Fonts

It's time to have a go at making some nameplates. I use NanoCad, and the only font available for doing text is 'standard', which is single line and looks like stick writing. I've tried googling, but it's a case of if you can understand that you don't need to ask.

One site says "Copy your shx font to the folder:

C:\Users\All Users\Nanosoft\nanoCAD Int 5.0\SHX (win7)"

Trouble is I don't have a font, no idea what an shx is and I don't have that folder, although I could create one (I'm not that useless). I'm not that bothered which font, Gill Sans or similar would be nice. Anyone got any idea how to do it, or is the free NanoCad struck with one font?

I was doing some engraving today in traffolyte. I used (free) F-engrave, V carve function, which uses true type fonts and I have a couple of hundred to chose from. It exports g-code that can be copied and pasted into another file or used on its own.

Martin C

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Here you go, Duncan

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MichaelG.

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Edit: __ I have never used NanoCad, but you might find this useful:

https://youtu.be/xhfIQRctcGA

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 03/03/2022 23:15:21

So I've tried Michaels link, but I can't make it work in NanoCad free. When I click the text icon I get a little box

and the text looks like this

If I click in the left hand box the only option is 'standard', if I click in the next one (where it says txt.shx) along it gives me a long list of fonts, and I can select any one, but then if I type some text I get the same stick writing, and the dialogue box defaults back to txt.shx

I've tried searching for .shx files in the NanoSoft folder, zilch

Hi Duncan,

 I'm not a NanoCad user but you should be able to download .SHX files from here. I did find a folder with many .SHX files in a sub-folder of the 2D CAD programs I use. I have tried changing SHX font in one of the programs I use and at least the change shows up on screen.

Thor

Edited By Thor 🇳🇴 on 04/03/2022 05:33:06

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Then I presume that either ‘NanoCad free’ is intentionally crippled, or you are not following the video properly.

I thought about looking through the NanoCad website … but I don’t like the look of their Privacy Policy.

MichaelG.

I agree with Martin, use Fengrave for this sort of job.

Here's one I made earlier...

being a basic CAD package it probably has limited fonts as all it was expected to do was annotate 2D drawings.

One of the more upto date free CAD packages may be easier if you don't want anything paid for. You will then get the options to place the text on a curve, angles, alter spacing etc. as well a shaving a much larger font range.

Not used the DHX format but these may well all be single line fonts which really are only suitable for following with a Vee type engraving cutter rather than where you want the letters to have some thickness and stand proud of the surface.

These were all laid out with Alibre, CAM by F360 but could all have been done in the free F360.

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Just dug a little further, and will say no more:

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Simple answer might be download a trial of a different package, AutoCAD, DraftSight and 4MCAD all have very similar interfaces and all respond to AutoCADs typed commands, and between them would get you three months free usage, plenty of time to get the nameplate done.

Disclaimer, I used to use AutoCAD at work and as a student, switched to DraftSight free and when that went to subscription bought a lifetime licence for 4MCAD, so I am biased to these three.

Brian G

If I thought that deleting NanoCad would have any effect on the Russian madman it would already have gone, but it won't, it's free. I'm trying to make artwork for chemical etch, not engraving, so would prefer not to have to learn a new package.. 

Edited By duncan webster on 04/03/2022 10:59:28

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That wasn’t really my point, Duncan

I was merely pointing out that my original gut-feeling about the Privacy Policy may be correct.

… I therefore leave it to you to decide whether the ‘free’ version is crippled, or whether you didn’t quite follow the YouTube demonstration.

If there is a privacy problem, then presumably you will already have it.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 04/03/2022 14:05:53

It appears NanoCAD:

• uses SHX fonts, which are an AutoCAD format. Not tried downloading any but they seem to be readily available on the web, an example link.
• has a built-in default font called txt.shx. This may be permanent in code rather than read from a file stored in a folder. (If NanoCAD can't find an shx, or the shx is corrupt, it avoids crashes by switching automatically to txt.shx)
• reads SHX files from a known location like that in the example: C:\Users\All Users\Nanosoft\nanoCAD Int 5.0\SHX The part "nanoCAD Int 5.0" looks version specific, and it may be different on your computer. Use File Explorer to navigate to C:\Users\All Users\Nanosoft and look for a folder there called "nanoCAD something". Enter the "nanoCAD something" folder, whatever it's called, and look for another folder called SHX inside. If it doesn't exist, create one. Then copy a bunch of downloaded .shx font files into the SHX folder. It may be necessary to restart nanoCAD before it sees them.

Dave

Sorted it, no need to download anything. Went back to the drop down box in my previous txt and managed to change the font, it uses anything that is there for Windows. No messing with shx, it just worked. Quite why I couldn't make it work before I must put down to old age and incompetence. Here's proof

Duncan, good it's sorted, but I was wondering, if you just wanted to make an artwork for etching from why not just use a standard word processing package? IIRC, I generated the original image for "Chuggabug" using Word.

Easy, I don't have Word, and even if libre office can do it, I don't know how. My simple mind says us a drawing package to draw things and a wp package to write things.