Or worse: The drawing loads, but all Chinese text is replaced with \U+FF1B codes or random Japanese-looking characters (because AutoCAD substituted bigfont.shx or chineset.shx incorrectly).
When you open a CAD file, AutoCAD checks if all fonts referenced by the file's text styles are available in the system’s AutoCAD installation directory. The hztxt.shx file is often missing because it is a "third-party" or specialized font that is not pre-installed in standard versions of AutoCAD. hztxt.shx
Size: ~2,200,000 bytes (2.2 MB) Contains: ~6,763 Chinese characters (GB2312 Level 1) Design principle: 16x16 stroke grid, single-line, no fills. Or worse: The drawing loads, but all Chinese
Today, if you download any "Chinese CAD font pack" from a forum, hztxt.shx is always included. It sits alongside gbcbig.shx , tssdeng.shx , and hztxt_e.shx . It is a cultural artifact of China's rapid industrialization—a tiny file that represents the ingenuity of engineers who refused to let a language barrier stop them from building skyscrapers, bridges, and factories. Size: ~2,200,000 bytes (2
Most standard Windows fonts that support Chinese (such as SimHei or SimSun) are designed for readability in word processors. They are often bold, thick, and double-stroked. When these are printed on architectural drawings, they can appear "heavy" or "muddy," obscuring fine details in the drawing underneath.
hztxt.shx , however, is typically a single-stroke font. It mimics the look of technical lettering. It is lean, clean, and precise. When printed on a blueprint, the text does not overpower the lines of the structure; it compliments them.
Its primary purpose is to provide a vector-based font solution that supports both English alphanumeric characters and Simplified Chinese characters within a single, cohesive style. Unlike TrueType fonts (like Arial or SimSun), which are outline-based, SHX fonts are composed of strokes and lines. This distinction is crucial for technical drafting.