DistanceFieldFont is an extension for starling and FeathersUI to use Distance Field Fonts instead of normal Bitmap fonts. You can read more on Distance Field Fonts here: http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2007/SIGGRAPH2007_AlphaTestedMagnification.pdf https://code.google.com/p/libgdx/wiki/DistanceFieldFonts Currently there is no easy way …

DistanceFieldFont

package starling.extensions.DistanceFieldFont
{
  import flash.geom.Rectangle;
	import flash.utils.Dictionary;
	
	import starling.display.Image;
	import starling.text.BitmapChar;
	import starling.textures.Texture;
	import starling.textures.TextureSmoothing;
	import starling.utils.HAlign;
	import starling.utils.VAlign;

	public class DistanceFieldFont
	{
		/** Use this constant for the <code>fontSize</code> property of the TextField class to 
		 *  render the bitmap font in exactly the size it was created. */ 
		public static const NATIVE_SIZE:int = -1;
		
		/** The font name of the embedded minimal bitmap font. Use this e.g. for debug output. */
		public static const MINI:String = "mini";
		
		private static const CHAR_SPACE:int           = 32;
		private static const CHAR_TAB:int             =  9;
		private static const CHAR_NEWLINE:int         = 10;
		private static const CHAR_CARRIAGE_RETURN:int = 13;
		
		private var mTexture:Texture;
		private var mChars:Dictionary;
		private var mName:String;
		private var mSize:Number;
		private var mLineHeight:Number;
		private var mBaseline:Number;
		private var mHelperImage:Image;
		private var mCharLocationPool:Vector.<CharLocation>;
		
		/** Creates a bitmap font by parsing an XML file and uses the specified texture. 
		 *  If you don't pass any data, the "mini" font will be created. */
		public function DistanceFieldFont(texture:Texture=null, fontXml:XML=null)
		{
			// if no texture is passed in, we create the minimal, embedded font
			if (texture == null && fontXml == null)
			{
				throw new ArgumentError("A Texture font and XML file is needed.");
			}
			
			mName = "unknown";
			mLineHeight = mSize = mBaseline = 14;
			mTexture = texture;
			mChars = new Dictionary();
			mHelperImage = new Image(texture);
			mCharLocationPool = new <CharLocation>[];
			
			if (fontXml) parseFontXml(fontXml);
		}
		
		/** Disposes the texture of the bitmap font! */
		public function dispose():void
		{
			if (mTexture)
				mTexture.dispose();
		}
		
		private function parseFontXml(fontXml:XML):void
		{
			var scale:Number = mTexture.scale;
			var frame:Rectangle = mTexture.frame;
			
			mName = fontXml.info.attribute("face");
			mSize = parseFloat(fontXml.info.attribute("size")) / scale;
			mLineHeight = parseFloat(fontXml.common.attribute("lineHeight")) / scale;
			mBaseline = parseFloat(fontXml.common.attribute("base")) / scale;
			
			if (fontXml.info.attribute("smooth").toString() == "0")
				smoothing = TextureSmoothing.NONE;
			
			if (mSize <= 0)
			{
				trace("[Starling] Warning: invalid font size in '" + mName + "' font.");
				mSize = (mSize == 0.0 ? 16.0 : mSize * -1.0);
			}
			
			for each (var charElement:XML in fontXml.chars.char)
			{
				var id:int = parseInt(charElement.attribute("id"));
				var xOffset:Number = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("xoffset")) / scale;
				var yOffset:Number = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("yoffset")) / scale;
				var xAdvance:Number = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("xadvance")) / scale;
				
				var region:Rectangle = new Rectangle();
				region.x = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("x")) / scale + frame.x;
				region.y = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("y")) / scale + frame.y;
				region.width  = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("width")) / scale;
				region.height = parseFloat(charElement.attribute("height")) / scale;
				
				var texture:Texture = Texture.fromTexture(mTexture, region);
				var bitmapChar:BitmapChar = new BitmapChar(id, texture, xOffset, yOffset, xAdvance); 
				addChar(id, bitmapChar);
			}
			
			for each (var kerningElement:XML in fontXml.kernings.kerning)
			{
				var first:int = parseInt(kerningElement.attribute("first"));
				var second:int = parseInt(kerningElement.attribute("second"));
				var amount:Number = parseFloat(kerningElement.attribute("amount")) / scale;
				if (second in mChars) getChar(second).addKerning(first, amount);
			}
		}
		
		/** Returns a single bitmap char with a certain character ID. */
		public function getChar(charID:int):BitmapChar
		{
			return mChars[charID];   
		}
		
		/** Adds a bitmap char with a certain character ID. */
		public function addChar(charID:int, bitmapChar:BitmapChar):void
		{
			mChars[charID] = bitmapChar;
		}
		
		/** Draws text into a QuadBatch. */
		public function fillQuadBatch(quadBatch:DistanceFieldQuadBatch, width:Number, height:Number, text:String,
									  fontSize:Number=-1, color:uint=0xffffff, 
									  hAlign:String="center", vAlign:String="center",      
									  autoScale:Boolean=true, 
									  kerning:Boolean=true):void
		{
			var charLocations:Vector.<CharLocation> = arrangeChars(width, height, text, fontSize, 
				hAlign, vAlign, autoScale, kerning);
			var numChars:int = charLocations.length;
			mHelperImage.color = color;
			
			if (numChars > 8192)
				throw new ArgumentError("Bitmap Font text is limited to 8192 characters.");
			
			for (var i:int=0; i<numChars; ++i)
			{
				var charLocation:CharLocation = charLocations[i];
				mHelperImage.texture = charLocation.char.texture;
				mHelperImage.readjustSize();
				mHelperImage.x = charLocation.x;
				mHelperImage.y = charLocation.y;
				mHelperImage.scaleX = mHelperImage.scaleY = charLocation.scale;
				quadBatch.addImage(mHelperImage);
			}
		}
		
		/** Arranges the characters of a text inside a rectangle, adhering to the given settings. 
		 *  Returns a Vector of CharLocations. */
		private function arrangeChars(width:Number, height:Number, text:String, fontSize:Number=-1,
									  hAlign:String="center", vAlign:String="center",
									  autoScale:Boolean=true, kerning:Boolean=true):Vector.<CharLocation>
		{
			if (text == null || text.length == 0) return new <CharLocation>[];
			if (fontSize < 0) fontSize *= -mSize;
			
			var lines:Vector.<Vector.<CharLocation>>;
			var finished:Boolean = false;
			var charLocation:CharLocation;
			var numChars:int;
			var containerWidth:Number;
			var containerHeight:Number;
			var scale:Number;
			
			while (!finished)
			{
				scale = fontSize / mSize;
				containerWidth  = width / scale;
				containerHeight = height / scale;
				
				lines = new Vector.<Vector.<CharLocation>>();
				
				if (mLineHeight <= containerHeight)
				{
					var lastWhiteSpace:int = -1;
					var lastCharID:int = -1;
					var currentX:Number = 0;
					var currentY:Number = 0;
					var currentLine:Vector.<CharLocation> = new <CharLocation>[];
					
					numChars = text.length;
					for (var i:int=0; i<numChars; ++i)
					{
						var lineFull:Boolean = false;
						var charID:int = text.charCodeAt(i);
						var char:BitmapChar = getChar(charID);
						
						if (charID == CHAR_NEWLINE || charID == CHAR_CARRIAGE_RETURN)
						{
							lineFull = true;
						}
						else if (char == null)
						{
							trace("[Starling] Missing character: " + charID);
						}
						else
						{
							if (charID == CHAR_SPACE || charID == CHAR_TAB)
								lastWhiteSpace = i;
							
							if (kerning)
								currentX += char.getKerning(lastCharID);
							
							charLocation = mCharLocationPool.length ?
								mCharLocationPool.pop() : new CharLocation(char);
							
							charLocation.char = char;
							charLocation.x = currentX + char.xOffset;
							charLocation.y = currentY + char.yOffset;
							currentLine.push(charLocation);
							
