pixijs-scene-graphics

Graphics is the vector-drawing leaf of the PixiJS v8 scene graph. The v8 API follows a shape-then-style pattern: draw a shape or path with rect, circle, moveTo, etc., then apply fill and/or stroke. Every method returns this for chaining, and the drawing instructions live on a GraphicsContext that can be shared between instances.

Assumes familiarity with pixijs-scene-core-concepts. Graphics is a leaf: do not nest children inside it. Wrap multiple Graphics objects in a Container to group them.

Quick Start

const g = new Graphics();

g.rect(10, 10, 200, 100)
  .fill({ color: 0x3498db, alpha: 0.8 })
  .stroke({ width: 3, color: 0x2c3e50 });

g.circle(300, 60, 40).fill(0xe74c3c);

g.moveTo(50, 200)
  .lineTo(200, 200)
  .bezierCurveTo(250, 250, 100, 300, 50, 250)
  .closePath()
  .fill(0x6c5ce7);

app.stage.addChild(g);

Related skills: pixijs-scene-core-concepts (scene graph basics), pixijs-scene-container (group graphics with other objects), pixijs-scene-core-concepts/references/masking.md (Graphics as a stencil mask), pixijs-filters (effects), pixijs-performance (batching, cacheAsTexture).

Constructor options

All Container options (position, scale, tint, label, filters, zIndex, etc.) are also valid here — see skills/pixijs-scene-core-concepts/references/constructor-options.md.

Leaf-specific options added by GraphicsOptions:

The constructor also accepts a GraphicsContext instance as its sole argument (new Graphics(ctx)), which is shorthand for new Graphics({ context: ctx }).

Core Patterns

Shape-then-fill workflow

const g = new Graphics();

g.rect(10, 10, 200, 100)
  .fill({ color: 0x3498db, alpha: 0.8 })
  .stroke({ width: 3, color: 0x2c3e50 });

g.circle(150, 200, 40).fill(0xe74c3c);
g.roundRect(300, 10, 150, 80, 12).fill(0x2ecc71);
g.poly([0, 0, 60, 0, 30, 50], true).fill(0x9b59b6);
g.star(400, 200, 5, 40, 20, 0).fill(0xf39c12);
g.ellipse(100, 350, 60, 30).fill(0x1abc9c);

fill() accepts a FillInput: a color number/string, { color, alpha, texture, matrix, textureSpace }, a FillGradient, a FillPattern, or a Texture. When filling with a texture, textureSpace controls coordinate mapping:

• 'local' (default): texture is scaled to fit each shape's bounding box (normalized 0-1 coordinates).
• 'global': texture position/scale are relative to the Graphics object's coordinate system, shared across all shapes.

FillInput also supports a nested fill subfield: a FillStyle options object can embed a FillGradient or FillPattern under its fill key, which applies the gradient or pattern alongside the color, alpha, texture, and matrix modifiers on the outer object.

stroke() accepts a color, a FillGradient, a FillPattern, or a StrokeStyle object that combines all FillStyle keys (color, alpha, texture, matrix, fill, textureSpace) with stroke attributes:

Strokes can use the same gradients and patterns as fills via fill: gradient or texture: tex:

const grad = new FillGradient({
  end: { x: 1, y: 0 },
  colorStops: [
    { offset: 0, color: 0xff0000 },
    { offset: 1, color: 0x0000ff },
  ],
});
g.rect(0, 0, 200, 100).stroke({
  width: 8,
  fill: grad,
  join: "round",
  cap: "round",
});

Both fill() and stroke() can be called after the same shape; calling stroke() immediately after fill() reuses the same path.

Advanced shape primitives

g.regularPoly(100, 100, 50, 6, 0).fill(0x3498db);
g.roundPoly(250, 100, 50, 5, 10).fill(0xe74c3c);
g.chamferRect(350, 50, 100, 80, 15).fill(0x2ecc71);
g.filletRect(500, 50, 100, 80, 15).fill(0x9b59b6);
g.roundShape(
  [
    { x: 50, y: 250, radius: 20 },
    { x: 150, y: 250, radius: 5 },
    { x: 150, y: 350, radius: 10 },
    { x: 50, y: 350, radius: 15 },
  ],
  10,
).fill(0xf39c12);

Holes with cut()

g.rect(0, 0, 200, 200).fill(0x00ff00).circle(100, 100, 50).cut();

cut() subtracts the current active path from the previously drawn fill or stroke. Rules:

• The hole must be completely inside the target shape. Holes that overlap edges or sit outside the shape will not render correctly because the renderer triangulates with the hole as an interior boundary.
• cut() looks back at up to the last two instructions. When you fill() and then stroke() the same path, a single cut() adds the hole to the stroke first; a second cut() adds it to the fill underneath.
• After cut(), the active path resets so you can start the next shape with moveTo, rect, etc.
• cut() applies to strokes too — g.rect(...).stroke(...).circle(...).cut() cuts a hole through the stroke outline.

