It's currently impossible to create a text element in MicroStation that contains a drafting symbol (such as a center line). A drafting TrueType font library would solve that problem. MicroStation text could include the drafting symbol along with other glyphs. A TrueType font is installed in Windows' fonts folder and becomes available to all apps. on that computer. No only MicroStation, but other apps., such as Word, could understand and display that same text.
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Future consideration
I want to echo the fact that OpenRoads delivers an Engineering font set with the requested symbols, but not MicroStation.
This causes us issues as we have users that work on our civil projects that are not doing civil modeling with ORD, just basic CAD with MicroStation. When the ORD fonts are used in a file, then opened in MSTN, the fonts are not found and are replaced with a box character instead of the symbol that was placed. This character is not displayed correctly again once reopened in ORD, it remains a box until edited and fixed in ORD. (rinse and repeat...)
If Bentley is going to supply a font, it should be in the base product so that it works in all platforms.
Hello Jon, thank you for the great idea and for the clarification on requirement. We will take a look in your latest suggestions and try to assess it for future releases.
Andrew Bell over 1 year ago
Bentley does not supply True Type Font file but relies on those installed in the Windows/Fonts section. It appears that OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition is supplying TTF's but I do not think this will happen with MicroStation CONNECT Edition in the future. It would be better to search for companies that might produce these custom True Type Fonts but there is a simple way to create a TTF from any RSC font that you may have customized.
https://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/f/microstation-forum/14763/does-microstation-v8i-make-a-truetype-of-an-microstation-rsc-text/28303#28303
https://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/f/microstation-forum/91585/converting-vector-fonts-to-true-type-fonts/262713#262713
MaryB over 2 years ago
Absolutely! Even better if whomever creates one could create several for better compatibility - RomanS really doesn't look Tahoma doesn't look like Garamond. I don't think we'd need ALL the fonts covered, but ones for "stick", sans-serif and serif fonts would go a LONG way.
Oto over 2 years ago
For now none of fonts delivered with Windows is suitable for technical drawings. There are ISO fonts but they are not included and then it means still need to custom install them andthen no benefit of using Truetype fonts instead of MS fonts. We need option to install such fonts automatically if they are missing in system either from file or using Internet. Or better Bentley and Autodesk could push such font into Windows.
I see Trebuchet MS as best font for drawings(I-i or L-l is different and also 0 or O) but still not the best one.
Jon Summers over 2 years ago in reply toOto
A benefit of using a TrueType font is that the glyphs are rendered corrrectly not only in MicroStation but also in other applications, such as Microsoft Office.
You can install a TrueType font in Windows simply by double-clicking the *.ttf file.
Jon Summers over 2 years ago
There are font design tools, such as Fontlab's. You can create a new font library using those tools. That is, we would have a library of fonts available in Windows including the usual Arial, Times Roman, etc., with the addition of Drafting Fonts (or whatever you want to call it).
Installing a TrueType font library on Windows is very simple: double-click the TTF library, install, and start using!
Ron Jones over 2 years ago in reply toJon Summers
Another good font design tool is FontForge.
FontForge is a free and open source font editor, and it's very versatile. I have used it for a couple projects where creating some custom characters was very helpful.
John Frampton over 1 year ago
ORD delivers the series of Engineering(Type).TTF files. Maybe these should be delivered with the platform!