							currentX += char.xAdvance;
							lastCharID = charID;
							
							if (charLocation.x + char.width > containerWidth)
							{
								// remove characters and add them again to next line
								var numCharsToRemove:int = lastWhiteSpace == -1 ? 1 : i - lastWhiteSpace;
								var removeIndex:int = currentLine.length - numCharsToRemove;
								
								currentLine.splice(removeIndex, numCharsToRemove);
								
								if (currentLine.length == 0)
									break;
								
								i -= numCharsToRemove;
								lineFull = true;
							}
						}
						
						if (i == numChars - 1)
						{
							lines.push(currentLine);
							finished = true;
						}
						else if (lineFull)
						{
							lines.push(currentLine);
							
							if (lastWhiteSpace == i)
								currentLine.pop();
							
							if (currentY + 2*mLineHeight <= containerHeight)
							{
								currentLine = new <CharLocation>[];
								currentX = 0;
								currentY += mLineHeight;
								lastWhiteSpace = -1;
								lastCharID = -1;
							}
							else
							{
								break;
							}
						}
					} // for each char
				} // if (mLineHeight <= containerHeight)
				
				if (autoScale && !finished)
				{
					fontSize -= 1;
					lines.length = 0;
				}
				else
				{
					finished = true; 
				}
			} // while (!finished)
			
			var finalLocations:Vector.<CharLocation> = new <CharLocation>[];
			var numLines:int = lines.length;
			var bottom:Number = currentY + mLineHeight;
			var yOffset:int = 0;
			
			if (vAlign == VAlign.BOTTOM)      yOffset =  containerHeight - bottom;
			else if (vAlign == VAlign.CENTER) yOffset = (containerHeight - bottom) / 2;
			
			for (var lineID:int=0; lineID<numLines; ++lineID)
			{
				var line:Vector.<CharLocation> = lines[lineID];
				numChars = line.length;
				
				if (numChars == 0) continue;
				
				var xOffset:int = 0;
				var lastLocation:CharLocation = line[line.length-1];
				var right:Number = lastLocation.x - lastLocation.char.xOffset 
					+ lastLocation.char.xAdvance;
				
				if (hAlign == HAlign.RIGHT)       xOffset =  containerWidth - right;
				else if (hAlign == HAlign.CENTER) xOffset = (containerWidth - right) / 2;
				
				for (var c:int=0; c<numChars; ++c)
				{
					charLocation = line[c];
					charLocation.x = scale * (charLocation.x + xOffset);
					charLocation.y = scale * (charLocation.y + yOffset);
					charLocation.scale = scale;
					
					if (charLocation.char.width > 0 && charLocation.char.height > 0)
						finalLocations.push(charLocation);
					
					// return to pool for next call to "arrangeChars"
					mCharLocationPool.push(charLocation);
				}
			}
			
			return finalLocations;
		}
		
		/** The name of the font as it was parsed from the font file. */
		public function get name():String { return mName; }
		
		/** The native size of the font. */
		public function get size():Number { return mSize; }
		
		/** The height of one line in pixels. */
		public function get lineHeight():Number { return mLineHeight; }
		public function set lineHeight(value:Number):void { mLineHeight = value; }
		
		/** The smoothing filter that is used for the texture. */ 
		public function get smoothing():String { return mHelperImage.smoothing; }
		public function set smoothing(value:String):void { mHelperImage.smoothing = value; } 
		
		/** The baseline of the font. */
		public function get baseline():Number { return mBaseline; }
	}
}

import starling.text.BitmapChar;

class CharLocation
{
	public var char:BitmapChar;
	public var scale:Number;
	public var x:Number;
	public var y:Number;
	
	public function CharLocation(char:BitmapChar)
	{
		this.char = char;
	}
}

DistanceFieldFontTextRenderer

package starling.extensions.DistanceFieldFont
{
  import flash.geom.Matrix;
	import flash.geom.Point;
	import flash.text.TextFormatAlign;
	
	import feathers.core.FeathersControl;
	import feathers.core.ITextRenderer;
	import feathers.text.BitmapFontTextFormat;
	
	import starling.core.RenderSupport;
	import starling.display.Image;
	import starling.text.BitmapChar;
	import starling.text.BitmapFont;
	import starling.textures.Texture;
	import starling.textures.TextureSmoothing;
	
	public class DistanceFieldFontTextRenderer extends FeathersControl implements ITextRenderer
	{
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static var HELPER_IMAGE:Image;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static const HELPER_MATRIX:Matrix = new Matrix();
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static const HELPER_POINT:Point = new Point();
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static const CHARACTER_ID_SPACE:int = 32;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static const CHARACTER_ID_TAB:int = 9;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static const CHARACTER_ID_LINE_FEED:int = 10;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static const CHARACTER_ID_CARRIAGE_RETURN:int = 13;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static var CHARACTER_BUFFER:Vector.<CharLocation>;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		private static var CHAR_LOCATION_POOL:Vector.<CharLocation>;
		
		/**
		 * Constructor.
		 */
		public function DistanceFieldFontTextRenderer()
		{
			if(!CHAR_LOCATION_POOL)
			{
				//compiler doesn't like referencing CharLocation class in a
				//static constant
				CHAR_LOCATION_POOL = new <CharLocation>[];
			}
			if(!CHARACTER_BUFFER)
			{
				CHARACTER_BUFFER = new <CharLocation>[];
			}
			this.isQuickHitAreaEnabled = true;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _characterBatch:DistanceFieldQuadBatch;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _locations:Vector.<CharLocation>;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _images:Vector.<Image>;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _imagesCache:Vector.<Image>;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var currentTextFormat:BitmapFontTextFormat;
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _textFormat:BitmapFontTextFormat;
		
		/**
		 * The font and styles used to draw the text.
		 */
		public function get textFormat():BitmapFontTextFormat
		{
			return this._textFormat;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set textFormat(value:BitmapFontTextFormat):void
		{
			if(this._textFormat == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._textFormat = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _disabledTextFormat:BitmapFontTextFormat;
		
		/**
		 * The font and styles used to draw the text when the label is disabled.
		 */
		public function get disabledTextFormat():BitmapFontTextFormat
		{
			return this._disabledTextFormat;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set disabledTextFormat(value:BitmapFontTextFormat):void
		{
			if(this._disabledTextFormat == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._disabledTextFormat = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _text:String = null;
		
		/**
		 * The text to display.
		 */
		public function get text():String
		{
			return this._text;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set text(value:String):void
		{
			if(this._text == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._text = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_DATA);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _smoothing:String = TextureSmoothing.BILINEAR;
		
		[Inspectable(type="String",enumeration="bilinear,trilinear,none")]
		/**
		 * A smoothing value passed to each character image.
		 *
		 * @see starling.textures.TextureSmoothing
		 */
		public function get smoothing():String
		{
			return this._smoothing;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set smoothing(value:String):void
		{
			if(this._smoothing == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._smoothing = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _wordWrap:Boolean = false;
		
		/**
		 * If the width or maxWidth values are set, then the text will continue
		 * on the next line, if it is too long.
		 */
		public function get wordWrap():Boolean
		{
			return _wordWrap;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set wordWrap(value:Boolean):void
		{
			if(this._wordWrap == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._wordWrap = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _snapToPixels:Boolean = true;
		
		/**
		 * Determines if characters should be snapped to the nearest whole pixel
		 * when rendered.
		 */
		public function get snapToPixels():Boolean
		{
			return _snapToPixels;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set snapToPixels(value:Boolean):void
		{
			if(this._snapToPixels == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._snapToPixels = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _truncationText:String = "...";
		
		/**
		 * The text to display at the end of the label if it is truncated.
		 */
		public function get truncationText():String
		{
			return _truncationText;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set truncationText(value:String):void
		{
			if(this._truncationText == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._truncationText = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_DATA);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected var _useSeparateBatch:Boolean = true;
		
