From Fontlab to Robofont

Yomar Augusto

Hi guys, hope you all are great, healthy and well....
I am looking for a simple way to open my font lab files into Robofont in a simple way...
From the robofont site
"The easiest way to export UFOs from FontLab (version 4 or version 5) is by using Tal Leming’s UFOCentral python script. If you don’t have RoboFab installed, do so first. Install the linked script into your user/Library/Application Support/FontLab/Studio 5/Macros folder. After doing so, restart FontLab if it was running, and go to the macros panel. You should see ‘UFOCentral’ as an option now. With a VFB(s) open, run the script, selecting the Export checkbox. Be sure to select the ‘Format 2’ option (it is the default). The script will then export your VFB(s)."
Looks like a NASA rocket manual, do you guys have any tips?

Mark Simonson

It's not really that hard, but it may seem that way if you have not installed or run scripts in FontLab.

Alternatively, you can use FontLab's free vfb2ufo command line tool. Again, if you have not used the command line before, it may seem daunting. But it's actually even easier than UFO Central for converting from FontLab to UFO. You don't even need FontLab.

You can get it here: http://blog.fontlab.com/font-utility/vfb2ufo/

Once you have it installed (pretty easy), open the Terminal app, type vfb2ufo followed by a space, drag your FontLab file(s) onto the Terminal window, then press return. The UFO file(s) will be placed in the same folder as your FontLab file(s).

Yomar Augusto

Appreciate that Mark, going to try it out. Have a great weekend. -Yo

Dave Crossland

Yomar, that documentation predates Fontlab's own tool which Mark linked to by several years. 

You could also try FL6 for such conversion; its the same engine as that little Terminal tool.

Chris Lozos

I find the FLVI quite easy and good at switching formats.

Yomar Augusto

Sweet, going to try. kinda "save as" thing ;-)

Yomar Augusto

thank u!