Inkscape SVG — SVG with Named Layers
Open BetaInkscape SVG is a dialect of the W3C SVG standard extended with the inkscape:* and sodipodi:* namespaces for layers, guides, and editor metadata. Our exporter produces exactly such a file: each map layer (roads, buildings, water, greenery) becomes a real Inkscape layer with a human-readable name (inkscape:groupmode="layer" + inkscape:label) you can hide, lock, and recolor. Points are drawn as circles, lines as polylines, polygons as paths, each layer in its own base color. The file contains no text labels. To a browser it is plain valid SVG.
Key Features
About Inkscape SVG Format
Inkscape SVG is an ordinary W3C vector SVG extended with the Inkscape editor's own service attributes. It is those attributes that turn groups of objects into real layers: in the layers panel every map layer is visible by name, and it can be hidden, locked or recolored as a whole.
The format is taken when the map is needed as a blank rather than a finished picture: recolor the water, strip everything but the roads, add a title and a frame, send it to print. Inkscape is free, so this route requires neither a subscription nor a license.
The file holds the map geometry laid out across layers with human-readable names. Points are drawn as circles, lines as polylines, polygons as paths, and each layer type has its own base color. The document contains a canvas settings block, so the file opens exactly as it was intended.
There are no text labels in the file — the layers stay pure geometry, convenient for editing. To a browser this is valid SVG, while Illustrator and CorelDRAW will see the Inkscape layers as ordinary groups: the structure is preserved, but the layers panel will look different.
What Program Opens Inkscape SVG Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with Inkscape SVG — SVG with Named Layers (.svg) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 2D only
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- Valid W3C SVG with real Inkscape layers (inkscape:groupmode + label) and a sodipodi:namedview; points->circle, lines->polyline, polygons->path, no text labels.
Who Uses Inkscape SVG Maps
How to Export Inkscape SVG
How to Open After Export
- Inkscape (free) — open the .svg and bring up the layers panel: unwanted layers hide with a single click, and the ones you need stay visible.
- Recoloring a whole layer — select the layer, Edit → Select All in Layer, then set the fill: that is how all the water or all the buildings change at once.
- Printing — File → Document Properties sets the sheet size; exporting to PDF from Inkscape keeps the vectors and the line quality.
- Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW — the file opens, but the Inkscape layers appear as groups; if that gets in the way, re-save from Inkscape as Plain SVG.
- Converting further — from Inkscape the same file is saved as DXF, EPS or PDF, if the result is needed in CAD or at a print shop.
Popular maps in Inkscape SVG
Get Inkscape SVG — SVG with Named Layers map exports
Download professional Inkscape SVG maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.