		/**
		 * Determines if the characters are batched normally by Starling or if
		 * they're batched separately. Batching separately may improve
		 * performance for text that changes often, while batching normally
		 * may be better when a lot of text is displayed on screen at once.
		 */
		public function get useSeparateBatch():Boolean
		{
			return this._useSeparateBatch;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		public function set useSeparateBatch(value:Boolean):void
		{
			if(this._useSeparateBatch == value)
			{
				return;
			}
			this._useSeparateBatch = value;
			this.invalidate(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @inheritDoc
		 */
		public function get baseline():Number
		{
			if(!this._textFormat)
			{
				return 0;
			}
			const font:BitmapFont = this._textFormat.font;
			const formatSize:Number = this._textFormat.size;
			const fontSizeScale:Number = isNaN(formatSize) ? 1 : (formatSize / font.size);
			if(isNaN(font.baseline))
			{
				return font.lineHeight * fontSizeScale;
			}
			return font.baseline * fontSizeScale;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		override public function dispose():void
		{
			this.moveLocationsToPool();
			super.dispose();
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		override public function render(support:RenderSupport, parentAlpha:Number):void
		{
			var offsetX:Number = 0;
			var offsetY:Number = 0;
			if(this._snapToPixels)
			{
				this.getTransformationMatrix(this.stage, HELPER_MATRIX);
				offsetX = Math.round(HELPER_MATRIX.tx) - HELPER_MATRIX.tx;
				offsetY = Math.round(HELPER_MATRIX.ty) - HELPER_MATRIX.ty;
			}
			if(this._locations)
			{
				const locationCount:int = this._locations.length;
				for(var i:int = 0; i < locationCount; i++)
				{
					var location:CharLocation = this._locations[i];
					var image:Image = this._images[i];
					image.x = offsetX + location.x;
					image.y = offsetY + location.y;
				}
			}
			else
			{
				this._characterBatch.x = offsetX;
				this._characterBatch.y = offsetY;
			}
			super.render(support, parentAlpha);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @inheritDoc
		 */
		public function measureText(result:Point = null):Point
		{
			if(this.isInvalid(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES) || this.isInvalid(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STATE))
			{
				this.refreshTextFormat();
			}
			
			if(!result)
			{
				result = new Point();
			}
			else
			{
				result.x = result.y = 0;
			}
			if(!this.currentTextFormat || !this._text)
			{
				return result;
			}
			const font:BitmapFont = this.currentTextFormat.font;
			const customSize:Number = this.currentTextFormat.size;
			const customLetterSpacing:Number = this.currentTextFormat.letterSpacing;
			const isKerningEnabled:Boolean = this.currentTextFormat.isKerningEnabled;
			const scale:Number = isNaN(customSize) ? 1 : (customSize / font.size);
			const lineHeight:Number = font.lineHeight * scale;
			const maxLineWidth:Number = !isNaN(this.explicitWidth) ? this.explicitWidth : this._maxWidth;
			const isAligned:Boolean = this.currentTextFormat.align != TextFormatAlign.LEFT;
			
			var maxX:Number = 0;
			var currentX:Number = 0;
			var currentY:Number = 0;
			var previousCharID:Number = NaN;
			var charCount:int = this._text.length;
			var startXOfPreviousWord:Number = 0;
			var widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord:Number = 0;
			var wordCountForLine:int = 0;
			var line:String = "";
			var word:String = "";
			for(var i:int = 0; i < charCount; i++)
			{
				var charID:int = this._text.charCodeAt(i);
				if(charID == CHARACTER_ID_LINE_FEED || charID == CHARACTER_ID_CARRIAGE_RETURN) //new line \n or \r
				{
					currentX = Math.max(0, currentX - customLetterSpacing);
					maxX = Math.max(maxX, currentX);
					previousCharID = NaN;
					currentX = 0;
					currentY += lineHeight;
					startXOfPreviousWord = 0;
					wordCountForLine = 0;
					widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord = 0;
					continue;
				}
				
				var charData:BitmapChar = font.getChar(charID);
				if(!charData)
				{
					trace("Missing character " + String.fromCharCode(charID) + " in font " + font.name + ".");
					continue;
				}
				
				if(isKerningEnabled && !isNaN(previousCharID))
				{
					currentX += charData.getKerning(previousCharID);
				}
				
				var offsetX:Number = charData.xAdvance * scale;
				if(this._wordWrap)
				{
					var previousCharIsWhitespace:Boolean = previousCharID == CHARACTER_ID_SPACE || previousCharID == CHARACTER_ID_TAB;
					if(charID == CHARACTER_ID_SPACE || charID == CHARACTER_ID_TAB)
					{
						if(!previousCharIsWhitespace)
						{
							widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord = 0;
						}
						widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord += offsetX;
					}
					else if(previousCharIsWhitespace)
					{
						startXOfPreviousWord = currentX;
						wordCountForLine++;
						line += word;
						word = "";
					}
					
					if(wordCountForLine > 0 && (currentX + offsetX) > maxLineWidth)
					{
						maxX = Math.max(maxX, startXOfPreviousWord - widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord);
						previousCharID = NaN;
						currentX -= startXOfPreviousWord;
						currentY += lineHeight;
						startXOfPreviousWord = 0;
						widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord = 0;
						wordCountForLine = 0;
						line = "";
					}
				}
				currentX += offsetX + customLetterSpacing;
				previousCharID = charID;
				word += String.fromCharCode(charID);
			}
			currentX = Math.max(0, currentX - customLetterSpacing);
			maxX = Math.max(maxX, currentX);
			
			result.x = maxX;
			result.y = currentY + font.lineHeight * scale;
			return result;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		override protected function draw():void
		{
			const dataInvalid:Boolean = this.isInvalid(INVALIDATION_FLAG_DATA);
			const stylesInvalid:Boolean = this.isInvalid(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STYLES);
			const sizeInvalid:Boolean = this.isInvalid(INVALIDATION_FLAG_SIZE);
			const stateInvalid:Boolean = this.isInvalid(INVALIDATION_FLAG_STATE);
			
			if(stylesInvalid || stateInvalid)
			{
				this.refreshTextFormat();
			}
			
			if(dataInvalid || stylesInvalid || sizeInvalid)
			{
				this.refreshBatching();
				if(!this.currentTextFormat || !this._text)
				{
					this.setSizeInternal(0, 0, false);
					return;
				}
				this.layoutCharacters(HELPER_POINT);
				this.setSizeInternal(HELPER_POINT.x, HELPER_POINT.y, false);
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function refreshBatching():void
		{
			this.moveLocationsToPool();
			if(this._useSeparateBatch)
			{
				if(!this._characterBatch)
				{
					this._characterBatch = new DistanceFieldQuadBatch();
					this._characterBatch.touchable = false;
					this.addChild(this._characterBatch);
				}
				this._characterBatch.reset();
				this._locations = null;
				if(this._images)
				{
					const imageCount:int = this._images.length;
					for(var i:int = 0; i < imageCount; i++)
					{
						var image:Image = this._images[i];
						image.removeFromParent(true);
					}
				}
				this._images = null;
				this._imagesCache = null;
			}
			else
			{
				if(this._characterBatch)
				{
					this._characterBatch.removeFromParent(true);
					this._characterBatch = null;
				}
				if(!this._locations)
				{
					this._locations = new <CharLocation>[];
				}
				if(!this._images)
				{
					this._images = new <Image>[];
				}
				if(!this._imagesCache)
				{
					this._imagesCache = new <Image>[];
				}
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function layoutCharacters(result:Point = null):Point
		{
			if(!result)
			{
				result = new Point();
			}
			
			const font:BitmapFont = this.currentTextFormat.font;
			const customSize:Number = this.currentTextFormat.size;
			const customLetterSpacing:Number = this.currentTextFormat.letterSpacing;
			const isKerningEnabled:Boolean = this.currentTextFormat.isKerningEnabled;
			const scale:Number = isNaN(customSize) ? 1 : (customSize / font.size);
			const lineHeight:Number = font.lineHeight * scale;
			const maxLineWidth:Number = !isNaN(this.explicitWidth) ? this.explicitWidth : this._maxWidth;
			const textToDraw:String = this.getTruncatedText();
			const isAligned:Boolean = this.currentTextFormat.align != TextFormatAlign.LEFT;
			CHARACTER_BUFFER.length = 0;
			
