Re: Fonts

>
>I have made a few hacks to the Bobcad native font, because some of the
>characters are UGLY! Unfortunately, I can't give it away, as it
>contains
>mostly Bobcad info. I could probably figure out how to use a source
>code control system to extract only the replaced characters and put it
>in a form that could be patched into anyone else's file. (The advantage
>
>is the native font is the only one that is not an outline, but just the
>vectors
>themselves. What I mean is that the Bobcad native font has NO
>thickness,
>and engraves as a single line, where all other fonts engrave as 2
>lines.)

Both Bobcad and Vector-cam have a "Cad" font that is engravable. Both leave a bit to be desired. They seem to have used only linear definitions, and that makes the fonts look faceted when scaled above about 1/8 inch. The arc-spline functions do not help much to improve the appearance.

We are just completing development of single stroke style Tru-type font that is composed of much smoother curves. It is intended primarily for metal working. The font will be useful for identification and serializing. It should make very good toolpaths for making raised letters in a molded part for example. The font should be available in about 2 weeks. I have seen the uppercase letters, they look very nice. They can be engraved directly with an endmill and retain their smooth appearance. Like all tru-type fonts, they are closed shapes, which results in double cutting of the letters, but unlike other Tru-Type fonts, they never leave any uncut area inside the outline.

I ran into a couple sets of this style of lettering on a German website a few years ago, but never had any luck dealing with the author. We are trying to set a value on the new font. Any suggestions? The ones in Germany were selling at that time for about $100.00 USD equivalent for each font.

On the subject of the Postscript to vector conversion. I looked at the documentation for GhostScript & Ghost View. It clearly states that you can translate Post Script and PDF files into DXF, and that the DXF can have arcs in the outlines. I have not had a chance to play with this program, but would be interested to hear from someone that has. This would be an excellent way to improve the transfer of output from Corel Draw to CNC machining. At the present time, as far as I know, all DXF files generated by Corel Draw are saved as "hair", or linear splines. Unless there is an option in Corel to specify output in DXF as Arcs, the GhostScript/GhostView program should be a very economical way to improve the quality of output for the translation.

Best Regards, Fred Smith- IMService
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