Which software to create/modify vector pdf on OSX?

I’m using vector pdf files as image on NSButton, on a OSX NSToolbar. I found many such scalable images in the container’s resource folders of various apps on my mac.

I would like to create my own vector files and save it as PDF, so that they remain vector graphics (and are not converted into bitmaps!).

I only have Adobe Fireworks (but not Illustrator) and I find it to expensive to rent additional Adobe software, just to be able to create a couple of pdf vector graphics.

Is there any other software which is capable of creating vector pdfs on OSX?

Example:

Ok, it looks like inkscape is doing the job (http://inkscape.org)

I recreated your ICON using an application name Dru. A sample of what was created has been placed for download here

The Dru Demo will allow you to open the the sample.
Dru demo download

Appstore link is:
Dru

Ah yes! I forgot about Dru! It does exactly what I was looking for, much nicer than inkscape! Great example for a useful Xojo app, btw.

This is interesting. Can a tiny pdf like this be used as a substitute for a PNG or JPG image for buttons and the like in Xojo apps?
The icon mentioned above has an xvd extension: is that Dru-only?

[quote=43617:@Jeff Tullin]This is interesting. Can a tiny pdf like this be used as a substitute for a PNG or JPG image for buttons and the like in Xojo apps?
The icon mentioned above has an xvd extension: is that Dru-only?[/quote]

  1. xvd is Dru only, but Dru can export as PDF.
  2. PDF’s containing vector graphics currently cannot be used directly in Xojo, but one can use them with MBS plugins or declares into the cocoa framework. Then one could assign such vector graphics to a NSButton as its image.

For instance, here the constructor of a NSButtonMBS, which I use in NSToolbar:

Sub Constructor() Super.Constructor( 0,0,45,MainToolbarNSButtonHeight ) Me.bezelStyle=NSButtonMBS.NSTexturedRoundedBezelStyle Me.Image=New NSImageMBS( ButtonPrintPopup_35x18 ) Me.Image.setSize( 35,18 ) Me.Image.isTemplate=true Me.toolTip = "Print" End Sub

And this is how my self-made printPopup (with a PDF printer image) looks like on the toolbar: