instance_creation_process.md

Making hinted instances

0. open the variable font in VTT
1. Tools ↦ Autohint ↦ Light Latin
2. clean up the hints
3. Tools ↦ Recalc MAXP
4. use fonttools varLib to make instances (instance-[reg|cond].sh in /tools)
5. open your new instance in VTT and autohint it again
6. do not save it
7. copy the cpgm into a text file and save that
8. close the instance and do not save it
9. open the cpgm in a text editor
10. add GROUP Hebrew to the top, right below the /* ACT generated... line
11. copy the Hebrew height CVT section from the source VF: it should be something very similar to the below

       Hebrew
         SquareHeight
       	106: 1290
       ASM("SVTCA[Y]")
       ASM("CALL[], 106, 89")
              108:     0 /* base line */
       ASM("SVTCA[Y]")
       ASM("CALL[], 108, 89")
         RoundHeight
       	107: 20 ~ 106 @ 42 /* overshoot height */
       	109: -4 ~ 108 @ 60 /* overshoot baseline */
       	110: -492 /* descender */

11. paste it into the new instance's cpgm between the Figure ... and Other ... sections

12. change each Hebrew CVT from 1xx to 3xx: in other words, add 200 to every occurrence of [106...110] in that section

13. dump the instance's VTTTalk to text

14. open the VTTTalk in a text editor

15. regex:

• search for ResYAnchor\((\d+),106\)
• replace with ResYAnchor\(\1,306\)
• repeat for 107 & 307 and so on
• finally, save

15. import the cpgm and VTTTalk into the instance
16. open the instance in VTT
17. Tools ↦ Compile ↦ Control values
18. Tools ↦ Compile everything for all glyphs
19. you will probably have errors: this is expected
20. ctrl+3 to open the pre-program
21. compile it with ctrl+r
22. ctrl+7 to open the font program
23. compile it with ctrl+r
24. compile everything for all again

• if still errors, try to debug
• check your Hebrew CVTs

25. ctrl+9 to open the glyph palette

• proof them
• make sure the Hebrew heights in particular look good

26. Tools ↦ Recalc MAXP
27. you did it, yay