The Default Graphics Library has been changed from "System.Drawing" to Skia in Spotfire since version 12.5 and How to Switch Back to "System.Drawing"?

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Article ID: KB0135841

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Updated On:

Products	Versions
Spotfire Analyst	12.5.0 and Higher

Description

In previous Spotfire versions, System.Drawing was the primary graphics library used for rendering visualizations. However, with the release of Spotfire 12.5, Skia has replaced System.Drawing as the default graphics backend.

This change was driven by the fact that System.Drawing is being deprecated for Linux, and Microsoft has announced that its support will be removed in an upcoming release. While System.Drawing will continue to function on Windows, its limitations on cross-platform compatibility and performance made it necessary to transition to Skia.

Despite the transition, this change only affects the rendering engine and does not impact existing analyses, functionality, or user experience.

Environment

All

Resolution

If users experience any issues with Skia, it is still possible to switch back to System.Drawing, which was the default library before Spotfire 12.5.

To revert to System.Drawing in Spotfire Analyst:

Navigate to Tools > Options.
Uncheck "Use Skia as a Graphics Backend."
Restart Spotfire Analyst for the changes to take effect.

Issue/Introduction

Starting from Spotfire version 12.5, the default graphics library has changed from System.Drawing to Skia. This transition ensures better performance, cross-platform compatibility, and long-term support, particularly for Linux environments, where System.Drawing support is being deprecated.