Virtual Master = VF default instance?

Am I right in thinking that I use the Font custom parameter ‘Virtual Master’ to define a default instance for a variable font?

[Is there a tutorial for making variable fonts with Glyphs? I don’t see one on the tutorials page, and there seems little in the help files.]

What I believe you want is the Variation Font Origin parameter. There’s a brief mention of it in the blog post on the 2.4.1 release.

I have heard that a tutorial is in the works, but not yet completed. There is some info in the release notes. The post on the 2.4.2 release has mention of the Virtual Master parameter.

Aha. Thanks. It looks like Variation Font Origin is what I’m after. I saw the mention of ‘Virtual Master’ in the 2.4.2 release notes, but am still unsure that it does.

Implementation suggestion:

Variation Font Origin is currently selectable as a Master; whereas technically the default instance of a variable font could be anywhere within the design space. It is possible, of course, to generate an instance and then make it a master in the Glyphs source, but why not make the Variation Font Origin a set of axis values like the Virtual Master parameter already is?

the Variation Font Origindefines the master that is used to build the glif table. There needs to be another parameter to specify the default instance.

The virtual Masters are used if you like to add an axis that is only useful in some glyphs (like an ascender axis) and thous you don’t like to add a full extra master that would be a 99% duplication. So you add a Virtual Master and then add brace layers to the glyphs in question. We will have a tutorial that explains this, soon.

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I was using default instance in the VF sense, i.e. the set of outlines stored in the glyf table, so Variation Font Origin is indeed what I’m looking for. But it shouldn’t need to be a design master in the source.

The Virtual Master idea sounds very smart. I look forward to seeing the tutorial. Thanks, Georg.

I’ll add an option to use an instance as origin, too.

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Any news on that tutorial?

Is this tutorial available? :slight_smile:

Yes. https://glyphsapp.com/tutorials/creating-a-variable-font

The tutorial is listed on the tutorials page.