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ResourceImporterDynamicFont

Inherits: ResourceImporter < RefCounted < Object

Imports a TTF, TTC, OTF, OTC, WOFF or WOFF2 font file for font rendering that adapts to any size.

Description

Unlike bitmap fonts, dynamic fonts can be resized to any size and still look crisp. Dynamic fonts also optionally support MSDF font rendering, which allows for run-time scale changes with no re-rasterization cost.

While WOFF and especially WOFF2 tend to result in smaller file sizes, there is no universally "better" font format. In most situations, it's recommended to use the font format that was shipped on the font developer's website.

See also ResourceImporterBMFont and ResourceImporterImageFont.

Tutorials

Properties

bool

allow_system_fallback

true

int

antialiasing

1

bool

compress

true

bool

disable_embedded_bitmaps

true

Array

fallbacks

[]

bool

force_autohinter

false

bool

generate_mipmaps

false

int

hinting

1

Dictionary

language_support

{}

int

msdf_pixel_range

8

int

msdf_size

48

bool

multichannel_signed_distance_field

false

Dictionary

opentype_features

{}

float

oversampling

0.0

Array

preload

[]

Dictionary

script_support

{}

int

subpixel_positioning

1


Property Descriptions

bool allow_system_fallback = true

If true, automatically use system fonts as a fallback if a glyph isn't found in this dynamic font. This makes supporting CJK characters or emoji more straightforward, as you don't need to include a CJK/emoji font in your project. See also fallbacks.

Note: The appearance of system fonts varies across platforms. Loading system fonts is only supported on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.


int antialiasing = 1

The font antialiasing method to use.

Disabled: Most suited for pixel art fonts, although you do not have to change the antialiasing from the default Grayscale if the font file was well-created and the font is used at an integer multiple of its intended size. If pixel art fonts have a bad appearance at their intended size, try setting subpixel_positioning to Disabled instead.

Grayscale: Use grayscale antialiasing. This is the approach used by the operating system on macOS, Android and iOS.

LCD Subpixel: Use antialiasing with subpixel patterns to make fonts sharper on LCD displays. This is the approach used by the operating system on Windows and most Linux distributions. The downside is that this can introduce "fringing" on edges, especially on display technologies that don't use standard RGB subpixels (such as OLED displays). The LCD subpixel layout is globally controlled by ProjectSettings.gui/theme/lcd_subpixel_layout, which also allows falling back to grayscale antialiasing.


bool compress = true

If true, uses lossless compression for the resulting font.


bool disable_embedded_bitmaps = true

If set to true, embedded font bitmap loading is disabled (bitmap-only and color fonts ignore this property).


Array fallbacks = []

List of font fallbacks to use if a glyph isn't found in this dynamic font. Fonts at the beginning of the array are attempted first, but fallback fonts that don't support the glyph's language and script are attempted last (see language_support and script_support). See also allow_system_fallback.


bool force_autohinter = false

If true, forces generation of hinting data for the font using FreeType's autohinter. This will make hinting effective with fonts that don't include hinting data.


bool generate_mipmaps = false

If true, this font will have mipmaps generated. This prevents text from looking grainy when a Control is scaled down, or when a Label3D is viewed from a long distance (if Label3D.texture_filter is set to a mode that displays mipmaps).

Enabling generate_mipmaps increases font generation time and memory usage. Only enable this setting if you actually need it.


int hinting = 1

The hinting mode to use. This controls how aggressively glyph edges should be snapped to pixels when rasterizing the font. Depending on personal preference, you may prefer using one hinting mode over the other. Hinting modes other than None are only effective if the font contains hinting data (see force_autohinter).

None: Smoothest appearance, which can make the font look blurry at small sizes.

Light: Sharp result by snapping glyph edges to pixels on the Y axis only.

Full: Sharpest by snapping glyph edges to pixels on both X and Y axes.


Dictionary language_support = {}

Override the list of languages supported by this font. If left empty, this is supplied by the font metadata. There is usually no need to change this. See also script_support.


int msdf_pixel_range = 8

The width of the range around the shape between the minimum and maximum representable signed distance. If using font outlines, msdf_pixel_range must be set to at least twice the size of the largest font outline. The default msdf_pixel_range value of 8 allows outline sizes up to 4 to look correct.


int msdf_size = 48

Source font size used to generate MSDF textures. Higher values allow for more precision, but are slower to render and require more memory. Only increase this value if you notice a visible lack of precision in glyph rendering. Only effective if multichannel_signed_distance_field is true.


bool multichannel_signed_distance_field = false

If set to true, the default font will use multichannel signed distance field (MSDF) for crisp rendering at any size. Since this approach does not rely on rasterizing the font every time its size changes, this allows for resizing the font in real-time without any performance penalty. Text will also not look grainy for Controls that are scaled down (or for Label3Ds viewed from a long distance).

MSDF font rendering can be combined with generate_mipmaps to further improve font rendering quality when scaled down.


Dictionary opentype_features = {}

The OpenType features to enable, disable or set a value for this font. This can be used to enable optional features provided by the font, such as ligatures or alternative glyphs. The list of supported OpenType features varies on a per-font basis.


float oversampling = 0.0

If set to a value greater than 0.0, overrides the oversampling factor for the font. This can be used to render the font at a higher or lower resolution than intended without affecting its physical size. In most cases, this should be left at 0.0.


Array preload = []

The glyph ranges to prerender. This can avoid stuttering during gameplay when new characters need to be rendered, especially if subpixel_positioning is enabled. The downside of using preloading is that initial project load times will increase, as well as memory usage.


Dictionary script_support = {}

Override the list of language scripts supported by this font. If left empty, this is supplied by the font metadata. There is usually no need to change this. See also language_support.


int subpixel_positioning = 1

Subpixel positioning improves font rendering appearance, especially at smaller font sizes. The downside is that it takes more time to initially render the font, which can cause stuttering during gameplay, especially if used with large font sizes. This should be set to Disabled for fonts with a pixel art appearance.

Disabled: No subpixel positioning. Lowest quality, fastest rendering.

Auto: Use subpixel positioning at small font sizes (the chosen quality varies depending on font size). Large fonts will not use subpixel positioning. This is a good tradeoff between performance and quality.

One Half of a Pixel: Always perform intermediate subpixel positioning regardless of font size. High quality, slow rendering.

One Quarter of a Pixel: Always perform precise subpixel positioning regardless of font size. Highest quality, slowest rendering.


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