February 27’s update… was a big one
- New outline mode
- Icon mode
- Freeze handles
- Lock Unlock glyphs
- Grid
- Coordinates tooltip
- Enhanced performances, improved templates
New Outline mode – Fixed character size
From day one, FontArk proudly introduced the Outline width slider, enabling fast and smooth change to font “stroke” width. A side-effect of that feature was a change in characters size caused by the change of the Outline width.
Creating the Outline thinner causes a “character shrink” and made the glyph float above the Baseline. Making Outlines thicker causes the character to grow and overflow below the baseline.
Such changes demanded Matrix adjustments to achieve the original characters size and position after every Outline width change. These adjustments could be implied to all font glyphs at once but still it was kind of a bother. Not anymore!
The new Outline mode is doing just that. By enabling the “Fixed Character Size” mode, it is now possible to increase-decrease the Outline width while the characters size remains exactly the same, FontArk’s engine is making all the calculations and Matrix adjustments for you, leaving you only the Designer’s decisions to make and imply.
New feature – Icon mode
FontArk’s skeleton and the automatic outline system are great for type design and “stroke-based” shapes, but what about solid shapes?
Enabling the new Icon mode changes the “Double Lined Outline” to “Single Lined Outline”. The tool makes any closed skeleton line solidly filled (‘O’ becomes a filled black circle) needed for Icons drawings. The Skeleton remains and the single lined Outline functions quite similar to the double lined. Note that working with that mode in FontArk tool, you still benefit all the advantages of the SmartX’s system, Matrix and Outline width control.
To make several shapes intersect each other and create holes, make sure your upper shape’s path direction is opposite to the lower shape. (Counter clockwise/ Clockwise)
New Edit-path option – Freeze handles
This cute feature enable moving path Nodes while the Node’s handles remain in place.
New feature – Lock – Unlock glyphs
With all this characters synchronizing, sometimes we just need some character NOT to be changed and synced….Just lock it with the new Lock feature to keep it unchanged, even when selected.
New – Grid
Standard Grid is now part of the work area, spanning from 5×5 to 100×100 and fully snap-able. Toggle show/hide on the top left work area “G”.
New – Coordinates cursor display
Don’t look far for an object’s x,y position, cursor coordinates can now be floated next to the cursor. Toggled by clicking “C” in the “Show/Hide Area”.
Improved templates
As part of FontArk tool improvement, we’ve refreshed the Basic-round, Flint and Round-corners templates, and made them sexier.
Other extensive improvements in the form of bugs termination, performance enhancement and UI varnishing has been implemented and will keep standing in top of our priority list.
Stay tuned, a lot more is yet to come.
Enjoy type design
FontArk editor
