topic Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 16:28:41 GMT

When exploding a text, Fusion360 try to generate curves from the glyph, but for any reason, converted curves lose tangency constraints.

here some results of the vectorization of the "&" in "Forte" typeface:

attached below, I get both in a single file and you can see the difference between the 2 vectorization.

the issue is that if surfaces generated by extrusion are not continuous and create some rendering artefact and issues when you try to round the edges or offset the surface.

could it be possible to enhance this feature and generate true tangent Bezier curves?

Many Thanks

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jeff_strater — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:06:04 GMT

long-delayed follow-up: It turns out that you did, indeed, discover a bug in the way that Fusion was extracting curves from a font. That bug has been fixed internally, it will take some time for it to make its way to a production build

Before:

after:

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:10:29 GMT

hi,

looks great, any chance to get it in beta(preview) before it comes in “production”?

thanks

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

helfenj — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:18:40 GMT

@jean-michel_legoff,

We will likely roll the fix to product without a "beta" as it isn't typically required for bug fixes.

As soon as this fix is available we can let you know.

Thanks,

John

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 11:27:37 GMT

Hello, @helfenj

I was expecting the resolution of this bug in this March update... but unfortunately it is not there.

Have you any idea how long we shall have to wait for it?

Instead of a beta, could it be a "preview feature" to be activated in the prefs?

Many Thanks

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 14:50:19 GMT

Hi, @helfenj , @jeff_strater

Am I wrong when I say that in the April's update, extruded editable text were correct (tangent curves) as well as exploded text curves?

Now it looks like you need to explode text in order to keep the tangency continuity of the curves.

Why this behavior?

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jeff_strater — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 01:11:48 GMT

I do not think that anything changed between then and now. I see the same geometry on directly extruded text and text that has been exploded.

do you have an example model that shows that directly extruded text has different continuity than exploded text?

@rohit.bapat - you were involved in the original fix. Do you have any reason to believe that this has regressed at all?

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 15:38:08 GMT

Yes it's simple to see the difference...
try to round an edge or analyse the curvature of the edge...

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 11:50:14 GMT

Hello,

is there still some development about this issue?

Even if exploding text in the sketch could be found as a workaround, it's a pity to have to explode the text when you need extruding it clean.

In some case, when the text must remain editable you break associativity if you have to explode it.

I'm using custom glyphs as logos to engrave parts.

@jeff_strater

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jeff_strater — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 15:37:52 GMT

no, there has been no change in this area. In all honesty, it is not a high enough priority right now compared to many other issues, so I don't expect this to change in the near future. Sorry not to have a better answer

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 09:55:39 GMT

Hello,
About Text, I have another request.
is it possible to export a "text" as real "text entity" in the DXF when exporting a sketch?
for any reason I get only a n empty rectangle instead of a text.
Many Thanks

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 10:47:59 GMT

Hello,

I was wondering if this topic could be reactivated?

If it has been almost resolved , it may be enhanced a little.
It's still an issue to have to "explode" text before using text as a profile...
It should be nicer to be able to extrude "text" as is, and keep "tangent continuity" between faces...
Many Thanks

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 09:57:53 GMT

Hello,

Is there any enhancement on this topic?

Until now, even if the issue has been a little corrected, the curves are still recomputed and mostly subdived in 2 to keep tangency. But the worst is that this correction occurs if you "explode" the text in the sketch.
If you don't you keep the first behaviour e.g. the curvature/tancy coninuity is lost.

Could it be possible to rework on this topic? and use text as fine as it is done in the other Autodesk Softwares Alais, Maya, 3DS Max? ...
Many Thanks

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

MichaelT_123 — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 11:09:17 GMT

Hi Fellows, Collègue J-M_L,

The issue still annoys some, like … a pebble in a shoe.

What is the nature of the problem? I mean … technical one.

Font glyphs are defined by a collection of (poly)line segments and Bezier curves with point coordinates limited to a grid of limited size (16x16, 32x32, …).

The underlying algorithms must be very efficient computationally and in terms of memory utilization.

The right image of the foundation post is an excellent example of it.

The Bezier curves mentioned can be quadratic and cubic types … with an efficiency trick implemented. When two quadratic representations are codded in succession… they are together considered as a cubic type.

Looking at the right image, it seems that F360 renders two quadratic Beziers separately instead of performing the necessary trick.

Here is a way to do it: extracted from FreeType code depository: https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/freetype/freetype2.git/tree/src/base/ftoutln.c

The following excerpt of the code and its implementation by TF360 … should throw the pebble away.

/* check first point to determine origin */ if ( tag == FT_CURVE_TAG_CONIC ) { /* first point is conic control. Yes, this happens. */ if ( FT_CURVE_TAG( outline->tags[last] ) == FT_CURVE_TAG_ON ) { /* start at last point if it is on the curve */ v_start = v_last; limit--; } else { /* if both first and last points are conic, */ /* start at their middle and record its position */ /* for closure */ v_start.x = ( v_start.x + v_last.x ) / 2; v_start.y = ( v_start.y + v_last.y ) / 2; /* v_last = v_start; */ } point--; tags--; }

... and by looking at the code simplicity ... the implementation should be brisk&quick, shouldn't it, Mr Strater :).

Regards

MichaelT

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:02:35 GMT

You may be right, but the tricky is that even if FT360 as enhanced a little the way Bezier curves are converted, this happens only if you explode the text manually in the sketch...
It's not happening when you extrude the profile on the fly...

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

MichaelT_123 — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:14:51 GMT

Fusion (as I understand) delegates Fonts/texts/glyphs processing to OSs which implement their own independent procedures,

However exploded glyphs are brought to Fusion domain. It seems that there is some inconsistency in the explosion procedure.

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 15:33:56 GMT

Hi,

Is there any enhancement on that topic?

The worst as I already said is that the fonts are well expanded in other Autodesk Package like Alias or Maya, and even 3DS Max I guess...
Why Fusion 360 can't use the same tools.

It's really a pity to be able to "explode" the text in the sketch, losing the way to edit the text parametrically.
and use the font as profiles.

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

terry_fusion — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:45:15 GMT

So is this going to happen anytime soon? It's been almost 4 years?

Seems to have dropped through the cracks/

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:05:45 GMT

I'm afraid, that it is not on the top of the pile...

Re: Curve continuity issue when exploding Text

jean-michel_legoff — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:08:46 GMT

The worst is that all Autodesk Tools works fine with fonts (Maya, 3DS MAx, Alias...)