How to Create Composite Glyphs in FontForge

Creating composite glyphs in FontForge allows font designers to efficiently build complex characters—such as accented letters or ligatures—by referencing existing base glyphs rather than redrawing them from scratch. This article outlines the step-by-step procedure for generating composite glyphs, including using automatic generation tools, inserting glyph references manually, and aligning components using anchor points.

Method 1: Automatic Generation (Build Accented Glyph)

FontForge includes an automated feature for standard Unicode characters that combine a base letter with standard diacritics (e.g., combining "e" and an acute accent to create "é").

  1. Ensure both the base glyph (e.g., e) and the mark glyph (e.g., acute or acutecomb) are drawn and present in the font table.
  2. In the Font View window, locate and select the empty slot for the target composite character (e.g., eacute).
  3. Navigate to the top menu and select Element > Build > Build Accented Glyph (or press Ctrl + Shift + A).
  4. FontForge will automatically insert references to the base glyph and the diacritic, positioning the mark above the base based on standard font metrics or predefined anchor points.

Method 2: Manual Reference Insertion

For non-standard composites, ligatures, or characters that do not generate automatically, components can be added manually.

  1. Double-click the target glyph slot in the Font View to open its Glyph Edit window.
  2. Navigate to Edit > Insert Glyph Reference....
  3. In the dialog box that appears, select the base glyph you want to include and click OK. The chosen glyph will appear in the editor surrounded by a bounding box, indicating it is a reference rather than raw outlines.
  4. Repeat the process via Edit > Insert Glyph Reference... to add any secondary elements, such as diacritic marks or additional symbols.
  5. Click and drag the inserted references to position them correctly relative to one another and the baseline.

Method 3: Precise Alignment Using Anchor Points

For precise and consistent diacritic placement across an entire font family, anchors provide automated alignment for references.

  1. Open the base glyph (e.g., a) in the Glyph Edit window.
  2. Select Point > Add Anchor....
  3. Set the anchor type to "Mark" or "Base", name the anchor class (e.g., "Top"), and place the anchor point where diacritics should attach.
  4. Open the accent glyph (e.g., grave) and add an anchor with the exact same class name ("Top"), placing the point at the attachment coordinate of the accent.
  5. In the composite glyph slot, when you insert both references or use Element > Build > Build Accented Glyph, FontForge will snap the anchor points together, ensuring exact positioning.

Managing and Finalizing Composite Glyphs

  • Maintaining Linked References: By default, references update automatically if you alter the original base glyph. This behavior is ideal for maintaining consistency across a typeface.
  • Unlinking References: If a composite glyph requires manual point adjustments that should not affect the original base components, select the reference in the Glyph Edit window and go to Edit > Unlink Reference. This converts the referenced shapes into independent Bézier curves.