drawsvg

What it is and what it does

drawsvg is a Python library for creating SVG vector graphics and animations through code rather than manual XML editing. It supports most common SVG elements (circles, rectangles, paths, text, arcs, markers) and nearly all SVG attributes via Python keyword arguments. The library integrates directly with Jupyter notebooks for inline display and includes an interactive widget for mouse-driven updates.

The package handles both static drawings and native SVG animations with playback controls, and can export to multiple formats. It has no runtime dependencies, making installation straightforward. The coordinate system defaults to standard SVG conventions (y increases downward), and the API uses snake_case naming throughout.

Use it for:

• Generate diagrams, charts, and technical illustrations programmatically within data science notebooks
• Create animated visualizations with SVG-native keyframe animations and playback controls
• Build interactive drawing tools in Jupyter using the DrawingWidget for mouse event handling
• Export vector graphics to PNG or video formats for presentations and reports
• Define reusable drawing patterns with gradients, clip paths, and grouped elements

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Programmatically generate SVG images and animations in Python, with support for rendering in Jupyter notebooks and exporting to PNG, MP4, and GIF formats.

Yes. Low install friction, no dependencies, active maintenance, permissive license, and a solid feature set for SVG generation and Jupyter integration make this a practical choice for anyone generating vector graphics programmatically. The recent release and 694 GitHub stars indicate a stable, used project.

Install

drawsvg on PyPI

pip install drawsvg

uv add drawsvg

poetry add drawsvg

Installing drawsvg

Before you install

Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained with a recent release (2 days ago) and steady repository activity.

License in practice

MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects.

Quickstart

import drawsvg as draw

d = draw.Drawing(200, 100, origin='center')
d.append(draw.Circle(0, 0, 30, fill='red', stroke='black'))
d.save_svg('example.svg')
d  # Display in Jupyter

Verify before relying

• Whether raster export (PNG, MP4, GIF) requires additional system dependencies beyond the base install
• Current state of the interactive widget in Jupyter Lab (description notes it does not yet work there)

Package facts

Evidence: drawsvg-2.4.2-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: SVG, draw, graphics, iPython, Jupyter, widget, animation

Tags

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