I am using FCP4.0.4.141.49 and Windows ME4.90.3000
Sometimes new facilities have side benefits which are not at first sight obvious. I use the Import function regularly and I’m still obtaining very poor angular traces even on very curved glyphs or parts of glyphs. Most of the points generated are on-curve and no matter how I adjust the values on the Trace page, very little difference is made. Here I have to admit that I haven’t a clue as to what the legends beside the field entry boxes mean (it isn’t explained anywhere) and I work by trial and error. The result can be seen in the left window below.
Here is how I obtained the better curves in the glyph on the in the right window:
- Double click the glyph in the Edit window to go into points mode
- Select all points in the glyph by dragging a rectangle round or select only the points in a section of the glyph and I prefer the freehand selection tool, or lasso, for this
- Press keyboard ‘F’ and all points change to off-curve points
- Immediatley problems are shown to be present on the ‘Add on-curve extremes’ button in the Validation toolbar (far right)
- Press this button and the one next to it, ‘Remove reduntant points’, if it shows that redundant points are present
- Better curves are now the result
So the Validation suite has uses other than for those for which it was intended.
Joe.