SVG Tool Options

Create > SVG

Use these options to control what happens when you use the command Create > SVG to create a polygon mesh in the shape of a default SVG (scalable vector graphic) shape connected to an SVG node. You can use the SVG node to paste or import an SVG file from an external source. See also Create polygon from SVG.

SVG Attributes

SVG Attributes can be found in the Attribute Editor for the SVG node. There are four tabs of attributes.

SVG attributes control the basic appearance of the imported SVG file.
Geometry attributes control aspects of the polygon mesh.
Texturing attributes control the mesh's shader assignment.
Animation attributes allow you to animate the object on a per-path basis.

Common attributes

Paste: Click this button to paste the most recent SVG paths or code stored in the clipboard into the scene, replacing the current SVG paths.
Note: If copy / paste doesn't work, you may need to update your version of Illustrator to CC.
Import: Click this button to open a file browser window then navigate to an existing SVG file to load into the SVG object.

Note: When pasting or importing an SVG object into Maya that has holes, it is best to group those holes with the surrounding shapes in the original file first. Failing to do so may result in the holes disappearing in Maya. Open curves can also cause similar problems and should always be closed before bringing the object into Maya. For more information see Troubleshooting holes in an SVG mesh.

Note: In order to carry SVG object colors over to Maya as vertex colors, the source's CSS Properties must be set to Presentation Attributes. In Illustrator, you can find this option in the Save As menu. Once you set this once, it will become the default setting for all future SVG objects.

SVG tab

SVG Size: Specifies the overall size of the SVG object. Default value is 20.

Manipulations tab

Path: Specifies which object within the polygon mesh to manipulate based on the corresponding SVG path.
Position Z Offset: Translates the current Path object along its local Z-axis. Default value is 0.
Scale Z: Scales the currentPath object along its local Z-axis. Default value is 1.
Reset All: Removes all Position Z Offset and Scale Z operations to all objects composing the SVG object, returning them to their defaults.
Global Z Offset: Translates all the objects composing an SVG object in their local Z-axis at once. Generally you want this value to be greater than 0, as anything less than that can cause problems when attempting to raytrace the object. Default value is 0.01.

Geometry tab

For attributes that overlap with the Type Tool's Geometry tab, see the Type Tool. Note that for the SVG Tool, the effects apply to paths.

Output Vertex Colors: When enabled, displays the mesh's Color Per Vertex data in the workspace. Default is on.

Texturing tab

For attributes that overlap with the Type Tool's Texturing tab, see the Type Tool. Note that for the SVG Tool, the effects apply to paths.

Animation tab

For attributes that overlap with the Type Tool's Animation tab, see the Type Tool. Note that for the SVG Tool, the effects apply to paths.