Font Libraries

Text fonts for use with MicroStation are stored in font libraries. Font libraries are resource files and typically have the extension “.rsc.” The Active Font for text placement is selected from those available in open font libraries. In a single font library, you can mix fonts of several different formats.

Fonts in the font libraries are distinguished name and number. In addition, you can assign to a font the following attributes:

• Description

• Fast font name — Identifies the font that is substituted for display purposes in views with the Fast Font attribute turned on (Settings > View Attributes) .

For display purposes, the default font is substituted in text whose font is not in an open MicroStation font library.

Finding fonts to install

The industry-standard fonts are typically available on your system.

Working with font libraries

The Font Installer dialog box (Utilities > Install Fonts) is used to insert fonts into font libraries. Also, you can use this dialog box to copy fonts between font libraries and to rename and renumber fonts in font libraries.

1. From the Utilities menu, choose Install Fonts.
   The Font Installer dialog box opens.

To insert fonts into an existing font library

1. From the Utilities menu, choose Install Fonts.
   The Font Installer dialog box opens.


2. In the Font Installer dialog box, click the Open button below the Source File list box.
   The Open Source Font Files dialog box opens.


3. From the Type option menu, choose the one of the following font types:
   — Font Cell Library [*.cel]
   — Font Library [*.rsc]
   — uStn V4/IGDS Fontlib [*.*]


4. Select a file that contains fonts to insert.


5. Click the Add button.
   Also, you can double-click the desired file.
   The selected file is added to the File List.


6. (Optional) Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add additional files of the same type to the File List.


7. Click the Done button.
   The fonts in the files are loaded and then are listed in the Source File list box of the Font Installer dialog box.


8. In the Font Installer dialog box, click the Open button located below the Destination File list box.
   The Open Font Library dialog box opens.


9. Select the destination font library, and then click OK.
   The fonts in the selected Open Font Library are listed in the Destination File list box. An asterisk (*) indicates the default font.


10. In the Source File list box, select the fonts to insert.
    Sample characters or symbols from the first font selected in the list box are displayed in the Font Sample section.


11. Click the Copy button to insert the fonts in the destination file.


12. (Optional) To install fonts from files of a different source type, repeat steps 3-7 to open the source files and then steps 10 and11.


13. To close the Font Installer dialog box, click the Done button.

When a font is installed in a font library, the name of the default font is automatically assigned as the fast font exceptMicroStation  for fonts imported from Version4 or earlier font libraries.

Because AutoCAD Shape files and TrueType fonts from your system— are available through the Text Styles dialog box see To set active text attributes— they do not need to be installed through the Font Installer dialog box.

To create a new font library and insert fonts in it

1. From the Utilities menu, choose Install Fonts.


2. In the Font Installer dialog box, click the Open button below the Source File list box.
   The Open Source Font Files dialog box opens.


3. From the Type option menu, choose one of the following font types:
   — Font Cell Library [*.cel]
   — Font Library[*.rsc]
   — uStn V4/IGDS Fontlib [*.*]


4. Select a file that contains fonts to insert.


5. Click the Add button.
   Also, you can double-click the desired file.
   The selected file is added to the File List.


6. (Optional) Repeat steps and 5 to add additional files of the same type to the File List.


7. Click the Done button.
   The fonts in the files are loaded and then are listed in the Source File list box of the Font Installer dialog box.


8. In the Font Installer dialog box, click the New button located below the Destination File list box.
   The Create Font Library dialog box opens.


9. Type a name for the new font library, and then click OK.


10. Click the Copy button to insert the fonts in the font library.
    The first font inserted in a new font library is the default font, which is indicated by an asterisk (*) next to its name in the Destination File list box.

To remove a font from a font library

1. From the Utilities menu, choose Install Fonts.


2. In the Font Installer dialog box, click the Open button below the Destination File list box.
   The Open Font Library dialog box opens.


3. Select the font library, and then click OK.
   The fonts in the Selected Font Library file are listed in the Destination File list box. An asterisk (*) indicates the default font, which is used to display text if its assigned font is not in an open font library.


4. In the Destination File list box, select the fonts to remove.
   Sample characters or symbols from the first font selected in the list box are displayed in the Font Sample section.


5. To remove the fonts, click the Remove button.
   An alert box opens asking you to confirm the removal of the fonts.


6. Click OK.


7. To close the Font Installer dialog box, click Done.

If the default font is removed from a font library, the next font inserted into the library becomes the default font. If a new font is not inserted, then Font 127 (CHAR_FAST_FONT) in the font library “ustation.rsc,” supplied with MicroStation, becomes the default font.

To change the name, number, or description of a font

1. From the Utilities menu, choose Install Fonts.


2. In the Font Installer dialog box, click the Open button below the Destination File list box.
   The Open Font Library dialog box opens.


3. Select the font library that contains the font, and then click OK.
   The fonts in the opened file are listed in the Destination File list box. An asterisk (*) indicates the default font, which is used to display text if its assigned font is not in an open font library.


4. In the Destination File list, select the font.
   The name, number, and description of the selected font and also the name of the fast font are displayed in fields at the bottom of the Font Installer dialog box.


5. To change the font name, type the new name in the Name field.


6. To change the fast font name, type the new name in the Fast Font field.


7. To change the font number, type the new number in the Number field.


8. To change the font description, type the new description in the Description field.


9. To close the Font Installer dialog box, click Done.