Built-In Symbol Libraries for Science / Scientific Workflows
Ave
Summary I am using draw.io for illustrating scientific (biology) workflows, and I need standardized, biology-specific symbols.
Draw.io currently lacks most domain-specific icons (scientific: lab equipment, molecular biology symbols, assay steps, data-analysis elements, etc.).
Such libraries are available at: scidraw.io, bioart.niaid.nih.gov, or bioicons.com.
The paid alternative biorende r.com is insanely expensive: One has to pay for top-tier subscriptions so that one can use the most useful features.
Problem
Scientific workflows and illustrations are a major use case in research, teaching, and publications.
The existing shape libraries in draw.io are either general-purpose or for IT (flowcharts, UML, BPMN, networks).
Users have to create or find, download, and import their own icons repeatedly.
No centralized or curated library means inconsistent visuals and duplicated effort across the community.
What I’m looking forward to
Native support for one or more scientific icon libraries (SVG or similar).
Icons covering common lab and computational workflow domains, such as:
Lab equipment (pipettes, centrifuges, tubes, plates, microscopes)
Molecular biology / cell and DNA symbols
Sequencing and omics workflow steps
Data processing / bioinformatics pipeline elements
Sourced from openly licensed sets (e.g.: CC-BY).
Goals / Expected Outcomes
Faster diagram creation for researchers, students, educators.
More consistent visual language across scientific diagrams.
Better suitability for posters, manuscripts, presentations, and lab documentation.
Broader adoption of draw.io in scientific environments.
Potential Input Resources (Open License Examples)
More at: https://www.scidart.com/blog/5-top-free-alternatives-to-biorender-for-scientific-illustrations/
Thanks for considering this feature.
draw.io Q&A
Ave
After taking a closer look at bioicons.com, I realized that it currently offers only ONE neuroscience icon and just a handful for genetics icos, so in practical terms, it wouldn't be very helpful for me.
Would it be possible to incorporate additional openly licensed sources, such as **scidraw.io** or **bioart.niaid.nih.gov**, to broaden the available scientific area coverage? Both provide high-quality SVGs under permissive licenses and would greatly expand the usefulness of scientific diagrams in draw.io.
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In the meantime, could you point me to any documentation on how to incorporate these icon sets manually — ideally in a simple, streamlined way?
Thanks again for your time and consideration.
Ave
(I maybe found a solution to import them one by one, but this is way to laborious)