The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
10/7/2010
Posts:
335
Minecraft:
Nuinethir
Member Details
Since Kahr updated MCpatcher to version 2.2, implemented was a feature that allows texture pack creators to make customized fonts that actually work. This is something I have been waiting for for a very long time, especially since I play SMP and do NOT enjoy the default font destroying my eyes! And how many custom fonts are out there? Not many at all!
So, after working on a font file I had been saving for a few months, I took the liberty of creating an Excel spreadsheet to quickly create the code needed to set the tracking (spacing between characters) for a font PNG file, based on Kahr's instructions. The link to this Font Calibrator file is below. The file has instructions in it, but if you need help, post here and I can try to help. (Keep in mind this was created in MS Excel 2010 and should work with Excel 2007.)
Now that that's out of the way, here is the font I created using Adobe Photoshop 6.0 (yes, it is super old but it works great!) and my Excel helper file. The font name is Berylium created by Typodermic Fonts, which I retrieved from www.dafont.com, a website that hosts a wide range of fonts. As this font is public domain/free to use, feel free to throw it in your texture pack, just remember to give credit where it is due!
Feb. 21, 2012 - UPDATE! I have updated the Excel spreadsheet to accommodate more characters that are frequently used by other languages. The characters in WHITE are now supported, whereas red characters are not. If I have missed any other characters, please feel free to message me and I will update the file. (Note: I will not add the various icons/borders/greek characters as they are very infrequently used.)
A few images below show what the font looks like in chat, menus and on a sign. If you like it, you can download it via the link below. Enjoy!
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Join Date:
10/7/2010
Posts:
335
Minecraft:
Nuinethir
Member Details
I am quite surprised I didn't see more response to this. To think everyone is crazy about editing texture packs, why doesn't anyone ever consider the font? For SMP, adding a font to your pack is a godsend to the eyes of the users that install it. Hope this gets noticed!
Great font,how can i scale it down for my texture pack which is 16x16?
You really can't without making it look terrible. You can however install MCpatcher to use the font at its present resolution, but keep your pack at 16x. It is a little known fact that you can mix and match different texture resolutions. Try it.
While this font contains all of the characters, the problem is the size of each characters (image below). See how tall the characters are? This means that the font will be very small on screen to compensate for the character heights.
When I first import a font, I first look to see which characters are highest and which are lowest, then put them on each line to line them up with the grid. In this font's case, it was the | (pipe) and capital J. I then scale the font to fit within the box, this image showing the font for a 128x pack. I tried this with another font and it turned out really bad.
When taking a font into consideration, try to keep the process above in mind. Very tall or very wide characters while sometimes looking very good tend to turn out bad because of the constraints of the Minecraft font file. Find me a goodie and it's all yours. :smile.gif:
I did the Nine font, as it looked fairly easy. However, when scaled down to interface/chat it doesn't look so great. On signs it looks very cool. Here is a download link for it. Hope you like it!
It looks good on ur pictures, it looks horrible in my game :C
Horrible as in how?
If the spacing on the font looks too far apart or too close together, then you haven't patched your .jar with the latest MCpatcher, version 2.2. That was the whole point of this thread. Please check the link to MCpatcher and update your minecraft.jar.
What program do you use to make them? Beacuse when i went over the characters in fireworks they appear alot less sharp so in game they are easier to read... However it might just be my laptop of course!
I use an old version of Photoshop (6.0, circa late 2000), simply because it does exactly what I want it to and never needed to upgrade (the windows act a bit strange on Windows 7 though).
The font is white on transparent, no anti-aliasing. I didn't think I could use anti-aliasing, but I suppose it is worth a shot. It would make the font a lot smoother, but I wasn't sure if Minecraft would support it.
Also, if you are running OptiFine, that might do something too. I don't run OptiFine.
I use an old version of Photoshop (6.0, circa late 2000), simply because it does exactly what I want it to and never needed to upgrade (the windows act a bit strange on Windows 7 though).
The font is white on transparent, no anti-aliasing. I didn't think I could use anti-aliasing, but I suppose it is worth a shot. It would make the font a lot smoother, but I wasn't sure if Minecraft would support it.
Also, if you are running OptiFine, that might do something too. I don't run OptiFine.
The font only supports partial transparency (anti-aliasing) if it appears with a background like on the achievements. However, if it is just a screen overlay all the semitransparent pixels with a opacity value of about 9.5% or higher become solid opaque.
The only way I could get MCpatcher and optifine to work together is by disabling the HDfont option when installing the MCpatcher; this would, of course, render the whole font thing pointless because optifine has not caught up with MCpatcher yet on font and animation support.
I originally dropped in to say THANK YOU!
I have spent 20+ hours messing around with the danged font for my pack. Then you come along and give us that spreadsheet. I put together a font in less than an hour and I think it looks rather nice for the theme of my pack.
