PA BLOG: Open Source vector graphics editor

Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor alternative to Adobe Illustrator and other programs for creating vector graphics., with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.Inkscape began in 2003 as a code fork of the Sodipodi project. Sodipodi, developed since 1999, was itself based on Gill, the work of Raph Levien.

Inkscape is primarily developed for Linux, but it is cross-platform and runs on Mac OS X (under X11) and other Unix-like operating systems, as well as Microsoft Windows. Inkscape's implementation of SVG and CSS standards is incomplete — most notably, it does not yet support animation, or SVG fonts. Inkscape has multi-lingual support particularly for complex scripts, something currently lacking in most commercial vector graphics applications.

As of 2008, Inkscape is under active development, with new features being added regularly. Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Inkscape is free software.

wikipedia

to me,Inkscape is really good as a freeware that can make a beautifull vector as same as another vector programs..
i really like to see when people use Freeware or open source software to accomplish the same things most do in Photoshop or Illustrator.

here are the screenshot

Inkscape SVG Features

* basic shapes;
* paths and text;
* alpha blending;
* transforms and gradients;
*
* node editing;
* svg-to-png export;
* grouping etc.

for a kickstart i'll list some tutorial link for Inkscape that maybe usefull for u..

Creating a Coffee Cup with Inkscape at Vectortuts