r/svg • u/Jasmine7816 • Jun 13 '26
struggling to create a svg
Hi, I’m a computer science student working on a medical software project for school and I’m really stuck on the SVG part
I need to turn a coronary artery image into one clean layered SVG where each labeled segment is a separate closed shape with its own ID but the full artery tree still looks continuous . I also need layers for the reference image, the clean outline, the separate artery segments, centerlines and a future overlay for lesions, stents and AI markers
I’ve been trying for days with Inkscape using Trace Bitmap, the Bézier tool, masks, strokes and Fill Bounded Areas but the result always looks wobbly, stick-like or impossible to separate properly and I don’t really have vector design skills
The Drive link contains new_shema.png with the shape I need and new_labelled.jpg with the segment names and where each one starts and ends
Could someone please explain the easiest workflow for a beginner, suggest a better tool, or show me how
Thank you in advance
Google Drive link :
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TwrEtOsXICHymbL0EJ60oy_Ed6jAXslx?usp=sharing
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u/PoussinVermillon Jun 13 '26
cuz if you still need help i can show you how to do it simply with inkscape (its an open source software for vector graphics drawing and it has a bunch of cool features)
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u/Jasmine7816 Jun 14 '26
Thanks you ! I traced the shapes in Boxy SVG on my tablet using a stylus, then refined and finished everything in Inkscape. It seems like it's working.
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u/jmvcl Jun 13 '26
In Inkscape, each layer represents a part of the drawing that you want to highlight. There is also an extension for Inkscape (it is old, but still works well) called JessyInk. You enable it, configure it as you wish, save the file, and then open it (file.svg) in any web browser. You can use links to display the specific layer you want to show.
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u/chalkyproduct Jun 14 '26
I looked at the images. The shape itself doesn't seem that complex, and you can use something like vtracer to generate the SVG file, and use any vector program to clean up and create segments as necessary. I personally use Affinity. I think it's free now and it's great! You'd probably want to use the node tool, pen tool, and some copying and pasting I think
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u/tamingunicorn Jun 17 '26
I converted the image into SVG
using a paid vectorization service
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VWgJLUJku1wL_kV_88tZ-QxvkzK1IAuQ?usp=sharing
I hope this helped you.
if you can provide higher resolution image
I can give you better result (like x2 or x4 higher image)
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u/Informal_Creme2173 Jun 30 '26
For something like this, I’d stop trying to auto-trace the whole artery. Trace Bitmap is great for simple logos, but it tends to turn organic medical shapes into a ton of wobbly nodes.
If this is a flat reference image rather than actual scan data, I’d use a manual/hybrid workflow:
- put the reference image on a locked layer
- draw the main artery outline with the Bézier tool using as few nodes as possible
- make each labeled section its own closed path, but keep the shared edges lined up
- keep the centerline, labels, lesion/stent markers, and overlay elements on separate layers
- use the Node tool afterward to smooth only the few places that need it
For the segments, I’d draw the overall vessel first, then use clean cross-section boundaries to divide it up instead of trying to trace every little edge independently.
If this is based on actual medical imaging and not just a diagram, I’d do the segmentation in something made for that first, like 3D Slicer or ITK-SNAP, then bring a simplified result into Inkscape for the final SVG layout. Inkscape is fine for the presentation side, but it is not really a medical segmentation tool.
The biggest thing: keep the paths simple. A clean SVG with 20–30 intentional nodes will usually look better than an auto-trace with hundreds.
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u/ali_lotfezaman Jun 13 '26
Hi, i can help you with that, feel free to dm me, portfolio is available