Arial Font Issue

[Anonymous]

OK. This has been an issue with me for years now, and I've tried searching this forum for answers to no avail. Since there are 130+ pages of Arial issues, I'm sure this one is not unique, but I thought I'd troll the forum to see if anyone has finally figured this out. To start with, I'm using vanilla AutoCAD 2017 on a 64 bit, Win7 Pro Machine with 16GB of RAM. I create what I call detail drawings, (which are basic line drawings) to show things like overall dimensions, certain heights, etc... I always add a line of text at the top of the drawing that identifies what the product is, using a defined Text Style called Arial, which of course uses the arial.ttf font. In a brand new drawing, the font always displays properly, and plots as searchable text in a PDF. At some point in time after closing, reopening, editing, etc... the drawing, the font gets corrupted and displays very irregularly, or very rastered. (See attachment) It's almost like it loses it's font info, because when I create a PDF with it like this, it's no longer recognized as a font. (I use AcropPlot to create the PDF files, and Adobe to do minor editing) I have tried using the Flatten command, I have tried setting Z elevation to zero, and I believe everything else that's been suggested, but nothing has worked. Arial is the only TTF that I use, so I have no idea if other TTF fonts have this same problem. Seeing as this font is used so heavily with AutoCAD, it just seems unlikely that this wouldn't have been addressed by AutoDESK by now. Obviously something I'm doing while in the drawing is causing this to happen, but I haven't the faintest idea what it is. I can be in the drawing and it's fine, close and reopen it at some point, and it's corrupted. Has anybody been able to figure out how to "fix" this once it happens?

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

It is hard to tell what you are explaining from the attached Word Doc. (In the future, try using the Windows Snipping Tool).  At any rate, it appears that your font (Arial) is not being embedded in your PDF possibly.  Can you attach a sample file along with any plot settings/procedures that you use?

Is there a reason you are not using the PDF drivers built into AutoCAD? I am happy to help make this 131st thread about Arial a quick an easy fix for you.

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

[pendean]

TTF fonts, when they get a Z setting (you know, XYZ directions in AutoCAD) tend to start looking fuzzy around the edges. Is that the look that is bothering you?

Either use FLATTEN command or switch to SHX fonts and the problem should go away.

If you still believe it's something else, post an actual DWG file with the problem, diagnosing CAD issues in pictures is not always possible.

BTW Learn to use the built-in Windows tool to get good screen captures and post at full scale, not in MSWord document https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13776/windows-use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshots

[BeKirra]

Sorry I usually do not download doc files from net...

Without looking your doc file my 1st guess is your Arial.ttf may be damaged.

Suggestion:

Open your dwg file on other machine. Can you tell if the problem is disappeared?

But to get member's help here, uploading a sample dwg file and screenshots does definitely save your time.

HTH

[-FDC-]

A Z-value or a slight rotation can cause this.

[Anonymous]

Hi John,

Creating the PDF file is not the problem at all, it's just a reflection of AutoCAD not recognizing Arial as a font. It doesn't matter what I use to create the PDF, and I've tried several including AutoCAD's. Once the font is corrupted, it's no longer recognized as a font, and instead is just converted as part of the entire image file. And to answer your question - I've been using AcroPlot for years, (I think back to v12?) light years before AutoDesk even thought about PDF's.  It's a fantastic program and the plotting engine is way more powerful that what comes with AutoCAD. But enough about that...

The problem lies within AutoCAD that something causes it to stop recognizing the windows font. It could be something that I'm doing, or it could be something with the program, or it could be something with windows. It's not like this happens everyday, but it does happen. My work around has been to create a new blank drawing, and then insert the original drawing (exploded) into it. This is the only "Fix" that seems to work. The downside for me is that I also create a lot of Model Space Views, so in larger drawings I have to recreate anywhere from 30 to 50 views. Time consuming and unproductive. Ugh! There used to be a sweet free program from DotSoft that imported views from one drawing to another, but it no longer worked once I went to version 2016. (I feel like all I'm doing is plugging other programs now!)

I work for a small woodworking company and probably 99% of what I do is 2D. I dabble with 3D solids when I create instruction sheets, and interestingly enough, I've never had a problem with Arial in Paper space. So, at least for me, the problem only occurs in Model space. This isn't a daily occurrence, more like getting a stone in your shoe every once in a while. I'd just like to know why or what causes it so I can avoid it from happening.

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Without seeing your steps and settings this is tricky to determine why it would happen in just modelspace.  Can you make a Screencast video that shows your steps and settings?  I am not sure that the font is "corrupt" but it might not get embedded or might be embedded as geometry rather than as a true font.

As others have suggested, this might have to do with the Z value as well.

