How do I import custom SVG shapes into Dia?

I haven't been able to import an SVG shape into Dia. It is expecting a .shape format (see http://dia-installer.de/howto/create_shape/index.html)

One solution is to export the Dia figure as 开发者_开发知识库SVG and edit it in Inkscape, but I'd really like to know how to import some SVG clipart directly into Dia.

There is a way to import them but they lose quality as advanced transparency seems to be unsupported:

1) Drag and drop the SVG file into an empty drawing area.

2) Export it as .shape: File -> Export... Then select "By extension" and save the file as .shape. Then a dialog will appear. Choose the default size in there.

3) Import it: F9 -> NEW -> SVG Shape (select the file)

That's it. If you want to import more advanced drawings, I suggest you to try different formats, for example, PNG are imported really nicely (but of course are not vectors).

Hope it helps (and I hope DIA team implements more advanced SVG support).