# Chlumsky/msdf-atlas-gen

MSDF font atlas generator

Repository: https://github.com/Chlumsky/msdf-atlas-gen
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/msdf-atlas-gen
Language: C++
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-05-16T16:29:59+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 71/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 82, release rhythm 41, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2370, "days_push": 109, "days_rel": 181, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1317, forks 279 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:20.978162+00:00)

## What it is
A C++ utility and library that generates multi-channel signed distance field (MSDF) font atlases from TTF/OTF fonts, packing glyphs into compact atlas bitmaps with layout metadata. Atlases can be exported as Artery Font files, images, CSV, or JSON for use in real-time text rendering.

## Use cases
- generate font atlas for game text rendering
- create MSDF signed distance field glyphs from TTF
- export font atlas as JSON or Artery Font
- render scalable crisp text in OpenGL or game engine
- pack glyph bitmaps into texture atlas
- generate SDF font textures for UI

## When to choose
- you need high-quality scalable text rendering in a game or real-time graphics application
- you want sharp corners preserved and glyph effects like outlines and glows
- you need a library or CLI that outputs multiple atlas formats

## When to avoid
- you only need simple bitmap font rendering without scaling
- you need a GUI tool or runtime font rasterization rather than offline atlas generation
- your project cannot use C++ or vcpkg-based builds

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: image-processing, graphics, cli, developer-tools
- domain: graphics
- platform: cpp, windows, cross-platform, cli
- tags: font-atlas, msdf, signed-distance-field, text-rendering, game-assets, typography, game-development, fonts, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- Chlumsky/msdf-atlas-gen (main) score 71

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:20.978162+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:48:11.214194+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/Chlumsky/msdf-atlas-gen (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:20.978162+00:00, sha 92cb8164e579)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.