* include/freetype/freetype.h (FT_RENDER_MODE_SDF): Improve documentation.

* include/freetype/freetype.h (FT_RENDER_MODE_SDF): Added more
  documentation for the render mode regarding the stability and point
  where artifacts are expected to occur.  Also added more information
  for both `sdf`, `bsdf` and when they are used.
This commit is contained in:
Anuj Verma 2022-03-04 16:42:02 +05:30
parent 335224beee
commit 5f9bc4b859
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@ -3409,6 +3409,45 @@ FT_BEGIN_HEADER
* }
*
* ```
*
* FreeType has two rasterizers for generating SDF, namely:
*
* 1. `sdf` - For generating SDF directly from glyph's outline.
*
* 2. `bsdf` - For generating SDF from rasterized bitmaps.
*
* Depending on the glyph type (i.e. outline or bitmap), one of the two
* rasterizer is chosen at runtime and used for generating SDF. To
* force use `bsdf` you can simply render the glyph using any of the
* FreeType's other rendering modes (e.g. `FT_RENDER_MODE_NORMAL`) and
* then re-render using `FT_RENDER_MODE_SDF`.
*
* Now, a few notes on the stability and point of failures for the SDF
* renderers (specifically `sdf`):
*
* 1. The `sdf` rasterizer is sensitive to really small features (e.g.
* sharp turns which are less than 1 pixel) and imperfections in the
* glyph's outline. Having these in the outline can cause artifats
* in the final output.
*
* 2. The `sdf` rasterizer has limited support for handling intersecting
* contours and *cannot* handle self-intersecting contours whatsoever.
* Self intersection happens when a single connected contour intersect
* itself at some point and having these in your font will definately
* pose a problem to the rasterizer and cause artifacts.
*
* 3. Generating SDF for really small glyphs may result in undesirable
* output due to limited availability of pixel grid to store distance
* information.
*
* 4. Since the output buffer is normalized, precision at smaller spread
* will be greater than precision at larger spread values, because the
* output range of [0 .. 255] will be mapped to a smaller sdf range.
* A spread of 2 should be sufficient in most cases.
*
* Point (1) and (2) can be avoided by using `bsdf` and overall it is
* more stable than the `sdf` rasterizer.
*
*/
typedef enum FT_Render_Mode_
{