For a font to work with TextMeshPro, what is required?

For a font to effectively work with TextMeshPro in Unity, it is essential that the font is converted into a compatible format that TextMeshPro can utilize. This process typically involves creating a font asset from the font file, which is done through the TextMeshPro Font Asset Creator. This conversion prepares the font by generating a bitmap texture atlas of the glyphs (characters) and associated data that TextMeshPro uses for rendering text.

This thorough process allows TextMeshPro to take advantage of features such as dynamic and static fonts, outlining, and rich formatting options. Without this conversion, TextMeshPro would not be able to render the text correctly, as it requires the font data to be formatted specifically for its rendering system.

While high-resolution textures and licensing agreements may be relevant to the general use of fonts in game development, they do not specifically pertain to the necessary steps for setting up fonts in TextMeshPro. Moreover, embedding a font into a project might be commonplace, but it does not ensure that the font will be functional within TextMeshPro unless it has undergone the conversion process.