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"Look, I don't care if your 8 or 20. If you can't take criticism or opinions, then get off the internet." -Stronghold257
The font only supports partial transparency (anti-aliasing) if it appears with a background like on the achievements. However, if it is just a screen overlay all the semitransparent pixels with a opacity value of about 9.5% or higher become solid opaque.
The only way I could get MCpatcher and optifine to work together is by disabling the HDfont option when installing the MCpatcher; this would, of course, render the whole font thing pointless because optifine has not caught up with MCpatcher yet on font and animation support.
I originally dropped in to say THANK YOU!
I have spent 20+ hours messing around with the danged font for my pack. Then you come along and give us that spreadsheet. I put together a font in less than an hour and I think it looks rather nice for the theme of my pack.
Thanks for your support! If you know anyone else that is interested in making their own fonts, please feel free to point them in this direction. Also, I think your font is quite good! Excellent work! :smile.gif:
I don't understand what values I need to enter in certain cells of the calculator. Can you explain what data you enter in "Individual Character Size" (E25) and the "Pixel" Column (H)?
Font sizes are based on the cross measurement of the capital "X". So for example if I have a 72 px font, then I know at least my capital "X" is 72 pixels across diagonally, but I wouldn't know the cross-length of the other characters without manually measuring them.
Do I need to individually measure the cross-length of each character and enter this into the (H) column? Or do I run plug these cross-lengths into (E25) and the widths into column (H)?
I'm very confused on what to do, and I don't want to go through several hours of trial and error trying to figure out how to work the calculator. Please expound on the instructions.
I don't understand what values I need to enter in certain cells of the calculator. Can you explain what data you enter in "Individual Character Size" (E25) and the "Pixel" Column (H)?
Font sizes are based on the cross measurement of the capital "X". So for example if I have a 72 px font, then I know at least my capital "X" is 72 pixels across diagonally, but I wouldn't know the cross-length of the other characters without manually measuring them.
Do I need to individually measure the cross-length of each character and enter this into the (H) column? Or do I run plug these cross-lengths into (E25) and the widths into column (H)?
I'm very confused on what to do, and I don't want to go through several hours of trial and error trying to figure out how to work the calculator. Please expound on the instructions.
Thanks.
I think you are making this too complicated. You only edit the two pink fields, then fill in the width of each character in the H column. How you align each character vertically in your .png file is up to you.
In the Excel file, the only thing you need to do is to first select the size of your texture pack from the drop-down menu in E20. It then performs a look-up on the second sheet and returns the values in E23, E24, E25. You do NOT change these values.
You can edit the spacing between characters using the E26 cell.
Basically, this is how I do it:
1. Choose the resolution (I use 128x or 1024x1024). Make a grid of 16x16, each grid space being 64 pixels (the maximum character width for the example I used).
2. Create an entire font layer in Photoshop with these characers:
3. Set the font you want. Do NOT use anti-aliasing or it will severely complicate things and most likely mess up your work.
4. Scale the font so that the top of the tallest character and the bottom of the lowest character equals your character size (in this example, 64 pixels). Usually, the pipe character | is a good indicator. When you find these two characters, put them at the beginning/end of each line. It will help you align them later.
5. Render the font, and then align each character with the grid, keeping the characters lined up with your low/high characters. (Best to use the original Minecraft font file behind your layer slightly faded so you can tell where the characters go.)
6. When you are done, you have to measure the exact width of each character in pixels and enter it into the Excel spreadsheet. It might be easier to write them down as you go, then use the keypad to enter them into Excel instead of switching windows about a hundred times.
7. Follow the rest of the directions for completing the accompanying .properties file.
So, after working on a font file I had been saving for a few months, I took the liberty of creating an Excel spreadsheet to quickly create the code needed to set the tracking (spacing between characters) for a font PNG file, based on Kahr's instructions. The link to this Font Calibrator file is below. The file has instructions in it, but if you need help, post here and I can try to help. (Keep in mind this was created in MS Excel 2010 and should work with Excel 2007.)
Now that that's out of the way, here is the font I created using Adobe Photoshop 6.0 (yes, it is super old but it works great!) and my Excel helper file. The font name is Berylium created by Typodermic Fonts, which I retrieved from www.dafont.com, a website that hosts a wide range of fonts. As this font is public domain/free to use, feel free to throw it in your texture pack, just remember to give credit where it is due!
Berylium font for MCpatcher v2.2+
Feb. 21, 2012 - UPDATE! I have updated the Excel spreadsheet to accommodate more characters that are frequently used by other languages. The characters in WHITE are now supported, whereas red characters are not. If I have missed any other characters, please feel free to message me and I will update the file. (Note: I will not add the various icons/borders/greek characters as they are very infrequently used.)
