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[Jazz Cat]

Does anyone know if there's a tool or utility available to create a .ttf font from a DF tileset? I know there's a tool to do it the other way around, but the only mentions of a tileset > ttf converter I've found are a single post on DFFD with some fonts from seven years ago and a python script that I can't get to work.

[Starver]

As a software engineering challenge (not being myself aware of such a converter) I'd say that a good raster-to-vector converter that produced output that automatically scales well (as opposed to merely mimicing the bitmappy character only at the same scale(s) as given and maybe simple ratios larger and smaller) is a tricky job, and non-trivial if it is to avoid common botches the human expert wouldn't so easily make.

Maybe there's a generic one that'll do a decent guess but it should then practically force you to grope around in there and sanity-check/polish-up its thoughts on where the various bezier curves might be (especially around corners and junctions between 'stroke elements' that are to be composited together), and then you're practically doing some of the harder workalong the way. Going from vector to raster (on demand, for the scale instantaneously required) is what the computer does, on the other hand.

Having seen many graphics packs (some of which may be based upon the rasterised versions of eatablished vector-fonts, some not, but most of them touched up by their respective artists for added DFness), even if I don't use anything but the vanilla myself, I'm wondering if what you really need to do is just ask the authors what source font was actually used (before any of the subsequent artistry).

[Jazz Cat]

The tileset I have in mind was built from scratch, I believe—it's MonkeyFritz's Stained Glass set.

[Starver]

Maybe you can do something (with a bit of pre¹- and post²-work) with something like https://vectormagic.com or similar (That link just came top of a Google search for raster-to-vector, which you can repeat and refine yourself. I don't vouch for it, as I've never used it, but it talks the talk and its own carefully-choreographed front-page demo looks impressive enough.)

Still, I'd advise you talk to MonkeyFritz first, given they are far from being a long-inactive person (where creative toes are only stepped on because the feet seem to be all that remain of the person involved). Pure courtesy, at the very least, and also might mean you don't need to re-carve the wheel if they are able and willing to provide much higher-res (or even originally vectorised!) source graphics used to compose the published version.


¹ Splitting the artwork up, and perhaps pre-editing to do stuff simplify away the crazy-paving background if you don't want that in your font, just the 'scrollwork' stroke-design of the characters.
² Further up-converting the basic vectorised data to actual font 'lines plus hints', with loads of manual decisions most likely

[Jazz Cat]

I'll do that, then, thanks!