font listing and export

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ljbuller
Active Member
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:52 am

font listing and export

Post by ljbuller » Sun Sep 22, 2019 5:35 pm

using Windows 10 and QCAD 3.23.0
text input.png
text input.png (8.96 KiB) Viewed 8378 times
Help me understand. The font selection looks like it should be True type as designated by the "TT" at the left of the font listing.
However it does not appear on my windows/font folder, but it does appear on my program files/qcad/fonts/cursive.cxf

using dxf version
$ACADVER
1
AC1018

this is how the text style appears in the dxf
0
STYLE
5
31C
330
239
100
AcDbSymbolTableRecord
100
AcDbTextStyleTableRecord
2
textstyle11
70
0
40
0.0
41
1.0
50
0.0
71
0
42
0.2
3
Cursive <-----shows just the base font name, not the extension
4

0
ENDTAB

This is how the text entity shows in the dxf
0
TEXT
5
235
330
253
100
AcDbEntity
8
online
100
AcDbText
10
-0.0004585629929852
20
0.0002011780341213
30
0.0
40
0.1
1
test
7
textstyle11 <----only a style reference
100
AcDbText

The only dxf reference to the font is in textsyle11 which does not indicate the font type

The dxf files are used in engraving and must have the same font information as the person doing the drawing. The user doing the engraving is likely not the person doing the drawing and may not have access to the cxf files.

1. Is there a way to restrict font selection in QCAD to ONLY True type. At least identify truetype or shx or cxf?

2. Is there a way to identify that a font is a cxf. for instance textstyle1 in this dxf is listed as ltypeshp.shx. couldn't the cursive font be saved as cursive.cxf ?
text app pref.png
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1.DXF
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CVH
Premier Member
Posts: 3416
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: font listing and export

Post by CVH » Sun Sep 22, 2019 6:36 pm

These are CXF fonts.
https://qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?&t=4899
...and others

QT can't make the difference.
And displays them as TTF.
Regards,
CVH

ljbuller
Active Member
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:52 am

Re: font listing and export

Post by ljbuller » Sun Sep 22, 2019 10:01 pm

Andrew,
If I save a dxf file with a cxf font, i.e. cursive.cxf, close, then reload it, Qcad can tell that it is one of the cxf fonts. How does it do that? does it just look at the list of cxf fonts and see if it is on that list?

Since the extension is included for a .shx font in the dxf file, why can the .cxf extension not be included?

CVH
Premier Member
Posts: 3416
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: font listing and export

Post by CVH » Mon Sep 23, 2019 6:41 am

ljbuller wrote:
Sun Sep 22, 2019 5:35 pm
The dxf files are used in engraving and must have the same font information as the person doing the drawing. The user doing the engraving is likely not the person doing the drawing and may not have access to the cxf files.
When I understand this correctly,
you are saying you have an engraver that can handles fonts like TTF?
Then my second question must be: Which engraver? Or, Which driver?
My third: Does it do this with fairly good results? 2-2.5-3D?
My fourth: What did it cost buying / What does it cost annually?
Because when affordable, all my problems are solved in one blow.

CXF is the counterpart of single stroke, single line fonts.
By Andrew and for Qcad.
TTF, open type,... for that matter are pocket fonts.

Exploding a CXF, you get basic line features an engraver can follow as a path.
No matter what kind or what size of cutter you put in it.
Exploding TTF, you will get pockets to fill in/out, called pocketing.
Here everything depends on the cutter kind and size.

Normally one extra step is needed after CAD.
And that is CAM.
Doing something with what is in the drawing.

The CAM I use:
Inputs only dxf,
can drill at points and circles,
or Engrave line based,
or offset closed paths,
or pocket closed paths.
And that will be it.

There are several ways how a CAM fills in a pocket and this mostly depends on the engraving method.
In mechanical engraving, spiral pockets are one of the better options.
Cutters and in special engraver points like it steady if you want to get some life out of them.
A cross zigzag hatching may be the fasted and the cleanest way with laser engraving.
Laser burns, scorching is cumulative.

