Hi,
I would like to engrave some text with a cnc machine and I am wondering how I could easily create a skeleton or stick font from an existing font?
I have tried using Freeform curve but it is fastidious and also it as to be done over if I change font style.
Gaston

Hi ggagnon,

I have tried this for you,

I found this site http://www.fontspace.com/category/skeleton
Selected:
SketchBones.ttf
SketchFonts.txt

And downloaded these two files and saved them in the
c:\windows\fonts map

Then i started Moi3d and selected the drawsolid\text command
Searched for SketchBones and it worked

If you want to modify them just select the borders and copy\paste
to create new curves which you can modify the way you want

Thank you Paolo,
I'm sorry if my question was not clear. What I want is create single line type of font.
Nonetheless you answer is interesting as it shows how to add new font to MOI3D.
Gaston

Hi Gaston, is what Paolo wrote above what you were asking for when you mentioned "skeleton font" (font with bones in it), or were you asking about something else like getting fonts that are made up of a single central line instead of for filled text.

Normal TrueType fonts are set up to be a filled area instead of a single central curve line, but I think that there are some out there for CNC that are made up of only central lines and not filled. To find some you might try a search for something like:
"single stroke" truetype

I'm not entirely sure if those will work properly with MoI, but I think probably so if you choose the "Create: Curves" option.

When you use the Draw solid / Text command to create text geometry, that Create: option is near the bottom of the options panel, by default it tries to create solids but you can set that option to make it create only curves instead which sounds like it may be what you need in this case.

- Michael

Hi Gaston, looks like we were writing at the same time in that last message.

It was funny because being close to Halloween it could also be a time that someone would want an actual "skeleton" font like that as well! :)

- Michael

Michael wrote:
Normal TrueType fonts are set up to be a filled area instead of a single central curve line, but I think that there are some out there for CNC that are made up of only central lines and not filled.


This is exactly what I want to do: Reduce the original truetype to a a central curve line.
Freeform works but it is very tedious.
The best result I achieve so far is by using Offset and adjust the distance value then deleting extra lines. But it still require a lof of manipulation and does not equally well for all font.
MOI being what it is for miracle could there be a single magic button somewhere to do do this :)
Gaston

Hi Gaston, I see what you mean - produce the skeleton from an existing font.

No unfortunately there isn't anything built in to MoI to help you calculate that, and I probably will not be able to do anything for that anytime soon... It's a rather difficult problem to solve well with an automatic algorithm, fonts are not restricted in any way to have even thickness in them, and the skeleton may have things like many branches within it (like for example with a Y) instead of just one continuous line.

I think that most of the time when someone wants a skeleton font for CNC they will end up using a font that is defined as a skeleton already in its basic definition.

Like if you find some of those "single stroke" fonts, that's how they are set up - those fonts are not filled-area fonts but defined only by stick-like single lines, like the old style fonts for AutoCAD.

If you could find those kinds of fonts they would be set up for what you need already, rather than trying to reverse engineer the skeleton from a "filled area" style font.

- Michael

Thank you Michael,
For the record here is the solutions I found to use this kind of font in MOI3D.

1. For fancy shape, resembling existing fonts (filled area style font), I use Offset to reduces the font to a skeleton with very acceptable result.

2. For simple stick font, install a free program called DeskEngrave by http://www.deskam.com/deskengrave.html
At installation the font Stick40.ttf is added to \Windows\Fonts and therefore usable in MOI3D.

Gaston

Hi Gaston, a few other resources where you may find some stick fonts:

http://www.featurecam.com/general/support/engrave_fonts.asp
http://www.mr-clipart.com/files/freestuff/files/31012101.zip

Some for sale here:
http://www.mr-clipart.com/int/anzeigen_font.php?art_id=2&seite=1&Anzahl=16

There may be something like an extra line added to close the start to end when you use them in MoI, you may need to use Edit/Separate to break it into segments and delete the extra line.

- Michael

Very helpful.
Thank you
Gaston

This not what you are looking for?

Brian

http://www.dafont.com/search.php?psize=m&q=bones

Free Font 3D http://www.armanisoft.ch/webdesign/elefont/Elefont.html

A curiosity!
http://www.alphabetsynthesis.com/

@ Pilou,
> A curiosity!
http://www.alphabetsynthesis.com/

Maybe we can make a MoI community language with these alien fonts, very cool :)

---------

@DAny
My try :)
And the True Type file result linked :)
So you can decode :D

Happy Halloween !