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Thread: Custom Symbols in MText

  1. #1
    100 Club JeffClark's Avatar
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    Default Custom Symbols in MText

    I'm in 2006 Map and 2006 LDT

    I've had a custom RomanS.shx for the past 15 years that has additional symbols in it that are not in the standard one.
    For example:
    %%150 = Centerline
    %%130 = Delta
    %%133 = Property Line
    %%201 - 210 = Roman Numerals, and more.

    They work great in old style single line text, but they have never worked in MText. I just get a question mark, until last week. The centerline symbol showed up in a piece of text imported from an outside DWG, but I could not figure out how. I could not see what code was there, it totally stumped me, but it got me thinking. Is it possible?

    Does anyone know how I can get these characters to show up properly in MText?

    And not the symbols that are in there via the U+ codes. They look so different than romans that I can not use them.

    Thanks for any help you can offer,
    Jeff

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    Certified AUGI Addict jaberwok's Avatar
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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    What font (not style) does the piece of text use? Is it a TrueType font?

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    100 Club JeffClark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    It was just plain old romans.shx.

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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    Quote Originally Posted by JeffClark View Post
    I'm in 2006 Map and 2006 LDT

    I've had a custom RomanS.shx for the past 15 years that has additional symbols in it that are not in the standard one.
    For example:
    %%150 = Centerline
    %%130 = Delta
    %%133 = Property Line
    %%201 - 210 = Roman Numerals, and more.

    They work great in old style single line text, but they have never worked in MText. I just get a question mark, until last week. The centerline symbol showed up in a piece of text imported from an outside DWG, but I could not figure out how. I could not see what code was there, it totally stumped me, but it got me thinking. Is it possible?

    Does anyone know how I can get these characters to show up properly in MText?
    While in the Mtext Editor right-click the Mtext and look in the right-click menu for "Symbol". If it's there (can't remember what version this was added) there should be several symbols to choose from to insert into the mtext. Highlight just the symbol you inserted and look at the font name. It will be different than the rest of the mtext. AutoCAD substitutes a TrueType font for all shx fonts in Mtext and uses others for the symbols. If you explode the Mtext to text you'll see the symbol is not in romans.shx.

  5. #5
    100 Club JeffClark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    Yea Tom, with the exception of the top 3, those are the U+ codes I refered to in my original post. They're not useable cause we are still doing everything with Romans.shx and they are too different looking. No TTF's being used here.
    Stone age, I know. Welcome to New Jersey, where modern technoligy means - it's been around for 20 years, now we'll use it....

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    Certified AUGI Addict jaberwok's Avatar
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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    The Mtext editor can only display everything by using truetype fonts and it picks the (TTF) font that it thinks is closest to the specified one (if the specified one is not a TTF).
    So, it could well be that your Text will normally show correctly but will show incorrectly in the editor.
    I think you should probably edit your codes (%%nnn) to Unicode format (U+nnnn).

  7. #7
    100 Club JeffClark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    Well.....that would be tough Jaber, as I "got" the romans file, I didn't "make" it, and I have no clue as to how to modify it. Tried a while ago, but couldn't find a way to "decompile" it back to an editable SHP file. The SHX font files are compiled and uneditable.

    It's lookin like the answer to my question is No. If I want to use the symbols in an SHX, gotta explode the MText. Bummer Dude.

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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    Well, romanS.shp is available on the 'net and so is a programme named shx2shp.exe; one or other might help you.

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    Certified AUGI Addict cadtag's Avatar
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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    but please. do the rest of the universe a favor -- and if you are modifying an autodesk supplied font, use a different name for you modified version. it's an epic pita to open a drawing, using nothing but standard names for the fonts, and then discover that random question marks are scattered throughout the drawing because the originator is using a tweaked .shx, but kept the name of the normal font.

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    Default Re: Custom Symbols in MText

    I agree Cadtag. I've learned how to deal with that issue, having used this shx file for over 10 years now. When we send dwg's out, I have a ReadMeFirst.txt that goes with them, explaining what's going on, and we always use eTransmit (I actually liked Pack-n-Go better) and include font files, shape files (we have a massive custom linetype setup), pen tables and such.
    Often, I get a response of "Hey thanks for that RomanS file. The symbols are great."

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