Getting Started with FontLab Studio
Setting Up the Application
View Menu / Toolbars
• Tools
• Panels
• Contour/Transform
View Menu / Show Layers • Nodes
• Control Vectors
• Connections
Window / Panels • Editing Layers
Preferences
Glyph Window / Advanced
• All BCPs are fixed
• When curve is selected keyboard adjust BCPs
• Align to all contour points if snap to contour is on
• Edit/Delete command breaks contour
• Panels
• Contour/Transform
View Menu / Show Layers • Nodes
• Control Vectors
• Connections
Window / Panels • Editing Layers
Preferences
Glyph Window / Advanced
• All BCPs are fixed
• When curve is selected keyboard adjust BCPs
• Align to all contour points if snap to contour is on
• Edit/Delete command breaks contour
FontLab Studio v.5 is a complex application that offers a vast array of tools and display options. This allows the user to create a personalized environment, tailored to the requirements of specific tasks and accommodating individual work habits. Although it is worth exploring these options they can be quite confusing at first. This is why I recommend setting up a very basic work space to get started. There are three places where these settings can be edited
The only toolbars I frequently use are called Panels, Tools and Contour. Each of those toolbars can be arranged separately, floating around the screen or snapped together into one solid toolbar just underneath the menu bar. I recommend the latter. Each of them bears a number of menu commands or tools represented by tiny buttons. Consult the ToolTips by hovering the cursor over one of those buttons to get an explanation and the keyboard shortcut for its functionality.
Tools
These are vector drawing and simple outline manipulation tools like rotate and scale. This toolbar corresponds largely with the one found in Illustrator.
All three toolbars docked together. While this is unfamiliar sight at first if you have Illustrator or Fontographer experience it helps unclutter the workspace. Hovering the mouse pointer over each button will prompt the tool-tips to display the keyboard short-cut for each button.
ToolsThese are vector drawing and simple outline manipulation tools like rotate and scale. This toolbar corresponds largely with the one found in Illustrator.
Panels
The twelve buttons in this toolbar will open a number of windows and panels of which only Editing Layers, Transformation and Preview panels seem of interest while drawing beziers.
The twelve buttons in this toolbar will open a number of windows and panels of which only Editing Layers, Transformation and Preview panels seem of interest while drawing beziers.
Contour/Transform
The most interesting functions here are horizontally or vertically flipping a selected outline, Merge Contour and Get Intersection which are simple Pathfinder filters
The most interesting functions here are horizontally or vertically flipping a selected outline, Merge Contour and Get Intersection which are simple Pathfinder filters
All three toolbars docked together. While this is unfamiliar sight at first if you have Illustrator or Fontographer experience it helps unclutter the workspace. Hovering the mouse pointer over each button will prompt the tool-tips to display the keyboard short-cut for each button.
Nodes Shows the nodes that make up the outline.
Control Vectors
When this option is switched on the tangents are visible at all times even when their node is not selected.
Connections
The two types of connection, smooth and sharp are indicated with a tiny x or o next to the node.
05 Editing LayersThe Editing Layers panel is one of the type designers permanent companions when working in the glyph window. It can be invoked through the menu "Window Panels." Most of the layers that can be hidden or shown in this Panel are also accessible through the "Show Layers" submenu in the "View" menu. However in the lower half of this submenu there are four options that can't be found in the Editing Layers panel. I recommend permanently switching on the options called Nodes, Control Vectors and Connections.
All BCP's are fixed
Keeps the tangents on extreme points horizontal (or vertical) when rubberbanding.
When curve is selected keyboard adjusts BCPs
Enables rubberbanding by arrow keys.
Align to all contour points if snap to contour is on
Makes nodes magnetic
Edit/Delete command breaks contour
Enables two different manners of deleting nodes. The difference lies in the way the node is selected.
• When a node is selected by clicking upon it hitting the delete (backspace) key will remove the node from the contour without actually breaking the contour. FontLab Studio will attempt to keep the outline as true to the curve it described before the node was removed. The behavior is comparable with the effect of the eraser tool located in the Tool bar.
• When a node is selected by drwing a selection over it hitting the delete (backspace) key will remove the node and break the contour.
Keeps the tangents on extreme points horizontal (or vertical) when rubberbanding.
When curve is selected keyboard adjusts BCPs
Enables rubberbanding by arrow keys.
Align to all contour points if snap to contour is on
Makes nodes magnetic
Edit/Delete command breaks contour
Enables two different manners of deleting nodes. The difference lies in the way the node is selected.
• When a node is selected by clicking upon it hitting the delete (backspace) key will remove the node from the contour without actually breaking the contour. FontLab Studio will attempt to keep the outline as true to the curve it described before the node was removed. The behavior is comparable with the effect of the eraser tool located in the Tool bar.
• When a node is selected by drwing a selection over it hitting the delete (backspace) key will remove the node and break the contour.
The Preferences are located in the FontLab Studio menu next to the Apple Menu. The most important settings for drawing type can be found in under Glyph Window, in the Advanced section.
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