Converting a discrete raster bitmap into a continuous vector path requires solving an inverse problem in computational geometry. A raster image is fundamentally a discrete grid of color values $I(x, y) \in \mathbb{R}^3$. A vector graphic, by contrast, is a collection of parametric functions $P(t) = (x(t), y(t))$ defined over continuous domains $t \in [0, 1]$. The transformation begins with binary thresholding to segment foreground features from the background. Next, border-following algorithms (such as Moore-Neighbor or Suzuki-Abe) trace boundary pixel polygons. Because a raw polygon traced from pixels consists entirely of 90-degree stair-stepped segments, it must be simplified using the Douglas-Peucker polygonal decimation algorithm. Finally, least-squares cubic Bézier fitting (Schneider’s algorithm) models smooth curves through adjacent control points while preserving critical sharp corners.

While SVG is lightweight for standard icons, poorly vectorized assets containing tens of thousands of path nodes create severe performance bottlenecks. When an SVG is injected into a web page DOM, every individual and control coordinate must be parsed by the browser layout engine and recalculated during style recalculations and repaints. DeepSeek incorporates intelligent curvature-adaptive decimation, which reduces anchor point density along straight segments while preserving high node density only where second derivatives indicate sharp radius changes. This produces SVGs that are up to 80% smaller in file size and render effortlessly at 60 FPS in web animations.