Panorama (Layout Engine)

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Bitstream Panorama

Bitstream Inc. Bitstream Panorama composes text in all worldwide languages, which includes various complex scripting languages such as, Arabic, Indian, and Hebrew.
Developed by Bitstream Inc.
Initial release June 2004
Latest release 4.5 / 2008
OS Platform Independent
Genre Layout Engine
License Proprietary EULA
Website [1]

Bitstream Panorama is a line layout and text composition engine to render text in various worldwide languages. Panorama uses Font Fusion as the base to support rendering of the text. The engine allows the user to manage different text formatting aspects like spacing, alignment, style effects (bold, embossed, outline, drop shadows etc.).

Panorama provides support for OpenType font tables leading to automatic character substitution for ligatures, swashes, scientific figures, etc. Panorama supports three anti-aliasing modes - monochrome, grayscale, and LCD optimized (Horizontal and Vertical)[1].

Contents

[edit] Version history

Panorama has undergone several changes since its initial release as well as numerous additions of APIs to the core engine.

Major version Minor version Release date Significant changes
Version 1 1.0 June 22, 2004 Initial release.
Version 2 2.0 June 20, 2005 New Shaping engine for complex language scripts. Support for bi-directional and mixed-directional text. Standard character set encoding supported (UTF-8, UTF-16, Unicode, and ASCII).
Version 3 3.0 August 14, 2006 Full support for Arabic, Hebrew, Indian, and Thai complex language scripts. Complete cursor rendering support. Support for multiple fonts [2]
Version 4 4.0 September 24, 2007 Support for transparency in all modes. Support for Macintosh platform including ability to render Mac font suitcases. Support for BREW platform. Language related enhancements resulting in better application of OTF rules and enhanced performance.
4.5 April 10, 2008 Support for Unicode range-based and style-based font mapping. Alpha channel support in LCD mode. 32-bit Unicode support. Support for enhanced text view and editing with space wraps termination style. Support for Tab Stops on any platform.

[edit] Features

  • Supports bi-directional algorithms required to rearrange characters sequentially. For example in languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, the characters may be entered on a keyboard in one way, but need to be rendered in a correct way on a visual device.
  • Contextual Shaping: Applies contextual shaping to the characters, i.e., the characters are substituted, combined, or repositioned depending on the rules of the language.
  • Composes text in all worldwide languages, which includes various complex scripting languages such as, Arabic, Indic, and Hebrew.
  • Style Mapping: Allows grouping of style-linked fonts to be treated as a single font. The engine “knows” to access a font’s own true-drawn style when you apply styles from the style menu.
  • Support key OpenType tables required for line layout such as, BASE, glyph definition (GDEF), glyph positioning (GPOS), and glyph substitution (GSUB).
  • Supports kerning information in OpenType fonts.
  • Supports industry-standard color formats, including monochrome, RGB, and BGR, with alpha channel support.

[edit] Font Formats Supported

[edit] Languages Supported

ARABIC CHEROKEE GUJARATI KHMER ORIYA TAILE
ARMENIAN CJK GURMUKHI LAO PHAG TAILU
BENGALI COPTIC JAMO LATIN PHOENICIAN TAMIL
BOPOMOFO CYRILLIC HANGUL LIMBU RUNIC TELUGU
BRAILLE DEVANAGARI HANUNOO MALAYALAM SINHALA THAANA
BUGINESE ETHIOPIC HEBREW MONGOLIAN SYLOTI THAI
BUHID GEORGIAN HIRAGANA MYANMAR SYRIAC TIBETAN
BYZANTINE MUSIC GLAGOLITIC KANNADA NKO TAGALOG TIFINAGH
CANADIAN GREEK KATAKANA OGHAM TAGBANWA YI

[edit] Color Formats Supported

  • Supports monochrome and grayscale format.
  • Supports industry-standard screen color formats including monochrome, RGB, and BGR.
  • Supports eight different pixel depths for R, G, B, and alpha channel in RGB or BGR format.

[edit] Text Style and Effects

[edit] Applications/Operating Systems Supported

[edit] Devices Supported

Consumer Electronic Devices, Mobile Handset, Set-top box, Digital TV, Printer, Medical Imaging Device, GPS System, Automobile Display, and other Embedded System

[edit] References

  1. ^ BitstreamPanorama.
  2. ^ Bitstream Releases Major Upgrade to Its Leading Text Composition Engine for Small Embedded Systems; Release of Bitstream Panorama 3.0 includes full support for Arabic, Hebrew, Indian, and Thai complex.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links