Text Component Editor Simplex vs Arial font

[RobertEVs]

When using Simplex text, which is the majority of our drawing style, the text component editor is near impossible to read for any style that uses a Simplex Font. Switch to a style using Arial font and it's very easy to read and edit. I am aware of the clear type text setting with Microsoft but that is not really the answer. 

Anyone ever get the component editor text clarity figured out using Simplex Style?

[ChrisRS]

Here is a blog post I created a couple of years ago:

civil3d-leveraging-label-legerdemain-a-series-i-can-see-clearly-now 

I use Arial, so I do not have a problem.

Working with a white background might help.

I suggest you temporarily change the text style to one that uses a TrueType font, edit the text component, then change it back.

Alternatively, you could change the text style to refer to the TrueType variant of Simplex (Simplex_IV50.ttf), work as usual, using the TrueType font, and change the style definition back to Simplex.shx later.

Here are a couple of ideas you may want to upvote.

Civil 3d Ideas: Add Background Color Control for Label Style Composer
Civil 3d Ideas: Fix Text Visibility if the Text Component Editor of Label Style Composer

I do not see Autodesk addressing this issue soon.

Good luck!

[user181 · Accepted solution]

Hi @RobertEVs  one thing you can do is use the STYLE command and edit your simplex text style and check the Use Big Font option. The text will look the same but you will be able to read the text in the text component editor.

[MMcCall402]

I thought this was just a matter of running the Cleartype windows function on the monitor settings.  Type cleartype in the windows search bar and follow the process to tune the monitor(s).    They gave me a new laptop a few weeks ago and I had to run this to make the text in the editor legible again.

[RobertEVs]

This worked perfectly. The clear type settings causes menu bar and other text items to appear slightly fuzzy. Thanks for the input

[ChrisRS]

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@user181 wrote:

Hi @RobertEVs  one thing you can do is use the STYLE command and edit your simplex text style and check the Use Big Font option. The text will look the same but you will be able to read the text in the text component editor.

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Nice. You taught me something new.

This seems like an easily workable solution.

Two small caveats:

1. There is some type of Unicode limitation for Big Fonts. I have no ideas if this in meaningful.
2. The text component editor uses TrueType fonts exclusively.
   The Autodesk-provided Simplex.ttf is very narrow.
   There being no @extfont2.ttf, some other TrueType font is used as a proxy.
   This font is very readable, but does not look like Simplex.
   Font fidelity is nice to have, but probably not necessary. I could live with it.
   Here is an example using Complex since the difference is more apparent.