			if(!this._useSeparateBatch)
			{
				//cache the old images for reuse
				const temp:Vector.<Image> = this._imagesCache;
				this._imagesCache = this._images;
				this._images = temp;
			}
			
			var maxX:Number = 0;
			var currentX:Number = 0;
			var currentY:Number = 0;
			var previousCharID:Number = NaN;
			var isWordComplete:Boolean = false;
			var startXOfPreviousWord:Number = 0;
			var widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord:Number = 0;
			var wordLength:int = 0;
			var wordCountForLine:int = 0;
			const charCount:int = textToDraw ? textToDraw.length : 0;
			for(var i:int = 0; i < charCount; i++)
			{
				isWordComplete = false;
				var charID:int = textToDraw.charCodeAt(i);
				if(charID == CHARACTER_ID_LINE_FEED || charID == CHARACTER_ID_CARRIAGE_RETURN) //new line \n or \r
				{
					currentX = Math.max(0, currentX - customLetterSpacing);
					if(this._wordWrap || isAligned)
					{
						this.alignBuffer(maxLineWidth, currentX, 0);
						this.addBufferToBatch(0);
					}
					maxX = Math.max(maxX, currentX);
					previousCharID = NaN;
					currentX = 0;
					currentY += lineHeight;
					startXOfPreviousWord = 0;
					widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord = 0;
					wordLength = 0;
					wordCountForLine = 0;
					continue;
				}
				
				var charData:BitmapChar = font.getChar(charID);
				if(!charData)
				{
					trace("Missing character " + String.fromCharCode(charID) + " in font " + font.name + ".");
					continue;
				}
				
				if(isKerningEnabled && !isNaN(previousCharID))
				{
					currentX += charData.getKerning(previousCharID);
				}
				
				var offsetX:Number = charData.xAdvance * scale;
				if(this._wordWrap)
				{
					var previousCharIsWhitespace:Boolean = previousCharID == CHARACTER_ID_SPACE || previousCharID == CHARACTER_ID_TAB;
					if(charID == CHARACTER_ID_SPACE || charID == CHARACTER_ID_TAB)
					{
						if(!previousCharIsWhitespace)
						{
							widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord = 0;
						}
						widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord += offsetX;
					}
					else if(previousCharIsWhitespace)
					{
						startXOfPreviousWord = currentX;
						wordLength = 0;
						wordCountForLine++;
						isWordComplete = true;
					}
					
					//we may need to move to a new line at the same time
					//that our previous word in the buffer can be batched
					//so we need to add the buffer here rather than after
					//the next section
					if(isWordComplete && !isAligned)
					{
						this.addBufferToBatch(0);
					}
					
					if(wordCountForLine > 0 && (currentX + offsetX) > maxLineWidth)
					{
						if(isAligned)
						{
							this.trimBuffer(wordLength);
							this.alignBuffer(maxLineWidth, startXOfPreviousWord - widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord, wordLength);
							this.addBufferToBatch(wordLength);
						}
						this.moveBufferedCharacters(-startXOfPreviousWord, lineHeight, 0);
						maxX = Math.max(maxX, startXOfPreviousWord - widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord);
						previousCharID = NaN;
						currentX -= startXOfPreviousWord;
						currentY += lineHeight;
						startXOfPreviousWord = 0;
						widthOfWhitespaceAfterWord = 0;
						wordLength = 0;
						isWordComplete = false;
						wordCountForLine = 0;
					}
				}
				if(this._wordWrap || isAligned || !this._useSeparateBatch)
				{
					var charLocation:CharLocation = CHAR_LOCATION_POOL.length > 0 ? CHAR_LOCATION_POOL.shift() : new CharLocation();
					charLocation.char = charData;
					charLocation.x = currentX + charData.xOffset * scale;
					charLocation.y = currentY + charData.yOffset * scale;
					charLocation.scale = scale;
					if(this._wordWrap || isAligned)
					{
						CHARACTER_BUFFER.push(charLocation);
						wordLength++;
					}
					else
					{
						this.addLocation(charLocation);
					}
				}
				else
				{
					this.addCharacterToBatch(charData, currentX + charData.xOffset * scale, currentY + charData.yOffset * scale, scale);
				}
				
				currentX += offsetX + customLetterSpacing;
				previousCharID = charID;
			}
			currentX = Math.max(0, currentX - customLetterSpacing);
			if(this._wordWrap || isAligned)
			{
				this.alignBuffer(maxLineWidth, currentX, 0);
				this.addBufferToBatch(0);
			}
			maxX = Math.max(maxX, currentX);
			
			if(!this._useSeparateBatch)
			{
				//clear the cache of old images that are no longer needed
				const cacheLength:int = this._imagesCache.length;
				for(i = 0; i < cacheLength; i++)
				{
					var image:Image = this._imagesCache.shift();
					image.removeFromParent(true);
				}
			}
			
			result.x = maxX;
			result.y = currentY + font.lineHeight * scale;
			return result;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function trimBuffer(skipCount:int):void
		{
			var countToRemove:int = 0;
			const charCount:int = CHARACTER_BUFFER.length - skipCount;
			for(var i:int = charCount - 1; i >= 0; i--)
			{
				var charLocation:CharLocation = CHARACTER_BUFFER[i];
				var charData:BitmapChar = charLocation.char;
				var charID:int = charData.charID;
				if(charID == CHARACTER_ID_SPACE || charID == CHARACTER_ID_TAB)
				{
					countToRemove++;
				}
				else
				{
					break;
				}
			}
			if(countToRemove > 0)
			{
				CHARACTER_BUFFER.splice(i + 1, countToRemove);
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function alignBuffer(maxLineWidth:Number, currentLineWidth:Number, skipCount:int):void
		{
			const align:String = this.currentTextFormat.align;
			if(align == TextFormatAlign.CENTER)
			{
				this.moveBufferedCharacters((maxLineWidth - currentLineWidth) / 2, 0, skipCount);
			}
			else if(align == TextFormatAlign.RIGHT)
			{
				this.moveBufferedCharacters(maxLineWidth - currentLineWidth, 0, skipCount);
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function addBufferToBatch(skipCount:int):void
		{
			const charCount:int = CHARACTER_BUFFER.length - skipCount;
			for(var i:int = 0; i < charCount; i++)
			{
				var charLocation:CharLocation = CHARACTER_BUFFER.shift();
				if(this._useSeparateBatch)
				{
					this.addCharacterToBatch(charLocation.char, charLocation.x, charLocation.y, charLocation.scale);
					charLocation.char = null;
					CHAR_LOCATION_POOL.push(charLocation);
				}
				else
				{
					this.addLocation(charLocation);
				}
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function addLocation(location:CharLocation):void
		{
			var image:Image;
			const charData:BitmapChar = location.char;
			const texture:Texture = charData.texture;
			if(this._imagesCache.length > 0)
			{
				image = this._imagesCache.shift();
				image.texture = texture;
				image.readjustSize();
			}
			else
			{
				image = new Image(texture);
				this.addChild(image);
			}
			image.scaleX = image.scaleY = location.scale;
			image.smoothing = this._smoothing;
			image.color = this.currentTextFormat.color;
			this._images.push(image);
			this._locations.push(location);
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function moveBufferedCharacters(xOffset:Number, yOffset:Number, skipCount:int):void
		{
			const charCount:int = CHARACTER_BUFFER.length - skipCount;
			for(var i:int = 0; i < charCount; i++)
			{
				var charLocation:CharLocation = CHARACTER_BUFFER[i];
				charLocation.x += xOffset;
				charLocation.y += yOffset;
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function addCharacterToBatch(charData:BitmapChar, x:Number, y:Number, scale:Number, support:RenderSupport = null, parentAlpha:Number = 1):void
		{
			if(!HELPER_IMAGE)
			{
				HELPER_IMAGE = new Image(charData.texture);
			}
			else
			{
				HELPER_IMAGE.texture = charData.texture;
				HELPER_IMAGE.readjustSize();
			}
			HELPER_IMAGE.scaleX = HELPER_IMAGE.scaleY = scale;
			HELPER_IMAGE.x = x;
			HELPER_IMAGE.y = y;
			HELPER_IMAGE.color = this.currentTextFormat.color;
			HELPER_IMAGE.smoothing = this._smoothing;
			
