Best Of New Brass EP-2 assembly & Mod clinic

[peteski]

Ron,
I've been using Corel Draw since version 3 (in the early 90s). I'm up to version 12 (which is also already obsolete).  None of the versions I used had any sort of font editor (TrueType or otherwise).  But TrueType fonts (as you found out) are vector-based sets of curves (just like what Corel Draw uses).  I suspect that what Bryan meant was that he simply creates the lettering he needs as curves in Corel, then he manually lines them up for his artwork.

BTW, while I feel comfortable using Corel Draw, I also probably use less than 10% of its capabilities (because that is all that is required to do what I need it to do).

As far as what you did here (a mini-font-creation tutorial within your EP-2 tutorial) is very nice and informative, but IMO a total overkill. Especially since you only created partial sets of characters.  There was no need to actually make it into a font. Fonts are good for when you need to create bunch of wording where the automatic kerning when using font works well.  But in this example, you actually don't use that feature of a font - you manually adjust kerning.   You could have been as well off if you simply created each letter as a Corel Draw curve, then manually aligned them to the prototype photos.

I suspect that you used a font editor since you started off with an existing font and you found it easy t edit the needed letters.   But what you could have done was to simply type up a string of the letters you wanted to modify from the original font as a artistic text in Corel. Then convert that text to curves. You would have then ended up with each letter being a curve which could have been edited in a way similar to what you did in the font editor.

I'm not saying that what you did is wrong - just an overkill.  I suppose that in defense of what you did was that a font editor usually provides extra drawing aids when editing the glyphs.   In any case, you achieved the desired result - you now have the artwork for the decals. 

[u18b]

sigh.....

I think my middle name is  "Overkill."   

[peteski]

sigh.....

I think my middle name is  "Overkill."   

LOL!  It is your hobby. As long as you're having fun with it then all is well. 


EDIT: LOL! changed "log" to "long". I don't know how I missed that. 

[bbussey]

Ron,
I've been using Corel Draw since version 3 (in the early 90s). I'm up to version 12 (which is also already obsolete).  None of the versions I used had any sort of font editor (TrueType or otherwise).  But TrueType fonts (as you found out) are vector-based sets of curves (just like what Corel Draw uses).  I suspect that what Bryan meant was that he simply creates the lettering he needs as curves in Corel, then he manually lines them up for his artwork...

CorelDraw 8 and up allows you to create TrueType fonts.  Your version 12 will do it.

[peteski]

CorelDraw 8 and up allows you to create TrueType fonts.  Your version 12 will do it.

Interesting - one character at a time. I just never explored that type of export in Corel. Good to know.
Google search gives some decent instructions on how to do it.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=truetype+fonts+creating+on+corel+draw

[Chris333]

After all this I want to see you make your own paint. 


And I think it means I have to step it up next time I build something...

[bbussey]

After all this I want to see you make your own paint. 

And I think it means I have to step it up next time I build something...

This from the man who regularly did his own two-step etching. 

[robert3985]

LOL!  It is your hobby. As log as you're having fun with it then all is well. 

A big +1

[u18b]

Hey Pete,

I'm just about ready to send you some stuff.

Check your PM.

[u18b]

I love this thread....   

Bob, your post really made my day.

Thanks to all for your following, and ideas.

[u18b]

Hopefully, this may be the last of the font creation posts.

Taking Bryan's suggestion to place whole words in a character key-  specifically  THE  and  ROAD.

So I double click on on of the glyphs.  But the space allotted is too small.
So I found the I could grab the right side line (not the left for some reason).
By grabbing it, you can drag it.
It turns green when you have hold of it.




Now, I am copying and pasting from other glyphs.
But I discovered something.
Font Forge likes to paste on the LEFT side.
So I found it worked better if I started at the end of the word.
Paste, move right.  Paste, move right.




Comparing to my prototype shot, I get the letters situated.
The whole word THE is what you get in the RailroadFair font when you type    <




ROAD was a little harder.  I moved the boundary as far right as I could go.
I then had to move the O out of the way so I could paste the R.




As I studied this view, I realized that the O was definitely too wide.
But the D and the R are as well.




That looks better.
This is what comes out when you type    >




Heck, while I'm at it, I also did the Class designation as one character.




And, I might as well do the numberboards.
This is what comes out when you type      #




I think I'm ready.
That looks good.
My letters are placed right over the prototype photo for exact spacing.




I then move that lettering to my sized photo of my boiler room.




So when I get the decals back from Peter, I should have no trouble fitting them- even WITHOUT lowering the separation.




And for Peter's purposes, I made him this image on my scanner.
He can place this in Corel Draw to get everything the size it needs to be.
The wall is 28.25 mm.
The orange stripe is about 3.5 mm.
I could stretch that to 4 mm but I'd rather not.

BTW- this also confirms that my stripe was only half a millimeter off (or less).  Not bad.

[u18b]

I emailed Peter:

The scan above
the side on prototype shot
the Railroad Fair truetype font
the Coreldraw 9 file I worked up
and a scan of the decal sheet.


He wants me to snailmail him some paint swatches.
Red primer.  Orange over that.

And then my suggestion for the maroon color for the letters.

I'll do that quick painting tomorrow and get it in the mail.


And now I think I hear a Little Joe calling my name.   

[Sokramiketes]

Ron, I don't believe the top of the 'A' in the block font is rounded. 

[u18b]

Ron, I don't believe the top of the 'A' in the block font is rounded.

Mikem
You may be correct.

But it doesn't look flat to me.
It is a fuzzy photo (zoomed in), but it looks curved to me.



I also checked and found it interesting that the decal maker sort of rounded his A too.



To be honest, this is so small, and the contrast between silver and orange is such that you can barely read the letters with your naked eye.
It is only in macro photos that it even shows.

[wcfn100]

I've come across this situations with my CGW lettering and I think what it boils down to is that if you were to see the original lettering drawn out on paper with all the dimensions and such, the 'A' would probably be flat.  But after hand stenciling and photographing, it starts appearing more rounded.

Fortunately N scale is generally too small for it to make much of a difference. 

Jason