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From: cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Figures in (La)TeX (was: What is PiCTeX)
Message-ID: <58919@bbn.BBN.COM>
Date: 14 Aug 90 16:54:21 GMT
References: <3923@cica.cica.indiana.edu> <1194@carol.fwi.uva.nl>
Sender: news@bbn.com
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smagt@fwi.uva.nl (Patrick van der Smagt) writes:

}In article <3923@cica.cica.indiana.edu> templon@venus.iucf.indiana.edu writes:
}>
}>...  I am quite interested in any other means
}>of getting graphics into TeX ...

}There are several methodes for figures in (La)TeX:

}	1. LaTeX figure
}	2. epic, eepic
}	3. tpic
}	4. PiCTeX
}	5. postscript

}5. Unlimited power.  I used these to create my figures.  E.g., first draw
}   your figures using xfig, then translate them with transfig (which is
}   public domain).  ...
}    Required: psfig macros, ftp'able.

I don't know the capabilities of xfig --- the version of 'fig' I have
available to me on my SunView-SUN is pretty lousy as drawing programs go.
I use a more-baroque scheme [similar in spirit, though] that I find allows
me to make better pictures faster:

   Draw the pictures on any nearby MAC using MacDraw.
   Save a postscript image of the drawing.
   Kermit the files over to my SUN
   Run macps on the files.
   Run bbfig over the files, and edit the %%BoundingBox into the .ps file
   use psfig to suck the graphics into my LaTeX doc.

This may look like a big pain in the ass, but it is not all that difficult.
The advantages:  

  (1) 'fig' is not even in the same *league* as MacDraw [II] [as I
      say, I dunno if xfig is a bunch better or not].  
  (2) the postscript-capturing is a property of the LaserPrinter driver on
      the Mac, *NOT* MacDraw, per se.  And so you can use the same basic
      technique to pull a Gantt chart out of MacProj, or a spreadsheet out
      of Excel.

/Bernie\