			if(support)
			{
				support.pushMatrix();
				support.transformMatrix(HELPER_IMAGE);
				support.batchQuad(HELPER_IMAGE, parentAlpha, HELPER_IMAGE.texture, this._smoothing);
				support.popMatrix();
			}
			else
			{
				this._characterBatch.addImage(HELPER_IMAGE);
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function refreshTextFormat():void
		{
			if(!this._isEnabled && this._disabledTextFormat)
			{
				this.currentTextFormat = this._disabledTextFormat;
			}
			else
			{
				this.currentTextFormat = this._textFormat;
			}
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function getTruncatedText():String
		{
			if(!this._text)
			{
				//this shouldn't be called if _text is null, but just in case...
				return "";
			}
			//if the maxWidth is infinity or the string is multiline, don't
			//allow truncation
			if(this._maxWidth == Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY || this._wordWrap || this._text.indexOf(String.fromCharCode(CHARACTER_ID_LINE_FEED)) >= 0 || this._text.indexOf(String.fromCharCode(CHARACTER_ID_CARRIAGE_RETURN)) >= 0)
			{
				return this._text;
			}
			
			const font:BitmapFont = this.currentTextFormat.font;
			const customSize:Number = this.currentTextFormat.size;
			const customLetterSpacing:Number = this.currentTextFormat.letterSpacing;
			const isKerningEnabled:Boolean = this.currentTextFormat.isKerningEnabled;
			const scale:Number = isNaN(customSize) ? 1 : (customSize / font.size);
			var currentX:Number = 0;
			var previousCharID:Number = NaN;
			var charCount:int = this._text.length;
			var truncationIndex:int = -1;
			for(var i:int = 0; i < charCount; i++)
			{
				var charID:int = this._text.charCodeAt(i);
				var charData:BitmapChar = font.getChar(charID);
				if(!charData)
				{
					continue;
				}
				var currentKerning:Number = 0;
				if(isKerningEnabled && !isNaN(previousCharID))
				{
					currentKerning = charData.getKerning(previousCharID);
				}
				currentX += currentKerning + charData.xAdvance * scale;
				if(currentX > this._maxWidth)
				{
					truncationIndex = i;
					break;
				}
				currentX += customLetterSpacing;
				previousCharID = charID;
			}
			
			if(truncationIndex >= 0)
			{
				//first measure the size of the truncation text
				charCount = this._truncationText.length;
				for(i = 0; i < charCount; i++)
				{
					charID = this._truncationText.charCodeAt(i);
					charData = font.getChar(charID);
					if(!charData)
					{
						continue;
					}
					currentKerning = 0;
					if(isKerningEnabled && !isNaN(previousCharID))
					{
						currentKerning = charData.getKerning(previousCharID);
					}
					currentX += currentKerning + charData.xAdvance * scale + customLetterSpacing;
					previousCharID = charID;
				}
				currentX -= customLetterSpacing;
				
				//then work our way backwards until we fit into the maxWidth
				for(i = truncationIndex; i >= 0; i--)
				{
					charID = this._text.charCodeAt(i);
					previousCharID = i > 0 ? this._text.charCodeAt(i - 1) : NaN;
					charData = font.getChar(charID);
					if(!charData)
					{
						continue;
					}
					currentKerning = 0;
					if(isKerningEnabled && !isNaN(previousCharID))
					{
						currentKerning = charData.getKerning(previousCharID);
					}
					currentX -= (currentKerning + charData.xAdvance * scale + customLetterSpacing);
					if(currentX <= this._maxWidth)
					{
						return this._text.substr(0, i) + this._truncationText;
					}
				}
				return this._truncationText;
			}
			return this._text;
		}
		
		/**
		 * @private
		 */
		protected function moveLocationsToPool():void
		{
			if(!this._locations)
			{
				return;
			}
			const locationCount:int = this._locations.length;
			for(var i:int = 0; i < locationCount; i++)
			{
				var location:CharLocation = this._locations.shift();
				location.char = null;
				CHAR_LOCATION_POOL.push(location);
			}
		}
	}
}

import starling.text.BitmapChar;

class CharLocation
{
	public var char:BitmapChar;
	public var scale:Number;
	public var x:Number;
	public var y:Number;
}

DistanceFieldQuadBatch

package starling.extensions.DistanceFieldFont
{
	import com.adobe.utils.AGALMiniAssembler;
	
	import flash.display3D.Context3D;
	import flash.display3D.Context3DProgramType;
	import flash.display3D.Context3DTextureFormat;
	import flash.display3D.Context3DVertexBufferFormat;
	import flash.display3D.IndexBuffer3D;
	import flash.display3D.VertexBuffer3D;
	import flash.geom.Matrix;
	import flash.geom.Matrix3D;
	import flash.geom.Rectangle;
	import flash.utils.Dictionary;
	import flash.utils.getQualifiedClassName;
	
	import starling.core.RenderSupport;
	import starling.core.Starling;
	import starling.core.starling_internal;
	import starling.display.BlendMode;
	import starling.display.DisplayObject;
	import starling.display.DisplayObjectContainer;
	import starling.display.Image;
	import starling.display.Quad;
	import starling.errors.MissingContextError;
	import starling.events.Event;
	import starling.filters.FragmentFilter;
	import starling.filters.FragmentFilterMode;
	import starling.textures.Texture;
	import starling.textures.TextureSmoothing;
	import starling.utils.MatrixUtil;
	import starling.utils.VertexData;
	
	use namespace starling_internal;
	
	
	/******************************************
	 * 
	 * http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2007/SIGGRAPH2007_AlphaTestedMagnification.pdf
	 * 
	 * https://code.google.com/p/libgdx/wiki/DistanceFieldFonts
	 * 
	 *****************************************/

	public class DistanceFieldQuadBatch extends DisplayObject
	{
		private static const QUAD_PROGRAM_NAME:String = "DQB_q";
		
		private var mNumQuads:int;
		private var mSyncRequired:Boolean;
		
		private var mTinted:Boolean;
		private var mTexture:Texture;
		private var mSmoothing:String;
		
		private var mVertexData:VertexData;
		private var mVertexBuffer:VertexBuffer3D;
		private var mIndexData:Vector.<uint>;
		private var mIndexBuffer:IndexBuffer3D;
		
		/** Helper objects. */
		private static var sHelperMatrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
		private static var sRenderAlpha:Vector.<Number> = new <Number>[1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0];
		private static var sRenderMatrix:Matrix3D = new Matrix3D();
		private static var sProgramNameCache:Dictionary = new Dictionary();
		public		   var sDistanceConstants:Vector.<Number> = new <Number>[0.5 - 1.0/16.0, 0.5 + 1.0/16.0, 3, 0.5];
		public		   var sDistanceConstants2:Vector.<Number> = new <Number>[1, 1, 1, 1];
		
		/** Creates a new DistanceQuadBatch instance with empty batch data. */
		public function DistanceFieldQuadBatch()
		{
			mVertexData = new VertexData(0, true);
			mIndexData = new <uint>[];
			mNumQuads = 0;
			mTinted = false;
			mSyncRequired = false;
			
			// Handle lost context. We use the conventional event here (not the one from Starling)
			// so we're able to create a weak event listener; this avoids memory leaks when people 
			// forget to call "dispose" on the QuadBatch.
			Starling.current.stage3D.addEventListener(Event.CONTEXT3D_CREATE, 
				onContextCreated, false, 0, true);
		}
		
