On Linux I use FontForge, which has three types of points: corner points, curve points and tangent points.
Now, in my (new) MacBook I've installed Glyphs, and I'm trying now to figure out how it works.
I note that in Glyphs the types of points allowed are however only two: in fact the tangent points are not counted.
What is the cause of this difference, and what can it lead to 1) drawing a glyph and 2) opening (import)) a file drawn with FontForge within Glyphs?
Thank you
m
Comments
But this low-level fact is usually abstracted away in font editors and drawing apps since it's easier for users to think in terms of the nodes (on-curve points) and handles (off-curve points) along continuous paths. Restricting handles to be aligned with straight paths or other handles is a function of the app, not the font format. What you're noticing is that the way this abstraction is handled in terms of UI and terminology differs among apps.
* You don't necessarily have to explicitly define on-curve nodes with TrueType paths in some situations. If you define two or more off-curve nodes in a row, virtual on-curve nodes between them are, in effect, created.