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norman phay
Joined: Jun 29, 2007
Posts: 176
Location: North-East England
Audio files: 1
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 Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 6:30 am Post subject:
.fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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As per the backlog thread, I have a few pieces which are pretty close to being complete, specifically the CGS sequencer and two Oakley VCOs. I've designed .fpd panels in frac-rack size for these that I'm pretty pleased with. the VCO panel is here:
http://www.vietgrove.com/fpd/oakvco.fpd
It still needs a couple of holes added to attach the PCB, I'll measure it up for these over the next couple of days.
The panels will be sitting alongside a bunch of Wiard panels, I want to make them look as close as possible to those, but w/o making them identical. The gothick font in front panel designer is sort of cool, but not always readable - "Oakley" looks like "Daflen" on the panel, "VCO" looks like "BCD". Also, I want to put some kind of decorative thing in the top corners. Humour me here, folks. 
How would I go about importing a different font, and importing graphic objects into my panels? Any ideas? Thanks. |
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norman phay
Joined: Jun 29, 2007
Posts: 176
Location: North-East England
Audio files: 1
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Randaleem
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Northern CA, USA
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:03 pm Post subject:
Re: .fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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| Norman Phay wrote: | | The gothick font in front panel designer is sort of cool, but not always readable - "Oakley" looks like "Daflen" on the panel, "VCO" looks like "BCD". |
Hi Norman,
Ugh, yes. That's a terrible "Olde Englische" font! Plenty of better fonts out there. | Quote: |
How would I go about importing a different font, and importing graphic objects into my panels? Any ideas? Thanks. |
I do not believe you can import a font per se, but you CAN import HPGL graphics.
So any graphics application supporting HPGL files will be a candidate to bring things into front panel designer (Which is nearly all of them, including CorelDraw, for example).
The only other alternative I am aware of is to create the graphics using the lines and circles of the program itself. You can store these as macros or graphic objects for use in various panels. BUT, the lack of an ARC command IMO severely limits what you can do (and is also IMO one of the more seriously lacking objects for a program designed to creat front panels. How many front panels do NOT have Pot arcs of some type?!?
But the import of externaly created HPGL gets around this. (Arcs IMO should still be IN the program, grumble grumble...  )
I've also found the folks at Schaeffer/FPD's American office are very helpful.
Karen? I believe is the primary technical support person. You can find their email and phone number in the About menu of the program.
BTW, There are a few tricks you can use to get a better price if you're actually having them make the panel for you. Be sure to try different things if you want to get a better price. One example is to use a single engraving "object" for the text of several controls. You can use spaces in the text entry and also the spreading and between line params to make the text for many controls into one text engraving. There are others, but my mind just went blank! Try different things and see how the total price is affected. IMO It's worth the time spent. No, I didn't ask Karen about this. Perhaps I should? A basic paranoia that they would then close these "holes" has prevented it so far  
Kind regards,
Randal
Last edited by Randaleem on Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Randaleem
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Northern CA, USA
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject:
Re: .fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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Here's a quick 1st pass result of using one of the tips I just wrote on Normans VCO fpd:
Pricing went down nearly two dollars. Used a single text block to cover more than one control. In three places.
Randal
Okay maybe not! Seems the fpd extension is not allowed for an attachement. So just know that it looks the same and costs less by putting text for multiple controls into one text block. Use spaces and line spacing in properties to line the text up as before when it was multiple blocks. Check the price often. When I "grouped" the Gothick text into one it actually increased the price. (Probably due to the distance from top to bottom. Experimentation is the key; but if you're ordering on a regular basis, small savings will add up. And sometimes the savings are not so so small as shown-errr, make that described! -here!) |
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blue hell
Site Admin
Joined: Apr 03, 2004
Posts: 24571
Location: The Netherlands, Enschede
Audio files: 306
G2 patch files: 320
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:35 pm Post subject:
Re: .fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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| Randaleem wrote: | | Okay maybe not! |
You can always attach files as zips. Alternatively the file extension could be enabled for the forum, but as FPD is a binary file type the Apache configuration will have to be changed for it. this is somewhat involved - i.e. I can't do it properly, Howard can, I'll write a proposal.
_________________
Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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Randaleem
Joined: May 17, 2007
Posts: 456
Location: Northern CA, USA
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:24 pm Post subject:
Re: .fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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| Blue Hell wrote: | | i.e. I can't do it properly, Howard can, I'll write a proposal. |
Thank you Jan.
Meanwhile, Can I tell ya what I'd rather have "fixed" here at e-m?
Search.
Cuz if ya do a search, then go explore one of the threads that comes up, then try to go back and see the "next" thread in the search...
You can't. The search results are gone.
Makes using the search function a PITA, IMO. Perhaps there's a simple workaround I'm of which I am unaware?
Fingers crossed,
Randal |
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krisp14u
Joined: Nov 11, 2006
Posts: 206
Location: uk
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Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:43 pm Post subject:
Re: .fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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| Randaleem wrote: | [
Meanwhile, Can I tell ya what I'd rather have "fixed" here at e-m?
Search.
Cuz if ya do a search, then go explore one of the threads that comes up, then try to go back and see the "next" thread in the search...
You can't. The search results are gone.
Makes using the search function a PITA, IMO. Perhaps there's a simple workaround I'm of which I am unaware?
Randal |
try right click open in new tab/window
it works for me 
paul
_________________
Cheers
Paul Darlow
www.krisp1.com |
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blue hell
Site Admin
Joined: Apr 03, 2004
Posts: 24571
Location: The Netherlands, Enschede
Audio files: 306
G2 patch files: 320
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:18 pm Post subject:
Re: .fpd fonts, graphics etc.
Subject description: tart up my front panels |
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| Randaleem wrote: | | Blue Hell wrote: | | i.e. I can't do it properly, Howard can, I'll write a proposal. |
Thank you Jan.
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fpd files should be working now.
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Meanwhile, Can I tell ya what I'd rather have "fixed" here at e-m?
Search.
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I read you, unfortunately things come as they are here ... I don't think I have the problem in fire fox though ... wait, let me check 
No, I just do ALT+<left-arrow> to go back to the search results and have no problems then.
_________________
Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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