# Install fig2dev with Homebrew, apk, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper, dnf Translates figures generated by xfig to other formats. Version 3.2.9a via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:fig2dev ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install fig2dev ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install fig2dev ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: print/fig2dev/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add fig2dev ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: fig2dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install fig2dev ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: fig2dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#fig2dev ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fi/fig2dev/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S fig2dev ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: fig2dev from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install transfig ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: transfig from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install transfig ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: transfig from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:fig2dev - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.2.9a - **Source summary:** Translates figures generated by xfig to other formats - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - fig2dev (cli) - fig2ps2tex (cli) - pic2tpic (cli) - transfig (cli) - fig2dev (alias) - fig2ps2tex (alias) - pic2tpic (alias) - transfig (alias) ## Dependencies - ghostscript - libpng - netpbm ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 3.2.9a - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://mcj.sourceforge.net/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage fig2dev is the converter half of the Xfig ecosystem: it translates .fig drawings into PostScript, TeX-related formats, bitmap formats, SVG, TikZ, and other graphics languages. ### Project history The official README describes fig2dev as a set of tools for creating TeX documents with portable graphics. The package consists of the fig2dev command and the transfig command; fig2dev performs the actual translation from Fig code, while transfig generates TeX macro and Makefile support for documents that include figures. The historical package name matters. The Xfig installation guide says users needed both xfig and fig2dev to be complete, and that until about 2016 the fig2dev package was called transfig. The README now says transfig is considered obsolete and is not built by default unless explicitly enabled. The CHANGES file shows a long maintenance history from the Transfig 2.1 series in the early 1990s through modern fig2dev 3.2 patchlevels. Recent releases emphasize input hardening, portability fixes, UTF-8 output, Darwin/BSD build fixes, and output improvements for formats such as PDF, EPS, SVG, and TikZ. ### Adoption history fig2dev's adoption followed xfig's role as a Unix/X11 drawing program used in technical and academic workflows. The official installation page states that binary packages for xfig and fig2dev or transfig are available for Linux distributions, BSD systems, Darwin package systems including Fink, MacPorts, and Homebrew, and Cygwin on Windows. The supplied package metadata shows the same broad packaging pattern: Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora-family packaging under transfig, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Alpine, and openSUSE. That breadth reflects fig2dev's importance as infrastructure for converting legacy .fig drawings in reproducible document builds. ### How it is used Users normally encounter fig2dev when exporting or printing drawings made in xfig. The installation guide explains that xfig saves proprietary .fig files and fig2dev translates them to formats such as PostScript, PNG, JPEG, PSTricks, and TikZ. For bitmap outputs, the README and installation guide both document fig2dev's dependency on helper tools: Ghostscript first renders PostScript, then netpbm, ImageMagick, or GraphicsMagick converts PPM output to final bitmap formats. ### Why package nerds care fig2dev is package-nerd significant because it preserves a durable bridge between an old X11 vector editor and modern document toolchains. It is the kind of utility that rarely gets attention until a build farm, LaTeX paper, man-page diagram, or legacy source tarball still depends on converting .fig files. It is also a good example of package naming archaeology: many systems historically shipped the converter as transfig, while modern curation and upstream documentation distinguish fig2dev from the now-obsolete transfig command. ### Timeline - 1993: Transfig 2.1.8 appears in the CHANGES history. - About 2016: Official installation docs say the package name moved from transfig to fig2dev. - 2018: fig2dev 3.2.7 adds format help and input-sanitizing fixes. - 2021: 3.2.8b adds stdin/stdout filename handling and more hardening. - 2024: 3.2.9a adds PDF minor-version selection and width/height options. ### Related projects - fig2dev is tightly coupled to xfig. It also depends on or cooperates with Ghostscript, netpbm, ImageMagick, GraphicsMagick, TeX, LaTeX, PSTricks, and TikZ workflows. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** fig2dev - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - fig2dev - 1:3.2.9a-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: fig2dev from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Utilities for converting XFig figure files | https://sourceforge.net/projects/mcj/ - Nix - fig2dev: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fi/fig2dev/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - fig2dev - 1:3.2.9-3build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: fig2dev from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Utilities for converting XFig figure files | https://sourceforge.net/projects/mcj/ - apk - fig2dev - 3.2.9a-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: fig2dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | translates Fig code to other graphic description languages | https://sourceforge.net/projects/mcj/ - apk - fig2dev-doc - 3.2.9a-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: fig2dev-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | translates Fig code to other graphic description languages (documentation) | https://sourceforge.net/projects/mcj/ - pacman - fig2dev - 3.2.9-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: fig2dev from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Format conversion utility that can be used with xfig | http://mcj.sourceforge.net/ - zypper - transfig - 3.2.9a-3.4: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: transfig from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Graphic Converter | https://mcj.sourceforge.net/ - MacPorts - fig2dev: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: print/fig2dev/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - dnf - transfig - 3.2.9a^20250619.ee3f4d8-8.fc44: installed executable or alias match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: transfig from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Utility for converting FIG files (made by xfig) to other formats | https://sourceforge.net/projects/mcj/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Media and graphics packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/media-graphics-tools/) - Matched media, image, audio, video, or graphics metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [ghostscript](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ghostscript/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [libpng](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libpng/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [netpbm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/netpbm/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [octave](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/octave/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [xfig](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xfig/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [libemf2svg](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libemf2svg/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, graphics, media. - [libwmf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libwmf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, graphics, media. - [svg2pdf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/svg2pdf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, graphics, media. - [swiftdraw](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/swiftdraw/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, graphics, media. - [aalib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aalib/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media. - [batik](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/batik/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media. - [convertlit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/convertlit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, conversion, media. - [dicebear](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dicebear/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media. - [xplanet](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xplanet/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, graphics, libpng, media. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/fig2dev.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/fig2dev.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph