Feature #3254 Embed font into FCSTD file for better model exchange between different systems

[GeneFC]

What's the difference between redistributing and embedding font files???

I believe most embedded fonts cannot be readily extracted for further use or distribution. "Installable" fonts can be extracted for other uses apart from the original dcument.

Gene

[DeepSOIC]

Yet embedding is allowed.

What's the difference between redistributing and embedding font files???

I agree, it's all very confusing.


But in the end, it is user's responsibility. FreeCAD should let them do what they want, that's FOSS after all. FreeCAD can display a reminder to check font's license.

Embedding an image raises similar license questions, and we have it already.

[NormandC]

I believe most embedded fonts cannot be readily extracted for further use or distribution.

I wonder if it would be possible to do that here. But I don't see how, I guess anyone could simply unzip the FCStd file and copy the font contained.

FreeCAD can display a reminder to check font's license.

That makes sense.

[UR_]

... I guess anyone could simply unzip the FCStd file and copy the font contained.

More or less, it's the same as with other files containing embedded fonts.


https://stackoverflow.com/questions/348 ... font-files

[wandererfan]

Maybe a function to remap paths when fonts aren't found?

Do you mean to convert a ShapeString into a "dumb" set of curves, breaking the link to the font? Inkscape can do that. (On the other hand, this is already possible by using Draft Downgrade)

I was thinking directory paths. If the font isn't found, offer up a file chooser for a local alternate.

[Kunda1]

Old-school merging topics from: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38643
where the following posts were made and are relevant and appropriate for this discussion:

The maintainers at github in charge of the project are the ones who changed it to a relative path. I had it in e:\downloads\fonts when I made the model.

Also relative path to font file does not work under windows. I tried "assets/asimov.otf" and "./assets/asimov.otf"

Thanks for this. Interesting problem. I think at least it will work for some (I tested and it works on GNU/Linux), whereas with absolute paths it will work for none, right? Any other proposed solutions?

Ok, so we have indeed a regression. I tested with the slightly outdated version below and it can handle a font path of the form
myFontDirectory/fontfile.ttf which uses myFontDirectory below the current directory of the FreeCAD file.

The new Link objects respect relative paths to subfolders but not to the current directory .

And how do you even use relative paths? This can only happen when you manually type in the path into the edit field while when using the browse button always an absolute path is returned.

This kind of reediting manually is necessary if you try to move your FCStd file and corresponding stuff like tff files, which are refereed by your FCStd but are not included, to your team mate on a separate machine.

Apparently we are talking about App::PropertyFile and not App::PropertyFileIncluded, right?

Just want to make sure we didn't lose track of this side-thread

Edit: This is all related to: issue #3254
Wrong paths to fonts occur when you exchange models between different systems. An 'Embed' option would be useful

[onekk]

Maybe a more unified solution would be using free fonts in TTF format.

These font will be placed in the FreeCAD sources, maybe a decent front could be some of the font included say in LibreOffice.

A reduced count maybe be One for "Sans Serif", "Serfi" and "monospace", maybe one "Handwritten" font.

At least this will work for Windows and Linux and other Unix systems, I don't know much on MacOS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droid_fonts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_fonts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_FreeFont

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-sour ... _typefaces

Some interesting article on Web Safe Fonts

https://web.mit.edu/jmorzins/www/fonts.html

I don't know if is feasible, but with some FreeCAD images weighting 500 Mb i don't think that choosing two or three fonts will be a big wheight increase.


Regards

Carlo D.

[catman]

Please let me highlight this still up-to date thread is from 2018. The issue and ticket remains open.


Currently I have a file that is using a custom font file for Draft Annotations. I do attach it as TTF file to the project.
To send this file to another FreeCAD user he/she must add the font to the draft preferences of their installation just to see the file. For more files its necessary to install the font to their system (where it will likely remain forever )

Maybe its a step forward to agree on a possible solution, that someone may end up implementing sometime?

My suggestion from a user perspective:

Code: Select all

Draft/Annotation/Properties/View:
   Font Name                 Arial                                 # thats used  today, a fixed selection list
   Font Path Override    data/myfont.tts                # project local path overriding the default Font Name

When "Font Path Override" is empty Arial will be used, else the path.

[Kunda1]

Thanks for your feedback on this. Hope we can discuss this issue and find a solution before v1.0 release. Or else we're going to give a lot of FreeCAD users headaches.