How to make a SMuFL font

Music notation symbols, fonts, font sources and font creation, SmuFL.
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benwiggy
Posts: 834
Joined: 11 Apr 2016, 19:42

How to make a SMuFL font

Post by benwiggy »

I've written an article for Scoring Notes about my experience of making a SMuFL font. Not much I haven't expressed here, in one place or other, but it's nice to have it all coming together.

https://www.scoringnotes.com/tutorials/ ... mufl-font/

I'm working on python scripts for FontLab 7 that will produce the JSON metadata file, as well as other useful SMuFL things. While they're not quite ready, they are bearing fruit.
NorFonts
Posts: 86
Joined: 08 Jan 2021, 18:55

Re: How to make a SMuFL font

Post by NorFonts »

benwiggy wrote: 09 Mar 2021, 13:37 I've written an article for Scoring Notes about my experience of making a SMuFL font. Not much I haven't expressed here, in one place or other, but it's nice to have it all coming together.

https://www.scoringnotes.com/tutorials/ ... mufl-font/

I'm working on python scripts for FontLab 7 that will produce the JSON metadata file, as well as other useful SMuFL things. While they're not quite ready, they are bearing fruit.
Nice article Ben. By the way did you really managed to produce json from FontLab7? Python sucks there :-/
Nor Eddine Bahha
https://norfonts.ma
Jazz pianist, composer/arranger, author and Type Designer
JAZZOLOGY Book: https://www.halleonard.com/product/311167/jazzology
benwiggy
Posts: 834
Joined: 11 Apr 2016, 19:42

Re: How to make a SMuFL font

Post by benwiggy »

It does indeed. I'm currently talking to "support" about the fact that you can write the 'note' attribute of a glyph (ie. a comment note, not a musical note!) -- but you can't read it!

So in order to use the SMuFL names in the font JSON file, you can either rename the glyphs with the SMuFL names (which I understand is not good practice), and then output from there, or check the names from the SMuFL glyphs.json file as you get each unicode value. I have managed to create a script using the first technique; I should be able to do it the other way shortly.
Aron Ludwig
Posts: 2
Joined: 12 Nov 2021, 17:04

Re: How to make a SMuFL font

Post by Aron Ludwig »

Dear Ben,

Thank you for your article and the great work with the font! I was wondering if you managed to get the scripts for fontlab 7 to work since always switching to fontforge just to do the json is quite an annoying extra step. And since I am quite new to this whole SMUFL-stuff I am not able to look into these things myself.
benwiggy
Posts: 834
Joined: 11 Apr 2016, 19:42

Re: How to make a SMuFL font

Post by benwiggy »

Knut has made some scripts that work in FontLab 7 here:
https://github.com/knutnergaard/FontLab ... main/SMuFL
Aron Ludwig
Posts: 2
Joined: 12 Nov 2021, 17:04

Re: How to make a SMuFL font

Post by Aron Ludwig »

Awesome! Thank you so much!
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