From VFB to UFO to TrueType?

[Paul Flo Williams]

Several of the League of Movable Type faces are mentioned on the Fonts
Wishlist, with caveats that they should be built from source.

In this case, the source is VFB, FontLab's format. In order to go from
here to OTF, we must apparently package RoboFab, according to the advice
on the wiki pages, so we can export UFO using RoboFab, and feed this into
FontForge.

However, I've just taken a look at RoboFab, and I can't see a way in which
it can be used to export UFO from a VFB file without having FontLab
installed. You can certainly go from TTF or Type 1 to UFO, but going from
VFB requires that FontLab has already loaded the VFB.

Firstly, has anyone examined RoboFab more closely and can tell me that I'm
missing something?

Or alternatively, would it be OK to package the TLOMT fonts with OTFs in
their zips without going from source?

[James Cloos]

> > > > > "PFW" == Paul Flo Williams  writes:

PFW> However, I've just taken a look at RoboFab, and I can't see a way
PFW> in which it can be used to export UFO from a VFB file without
PFW> having FontLab installed ... going from VFB requires that FontLab
PFW> has already loaded the VFB.

I reached the same conclusion about robofab vs vfb files some time ago.

Although I have not re-checked, I doubt that will ever change.

-JimC

[Dave Crossland]

On 27 June 2010 13:35, James Cloos  wrote:
> I doubt that will ever change.

FontLab has said they will move to a file format based on UFO in the
future. UFOv3 specs are being developed with this in mind, AFAIK.

[James Cloos]

> > > > > "DC" == Dave Crossland  writes:

DC> FontLab has said they will move to a file format based on UFO in the
DC> future. UFOv3 specs are being developed with this in mind, AFAIK.

Cool.  Good to know.

-JimC

[Dave Crossland]

On 22 June 2010 15:36, Paul Flo Williams  wrote:
> Or alternatively, would it be OK to package the TLOMT fonts with OTFs in
> their zips without going from source?

I suggest that packagers contact the font developer and ask them to
generate UFO sources that are equivalent to the VFBs.

The LOMT fonts are all pretty simple fonts, so what the "source"
information in the VFBs actually _is_ is guides and background layers,
I suspect. This can be contained in a UFO or SFD, afaik :-)