 Example of graphics created with TikZ. Note the slightly translucent top layer. | |
| Original author(s) | Till Tantau |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Till Tantau, Christian Feuersänger |
| Stable release | |
| Repository | |
| Written in | TeX,Lua |
| Operating system | Multiplatform (TeX) |
| Type | Vector graphics languages |
| License | Dual License:GNU General Public License orLaTeX Project Public License |
| Website | github |
PGF/TikZ is a pair of languages for producingvector graphics (e.g., technical illustrations and drawings) from a geometric/algebraic description, with standard features including the drawing of points, lines, arrows, paths, circles, ellipses and polygons. PGF is a lower-level language, while TikZ is a set of higher-level macros that use PGF. The top-level PGF and TikZ commands are invoked asTeXmacros, but in contrast withPSTricks, the PGF/TikZ graphics themselves are described in a language that resemblesMetaPost. Till Tantau is the designer of the PGF and TikZ languages. He is also the main developer of the only known interpreter for PGF and TikZ, which is written in TeX. PGF is an acronym for "Portable Graphics Format". TikZ was introduced in version 0.95 of PGF, and it is arecursive acronym for "TikZ istkein Zeichenprogramm" (German for "TikZ isnot a drawing program").
The PGF/TikZ interpreter can be used from the popularLaTeX andConTeXt macro packages, and also directly from the originalTeX.[2]: 116 Since TeX itself is not concerned with graphics, the interpreter supports multiple TeX output backends:dvips,dvipdfm/dvipdfmx/xdvipdfmx,TeX4ht, andpdftex's internalPDF output driver.[2]: 117–120 Unlike PSTricks, PGF can thus directly produce eitherPostScript or PDF output, but it cannot use some of the more advanced PostScript programming features that PSTricks can use due to the "least common denominator" effect.[3] PGF/TikZ comes with an extensive documentation; the version 3.1.4a of the manual has over 1300 pages.[2]
The standard LaTeXpicture environment can also be used as a front end for PGF by using thepgfpict2e package.[2]: 27
The project has been under constant development since 2005.[4] Most of the development until 2018 was done by Till Tantau and since then Henri Menke has been the main contributor.[5] Version 3.0.0 was released on 20 December 2013.[6] One of the major new features of this version wasgraph drawing using thegraphdrawing package, which however requiresLuaTeX.[7] This version also added a new data visualization method and support for directSVG output via the newdvisvgm driver.[6]
Several graphical editors can produce output for PGF/TikZ, such as theKDE program Cirkuit[8] and the math drawing programGeoGebra.[9] Export to TikZ is also available as extensions forInkscape,[10]Blender,[11]MATLAB,[12]matplotlib,[13]Gnuplot,[14]Julia,[15] andR.[16] The circuit-macros package[17] ofm4 macros exportscircuit diagrams to TikZ using thedpic -g command line option.[18] The dot2tex program can convert files in theDOT graph description language to PGF/TikZ.[19]
TikZ featureslibraries for easy drawing of many kinds of diagrams, such as the following (alphabetized by library name):[2]
3dautomatacalccalendarchaincircuits.logic andcircuits.eeerfoldinggraphdrawinglindenmayersystemsmathmatrixmindmapperspectivepetriquantikzrdfshapes.geometric andshapes.symbolsspysvg.pathtreesturtleviewsThe following images were created with TikZ and show some examples of the range of graphic types that can be produced. The link in each caption points to the source code for the image.
calc)
arrows,backgrounds,calc,fit,matrix,patterns,plotmarks,shadows)
arrows)
arrows.meta)
calc)
arrows,calc,positioning,shapes.multipart)
| FOSS |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary |
| |||||
