topic Re: Missing font 2017 in AutoCAD for Mac Forum

Missing font 2017

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 19:57:34 GMT

Hi I upgraded to 2017 AutoCAD and I'm missing the century gothic font. how do I upload the font into auto

CAD 2017

Re: Missing font 2017

imadHabash — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 20:03:36 GMT

Hi,

>> how do I upload the font into auto CAD 2017 <<

you can try C:\program files\autodesk\autocad 2017\fonts . which usually autocad consider it as support search path.

Regards,

Re: Missing font 2017

john.vellek — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 20:31:27 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

The Century Gothic font is a TTF one that is included with Windows. I have attached my copy for you in case yours is somehow damaged. Open and extract the four files in the Zip file. Then rt-click each one and select INSTALL.

Please let me know if this resolves your problem.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

Re: Missing font 2017

rkmcswain — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 20:32:59 GMT

If it's an .SHX font file, it just needs to exist in some path that is in the AutoCAD support file search path. I suggest creating your own personal folder (such as C:\CADSTUFF), put the file there, then add this path to the TOP of your support file search path. If you follow this, you only have to repeat that last step when you get a new PC, or move to a secondary one, etc.

If it's a .TTF font, you have to install it in Windows.

Re: Missing font 2017

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 21:08:18 GMT

Thanks, I am on a Mac . Do you think that would make this a different problem?

Re: Missing font 2017

john.vellek — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 23:21:44 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

Here is the one from my Mac. Please install it and let me know if that helps. The location on my Mac for the font is MacHD>Library>Fonts>Microsoft

Re: Missing font 2017

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 22:45:21 GMT

Hello Everybody,

I am attempting to help resolve this exact problem with AutoCAD for Mac 2017, but my particular problem might be a little different. Our office is PC based, but my boss recently switched to Mac and there have been some issues with fonts.

Our office standard text style uses Century Gothic, so it was being replaced on the Mac and causing problems when printing drafts or setting up text. To address this, we purchased and downloaded a version of Century Gothic onto his computer, added it to Fontbook and attempted to use it as the Alternate Font through the application pane of the preferences window. For some reason, using the .otf file, or any of the other True Type fonts listed in the pop-up window doesn't work. When I select any one of these fonts, the program doesn't seem to acknowledge this, failing to close the popup window or give any other sign of acceptance. If I restart AutoCAD after changing this, before I’ve even opened a document, the same pop-up appears, asking me to select an alternate font to replace one that’s missing.

I am able to see the new font I loaded in AutoCAD, and I can change text manually to Century Gothic Std (the mac compatible font name), but I’m really looking to have the problem solved automatically whenever a document is opened.

I have been able to make this function work perfectly if I chose one of the numerous .shx font files that are listed in the pop-up window, but it doesn’t work with true type fonts. I’ve also tried editing the Font Mapping File, but I’m not sure I had the syntax correct, and the changes didn’t take.

I have also contacted our AutoCAD distributor and had long conversations with their tech support staff and the best suggestion they could come up with was just installing the mac compatible font on all the PC’s in the office and then creating a new text style that uses that font for everyone to use. That’s totally fine if it’s the only solution, but it doesn’t exactly make it easier to use previously created documents. Suffice to say, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Re: Missing font 2017

john.vellek — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 22:49:42 GMT

Hi @Anonymous

The FONTALT variable is only to provide a font for when the correct font is not available. You should install a TTF or SHX (not OTF) font on each of your systems with the same corresponding Windows font installed on the PCs.

It is a good practice also to not just use the default 'Standard' style. If you have your own styles defined then you can easily map the font to the correct one.

Re: Missing font 2017

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 23:01:18 GMT

Thanks for the quick response.

I understand the intention of the FONTALT variable, but I was hoping to use it because it is not possible to install the exact same font on the mac, and there are hundreds of previously created drawings that we'd prefer not to have to change manually. My other thought was that if we can just have the Mac substitute for the missing font, I wouldn't have to go and changed something on every computer in the office. We do have our own Text Style that we use, but the problem is we can't use that windows compatible font on the Mac system. I tried taking it out of windows, but it wasn't recognizable. Whenever I open a document created on windows in AutoCAD for Mac, the old Century Gothic is replaced by the standard simplex.shx file dictated in FONTALT, and in the text editing menu the original font is marked with a yellow warning triangle.

Would I still need a TTF or SHX file on the Mac since I am able to manually select and apply the .OTF font?

Re: Missing font 2017

john.vellek — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 23:22:28 GMT

HI @Anonymous

AutoCAD cannot use OTF. Did you see my Mac font in post 6?

Re: Missing font 2017

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 23:27:54 GMT

No I did not, I will try that, thanks! I'm surprised to learn that AutoCAD doesn't use .otf, because I have been able to access and use an .otf font when manually editing the document.

Any idea why FONTALT would only accept .SHX files, and not even .TTF files?

Re: Missing font 2017

maxim_k — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 08:13:49 GMT

Hi Phil,

You created 3 posts about your issue and I decided to move conversation to one place:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-for-mac-forum/trouble-with-setting-an-alternate-font-in-autocad-for-mac-2017/td-p/7300114

Maxim