[comp.sys.amiga] multi color fonts ...

wdao@castor.usc.edu (Walter Dao) (06/01/89)

I have a few multicolored fonts and my question is : How are the font files
structured ? 
where are the colors to be used declared ? are the letters defined 1 by one
for each bitplane , or all the letters definition as they should look on 
bitplane 1 then all the letters pixel definition for b_plane2 and so on ?

that's it ....

thanks in advance for any help ...

wayneck@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Wayne Knapp) (06/03/89)

In article <3954@merlin.usc.edu>, wdao@castor.usc.edu (Walter Dao) writes:
> 
> I have a few multicolored fonts and my question is : How are the font files
> structured ? 
> where are the colors to be used declared ? are the letters defined 1 by one
> for each bitplane , or all the letters definition as they should look on 
> bitplane 1 then all the letters pixel definition for b_plane2 and so on ?

Yes you have the right idea.  By the middle of next month I'll be releasing
a program that uses color fonts. (It is all written, but now I'm trying to
get the manual printed, etc.).   Anyway I couldn't get the code from anyone
on how to use color fonts, so here is how I got it working.

1. I setup a Extended TextFont structure.  This is defined in one of the
Amiga Mail notes from last year, also it is defined in a 1987? issue of
'Amazing Computing.'  This structure is the same as the TextFont structure
with some additional stuff at the end, including plane pointers for each
bitplanes of the color font.

2.  One of the style bits is used to tell if it is a color font.  If so
I just used the normal Text routine to render the character, calling it one
time for each bitplane, but changing the data pointer at the standard 
location to point to the correct bitplane data.  This works great.  
(so if the color font is 8 color, I treat it as 3 single color fonts)

I hope this helps.  

                               Wayne Knapp


P.S. In case you are wondering, the program is called Animation:Titler, by
Hash Enterprises.  It will list at $79.95, and supports smooth scrolling of
up to eight-color colorfonts in high res.  That is multiple pages of text,
all smoothly scrolling one after another.  (Great for credits) 
Color fonts look great!