If you have an engraver that does all this from dxf in one go, I want it!

Regards,
CVH
Last edited by CVH on Tue Aug 15, 2023 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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andrew
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Posts: 9037
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:07 am

Re: font listing and export

Post by andrew » Mon Sep 23, 2019 7:37 am

ljbuller wrote:
Sun Sep 22, 2019 5:35 pm
1. Is there a way to restrict font selection in QCAD to ONLY True type. At least identify truetype or shx or cxf?
Yes, under Edit > Application Preferences > Draw > Text > Use reduced selection of fonts:

You can find a list of all CXF fonts (the ones to disable) under fonts in your QCAD installation directory. CXF fonts are also listed at the top of the font list in alphabetical order. TTF fonts are listed below CXF fonts.
ljbuller wrote:
Sun Sep 22, 2019 5:35 pm
2. Is there a way to identify that a font is a cxf. for instance textstyle1 in this dxf is listed as ltypeshp.shx. couldn't the cursive font be saved as cursive.cxf ?
No, that would not be DXF standard conform. DXF uses shx files. QCAD does not support the .shx font format. Other CAD don't support .cxf.

ljbuller
Active Member
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:52 am

Re: font listing and export

Post by ljbuller » Mon Sep 23, 2019 5:03 pm

CVH
you are saying you have an engraver that can handles fonts like TTF?
Then my second question must be: Which engraver? Or, Which driver?
My third: Does it do this with fairly good results? 2-2.5-3D?
Our product is the Panel Pro found at www.bullerent.com
My fourth: What did it cost buying / What does it cost annually?
Because when affordable, all my problems are solved in one blow.
Our product is developed for the Aviation field sheet metal, primarily instrument panels. It performs cutting, engraving, laser, and reverse3 engineering (measuring of instrument panels) It will handle sheets up to 59" x 25" it has a z axis travel of 3.1". It is full 3d capable, however most of the cutting actions are 2.5D. The user sets a cutter diameter and cut depth. AvCAM reads the dxf, calculates the tool path and lead in ramps, simulates the cut and does this in a graphical way as opposed to a numeric gcode display. There is no separate CAM needed.

Since it was developed for this particular market, we can make assumptions that make it really suitable. Many of the shops that use this machine are small to medium size companies.

Say a user needs a sheet metal bracket or doubler or something like that. It can be drawn out, clamp a piece of aluminum on to the Panel Pro mounting bars and have it in your hand in just a few minutes.

The Panel Pro can do cutting, engraving, laser, measure and trailing point cutter as well as gcode.
Most actions are controlled by layer names. i.e. entities on a layer called outside will cause the tool path to be generated on the outside in a cw direction.

AvCAM calculates an engraving tool path for true type fonts, either inside the lines or on the outline of the true type font. At the moment AvCAM can only handle true type fonts so when a user sets a cxf font, AvCAM substitutes Arial.ttf. This is my reason for identifying the font type.
My users can explode the cxf and cut it online if desired.
if you want more info, PM me and we will chat some more.

ljbuller
Active Member
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:52 am

Re: font listing and export

Post by ljbuller » Mon Sep 23, 2019 5:10 pm

CVH,
one more thing You asked about cost. With all the accessories your looking at $22k There are no software subscriptions or support costs.

Andrew,
Thanks for the suggestion to untick the first entries on the reduced selection of fonts. That should have occurred to me. I would still like to see what type of fonts they are though, cxf or TTF

CVH
Premier Member
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Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: font listing and export

Post by CVH » Tue Sep 24, 2019 8:18 am

I would use CXF as it was intended.
As line art.

Regards,
CVH

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andrew
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:07 am

Re: font listing and export

Post by andrew » Tue Sep 24, 2019 8:20 am

ljbuller wrote:
Mon Sep 23, 2019 5:10 pm
I would still like to see what type of fonts they are though, cxf or TTF
The fist part of the list (first alphabetical list until "Unicode") are all CXF fonts. The rest are TrueType or other system fonts.

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