Recovering Custom Fonts Developed Using CATIA Version 4

This task explains how to use CATIA Version 4 FONT files and set them up in your Version 5 environment. For more information about CATIA Version 4 FONT files, refer to your CATFONT Version 4 utility documentation.

  1. Make sure that the fonts you created are in the FONT format (described using the UNICODE code key) and not in the FONTDATA format (described using the EBCDIC code key).

    The internal font format we recommend from CATIA Version 4 Release 1.8 onwards is described using UNICODE codes.

    If you did not already migrate your user FONTDATA files to FONT files and FONT CODE files, you must do so using the CATFONT utility using, as a minimum level, CATIA Version 4 Release 1.8. Regarding FONT CODE names, refer to your CATFONT utility documentation for more details.

    Note that the following is no longer supported:

    • the font described with proportional format
    • the grid defined by five numbers.

    In both cases, the associated orders are ignored. Note that none of the CATIA Version 4 basic delivered fonts used any of these options.

  2. Copy the Version 4 FONT files to your Version 5 environment in:

    install_folder\resources\fonts\Stroke

    where "install_folder" is the installation folder (Windows) or directory (UNIX).

  3. Copy the FONT CODE files to your Version 5 environment in:

    install_folder\reffiles\NLS\fontcode

  4. Rename these FONT CODE files using the following syntax:

    XXXX.fontcode renamed to FCUSERn.fontcode

    where "XXXX.fontcode" represents the V4 font code file and "n" the increment (16 being the maximum number). 

    For instance:

    ABBK.fontcode renamed to FCUSER1.fontcode
    HEL1.fontcode     renamed to FCUSER2.fontcode
    HEL2.fontcode     renamed to FCUSER3.fontcode
    SPEC.fontcode     renamed to FCUSER4.fontcode
    TIME.fontcode     renamed to FCUSER5.fontcode

    The names FCUSER1 to FCUSER12 are reserved for SBCS font codes whereas FCUSER13 to FCUSER16 are reserved for DBCS font codes.

  5. Edit the V4FontInteroperability file in:

    install_folder\resources\fonts\

    by adding your Version 4 FONTLIB names to the list.

    This file maps to a Version 4 FONTLIB name, the FONT and FONT CODE associated with it.

    The example below shows two fonts (ABBK and TIME) added to V4FontInteroperability with their corresponding font code:

Regarding Korean fonts, since there are differences in Korean ideogram UNICODE codes between the UNICODE used in Version 4 and Version 5, no Version 4 user-defined Korean font can be used directly in Version 5.