SVG Resource Definitions

Updated Mar 14, 2026

Gauss now preserves shared SVG resource definitions in <defs> when opening and saving files.

  • Supported resources: linear gradients, radial gradients, patterns, and symbols.
  • Paint references: paths that use stroke="url(#...)" or fill="url(#...)" are loaded and saved with those references intact.
  • Resource attribute fidelity: pattern and symbol attributes (for example, patternUnits, patternTransform, and preserveAspectRatio) are preserved when opening and saving.
  • Paint-server opacity fidelity: stroke-opacity and fill-opacity are preserved for url(#...) paints.
  • Validation: if an SVG path references a missing resource ID, Gauss reports an open error and keeps the currently loaded document unchanged.
  • Save invariants: if the current document contains dangling gradient or pattern references, save fails with an explicit error instead of silently exporting none.

In this phase, Gauss supports resource round-tripping and rendering, but does not yet provide dedicated editing controls for gradients, patterns, or symbols.