Punch multiple holes with a single cut() by drawing several shapes into the active path before calling it. Each shape accumulates into the same hole path:

const g = new Graphics();

g.rect(350, 350, 150, 150).fill(0x00ff00);

// Draw three circles into the active path, then cut them all in one call
g.circle(375, 375, 25);
g.circle(425, 425, 25);
g.circle(475, 475, 25);
g.cut();

If you need holes on separate filled shapes, give each shape its own fill() and matching cut():

g.rect(0, 0, 100, 100).fill(0x3498db);
g.circle(50, 50, 20).cut(); // hole in the rect

g.rect(120, 0, 100, 100).fill(0xe74c3c);
g.circle(170, 50, 20).cut(); // hole in the second rect

Calling cut() on a shape that already has a hole adds to the existing hole path rather than replacing it. Use this to layer holes additively.

Paths and complex shapes

g.moveTo(50, 50)
  .lineTo(200, 50)
  .bezierCurveTo(250, 100, 250, 150, 200, 200)
  .quadraticCurveTo(100, 250, 50, 200)
  .closePath()
  .fill({ color: 0x6c5ce7, alpha: 0.7 })
  .stroke({ width: 2, color: 0xdfe6e9 });

Path methods: moveTo, lineTo, bezierCurveTo, quadraticCurveTo, arc, arcTo, arcToSvg, closePath. Call beginPath() to discard the current path and start a new one.

// arc(cx, cy, radius, startAngle, endAngle, counterclockwise?)
g.moveTo(80, 50)
  .arc(50, 50, 30, 0, Math.PI)
  .stroke({ width: 4, color: 0x2c3e50 });

// arcTo(x1, y1, x2, y2, radius) — rounded corner between two line segments
g.moveTo(150, 20)
  .arcTo(200, 20, 200, 80, 20)
  .lineTo(200, 80)
  .stroke({ width: 2 });

// arcToSvg(rx, ry, xAxisRotation, largeArcFlag, sweepFlag, x, y) — matches the SVG `A` command
g.moveTo(250, 50).arcToSvg(40, 20, 0, 1, 0, 330, 50).stroke({ width: 2 });

Gradients and patterns

// Linear gradient
const linear = new FillGradient({
  end: { x: 1, y: 0 },
  colorStops: [
    { offset: 0, color: 0xff0000 },
    { offset: 1, color: 0x0000ff },
  ],
});
g.rect(0, 0, 200, 100).fill(linear);

// Radial gradient — inner circle at center, outer circle reaches edges
const radial = new FillGradient({
  type: "radial",
  center: { x: 100, y: 100 },
  innerRadius: 0,
  outerCenter: { x: 100, y: 100 },
  outerRadius: 100,
  colorStops: [
    { offset: 0, color: 0xffffff },
    { offset: 1, color: 0x000000 },
  ],
});
g.circle(100, 100, 100).fill(radial);

const brick = await Assets.load("brick.png");

// Options-object form (preferred)
const pattern = new FillPattern({
  texture: brick,
  repetition: "repeat", // 'repeat' | 'repeat-x' | 'repeat-y' | 'no-repeat'
  textureSpace: "global", // 'global' (default) | 'local'
});

// Legacy positional form is still supported
const pattern2 = new FillPattern(brick, "repeat");

g.rect(0, 120, 200, 100).fill(pattern);

FillGradient's default type is 'linear' with start {0,0} to end {0,1}. Set type: 'radial' with center/innerRadius and outerCenter/outerRadius for radial gradients.

FillPattern takes an options object ({ texture, repetition?, textureSpace? }) or the legacy positional form (new FillPattern(texture, repetition?)). repetition selects the tiling mode. textureSpace controls how tiles map to shapes:

• 'global' (default): tiles repeat continuously across the Graphics coordinate system, so adjacent shapes share one tiling grid. Best for backgrounds and seamless textures.
• 'local': a single tile fits each shape's bounds. Combine with setTransform to subdivide a shape into a tile grid.

Note FillPattern defaults textureSpace to 'global', unlike the 'local' default for texture fills shown above.

setTransform(matrix) copies the given matrix directly onto the pattern transform to scale, rotate, or offset the tiling; call setTransform() with no argument to reset to identity.

Drawing a texture directly

const tex = await Assets.load("icon.png");

// Draw the whole texture at (x, y) with optional tint
g.texture(tex, 0xffffff, 20, 20);

// Draw a subregion (dx, dy, dw, dh)
g.texture(tex, 0xff0000, 100, 20, 64, 64);

Graphics.texture(texture, tint?, dx?, dy?, dw?, dh?) is a shortcut for drawing a single textured rect without going through fill(). Useful for icons where you don't need the full sprite lifecycle.

