Configuring Visual TrueType

 

You can change general settings like sample text, text sizes, fonts, and file locations in the Options dialog from the Tools menu. You can change the rendering mode and other view options in the Display Options dialog from the Display menu.

 

Configuring general options

 

General Options

To change general options for Visual TrueType

1.       Select Options from the Tools menu.

2.      Select the Settings tab.

3.      Change any settings as you would like (see detailed descriptions, below).

4.     Click the OK button.

The settings on this tab are as follows:

Setting

What You Should Do

Extra Text text box

Type the sample text to be displayed at the top of the main window.

Size Run text boxes

Type the smallest and largest point sizes that appear in the size run (from 4 through 255) at the bottom of the Main window, as well as the Waterfall window.

Access glyph by index

Set this option to have the Goto Glyph dialog (accessible the Edit menu’s Goto -> Glyph command) default to accessing glyphs by glyph index. If this option is clear the Goto Glyph dialog will access glyphs by Unicode value. The Goto Glyph dialog has an option for both methods, and this setting merely sets the default.

Auto Zoom Main view

Set this option to automatically zoom and center the Main window each time you change size or character.

Auto-compile Main view

Set this option to automatically compile the glyph’s VTT Talk program each time you edit a visual hint. Note that if you do not have this option set, then you will not see changes to the glyph outline as you work.

Refresh Char set with Main view

Set this option to have Main window changes in grid fitting, rasterizer mode, size, and device resolution reflected in the Character Set window.

Syntax coloring

Set this option to highlight different syntactical elements in color in VTT Talk windows.

Sound effects

In older versions of VTT, this option

Legacy Compile

Set this option to ensure that your font will compile exactly the same as it did in Versions 4 and below of VTT.

Show Errors

Set this option to have VTT immediately display in the Error window any compilation errors found when VTT compiles VTT Talk or assembler code.

Show Warnings

Set this option to have VTT immediately display in the Error window any compilation warnings found when VTT compiles VTT Talk or assembler code.

Error and Warnings Limit

When you open a font, VTT will show a list of errors and warnings it detects in a font. If there are many errors and warnings in the font, this may slow down the process of opening a font file. To speed up opening time, you can set a limit on how many errors and warnings to display.

Gray scales

Set this option to configure the number of shades of gray used in GDI grayscale rendering.

Gamma correction

Set the gamma factor to be used in ClearType rasterizer modes.

Character set ppem size

Type the ppem size for text to appear in the Character Set window if the “Refresh Char set with Main view” option above is not set.

CMAP

Set this option to control the character set represented in the Character Set window.

Configuring general appearance options

 

Appearance Options

To change general appearance options for Visual TrueType

1.       Select Options from the Tools menu.

2.      Select the Appearance tab.

3.      Change any settings as you would like (see detailed descriptions, below).

4.     Click the OK button.

The settings on this tab are as follows:

Setting

What You Should Do

Show text labels

Set this option to show text labels on the toolbar buttons.

Show thick borders

Set this option to show borders between toolbar buttons.

Location

Set the location of the toolbar within the Main window.

Show large graphics

Set this option to show large icons on the toolbar. Otherwise, VTT will use small icons.

Control points

Set the size of control points in the Main window.

All other symbols

Set the size of other symbols in the Main window, such as hint arrows, etc.

Main font

Set the font to be used for labels in the Main window.

Main font size

Set the size of the above font in the Main window.

Text font

Set the font to be used in the text editor windows – i.e. the VTT Talk, Glyph Program, Control Program, Font Program, and Pre-Program windows.

Text font size

Set the size of the above font in the text editor windows.

Configuring Visual TrueType folders

 

Folder Options

To change file locations for Visual TrueType

1.       Select Options from the Tools menu.

2.      Select the File locations tab.

3.      Change any settings as you would like (see detailed descriptions, below).

4.     Click the OK button.

The settings on this tab are as follows:

Setting

What You Should Do

Work folder

Set the work folder.

Default folder

Set the default folder to use for opening and saving fonts.

