VTT Version 6.31 release [Nov, 2018 ]

Mike Duggan

Download is available here

What’s new?

Version 6.31 [October, 2018 release]

The following are the changes since the 6.30 [August, 2018 release] release of VTT:

Introduction of “follow gasp” mode where text displayed in VTT can follow gasp table settings. Previously, VTT supported editing of the gasp table but text displayed in VTT would not follow gasp table settings. The “follow gasp” mode is an optional mode where text displayed in the main windows, sample text view, waterfall view and char set view will render according to appropriate gasp table settings. For more details on this mode, see the updated help file, Using Visual TrueType: The Basics > Grid-fitting and Scan-conversion Procedure (gasp)

Various bug fixes.  Bug fixes including fix bug with importing glyphs from a “large” font, fix tag swap bug in TSIC table which is source table for cvar variation table, fix autohinter bug.

Viktor Rubenko

Hi, Mike.
Could you add ResYLink tool in future builds and shortcut for it like F1(YLink)+alt or something like that.
ResYDist is very useful but it’s time consuming to change YDist manually in VTT talk.

Mike Duggan

hi Victor, thanks for the feedback. I cant promise any timeline on such a feature. You can however, hint the font using YLink, and or YDist, then export File > Export as xml, then edit that file to find and replace, all YDist with ResYDist, re-import the xml, (File > Import from All code from XML) and compile everything for all glyphs. (Tools > Compile > Everything for all glyphs) and save. 

Viktor Rubenko

Mike Duggan said:

export File > Export as xml, then edit that file to find and replace, all YDist with ResYDist, re-import the xml, (File > Import from All code from XML) and compile everything for all glyphs. (Tools > Compile > Everything for all glyphs) and save. 

Yeah, I've already thought about that but I often use mix of ResYDist and YDist, so it's not an option for me

Mike Duggan

thanks. yes I see. well perhaps in that case, if one was used many more times, it might be easier to make the xml edit, and then re-edit the ones you want to be ydist only. 

Viktor Rubenko

Also it would be nice to add 'undo' flag to 'Control program' window if it's possible. Because if I change anything there by mistake I can't just press Ctrl+Z to get it back.

Viktor Rubenko

Another wish for future builds:
Shortcut for "Show fewer points" display option.

In some fonts, if I don't use Autohinter outline modification, VTT doesn't show necessary points because they are off-curve, or when I need to move points by hand, I must go to Display options (Ctrl+D) and click on "fewer points" opt, then, after making all corrections, repeat it. So it would be cool to increase speed up this with shortkey.

Viktor Rubenko

Is there a syntax for VTT Talk for set of points?
smthng like 

YDelta(12..15,-1@12)

instead of

YDelta(12,-1@12)<br>YDelta(13,-1@12)<br>YDelta(14,-1@12)<br>YDelta(15,-1@12)

jansindl3r

Hi, 

https://github.com/jansindl3r/VTT-XML-update

I have done this tool to update VTT's exported XML file with all instructions to new glyph order of the same typeface you are working on in VTT. I did it for my own purpose and I thought that others might find it useful as well. If there is another way of doing this, sorry I didn't know about it. I tried to use Fonttools only and import SPI tables from one file to another but it failed when compiling in VTT. In some cases when compiled, contours behaved very weirdly.

I would appreciate any comment or recommendation for improvement.

Download it, run it in cmd with Python 3 and use --help to get hints on how to use it.

I hope that someone will find it useful

Viktor Rubenko

jansindl3r said:

Hi, 

https://github.com/jansindl3r/VTT-XML-update

I would appreciate any comment or recommendation for improvement.

Don't see how you handle with Glyph program
For composite glyphs it looks like this:

USEMYMETRICS[]
OFFSET[R], 1209, 0, 0
OFFSET[R], 118, 195, 130
CALL[], 27, 28, 88

where 1209 and 118 on the 2nd and 3rd line are baseGlyphs id
so if you change glyph order those number must also change in exported VTT code.

It should work like this:
https://github.com/ViktorRubenko/font_scripts/blob/master/vtt_xml_update.py

jansindl3r

Hi @Viktor Rubenko,

Thanks for pointing out this, I didn't realize it. Don't you want to become a collaborator for this on GitHub? Or can I get inspired by your code? Does anyone actually use this to write their glyph programs? Punkier way would be to remove all glyph programs and let generate them in VTT from VTT talk. I have commited this solution for now. Works fine now

Viktor Rubenko

jansindl3r said:

Or can I get inspired by your code? 

You can use it as you wish.

jansindl3r said:
Does anyone actually use this to write their glyph programs? Punkier way would be to remove all glyph programs and let generate them in VTT from VTT talk. I have commited this solution for now. Works fine now

I use it for manual control positions of components.

For example:
this is what generated by autohint:

USEMYMETRICS[]
OFFSET[R], 68, 0, 0
OFFSET[R], 106, 28, 0
SVTCA[Y]
CALL[], 55, 17, 1, 1, 50, 86
SHC[2], 2
SHC[2], 3
SVTCA[X]
CALL[], 46, 64, 31, 33, 21, 87
SHC[2], 2
SHC[2], 3

This is what you get by compiling VTT xml with empty Glyph program:

USEMYMETRICS[]
OFFSET[R], 68, 0, 0
OVERLAP[]
OFFSET[R], 106, 28, 0

jansindl3r

@Viktor Rubenko Thanks for your insights. I use a different workflow for positioning accents vertically, but I guess that here you can control even horizontal positioning? I use white CVT's for accent's parent glyph to set vertical position. I will definitely have a look at your solution and get inspired. Thanks

Viktor Rubenko

@jansindl3r
You can control both vertical and horizontal positioning by CALL[], 86 and CALL[], 87 assembler like commands

GregHitchcock

You probably would want to support OFFSET with both 'R' and 'r', e.g. OFFSET[R] and OFFSET[r]. Also, the SOFFSET command supports a glyph number as well.

Viktor Rubenko

GregHitchcock said:

OFFSET[R] and OFFSET[r]

What's the difference between them?

GregHitchcock

OFFSET[R] rounds the offset values to the pixel grid while OFFSET[r] does not round the values to the pixel grid.

Viktor Rubenko

GregHitchcock said:

OFFSET[R] rounds the offset values to the pixel grid while OFFSET[r] does not round the values to the pixel grid.

Is there something similar for FDEF[], 86?
Because accents are slightly blurred with DirectWrite and changing round methods doesn't help.

Viktor Rubenko

Relative cvts (with "~") for stems width does not work for variable fonts.
It works in VTT preview, but not in browser.

GregHitchcock

Viktor: Does it work anywhere else besides VTT preview?

Viktor Rubenko

I don't know.
I have Photoshop CC 19 with variable fonts support, but I can’t see a hinting through it.

I've found that the strange behavior of relative strokes ​​is observed at a small size, after a certain threshold almost all pixels match.