Vector Markup Language Specification
Proposed New Vector Graphics Format for the Web

VML will make it faster and easier to create compelling Web pages by allowing productivity users and authors to cut and paste vector graphics across applications, without any loss of quality or ability to edit. VML is a format based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML), an emerging simple, flexible and open text-based language that complements HTML. The VML proposal is available for review at http://www.w3.org/.

"The Web community has been asking for a high-quality, easy-to-use 2-D vector graphics standard for some time," said David Cole, vice president of the Web client and consumer experience division at Microsoft. "VML meets their needs with faster graphics downloading for end users and easier graphics editing and manipulation for HTML authors and designers. VML will be a key specification in our future platforms and applications."

Using VML, authors and graphic designers will be able to accomplish the following:

• Easily cut and paste vector graphics across a wide variety of authoring tools, without any loss in precision, quality or ability to edit. Using intelligent shapes like the ones found in Microsoft Office and Visio products today, authors will be able to adjust an object's size and shape in any standard text editor or WYSIWYG editor.
• Quickly deliver fully integrated and scalable graphics on the Web. Smooth lines can be expressed very compactly because VML graphics use paths based on cubic Bézier curves. This results in reduced download time, as compared to the download times of image graphic formats such as GIF and PNG, creating a more satisfying user experience. Because VML graphics are fully integrated within the HTML document, they can interact and scale with other elements on the Web page, and no additional files are required for download. In addition, hyperlinks may be easily added to the VML elements.

"Autodesk is a strong advocate for interoperability between design, drawing and office applications, as evidenced by its own public data formats, DXF and DWF, which are used widely in many software packages," said Anne Bonaparte, senior director of the design team solutions group at Autodesk. "VML as a standard offers users the promise of even more compatibility, as well as ease of use and reuse of intelligent vector data on the Web."

"This proposal is a solution to one of the last missing pieces in document layout on the Web," said Carolyn Ticknor, vice president of Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet solutions group. "The whole Internet community will benefit from faster download speeds, higher-quality graphics printing and lower network overhead."

"Our collaboration on VML represents the next step in our goal to deliver compelling, interactive vector content, even over low-bandwidth Internet connections," said Norm Meyrowitz, president, Macromedia products group at Macromedia Inc. "Just as the open Flash binary file format (.swf) enables standard playback of vector graphics and animation, VML will provide content developers with an open XML text-based standard for exchange across a variety of tools and platforms. We look forward to extending our family of Web software to support VML in future versions."

"VML's flexibility and extensibility has led Visio Corp. to support wholeheartedly its adoption as a Web standard for vector graphics," said Ted Johnson, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Visio. "With VML, Visio users will be able to create, edit and publish their business diagrams and technical drawings to the Web while preserving all the intelligent object behavior that distinguishes the Visio SmartShapes technology."

Read the submission at http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-VML.html