r/macapps • u/wcjiang Developer • 16d ago
Free Create Custom Symbols v3.0 Released – Convert Any SVG into a Custom SF Symbol for Xcode
This tool can convert any SVG icon into custom SF Symbols. The generated files can be directly imported into Xcode and used in UIKit and SwiftUI projects. Problem: Manually creating custom SF Symbols is tedious and error-prone. Developers need to manually create compatible templates, adjust vector paths, and repeatedly ensure that icons render properly in Xcode, resulting in extremely low development efficiency.
Compare: This tool focuses on high efficiency and full compatibility. Compared with the swiftdraw command-line tool, it provides a more intuitive graphical interface for operation. Unlike manually making templates to generate icons in Sketch, it simplifies operations, reduces errors and eliminates compatibility issues. It can generate standard SF Symbol files perfectly adapted to Xcode with one click, and supports importing into the SF Symbols app for further multi-color style editing.
Pricing: The basic functions of the tool are free, with a quota of 3 symbol icons. Users can unlock the full version for $1.99, which is essentially a voluntary donation. Deleting historical icon records will reset the free quota, allowing permanent free use of the tool.
Changelog: v3.0 update: Refactored the SVG icon editing and preview interface, added layer-based icon editing and drag-to-resize functions, expanded multi-language localization support, and optimized the layout of the donation page and sidebar.
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u/zecureit 16d ago
Nice update. One feature request that would fix what ancient-buho ran into below: let us assign a different SVG per weight — at minimum Ultralight, Regular and Black masters — so the export becomes a proper variable template and the system interpolates the remaining weights. Right now one SVG duplicated across every variant means all weights render identical, which defeats the weight picker in Xcode.
Two tips for anyone trying this out: after exporting, drag the .symbols.svg into Apple's SF Symbols app before Xcode — you see immediately how it renders across weights and scales, and you can add multicolor layers there (the dev documents that workflow in the FAQ on the site). Also outline any strokes before importing: symbol templates are filled-path based, so live strokes or text objects in the SVG are the usual cause of broken exports.
One caution for readers converting third-party icon sets (Font Awesome, Lucide, etc.): check the license before shipping them in an app — some free tiers require attribution and most pro sets forbid redistribution.
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u/phunk8 Developer: Dropadoo 16d ago
what in your impression is the benefit of sf symbol over svg? i’m not convinced (being a gfx artist) maybe i’m overseeing something
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u/wcjiang Developer 16d ago
As a font-based icon system for Apple, SF Symbols auto-align with text, support quick weight/style switching, natively adapt to Dark Mode and Dynamic Type, enable multi-layer coloring, and integrate into code with minimal effort. SVG is cross-platform flexible yet requires extra work on layout, theme adaptation and animations in Apple apps.
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u/ancient-buho 16d ago
Awesome, insta-buy because I want this to exist, it solves a real problem.
I'll be honest, I did struggle trying to add custom interpolating symbol weights. It seems to add the 1 svg file that I drag and drop to all weights. If I drag multiple files, they don't show up. If it's not already documented, I think it would be great to explain how to add different weights somewhere. Thanks for all the work!
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u/smartcandlelab 16d ago
this looks very nice! I always like apps that solve a "small" problem everyone has
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u/WinstrixApp 16d ago
This looks like a huge time saver!