svg2glif

Convert SVG-based glyph drawings to UFO's GLIF format.

Overview

svg2glif is a Rust library and command-line tool that converts SVG vector graphics into UFO (Unified Font Object) GLIF format, making it easy to incorporate SVG artwork into font development workflows.

Features

• Convert SVG paths to UFO GLIF format
• Support for cubic Bézier curves
• Configurable units-per-em scaling
• Unicode codepoint assignment
• Proper coordinate system conversion (SVG top-left to UFO baseline)
• Both library and CLI interfaces

Installation

As a CLI tool

cargo install svg2glif

As a library

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
svg2glif = "0.1"

Usage

Command Line

svg2glif -i input.svg -o output.glif -e 1000 -d 200 -u 0041

Arguments:

• -i, --input <INPUT>: Input SVG file
• -o, --output <OUTPUT>: Output GLIF file
• -e, --em-size <EM_SIZE>: Units per em (typically 1000 or 2048)
• -d, --descent <DESCENT>: Descent value to position glyph above baseline
• -u, --unicode <HEX>: Optional Unicode codepoint in hex (e.g., 0041 for 'A')

Library

use svg2glif::{convert_svg_to_glif_file, ConversionConfig};
use std::path::Path;

let config = ConversionConfig::new(1000.0, 200.0)
    .with_unicode("0041".to_string());

convert_svg_to_glif_file(
    Path::new("input.svg"),
    Path::new("output.glif"),
    &config
)?;

Or convert from SVG string:

use svg2glif::{convert_svg_string_to_glyph, ConversionConfig};
use std::path::Path;

let svg_data = r#"<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<svg width="100" height="100" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <path d="M 10 10 L 90 10 L 90 90 L 10 90 Z" fill="black"/>
</svg>"#;

let config = ConversionConfig::new(1000.0, 200.0);
let glyph = convert_svg_string_to_glyph(
    svg_data,
    Path::new("example.svg"),
    &config
)?;

Limitations

• Only processes <path> elements (shapes like circles, rectangles must be converted to paths)
• Quadratic Bézier curves are not supported (only cubic)
• Does not handle SVG transforms, strokes, or fills

License

MIT