Stock entry to create a new document, why would it need to be cached anywhere, or show up in the Resource Manager. It is the document, so it's not Embedded or Linked and wouldn't be in the Resource Manager. And it's doesn't need to be cached anywhere. It's just the document.

[thomaso]

41 minutes ago, R C-R said:

dragging it into the workspace window to create a new untitled file from scratch. But I don't know if or where in the latter case the file is cached.

Why should the download need to be cached if you directly create a new Affinity document from its link in the Stock panel preview without a file path in the Resource Manager? Isn't it sufficient to be stored in an .autosave / a temp file in your user library > Affinity folder?

[R C-R]

Flip this on its head. Why does the stock item have to be cached at all, particularly somewhere in private/var?

[thomaso]

12 hours ago, R C-R said:

Flip this on its head. Why does the stock item have to be cached at all, particularly somewhere in private/var?

That's what I had in mind with my earlier, initial post. And it appears to be the one culprit in the mentioned V2 bug  AFD-5529  AF-964 .

Possibly you don't run into the issue because it was partially fixed for v2 with the new feature to directly create an Affinity document from such a resource file. (in V1 this workflow doesn't work). So instead of missing this odd file path you may rather feel protected or satisfied by the choice to save or export the downloaded resource wherever you want.

Edited October 27, 2023 by thomaso
modified tag updated

[walt.farrell]

12 hours ago, R C-R said:

Flip this on its head. Why does the stock item have to be cached at all, particularly somewhere in private/var?

If you drag it onto an existing document, so it becomes an Embedded Document layer, then (a) it must appear in the Resource Manager and (b) the Resource Manager must tell you where the file came from. Ergo, it must reside (at least while Placing it) in the file system, i.e., cached.

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