GraphicsContext sharing

const ctx = new GraphicsContext().rect(0, 0, 50, 50).fill(0xff0000);

const g1 = new Graphics(ctx);
const g2 = new Graphics(ctx);
g2.x = 100;

Context sharing avoids duplicate GPU geometry; the expensive tessellation runs once. You can also assign a context after construction: g.context = existingContext.

SVG import and export

Parse SVG markup into the active context with svg():

g.svg(`<svg viewBox="0 0 100 100">
    <circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40" fill="red"/>
</svg>`);

svg() supports paths, basic shapes, and inline styles; complex hole geometries may render inaccurately because Pixi's triangulation is performance-optimized.

Serialize a Graphics or GraphicsContext back to a self-contained SVG document string with graphicsContextToSvg:

import { Graphics, graphicsContextToSvg } from "pixi.js";

const g = new Graphics()
  .rect(0, 0, 100, 50)
  .fill({ color: 0xff0000 })
  .circle(150, 25, 25)
  .stroke({ color: 0x0000ff, width: 4 });

const svgString = graphicsContextToSvg(g, 2);

graphicsContextToSvg(source, precision = 2) is a pure function that reads the context's instructions and returns a complete <svg> string with an auto-computed viewBox. Pass a Graphics or a GraphicsContext; precision controls decimal places on emitted coordinates. Exports every shape-then-fill primitive (advanced ones like regularPoly/filletRect fall back to a shape-path), all path methods, stroke attributes (width, cap, join, miterLimit), fill-opacity/stroke-opacity, and FillGradient (linear and radial) via a <defs> block. Holes collapse into one <path> with fill-rule="evenodd". FillPattern and texture fills have no SVG equivalent: patterns fall through to the fill's solid color, and texture() instructions are skipped entirely. Exported markup roundtrips back through g.svg(...) without cleanup, so you can export, store, and later reimport a shape into another Graphics.

Reusing a GraphicsPath

const arrow = new GraphicsPath()
  .moveTo(0, 0)
  .lineTo(40, 0)
  .lineTo(40, -10)
  .lineTo(60, 10)
  .lineTo(40, 30)
  .lineTo(40, 20)
  .lineTo(0, 20)
  .closePath();

g.path(arrow).fill(0x3498db);
g.translateTransform(80, 0).path(arrow).fill(0xe74c3c);

Graphics.path(graphicsPath) (and GraphicsContext.path()) appends a prebuilt GraphicsPath onto the active path. Build once, draw many times.

Draw-time transforms

Graphics has its own transform stack used while drawing that is separate from the Container transform applied to the rendered output. The drawing methods are renamed to avoid clashing with Container.rotation, Container.scale, Container.position:

const g = new Graphics();

g.translateTransform(100, 100)
  .rotateTransform(Math.PI / 4)
  .rect(-25, -25, 50, 50)
  .fill(0x3498db);

// The square is rotated 45 degrees as it is added to the geometry.
// Setting g.rotation later rotates the entire Graphics on screen.

The drawing transform affects every subsequent shape and path command added to the context. Use save()/restore() to scope it.

State save/restore

g.save();
g.translateTransform(100, 100);
g.rotateTransform(Math.PI / 4);
g.rect(0, 0, 50, 50).fill(0xff0000);
g.restore();

save() pushes the drawing transform, fill style, and stroke style onto a stack; restore() pops them. Graphics exposes save/restore directly, mirroring the underlying GraphicsContext calls.

Default styles via setFillStyle / setStrokeStyle

g.setFillStyle({ color: 0x3498db, alpha: 0.8 }).setStrokeStyle({
  width: 2,
  color: 0x2c3e50,
});

g.rect(0, 0, 100, 100).fill().stroke();
g.circle(150, 50, 40).fill().stroke();

setFillStyle() and setStrokeStyle() configure the default style used by subsequent fill() / stroke() calls when no argument is passed. Read or replace the current style at any time via the fillStyle and strokeStyle getters/setters. Override the library-wide defaults by mutating GraphicsContext.defaultFillStyle and GraphicsContext.defaultStrokeStyle once at startup.

Hit testing

const g = new Graphics().star(100, 100, 5, 60, 30).fill(0xf39c12);
g.eventMode = "static";
g.on("pointermove", (e) => {
  if (g.containsPoint(g.toLocal(e.global))) {
    /* over the star, not just its bbox */
  }
});

Graphics.containsPoint(pointInLocalSpace) runs a topology-aware test against every filled and stroked shape in the context, including holes. Convert global pointer coordinates with toLocal() first.

