NorthlightFontMaker

NorthlightFontMaker is a tool used to create/edit custom bitmap fonts for Northlight engine (Alan Wake series, Quantum Break, Control and more... )

Installation

• Download lastest release.
• Run NorthlightFontMakerGUI.exe (or run NorthlightFontMaker.exe in the cmd)

Building from source

• Install .NET 5
• git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/eprilx/NorthlightFontMaker.git
• dotnet build

Test in-game

Verdana font and Armenian characters in Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Usage

❄ Convert FNT to BINFNT (Create new BINFNT)

NorthlightFontMaker --fnt2binfnt -f <path binfnt> -b <path fnt> [-o] <path export new binfnt>

Example: NorthlightFontMaker --fnt2binfnt -f customer_facing.binfnt -b test.fnt -o customer_facing.binfnt.new

1. Use BMFont or Hiero to generate FNT and PNG/DDS file.
2. The tool will automatically convert/import the PNG/DDS file.
3. For BMFont user, go to Options then Export Options, on Font descriptor select Text or XML.
4. From version 7 (see these version below), you must use Hiero to generate distance field font. Here's a guide.

Notes

• Increase "lineHeight" in fnt file to make font display "higher" in game and vice versa.
• Decrease "size" in fnt file to make font "bigger" and vice versa. (it also uses absolute value so |-50| > |-40|)

• (Optional) Make Outline at "Options/Font settings" in BMFont or "Add Outline" in Hiero (don't use with distance field)

List game with version:

• Version 3: Alan Wake, Alan Wake's American Nightmare
• Version 4: Alan Wake Remastered
• Version 7: Quantum Break, Control

❄ Convert BINFNT to FNT

NorthlightFontMaker --binfnt2fnt -f <path binfnt> [-o] <path export fnt>

Example: NorthlightFontMaker --binfnt2fnt -f customer_facing.binfnt -o customer_facing.binfnt.fnt

Notes

• From version 7 and above, you can't use this FNT because the yoffset when convert BINFNT to FNT is incorrect From version 7 and above, the yoffset is correct but not sure if it will work in game as lineHeight is customized for each glyph.

❄ GUI

Thanks to

• microsoft (texconv tool)
• Rick Gibbed (Gibbed.IO library)
• romhackingvn (test Quantum Break)

TODO

Make a wiki about the structure of binfnt.

License

MIT