TrueType talk

Set the location of the TrueType template files (cvttmpl.txt, fpgmtmpl.txt, and preptmpl.txt)

Configuring Main window display options

 

Display Options

To change Main window display options for Visual TrueType

1.       Select Options from the Display menu, or press Ctrl + D.

2.      Select the Glyph visuals tab.

3.      Change any settings as you would like (see detailed descriptions, below).

4.     Click the OK button.

The settings on this tab are as follows:

Setting

What You Should Type

Design options

 

Outlines

Set this option to show the glyph’s Bezier curve outline

Points

Set this option to show the points

Point numbers

Set this option to show the numbers of points (used in VTT Talk hint commands and TrueType Assembler code)

Show fewer points

Set this option to show only on-curve points. If this option is not set, VTT will show every point in the glyph.

Heights

Set this point to show vertical metrics lines (x-height, cap height, etc).

Metrics

Set this option to show horizontal metrics lines (origin and advance width).

Outline errors

Set this option to highlight outline errors.

 

 

Device options

 

Pixels

Set this option to show the rasterized pixels.

Grid lines

Set this option to show a pixel grid.

Pixel centers

Set this option to indicate the location of each pixel’s center.

VDMX heights

Set this option to show VDMX heights.

Instructed metrics

Set this option to show metrics after applying grid fitting.

Text

Set this option to show the test string at the top of the Main window. You can set this text string in the general options dialog.

Size run

Set this option to show the selected glyph in a cascade of sizes at the bottom of the Main window.

 

 

Rasterizer options

 

Follow gasp settings

Set this option to follow gasp table settings for any sample text.

Gridfit

Set this option to apply grid fitting to the outline and resulting rasterized bitmap.

Gray scale

Set this option to rasterize with the GDI gray scale technique used by Windows 95 through Windows XP.

ClearType Gray

Set this option to rasterize with the ClearType Gray technique introduced in Windows 8.

ClearType

Set this option to rasterize with the color ClearType technique introduced in Windows XP.

CT (comp. AW)

Set this option to show ClearType text with compatible widths.

CT (BGR order)

Set this option to show color ClearType text with BGR subpixel order.

CT (fract. AW)

Set this option to show ClearType text with subpixel widths (sometimes called subpixel positioning). Works with both ClearType and ClearType Gray.

CT (anti-aliased)

Set this option to rasterize in ClearType with vertical antialiasing as introduced with DirectWrite. Works with both ClearType and ClearType Gray.

Display sbit

Set this option to show embedded bitmaps.

 

 

VTT General

 

Stroke angle

Set this option to display the stroke angle drawn with the Stroke Angle tool.

X-direction

Set this option to show horizontal visual hints

Y-direction

Set this option to show vertical visual hints

 

 

VTT attributes

 

Anchors

Set this option to show an indicator when points are anchored via a YAnchor or XAnchor command.

Rounding method

Set this option to add an indicator to points to show the rounding method used on those points.

CVTs

Set this option to show a highway shield on any visual hints associated with a CVT.

CVT numbers

Set this option to show the assigned CVT number in the highway shield icon on a visual hint.

Minimum distance

Set this option to show an icon on visual hints when a minimum distance has been set.

Ppem limits

Set this option to show an icon on Align commands when ppem limits are set.

 

 

VTT commands

 

Links and dists

Set this option to show Link and Dist commands.

Shifts

Set this option to show Shift commands.

Interpolates

Set this option to show Interpolate commands.

Aligns

Set this option to show Align commands.

Strokes

Set this option to show Stroke commands.

Moves

Set this option to show Move commands.

Deltas

Set this option to show Delta commands.

 

Configuring options for displaying color fonts

 

Options for color fonts

To change options for displaying color fonts

1.       Select Options from the Display menu, or press Ctrl + D.

2.      Select the Color visuals tab.

3.      Change any settings as you would like (see detailed descriptions, below).

4.     Click the OK button.

The settings on this tab are as follows:

Setting

What You Should Type

Enable color

Set this option to show glyphs in color based on COLR and CPAL table entries.

Palette

Type the number of the CPAL palette to use to proof color glyphs.

Foreground RGB

Type the RGB values to use for any glyphs that reference the “default color” in the COLR table (i.e. paletteIndex 0xffff).

Background RGB

Type the RGB values for the color to display behind the glyph.