MSDF Atlas Studio: Open-source font atlas generator built with Godot 4 + C++ GDExtension

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Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a desktop tool I’ve been developing called MSDF Atlas Studio (GitHub | itch.io).

It is a free, open-source workstation built entirely in Godot 4.3 with a custom C++ GDExtension backend for generating Multi-channel Signed Distance Field (MSDF) font texture atlases.

Why MSDF Atlas Studio?

Signed Distance Field fonts are essential for clean, vector-sharp typography in 2D and 3D games without raster blur or massive high-resolution texture sheets.

However, existing workflows usually mean wrestling with CLI utilities (like msdf-atlas-gen) and reloading assets over and over just to inspect kerning or shader artifacts. MSDF Atlas Studio wraps the whole process in an interactive GUI with a real-time fragment shader sandbox.

Key Features:

  • Live Shader Sandbox: An interactive preview running the actual MSDF fragment shader in real time. You can tweak text sample, color, outline width/color, and dropshadows on the fly right next to the atlas.
  • 4 Distance Field Modes: MSDF, MTSDF (RGBA contour mode), classic SDF, and PSDF.
  • Smart Fallback Chains: Load a primary font plus unlimited fallback fonts (great for CJK characters, symbols, and multilingual localization).
  • Glyph Metrics & Kerning: Visual glyph matrix inspection (Unicode, advance, plane bounds, UV coordinates) and automatic FreeType kerning table extraction.
  • Multi-Engine Exports:
    • Native Godot 4 (.tres): Generates ready-to-use BitmapFont resources with all glyphs, kerning, and textures pre-configured.
    • AngelCode BMFont (.fnt / .xml): Compatible with standard game engines and frameworks.
    • C Header Arrays (.h): Zero-dependency static structs for Raylib and pure C/C++ graphics projects.
    • JSON Atlas Data: For custom engines and WebGL pipelines.

Tech Stack:

  • UI & Workstation: Godot 4.3 (custom theme, dockable panels, native OS file dialogs).
  • Backend: Modern C++ (FreeType 2.13.3 + msdf-atlas-gen) interfaced via GDExtension.

Downloads & Links:

I would love to hear feedback, feature requests, or suggestions from the community!

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