		/** Disposes vertex- and index-buffer. */
		public override function dispose():void
		{
			Starling.current.stage3D.removeEventListener(Event.CONTEXT3D_CREATE, onContextCreated);
			
			if (mVertexBuffer) mVertexBuffer.dispose();
			if (mIndexBuffer)  mIndexBuffer.dispose();
			
			super.dispose();
		}
		
		private function onContextCreated(event:Object):void
		{
			createBuffers();
			registerPrograms();
		}
		
		/** Creates a duplicate of the QuadBatch object. */
		public function clone():DistanceFieldQuadBatch
		{
			var clone:DistanceFieldQuadBatch = new DistanceFieldQuadBatch();
			clone.mVertexData = mVertexData.clone(0, mNumQuads * 4);
			clone.mIndexData = mIndexData.slice(0, mNumQuads * 6);
			clone.mNumQuads = mNumQuads;
			clone.mTinted = mTinted;
			clone.mTexture = mTexture;
			clone.mSmoothing = mSmoothing;
			clone.mSyncRequired = true;
			clone.blendMode = blendMode;
			clone.alpha = alpha;
			return clone;
		}
		
		private function expand(newCapacity:int=-1):void
		{
			var oldCapacity:int = capacity;
			
			if (newCapacity <  0) newCapacity = oldCapacity * 2;
			if (newCapacity == 0) newCapacity = 16;
			if (newCapacity <= oldCapacity) return;
			
			mVertexData.numVertices = newCapacity * 4;
			
			for (var i:int=oldCapacity; i<newCapacity; ++i)
			{
				mIndexData[int(i*6  )] = i*4;
				mIndexData[int(i*6+1)] = i*4 + 1;
				mIndexData[int(i*6+2)] = i*4 + 2;
				mIndexData[int(i*6+3)] = i*4 + 1;
				mIndexData[int(i*6+4)] = i*4 + 3;
				mIndexData[int(i*6+5)] = i*4 + 2;
			}
			
			createBuffers();
			registerPrograms();
		}
		
		private function createBuffers():void
		{
			var numVertices:int = mVertexData.numVertices;
			var numIndices:int = mIndexData.length;
			var context:Context3D = Starling.context;
			
			if (mVertexBuffer)    mVertexBuffer.dispose();
			if (mIndexBuffer)     mIndexBuffer.dispose();
			if (numVertices == 0) return;
			if (context == null)  throw new MissingContextError();
			
			mVertexBuffer = context.createVertexBuffer(numVertices, VertexData.ELEMENTS_PER_VERTEX);
			mVertexBuffer.uploadFromVector(mVertexData.rawData, 0, numVertices);
			
			mIndexBuffer = context.createIndexBuffer(numIndices);
			mIndexBuffer.uploadFromVector(mIndexData, 0, numIndices);
			
			mSyncRequired = false;
		}
		
		/** Uploads the raw data of all batched quads to the vertex buffer. */
		private function syncBuffers():void
		{
			if (mVertexBuffer == null)
				createBuffers();
			else
			{
				// as 3rd parameter, we could also use 'mNumQuads * 4', but on some GPU hardware (iOS!),
				// this is slower than updating the complete buffer.
				
				mVertexBuffer.uploadFromVector(mVertexData.rawData, 0, mVertexData.numVertices);
				mSyncRequired = false;
			}
		}
		
		/** Renders the current batch with custom settings for model-view-projection matrix, alpha 
		 *  and blend mode. This makes it possible to render batches that are not part of the 
		 *  display list. */ 
		public function renderCustom(mvpMatrix:Matrix, parentAlpha:Number=1.0,
									 blendMode:String=null):void
		{
			if (mNumQuads == 0) return;
			if (mSyncRequired) syncBuffers();
			
			var pma:Boolean = mVertexData.premultipliedAlpha;
			var context:Context3D = Starling.context;
			var tinted:Boolean = mTinted || (parentAlpha != 1.0);
			var programName:String = mTexture ? 
				getImageProgramName(tinted, mTexture.mipMapping, mTexture.repeat, mTexture.format, mSmoothing) : 
				QUAD_PROGRAM_NAME;
			
			sRenderAlpha[0] = sRenderAlpha[1] = sRenderAlpha[2] = pma ? parentAlpha : 1.0;
			sRenderAlpha[3] = parentAlpha;
			
			MatrixUtil.convertTo3D(mvpMatrix, sRenderMatrix);
			RenderSupport.setBlendFactors(pma, blendMode ? blendMode : this.blendMode);
			
			context.setProgram(Starling.current.getProgram(programName));
			context.setProgramConstantsFromVector(Context3DProgramType.VERTEX, 0, sRenderAlpha, 1);
			context.setProgramConstantsFromMatrix(Context3DProgramType.VERTEX, 1, sRenderMatrix, true);
			context.setVertexBufferAt(0, mVertexBuffer, VertexData.POSITION_OFFSET, 
				Context3DVertexBufferFormat.FLOAT_2); 
			
			if (mTexture == null || tinted)
				context.setVertexBufferAt(1, mVertexBuffer, VertexData.COLOR_OFFSET, 
					Context3DVertexBufferFormat.FLOAT_4);
			
			if (mTexture)
			{
				context.setTextureAt(0, mTexture.base);
				context.setVertexBufferAt(2, mVertexBuffer, VertexData.TEXCOORD_OFFSET, 
					Context3DVertexBufferFormat.FLOAT_2);
			}

			// fc0 -> constants 	[0.5 - 1.0/16.0, 0.5 + 1.0/16.0, 3, 0.5]
			context.setProgramConstantsFromVector(Context3DProgramType.FRAGMENT, 0, sDistanceConstants, 1);
			context.setProgramConstantsFromVector(Context3DProgramType.FRAGMENT, 1, sDistanceConstants2, 1);
			
			context.drawTriangles(mIndexBuffer, 0, mNumQuads * 2);
			
			if (mTexture)
			{
				context.setTextureAt(0, null);
				context.setVertexBufferAt(2, null);
			}
			
			context.setVertexBufferAt(1, null);
			context.setVertexBufferAt(0, null);
		}
		
		/** Resets the batch. The vertex- and index-buffers remain their size, so that they
		 *  can be reused quickly. */  
		public function reset():void
		{
			mNumQuads = 0;
			mTexture = null;
			mSmoothing = null;
			mSyncRequired = true;
		}
		
		/** Adds an image to the batch. This method internally calls 'addQuad' with the correct
		 *  parameters for 'texture' and 'smoothing'. */ 
		public function addImage(image:Image, parentAlpha:Number=1.0, modelViewMatrix:Matrix=null,
								 blendMode:String=null):void
		{
			addQuad(image, parentAlpha, image.texture, image.smoothing, modelViewMatrix, blendMode);
		}
		
		/** Adds a quad to the batch. The first quad determines the state of the batch,
		 *  i.e. the values for texture, smoothing and blendmode. When you add additional quads,  
		 *  make sure they share that state (e.g. with the 'isStageChange' method), or reset
		 *  the batch. */ 
		public function addQuad(quad:Quad, parentAlpha:Number=1.0, texture:Texture=null, 
								smoothing:String=null, modelViewMatrix:Matrix=null, 
								blendMode:String=null):void
		{
			if (modelViewMatrix == null)
				modelViewMatrix = quad.transformationMatrix;
			
			var tinted:Boolean = texture ? (quad.tinted || parentAlpha != 1.0) : false;
			var alpha:Number = parentAlpha * quad.alpha;
			var vertexID:int = mNumQuads * 4;
			
			if (mNumQuads + 1 > mVertexData.numVertices / 4) expand();
			if (mNumQuads == 0) 
			{
				this.blendMode = blendMode ? blendMode : quad.blendMode;
				mTexture = texture;
				mTinted = tinted;
				mSmoothing = smoothing;
				mVertexData.setPremultipliedAlpha(quad.premultipliedAlpha);
			}
			
			quad.copyVertexDataTo(mVertexData, vertexID);
			mVertexData.transformVertex(vertexID, modelViewMatrix, 4);
			
