This article provides a 3,000-word deep dive into everything you need to know about Xarab.shx: what it is, why it breaks, how to fix it, and modern alternatives.
The short answer is Autodesk has been moving away from SHX for linguistic text. With the introduction of DirectWrite text rendering in AutoCAD 2024, TrueType fonts now render faster and support complex scripts (Arabic, Hebrew, Devanagari) natively.
Xarab.shx was often distributed with older versions of AutoCAD Middle Eastern editions or third-party CAD tools. It is not a standard font in English/American AutoCAD installations. Xarab.shx Autocad Font
Complete Guide to Xarab.shx AutoCAD Font: Fix Missing Text and Arabic Vector Vectors
When exporting an AutoCAD drawing containing Xarab.shx text to a Geographic Information System (GIS) like ArcGIS or QGIS, the text will appear as unreadable English strings. The solution is to use a character mapping table within the GIS software. In QGIS, for example, you can use the Field Calculator to create a translation dictionary that converts each English character in the attribute field back to the correct Arabic letter. This article provides a 3,000-word deep dive into
If you prefer not to alter the root program files, you can place the font in a custom project folder and point AutoCAD to it: Type OPTIONS in the AutoCAD command line and press . Navigate to the Files tab. Expand the Support File Search Path node.
: When you plot to a PDF, SHX text is often converted into geometric lines rather than searchable text. This increases PDF file size and makes the text non-selectable for readers . The solution is to use a character mapping
If you're experiencing issues with Xarab.shx or need to use Arabic text in AutoCAD, you can consider:
: You must restart the program for it to recognize the new SHX font. Set the Style command in AutoCAD, create a new text style, and select from the "SHX Font" dropdown menu. Key Details
Below is a draft review evaluating its performance and utility for CAD professionals.
Xarab.shx is a specialized used primarily in Autodesk AutoCAD to render Arabic vector text.