Cloning, clearing, and bounds

const g = new Graphics().rect(0, 0, 100, 100).fill(0xff0000);

const shallow = g.clone(); // shares the same GraphicsContext
const deep = g.clone(true); // creates an independent context

console.log(g.bounds.width); // 100 - geometry bounds before transforms

g.clear(); // wipes active path, instructions, and transform; fill/stroke styles persist

• clone() returns a new Graphics that shares the source context (cheap, geometry is reused). Both objects update together if the context changes.
• clone(true) clones the context as well so the new Graphics can be edited independently.
• bounds returns the geometry bounds before the Container transform. Useful for layout decisions.
• clear() resets the context so the same Graphics can be reused. See Common Mistakes below for guidance on when to clear versus when to keep stable geometry.

GraphicsContext utilities

GraphicsContext is an EventEmitter that emits update, destroy, and unload events. Subscribe via ctx.on('update' | 'destroy' | 'unload', cb) when tooling or pools need to react to context lifecycle changes.

Common Mistakes

[CRITICAL] Using v7 beginFill/drawRect/endFill

Wrong:

const g = new Graphics().beginFill(0xff0000).drawRect(0, 0, 100, 100).endFill();

Correct:

const g = new Graphics().rect(0, 0, 100, 100).fill(0xff0000);

v8 replaced "set style, draw, end" with "draw shape, then apply style". beginFill/endFill do not exist.

[CRITICAL] Using old shape method names

Wrong:

g.drawCircle(50, 50, 25);

Correct:

g.circle(50, 50, 25);

All draw* methods were renamed in v8: drawRect → rect, drawCircle → circle, drawEllipse → ellipse, drawPolygon → poly, drawRoundedRect → roundRect, drawStar → star.

[CRITICAL] Using lineStyle instead of stroke

Wrong:

g.lineStyle(2, 0xffffff);
g.drawRect(0, 0, 100, 100);

Correct:

g.rect(0, 0, 100, 100).stroke({ width: 2, color: 0xffffff });

lineStyle was removed. Use stroke() after drawing the shape. The stroke options object accepts width, color, alpha, cap, join, alignment, miterLimit, and pixelLine.

[HIGH] Using beginHole/endHole for holes

Wrong:

g.beginFill(0x00ff00)
  .drawRect(0, 0, 100, 100)
  .beginHole()
  .drawCircle(50, 50, 20)
  .endHole()
  .endFill();

Correct:

g.rect(0, 0, 100, 100).fill(0x00ff00).circle(50, 50, 20).cut();

beginHole/endHole were replaced by cut(). Draw the outer shape, fill it, then draw the hole shape and call cut().

[HIGH] Using GraphicsGeometry instead of GraphicsContext

Wrong:

const geom = g.geometry;
const clone = new Graphics(geom);

Correct:

const ctx = new GraphicsContext().rect(0, 0, 100, 100).fill(0xff0000);
const g1 = new Graphics(ctx);
const g2 = new Graphics(ctx);

GraphicsGeometry was replaced by GraphicsContext in v8. There is no .geometry property.

[HIGH] Destroying a shared GraphicsContext unexpectedly

const ctx = new GraphicsContext().rect(0, 0, 50, 50).fill(0xff0000);
const g1 = new Graphics(ctx);
const g2 = new Graphics(ctx);

g1.destroy({ context: true }); // also nullifies g2's context reference

Destroying a shared GraphicsContext does not destroy sharing instances but breaks them by nullifying their context reference. When passing a context via the constructor, destroy() with no args preserves the context; use destroy({ context: false }) to be explicit. Only destroy the context when all sharing instances are done with it. A self-owned context (not passed via constructor) is still destroyed by destroy() with no args.

[HIGH] Clearing and redrawing Graphics every frame

Graphics are designed to be stable, not dynamic. Calling clear() and redrawing every frame rebuilds GPU geometry each time. For dynamic visuals:

• Use Sprite with pre-rendered textures and transform changes.
• Use cacheAsTexture(true) for complex static graphics.
• For real-time shape changes, consider Mesh with custom geometry updates.

This is the opposite of HTML Canvas 2D, where redrawing each frame is normal. PixiJS tessellates shapes into GPU triangles, so initial draw is expensive but subsequent renders are fast. Treat Graphics more like SVG elements than canvas draw calls.

[MEDIUM] Do not nest children inside a Graphics

Graphics sets allowChildren = false. Adding children logs a deprecation warning and will be a hard error in a future version. Wrap multiple graphics alongside other leaves in a plain Container:

const group = new Container();
group.addChild(graphics, sprite);

API Reference

• Graphics
• GraphicsOptions
• GraphicsContext
• GraphicsPath
• graphicsContextToSvg
• FillGradient
• FillPattern
• FillStyle
• FillInput