			if (alpha != 1.0)
				mVertexData.scaleAlpha(vertexID, alpha, 4);
			
			mSyncRequired = true;
			mNumQuads++;
		}
		
		/** Adds another QuadBatch to this batch. Just like the 'addQuad' method, you have to
		 *  make sure that you only add batches with an equal state. */
		public function addQuadBatch(quadBatch:DistanceFieldQuadBatch, parentAlpha:Number=1.0, 
									 modelViewMatrix:Matrix=null, blendMode:String=null):void
		{
			if (modelViewMatrix == null)
				modelViewMatrix = quadBatch.transformationMatrix;
			
			var tinted:Boolean = quadBatch.mTinted || parentAlpha != 1.0;
			var alpha:Number = parentAlpha * quadBatch.alpha;
			var vertexID:int = mNumQuads * 4;
			var numQuads:int = quadBatch.numQuads;
			
			if (mNumQuads + numQuads > capacity) expand(mNumQuads + numQuads);
			if (mNumQuads == 0) 
			{
				this.blendMode = blendMode ? blendMode : quadBatch.blendMode;
				mTexture = quadBatch.mTexture;
				mTinted = tinted;
				mSmoothing = quadBatch.mSmoothing;
				mVertexData.setPremultipliedAlpha(quadBatch.mVertexData.premultipliedAlpha, false);
			}
			
			quadBatch.mVertexData.copyTo(mVertexData, vertexID, 0, numQuads*4);
			mVertexData.transformVertex(vertexID, modelViewMatrix, numQuads*4);
			
			if (alpha != 1.0)
				mVertexData.scaleAlpha(vertexID, alpha, numQuads*4);
			
			mSyncRequired = true;
			mNumQuads += numQuads;
		}
		
		/** Indicates if specific quads can be added to the batch without causing a state change. 
		 *  A state change occurs if the quad uses a different base texture, has a different 
		 *  'tinted', 'smoothing', 'repeat' or 'blendMode' setting, or if the batch is full
		 *  (one batch can contain up to 8192 quads). */
		public function isStateChange(tinted:Boolean, parentAlpha:Number, texture:Texture, 
									  smoothing:String, blendMode:String, numQuads:int=1):Boolean
		{
			if (mNumQuads == 0) return false;
			else if (mNumQuads + numQuads > 8192) return true; // maximum buffer size
			else if (mTexture == null && texture == null) return false;
			else if (mTexture != null && texture != null)
				return mTexture.base != texture.base ||
					mTexture.repeat != texture.repeat ||
					mSmoothing != smoothing ||
					mTinted != (tinted || parentAlpha != 1.0) ||
					this.blendMode != blendMode;
			else return true;
		}
		
		// display object methods
		
		/** @inheritDoc */
		public override function getBounds(targetSpace:DisplayObject, resultRect:Rectangle=null):Rectangle
		{
			if (resultRect == null) resultRect = new Rectangle();
			
			var transformationMatrix:Matrix = targetSpace == this ?
				null : getTransformationMatrix(targetSpace, sHelperMatrix);
			
			return mVertexData.getBounds(transformationMatrix, 0, mNumQuads*4, resultRect);
		}
		
		/** @inheritDoc */
		public override function render(support:RenderSupport, parentAlpha:Number):void
		{
			if (mNumQuads)
			{
				support.finishQuadBatch();
				support.raiseDrawCount();
				renderCustom(support.mvpMatrix, alpha * parentAlpha, support.blendMode);
			}
		}
		
		// compilation (for flattened sprites)
		
		/** Analyses an object that is made up exclusively of quads (or other containers)
		 *  and creates a vector of QuadBatch objects representing it. This can be
		 *  used to render the container very efficiently. The 'flatten'-method of the Sprite 
		 *  class uses this method internally. */
		public static function compile(object:DisplayObject, 
									   quadBatches:Vector.<DistanceFieldQuadBatch>):void
		{
			compileObject(object, quadBatches, -1, new Matrix());
		}
		
		private static function compileObject(object:DisplayObject, 
											  quadBatches:Vector.<DistanceFieldQuadBatch>,
											  quadBatchID:int,
											  transformationMatrix:Matrix,
											  alpha:Number=1.0,
											  blendMode:String=null,
											  ignoreCurrentFilter:Boolean=false):int
		{
			var i:int;
			var quadBatch:DistanceFieldQuadBatch;
			var isRootObject:Boolean = false;
			var objectAlpha:Number = object.alpha;
			
			var container:DisplayObjectContainer = object as DisplayObjectContainer;
			var quad:Quad = object as Quad;
			var batch:DistanceFieldQuadBatch = object as DistanceFieldQuadBatch;
			var filter:FragmentFilter = object.filter;
			
			if (quadBatchID == -1)
			{
				isRootObject = true;
				quadBatchID = 0;
				objectAlpha = 1.0;
				blendMode = object.blendMode;
				if (quadBatches.length == 0) quadBatches.push(new DistanceFieldQuadBatch());
				else quadBatches[0].reset();
			}
			
			if (filter && !ignoreCurrentFilter)
			{
				if (filter.mode == FragmentFilterMode.ABOVE)
				{
					quadBatchID = compileObject(object, quadBatches, quadBatchID,
						transformationMatrix, alpha, blendMode, true);
				}
				
				quadBatchID = compileObject(filter.compile(object), quadBatches, quadBatchID,
					transformationMatrix, alpha, blendMode);
				
				if (filter.mode == FragmentFilterMode.BELOW)
				{
					quadBatchID = compileObject(object, quadBatches, quadBatchID,
						transformationMatrix, alpha, blendMode, true);
				}
			}
			else if (container)
			{
				var numChildren:int = container.numChildren;
				var childMatrix:Matrix = new Matrix();
				
				for (i=0; i<numChildren; ++i)
				{
					var child:DisplayObject = container.getChildAt(i);
					var childVisible:Boolean = child.alpha  != 0.0 && child.visible && 
						child.scaleX != 0.0 && child.scaleY != 0.0;
					if (childVisible)
					{
						var childBlendMode:String = child.blendMode == BlendMode.AUTO ?
							blendMode : child.blendMode;
						childMatrix.copyFrom(transformationMatrix);
						RenderSupport.transformMatrixForObject(childMatrix, child);
						quadBatchID = compileObject(child, quadBatches, quadBatchID, childMatrix, 
							alpha*objectAlpha, childBlendMode);
					}
				}
			}
			else if (quad || batch)
			{
				var texture:Texture;
				var smoothing:String;
				var tinted:Boolean;
				var numQuads:int;
				
				if (quad)
				{
					var image:Image = quad as Image;
					texture = image ? image.texture : null;
					smoothing = image ? image.smoothing : null;
					tinted = quad.tinted;
					numQuads = 1;
				}
				else
				{
					texture = batch.mTexture;
					smoothing = batch.mSmoothing;
					tinted = batch.mTinted;
					numQuads = batch.mNumQuads;
				}
				
				quadBatch = quadBatches[quadBatchID];
				
				if (quadBatch.isStateChange(tinted, alpha*objectAlpha, texture, 
					smoothing, blendMode, numQuads))
				{
					quadBatchID++;
					if (quadBatches.length <= quadBatchID) quadBatches.push(new DistanceFieldQuadBatch());
					quadBatch = quadBatches[quadBatchID];
					quadBatch.reset();
				}
				
				if (quad)
					quadBatch.addQuad(quad, alpha, texture, smoothing, transformationMatrix, blendMode);
				else
					quadBatch.addQuadBatch(batch, alpha, transformationMatrix, blendMode);
			}
			else
			{
				throw new Error("Unsupported display object: " + getQualifiedClassName(object));
			}
			
			if (isRootObject)
			{
				// remove unused batches
				for (i=quadBatches.length-1; i>quadBatchID; --i)
					quadBatches.pop().dispose();
			}
			
			return quadBatchID;
		}
		
		// properties
		
		public function get numQuads():int { return mNumQuads; }
		public function get tinted():Boolean { return mTinted; }
		public function get texture():Texture { return mTexture; }
		public function get smoothing():String { return mSmoothing; }
		public function get premultipliedAlpha():Boolean { return mVertexData.premultipliedAlpha; }
		
		private function get capacity():int { return mVertexData.numVertices / 4; }
		
		// program management
		
		private static function registerPrograms():void
		{
			var target:Starling = Starling.current;
			if (target.hasProgram(QUAD_PROGRAM_NAME)) return; // already registered
			
			var assembler:AGALMiniAssembler = new AGALMiniAssembler();
			var vertexProgramCode:String;
			var fragmentProgramCode:String;
			
