Accept all supported blend modes in SVG import

[Peter Werner]

I'm using SVG as an exchange format for a project to get data into Affinity Designer.

 

The SVG standard does not support all blend modes that Designer supports, for instance the very useful "Erase" option is not supported.

 

It would be cool if the SVG importer would simply accept the non-standard blend modes that are supported in Designer but not officially part of SVG instead of reverting to "Normal".

[Dave Harris]

Are you saying you have another app that is creating SVG files with an Erase blend mode? Do you want Designer to export SVG files with Erase as well?

[Peter Werner]

Dave, thank you very much for your answer. I'm currently using SVG as sort of a workaround for the lack of built-in scripting.

 

I first ran into SVG's blend mode limitations when I was trying to get files from Mischief (a vector painting program that keeps path data but has no vector export option) into Designer. Paint strokes can easily be saved as paths, but erase strokes cannot be represented in SVG.

 

Other uses for this type of workflow are procedurally generating vector particles, charts or similar things for further editing or integration in Designer. For example, I've recently experimented with a Python script to generate vector effects that are a bit similar to an After Effects plugin called Plexus for a project. Especially with particles, access to all blend modes would be useful.

 

I'd be careful with exporting since it would lead to files that don't conform to the SVG specification. When importing, you'd be dealing with files that other software or scripts sort of specifically created for exchange with Designer, without the potential to really break anything. But when exporting, chances are high that unsuspecting users create broken files by accident. It's rarely needed for scripting to get data out of the application while preserving 100% visual appearance.