A few images below show what the font looks like in chat, menus and on a sign. If you like it, you can download it via the link below. Enjoy!
Creator of PureBDcraft and other things... https://BDcraft.net / @Sphax84 / @Cubik_Studio
You really can't without making it look terrible. You can however install MCpatcher to use the font at its present resolution, but keep your pack at 16x. It is a little known fact that you can mix and match different texture resolutions. Try it.
This font would be missing quite a few characters, such as brackets, braces, et cetera. I try to stick to these characters for full compatibility...
If you find a more compatible font, let me know and I will work on it for you.
While this font contains all of the characters, the problem is the size of each characters (image below). See how tall the characters are? This means that the font will be very small on screen to compensate for the character heights.
When I first import a font, I first look to see which characters are highest and which are lowest, then put them on each line to line them up with the grid. In this font's case, it was the | (pipe) and capital J. I then scale the font to fit within the box, this image showing the font for a 128x pack. I tried this with another font and it turned out really bad.
When taking a font into consideration, try to keep the process above in mind. Very tall or very wide characters while sometimes looking very good tend to turn out bad because of the constraints of the Minecraft font file. Find me a goodie and it's all yours. :smile.gif:
I did the Nine font, as it looked fairly easy. However, when scaled down to interface/chat it doesn't look so great. On signs it looks very cool. Here is a download link for it. Hope you like it!
Minecraft "Nine" Font
THE STRONGEST ODOR BLOCKER IN THE GALAXY
Horrible as in how?
If the spacing on the font looks too far apart or too close together, then you haven't patched your .jar with the latest MCpatcher, version 2.2. That was the whole point of this thread. Please check the link to MCpatcher and update your minecraft.jar.
I slapped it onto my Faithful 32x pack, really awesome.
I use an old version of Photoshop (6.0, circa late 2000), simply because it does exactly what I want it to and never needed to upgrade (the windows act a bit strange on Windows 7 though).
The font is white on transparent, no anti-aliasing. I didn't think I could use anti-aliasing, but I suppose it is worth a shot. It would make the font a lot smoother, but I wasn't sure if Minecraft would support it.
Also, if you are running OptiFine, that might do something too. I don't run OptiFine.
The font only supports partial transparency (anti-aliasing) if it appears with a background like on the achievements. However, if it is just a screen overlay all the semitransparent pixels with a opacity value of about 9.5% or higher become solid opaque.
The only way I could get MCpatcher and optifine to work together is by disabling the HDfont option when installing the MCpatcher; this would, of course, render the whole font thing pointless because optifine has not caught up with MCpatcher yet on font and animation support.
I originally dropped in to say THANK YOU!
I have spent 20+ hours messing around with the danged font for my pack. Then you come along and give us that spreadsheet. I put together a font in less than an hour and I think it looks rather nice for the theme of my pack.
Thanks for your support! If you know anyone else that is interested in making their own fonts, please feel free to point them in this direction. Also, I think your font is quite good! Excellent work! :smile.gif:
Font sizes are based on the cross measurement of the capital "X". So for example if I have a 72 px font, then I know at least my capital "X" is 72 pixels across diagonally, but I wouldn't know the cross-length of the other characters without manually measuring them.
Do I need to individually measure the cross-length of each character and enter this into the (H) column? Or do I run plug these cross-lengths into (E25) and the widths into column (H)?
I'm very confused on what to do, and I don't want to go through several hours of trial and error trying to figure out how to work the calculator. Please expound on the instructions.
Thanks.
I think you are making this too complicated. You only edit the two pink fields, then fill in the width of each character in the H column. How you align each character vertically in your .png file is up to you.
In the Excel file, the only thing you need to do is to first select the size of your texture pack from the drop-down menu in E20. It then performs a look-up on the second sheet and returns the values in E23, E24, E25. You do NOT change these values.
You can edit the spacing between characters using the E26 cell.
Basically, this is how I do it:
2. Create an entire font layer in Photoshop with these characers:
3. Set the font you want. Do NOT use anti-aliasing or it will severely complicate things and most likely mess up your work.
4. Scale the font so that the top of the tallest character and the bottom of the lowest character equals your character size (in this example, 64 pixels). Usually, the pipe character | is a good indicator. When you find these two characters, put them at the beginning/end of each line. It will help you align them later.
5. Render the font, and then align each character with the grid, keeping the characters lined up with your low/high characters. (Best to use the original Minecraft font file behind your layer slightly faded so you can tell where the characters go.)
6. When you are done, you have to measure the exact width of each character in pixels and enter it into the Excel spreadsheet. It might be easier to write them down as you go, then use the keypad to enter them into Excel instead of switching windows about a hundred times.
7. Follow the rest of the directions for completing the accompanying .properties file.
If you have further problems, please let me know.
Thanks a ton, that cleared up a lot of air.