[MPEG-OTSPEC] "anim" feature tag

[Behdad Esfahbod]

On Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 11:50 AM Skef Iterum <skef at skef.org> wrote:

> Sorry, Davelab6, there's no issue for this one.
>
> I don't see the client as having any responsibilities for an `anim` tag.
> It would indicate a good-, ideally best-, effort on the part of the
> designer to work around aspects of the font that are discontinuous from
> the perspective of animation.
>
> People are already animating variable fonts for video. The mechanics of
> that on the client side are a separate issue.
>

Maybe an `anim` GSUB/GPOS feature would be more appropriate? People might
want to animate the width, or the weight, or other aspects of the font.
Having an `anim` axis only allows for animating one aspect of the font.

b



> Skef
>
> On 1/31/24 11:42, Laurence Penney wrote:
> > Remember that intermediate masters (including when default is
> intermediate between min and max) disrupt smooth animation, making G2
> continuity impossible (even if the app knows the intermediate axis values).
> That covers a large proportion of variable fonts. Perhaps a font store or a
> design tool could flag fonts without intermediates or feature variations.
> >
> > - Laurence
> >
> >> On 31 Jan 2024, at 15:32, Behdad Esfahbod via mpeg-otspec <
> mpeg-otspec at lists.aau.at> wrote:
> >>
> >> How would `anim` feature work? Would the client be responsible to apply
> a (G1 / G2) continuous curve to it to get the pulsating effect you want
> then?  In other words, do the min/max of the axis have to be the same or
> can be different?
> >>   behdad
> >> http://behdad.org/
> >>
> >>
> >> On Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 1:45 AM Skef Iterum via mpeg-otspec <
> mpeg-otspec at lists.aau.at> wrote:
> >> This is another proposal idea I can't do properly in the pre-April time
> >> frame, but it's short and simple.
> >>
> >> Imagine you're a video editor working on a cable commercial about a new
> >> way to Make Lots of Money!!!  You overlay a row of dollar signs from a
> >> cool variable display font and animate them to "pulse" by changing their
> >> weight. Unfortunately, when you look at the result the number of slashes
> >> in each dollar sign keeps changing, greatly distracting your otherwise
> >> elegant and sophisticated effect.
> >>
> >> The problem here is that doing the right thing for a given position in
> >> design space isn't always the right thing for animations that change the
> >> design space.
> >>
> >> I think this distinction calls for a new registered feature tag,
> >> probably 'anim', that when active avoids, undoes, or compensates for any
> >> (or most) such abrupt adjustments. While this is something that could
> >> always just be thrown onto 'ss15' or whatever, it would be better to
> >> have a reserved name so that animation tools can leave that tag turned
> >> on by default.
> >>
> >> A registered feature tag would also indicate something by its presence
> >> in a font: "we've thought about this problem". Designers might even
> >> throw it into a font with no such adjustments just to advertise that it
> >> is compatible with animation use.
> >>
> >> This is a simple enough idea, but I lack the context to come up with
> >> specifically what the section needs to say -- what advice to give to
> >> designers. Someone closer to the design side of things would do a better
> >> job. If anyone comes up with that wording but doesn't want to worry
> >> about ISO header pages and such, send it to me and I'll wrap it up into
> >> a proposal.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> Skef
> >>
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