I would love to see your video and a sample file if you can attach one.

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

[jggerth]

Without looking at the drawing, I am willing to bet a liquid lunch that your problematic text is at a non 0 elevation.  This is a known (and VERY  aggravating problem with AutoCAD's font rendering engine.

Run FLATTEN on the bad text, and that will clear it up.  Remember that everything in AutoCAD is 3D - whether you intend it to be or not.  Everything has a Z-value associated with it.

>> it's just a reflection of AutoCAD not recognizing Arial as a font. 

Certainly not the case, or you'ld have other errors and be unable to use or see any fonts.

[Anonymous]

Well, You'd be buying me a liquid lunch! 🙂 I have searched this forum off and on for years hoping someone could shed some light on this. I have tried everything I have found including Flatten and setting Z elevation to zero. Nothing makes a difference at all. The only thing that's worked for me is to open a new drawing based on the Acad template drawing, then insert the corrupted font drawing into it. This has always worked, and would be fine and dandy, except I lose my model space views. On small drawings it's not too bad to recreate them, but on larger drawings it's just time consuming and a PITA. Arial is basically the only true type font I use, everything else is built-in SHX fonts. As I mentioned previously, this only happens in Model Space. I've never had a problem with Arial in Paper Space. I guess I also didn't explain myself correctly when I said "it's just a reflection of AutoCAD not recognizing Arial as a font", because AutoCAD does indeed recognize it as a font in the drawing, it just just doesn't display it properly. That statement was just my hypothesis of why the font stops getting converted properly when I create a PDF file once the font display goes bad.

[cadffm]

I think i could know what is wrong, please attach one of your DWG with that issue, you can erase and purge all stuff if you lile.
Better is erase all except on Textobject.

[Anonymous]

Hello! I'm hoping you do! I've attached the file for you to experiment with. Another little tidbit of information that I discovered yesterday. If I copy and paste the "corrupted" font into a new drawing, it displays properly. If I copy and paste "good" text into this file, it takes on the display properties of what's in the drawing.

Good luck!

[-FDC-]

Looks fine over her (see pdf attached).

Did you try the "dwg to pdf" plotter?

[pendean]

>>>... If I copy and paste the "corrupted" font into a new drawing, it displays properly...<<<<
You seem to have found the fix for your one problem file.

[Anonymous]

Great! I was afraid of that! 😞  Thanks for looking!

[Anonymous]

Hi Dean, No not really because it doesn't do anything to fix the actual drawing with the problem.

Here's a question - I have 16Gb of RAM in my PC, but nothing dedicated exclusively to my graphics card. In fact, it's just the stock card that came with the PC. When I do a hide command, it routinely says "Not enough free RAM for HIDE--some lines will be hidden incorrectly". This is even on simple small drawings. Is it possible that this is causing the problem?

[-FDC-]

What graphics card or chip is it?

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

It is possible that the graphics card might have something to do with this problem.  What make and model is it?

If you change the visual style to anything other than 2D Wireframe can you then perform a HIDE?

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

[Anonymous]

Hi John, changing to another visual style does seem to include hiding the lines automatically. Depending on the style I choose, The only message I get is "Enhanced 3D performance is not available for the current visual style". Is this normal, or is it again just a limitation of my graphics specs?

I don't have a graphics card with my PC, so it's all built in to the motherboard. I use a Dell Optiplex 7010. My processor is an Intel Core i5-3470 @3.20 GHz. I have 16 GB of RAM, and it's a 64 Bit Win7 Pro OS w/SP1.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

This does sound like a limitation of your Intel HD graphics card.  You might see if there is a newer driver on the Dell site to improve the performance.  Another option would be to add a discrete PCI Express x16 graphics adapter. This unit seems to be a small form factor computer so you will need to be careful if you shop for another card so you can make sure it will fit in the chassis.

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

[Anonymous]

This tread shows the issue as being solved, but I don't believe it.  The issue is ONLY with the Arial font.  Other TrueType fonts don't have the same issue.  And this is all about the creation of PDF documents from AutoCAD.  Nothing in that process should have anything to do with the graphics card.  And why would the graphic card mess up Arial but not every other TrueType font?

What I'm seeing in our drawings is that Arial font seems to always get turned into graphics, and therefore looks pixelated if you zoom in close enough, despite having all the PDF settings set to embed all fonts and treat all fonts as text, not as graphics.  We've not found any other TrueType font to have this problem.  You can zoom in infinitely and the text always displays as crisp lines.

We see the same performance on multiple workstations in the office.

Is there just something flaky about the Arial font?  Are there other sources for this font?  I assume the copy we have is what came from Microsoft with our Windows operating system.

Andrew Blyholder