Text Styles and Fonts

MicroStation uses text styles to define fonts. Text styles support traditional MicroStation fonts, AutoCAD Shape fonts (*.shx), and TrueType fonts. AutoCAD supports its own native Shape fonts (SHX files) and TrueType fonts.

Working with text styles and fonts that will be saved to DWG files

When working with a DGN file that will be saved to a DWG file:

• Use TrueType fonts when possible, since both MicroStation and AutoCAD support this font type.

• MicroStation fonts in a DGN file can be converted to AutoCAD fonts when you save the file to DWG SHX format. See Converting MicroStation fonts to AutoCAD fonts.

• If the DGN file contains unconverted MicroStation fonts when it is saved to DWG, AutoCAD uses the font specified by the FONTALT variable, and MicroStation uses the font specified as the Fast Font. (See Font Libraries.)

• The MS_DWGFONTPATH configuration variable lets you specify the directory where all DWG SHX fonts are stored.

• In AutoCAD, every text element in a DWG file must have an associated text style. When a DGN file is saved to DWG format, MicroStation automatically creates a like-named DWG text style for each used text style.

  If the DGN file contains text elements placed without a text style, MicroStation automatically creates a text style for each font used to place these elements. MicroStation determines these style names by applying the naming template specified by the Text Style Name Template setting in the Save As DWG/DXF Options dialog box.

1. From the File menu, choose Save As.


2. From the Select Format to Save list, choose AutoCAD Drawing Files (*.dwg) or AutoCAD DXF Files (*.dxf).


3. Click Options.
   The Save As DWG/DXF Options dialog box opens.


4. In the list box, open the Fonts category.

   Save As DWG/DXF Options, General tab Fonts options



5. Turn on Convert MicroStation Fonts to AutoCAD Fonts.


6. Use the SHX Output Directory field to specify the directory where the AutoCAD fonts are stored.
   The converted fonts are saved to a *.shx file in this directory.

Working with text styles and fonts in DWG workmode

In DWG workmode:

• You can use (*.shx) or TrueType fonts, since both MicroStation and AutoCAD support them.

• In AutoCAD, every text element in a DWG file must have an associated text style. When a DGN file is saved to DWG format, MicroStation automatically creates a like-named DWG text style for each used text style.

  If the DGN file contains text elements placed without a text style, MicroStation automatically creates a text style for each font used to place these elements. MicroStation determines these style names by applying the naming template specified by the Text Style Name Template setting in the Save As DWG/DXF Options dialog box.

• The MS_DWGFONTPATH configuration variable lets you specify the directory where all DWG fonts are stored.