Grid Basics

The grid system in Bliss SVG Builder provides a visual reference and coordinate system for positioning elements. Turning it on helps you see how shapes align, where they sit relative to reference lines and each other, and gives you a shared vocabulary for discussing positions and sizes.

What is the Grid?

The grid is a visual overlay showing the coordinate system. Enable it to see exactly where elements are positioned:

Character with grid visible

Input:

[grid]||B313

The grid shows:

• Minor grid lines, every 1 unit
• Medium grid lines, every 2 units
• Major grid lines, every 4 units
• Skyline (y=8), top of the base glyph area
• Earthline (y=16), bottom of the base glyph area

Enable the grid with the global option grid.

Grid Units

All measurements in Bliss SVG Builder use grid units as the fundamental unit:

• Coordinates: H:3,5 means x=3, y=5 grid units
• Spacing: word-space=8 means 8 grid units
• Shape sizes: C8 is a circle 8 grid units in diameter

Grid units are not pixels. They're an abstract measurement that the builder converts to SVG coordinates.

Grid Units	Description
1 unit	Smallest grid division (minor line spacing)
4 units	One major grid square
8 units	Standard character content width
20 units	Full grid height

Coordinate System

The origin (0,0) is at the top-left corner:

• X-axis increases going right (horizontal)
• Y-axis increases going down (vertical)

(0,0) top-left, (8,20) bottom-right

Input:

[grid]||DOT:0,0;DOT:8,20

This follows the standard SVG/web coordinate system.

Reference Lines

Bliss characters occupy a standard 20-unit tall grid. The grid is divided by named reference lines:

Y Position	Line	Description
0	Tall indicator line	Top of the grid, upper limit for elevated indicators
4	Indicator line / Ascender limit	Where indicators hang from by default, and the highest point base glyphs reach
8	Skyline	Top of the base glyph area
12	Midline	Midway between skyline and earthline
16	Earthline	Bottom of the base glyph area
20	Descender limit	The lowest point base glyphs reach

Reference lines

Input:

[grid;margin-right=43]||REFSQUARE;ANCHORRING

Most base glyphs are positioned between the skyline and earthline. This creates consistent baseline alignment when characters are combined into sentences.

See the Positioning guide for full details on the :x,y coordinate syntax and the Grid Customization guide for styling the grid's appearance.