SVG <path>

SVG Path - <path>

<path> Elements are used to define paths.

The following commands can be used for path data:

  • M = moveto (move to)
  • L = lineto (draw line to)
  • H = horizontal lineto (horizontal line to)
  • V = vertical lineto (vertical line to)
  • C = curveto (curve to)
  • S = smooth curveto (smooth curve to)
  • Q = quadratic Bézier curve (quadratic Bézier curve)
  • T = smooth quadratic Bézier curveto (smooth quadratic Bézier curve)
  • A = elliptical Arc (elliptical arc)
  • Z = closepath (close the path)

Note: All the above commands can also be represented in lowercase letters. Uppercase letters represent absolute positioning, while lowercase letters represent relative positioning.

Example 1

The following example defines a path starting at 150,0, then draws a line to the position 75,200, and then from there draws a line to the position 225,200, and finally closes the path back to 150,0.

This is the SVG code:

<svg height="210" width="400">
  <path d="M150 0 L75 200 L225 200 Z" />
</svg>

Try It Yourself

Example 2

Bézier curves are used for modeling smooth curves that can be infinitely scaled. Typically, users select two endpoints and one or two control points. A Bézier curve with one control point is called a quadratic Bézier curve, and a Bézier curve with two control points is called a cubic curve.

The following example creates a quadratic Bézier curve, where A and C are the start and end points, and B is the control point:

A B C

This is the SVG code:

<svg height="400" width="450">
  <path id="lineAB" d="M 100 350 l 150 -300" stroke="red" stroke-width="3" fill="none" />
  <path id="lineBC" d="M 250 50 l 150 300" stroke="red" stroke-width="3" fill="none" />
  <path d="M 175 200 l 150 0" stroke="green" stroke-width="3" fill="none" />
  <path d="M 100 350 q 150 -300 300 0" stroke="blue" stroke-width="5" fill="none" />
  <!-- Mark related points -->
  <g stroke="black" stroke-width="3" fill="black">
    <circle id="pointA" cx="100" cy="350" r="3" />
    <circle id="pointB" cx="250" cy="50" r="3" />
    <circle id="pointC" cx="400" cy="350" r="3" />
  </g>
  <!-- Give points labels -->
  <g font-size="30" font-family="sans-serif" fill="black" stroke="none"
  text-anchor="middle">
    <text x="100" y="350" dx="-30">A</text>
    <text x="250" y="50" dy="-10">B</text>
    <text x="400" y="350" dx="30">C</text>
  </g>
</svg>

Try It Yourself

Very complex? Yes!!! Due to the complexity of drawing paths, it is strongly recommended to use an SVG editor to create complex graphics.