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Xfig at a glance
Xfig
Technical diagrams and figures in Unix academic workflows, legacy Xfig drawing migration, and scientific publication figure production on Unix.
MetaPost at a glance
MetaPost
Precise technical diagram generation for academic papers and textbooks, mathematical figure production in TeX and LaTeX publishing workflows.
Format comparison
| Feature | Xfig | MetaPost |
|---|---|---|
| File type | Vector | Vector |
| Extensions |
|
|
| MIME type |
|
|
| Compression / quality | scalable | scalable |
| File size characteristics | small | small |
| Compatibility | moderate | moderate |
| Editability | high | high |
| Created year | 1985 | 1994 |
| Inventor | Supoj Sutanthavibul | John Hobby |
| Status | legacy | active |
| Transparency | Not supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported | Not supported |
| Primary use cases |
|
|
| Common software |
|
|
| Archival suitability | good | good |
| Metadata handling | moderate | moderate |
| Delivery profile | strong | strong |
| Workflow fit | design | design |
| Layer support | Not supported | Not supported |
| Vector scaling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured data | Supported | Not supported |
When to use each format
When to use Xfig
- illustration
- diagramming
- brand asset delivery
- Preserves object-level editability for technical diagrams.
When to use MetaPost
- illustration
- diagramming
- brand asset delivery
- Excellent fit for programmatic technical diagrams.
FAQs
Why convert Xfig to MetaPost?
Precise technical diagram generation for academic papers and textbooks, mathematical figure production in TeX and LaTeX publishing workflows.
What changes when converting Xfig to MetaPost?
This conversion changes how the format behaves in downstream tools and delivery environments.
Moving to MetaPost removes structured data.
What should I review after converting Xfig to MetaPost?
Check the exported file for Much narrower ecosystem than mainstream illustration formats.; Often converted onward for broader design or web delivery workflows..