Example based automatic font generation

Authors :

Rapee Suveeranont

Takeo Igarashi

similar work: http://www.pilothandwriting.com/en/

Summary:

Goal: editing and creating a new font with font editor is difficult. correcting spline requires expertize. So reduce the work in generating a font.

Steps to create a font:

- sketch the alphabet sample with pen.

- overlay the alphabet skeleton to correct the sample.

- correct the sample(also called skin) using the overlaid skeleton.

Blending/ modifying the font.

- using various properties the skin/ sample can be modified.

- transform (shear, shrink...) the skeleton to change the skin and see the change in the UI.

Algorithm:

Once the sample alphabet is drawn by the user. The application fits the simplest skeleton to the skin drawn. (topological problems - Q). After fitting the skeleton, the system automatically corrects the skin based on the skeleton.

While blending, 2 weights are generated - one for the skeleton and one for the skin. the font is then mapped to the nearest font skin in the available database.

results:

- generating skeleton was fairly accurate.

- generating skin gave mixed results

- constraints due the linear morphing from the existing font.

- user study with 3 users and 3 trials for each.

- font generation took lesser time with each iteration

Discussion:

interesting technique. When the user gives a sketch, why match it or morph it to an existing font.