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Xfig at a glance
Xfig
Xfig began in 1985 and accumulated decades of maintenance and export tooling, which made the .fig format a durable bridge between interactive diagram editing on Unix systems and downstream conversion to PostScript, PDF, and other outputs.
MetaPost at a glance
MetaPost
John Hobby developed MetaPost from MetaFont ideas, and the system later evolved into the MPlib era so TeX and LuaTeX workflows could keep high-quality vector graphics close to typeset documents.
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?
Choose MetaPost as target when 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?
Precise technical diagram generation for academic papers and textbooks, mathematical figure production in TeX and LaTeX publishing workflows.
What should I review after converting Xfig to MetaPost?
After conversion, review these destination checks: Open converted output in MetaPost and verify behavior on real samples; Compare output against the expected scalable quality profile; Much narrower ecosystem than mainstream illustration formats.
How can I keep quality stable in Xfig to MetaPost conversion?
Run representative samples, keep settings deterministic, and monitor these risks: Often converted onward for broader design or web delivery workflows; Much narrower ecosystem than mainstream illustration formats; Validate destination compatibility before large-batch conversion.