			// this is the input data we'll pass to the shaders:
			// 
			// va0 -> position
			// va1 -> color
			// va2 -> texCoords
			// vc0 -> alpha
			// vc1 -> mvpMatrix
			// fs0 -> texture
			// fc0 -> constants 	[0.5 - 1.0/16.0, 0.5 + 1.0/16.0, 3, 1]
			
			// Quad:
			
			vertexProgramCode =
				"m44 op, va0, vc1 \n" + // 4x4 matrix transform to output clipspace
				"mul v0, va1, vc0 \n";  // multiply alpha (vc0) with color (va1)
			
			fragmentProgramCode =
				"mov oc, v0       \n";  // output color
			
			target.registerProgram(QUAD_PROGRAM_NAME,
				assembler.assemble(Context3DProgramType.VERTEX, vertexProgramCode),
				assembler.assemble(Context3DProgramType.FRAGMENT, fragmentProgramCode));
			
			// Image:
			// Each combination of tinted/repeat/mipmap/smoothing has its own fragment shader.
		
			for each (var tinted:Boolean in [true, false])
			{
				vertexProgramCode = tinted ?
					"m44 op, va0, vc1 \n" + // 4x4 matrix transform to output clipspace
					"mul v0, va1, vc0 \n" + // multiply alpha (vc0) with color (va1)
					"mov v1, va2      \n"   // pass texture coordinates to fragment program
					:
					"m44 op, va0, vc1 \n" + // 4x4 matrix transform to output clipspace
					"mov v1, va2      \n";  // pass texture coordinates to fragment program

				/*			
//				const float smoothing = 1.0/16.0;
//				float distance = texture2D(u_texture, v_texCoord).a;
//				float alpha = smoothstep(0.5 - smoothing, 0.5 + smoothing, distance);
//				gl_FragColor = vec4(v_color.rgb, alpha);			

//				fc0.x = 0.5 - smoothing		// a
//				fc0.y = 0.5 + smoothing		// b
//				fc0.z = 3
//				fc0.w = 0.5				
				*/			
	
// soft edges				
				fragmentProgramCode = tinted ?
					"tex ft1,  v1, fs0 <???> \n" + 	// sample texture 0
					"mov ft3, fc0 \n" + 
					
					"sub ft2.x, ft1.w, ft3.x \n" +	// smooth step 
					"sub ft2.y, ft3.y, ft3.x \n" +
					"div ft2.x, ft2.x, ft2.y \n" +
					"sat ft2.x, ft2.x \n" +
					"add ft2.y, ft2.x, ft2.x \n" +
					"sub ft2.y, ft3.z, ft2.y \n" +
					"mul ft2.x, ft2.x, ft2.x \n" +
					"mul ft2.x, ft2.y, ft2.x \n" +
					
					"sub ft4.w, ft2.x, ft3.w \n" +	// kill texture if under threshold
					"kil ft4.w \n" +
					
					"mov ft1.xyz, v0.xyz\n" + 		// Place vertex color
					"mov ft1.w, ft2.x\n" +			// place smooth alpha
					"mov oc, ft1 \n"  				
					:
					"tex ft1,  v1, fs0 <???> \n" + 	// sample texture 0
					"mov ft3, fc0 \n" + 
					
					"sub ft2.x, ft1.w, ft3.x \n" + 	// smooth step 
					"sub ft2.y, ft3.y, ft3.x \n" +
					"div ft2.x, ft2.x, ft2.y \n" +
					"sat ft2.x, ft2.x \n" +
					"add ft2.y, ft2.x, ft2.x \n" +
					"sub ft2.y, ft3.z, ft2.y \n" +
					"mul ft2.x, ft2.x, ft2.x \n" +
					"mul ft2.x, ft2.y, ft2.x \n" +
					
					"sub ft4.w, ft2.x, ft3.w \n" +	// kill texture if under threshold
					"kil ft4.w \n" +
					
					"mov ft1.xyz, fc1.xxx\n" + 		// Place vertex color
					"mov ft1.w, ft2.x\n" +			// place smooth alpha
					"mov oc, ft1 \n"  				

// Hard Edges 					
/*				fragmentProgramCode = tinted ?
					"tex ft1,  v1, fs0 <???> \n" + // sample texture 0
					"mov ft3, fc0 \n" + 
					"mov ft2.xyzw, ft1.wwww \n" + 
					
					"sub ft4.w, ft2.x, fc0.w \n" +
					"kil ft4.w \n" +
					
					"mul ft1.xyz, ft2.xxx, v0.xyz\n" + // multiply color with texel color
					"mov ft1.w, ft2.x\n" +
					"mov oc, ft1 \n"  				
					:
					"tex ft1,  v1, fs0 <???> \n" + // sample texture 0
					"mov ft3, fc0 \n" + 
					"mov ft2.xyzw, ft1.wwww \n" + 
					
					"sub ft4.w, ft2.x, fc0.w \n" +
					"kil ft4.w \n" +
					"mov oc, fc1 \n"  				
*/					
				var smoothingTypes:Array = [
					TextureSmoothing.NONE,
					TextureSmoothing.BILINEAR,
					TextureSmoothing.TRILINEAR
				];
				
				var formats:Array = [
					Context3DTextureFormat.BGRA,
					Context3DTextureFormat.COMPRESSED,
					"compressedAlpha" // use explicit string for compatibility
				];
				
				for each (var repeat:Boolean in [true, false])
				{
					for each (var mipmap:Boolean in [true, false])
					{
						for each (var smoothing:String in smoothingTypes)
						{
							for each (var format:String in formats)
							{
								var options:Array = ["2d", repeat ? "repeat" : "clamp"];
								
								if (format == Context3DTextureFormat.COMPRESSED)
									options.push("dxt1");
								else if (format == "compressedAlpha")
									options.push("dxt5");
								
								if (smoothing == TextureSmoothing.NONE)
									options.push("nearest", mipmap ? "mipnearest" : "mipnone");
								else if (smoothing == TextureSmoothing.BILINEAR)
									options.push("linear", mipmap ? "mipnearest" : "mipnone");
								else
									options.push("linear", mipmap ? "miplinear" : "mipnone");
								
								target.registerProgram(
									getImageProgramName(tinted, mipmap, repeat, format, smoothing),
									assembler.assemble(Context3DProgramType.VERTEX, vertexProgramCode),
									assembler.assemble(Context3DProgramType.FRAGMENT,
										fragmentProgramCode.replace("???", options.join()))
								);
							}
						}
					}
				}
			}
		}
		
		private static function getImageProgramName(tinted:Boolean, mipMap:Boolean=true, 
													repeat:Boolean=false, format:String="bgra",
													smoothing:String="bilinear"):String
		{
			var bitField:uint = 0;
			
			if (tinted) bitField |= 1;
			if (mipMap) bitField |= 1 << 1;
			if (repeat) bitField |= 1 << 2;
			
			if (smoothing == TextureSmoothing.NONE)
				bitField |= 1 << 3;
			else if (smoothing == TextureSmoothing.TRILINEAR)
				bitField |= 1 << 4;
			
			if (format == Context3DTextureFormat.COMPRESSED)
				bitField |= 1 << 5;
			else if (format == "compressedAlpha")
				bitField |= 1 << 6;
			
			var name:String = sProgramNameCache[bitField];
			
			if (name == null)
			{
				name = "DQB_i." + bitField.toString(16);
				sProgramNameCache[bitField] = name;
			}
			
			return name;
		}
	}
}