README.TXT for IDUTIL3D.ZIP  - Version 1.5

	Modified versions of idutils texmake and modelgen.
	Take 3dstudio .3ds, LightWave .lwo, or Alias .tri files
	as mesh input.

	Windows .bmp or DeluxePaint .lbm as image input/output.
	Can use palette.lmp or palette.lbm as palette input.

Author : Alan Blaine (pinkdogg@best.com) & id Software
Date   : 9 jul 1997

Note: 
(a) The software is supplied free of charge.
(b) The software is experimental and not guaranteed
to work in your particular setup.

1.  Description
2.  Files
3.  Installation Instructions
4.  Working with idutils texmake and modelgen
5.  Credits
6.  Technical Issues
7.  Known Bugs and Limitiations
8.  Future
9.  History



1. Description

Allows importing of 3dstudio, LightWave, or Alias models into Quake by way of idutils texmake and modelgen, which id Software distributed the source to. 

Also allows use of .bmp or .lbm as image format, and .lmp or .lbm as palette format.


2. Files 

texmake.exe		put in path
modelgen.exe		put in path
palette.lbm		put this in dir with meshes
sphere.mdl		sample file
tori.mdl 		sample file w/animation
tori.qc			included on popular demand
player.qc		good ex. of a robust .qc file - from id
readme.txt		this file

3. Installation Instructions

Put em in your path. Make sure palette.lbm or palette.lmp is in the same dir as the model files


4. Working with idutils texmake and modelgen

Run texmake on the base model frame. This generates a skin texture
texmake uses .bmp output as default. To change to lbm, use the command line switch texmake -pictype lbm.

Paint on the bmp or lbm.

Run modelgen on the qc file. This generates the .mdl from the meshes and the skin texture.
modelgen will automatically check for meshes of all three filetypes, and throw an error if none is found.
It checks first for .3ds, then .lwo, then .tri.
modelgen also checks for both image types, .bmp first, then .lbm.

For more info -
KrayZee's Model Page - www.frag.com\qchq\modeling

5. Credits

idSoftware - great game, great utils
Steve Tietze - inspiration and instruction

6. Technical Issues
Automatic File Typing:
Meshes
3ds overrides lwo and tri
Lwo overrides tri

Images
Bmp overrides lbm

Palettes
Lmp overrides lbm

For a 3ds file:
Keep it low polygon
Keep a solitary object in the files - the reader looks for the first object by index.  
	
For a lwo file:
Keep it low poly.
Make sure all polys have EXACTLY 3 vertices.

For a bmp file:
Texmake always generates a 320x200 file. DO NOT RESIZE. Modelgen expects this.

For animation:
The current frame limit is 255. I'm not sure if this is a Quake engine limit.


Changes to id Software code:
Most changes to id code are in file selection and function call determination. LBM and TRI input/export should
work exactly as Carmack's original code.

7. Known Bugs and Limitations

When modelgen and texmake find something they don't like, they SHOULD exit gracefully with a descriptive error message.
If they don't, email me.

If you find crashing bugs, please email me.


8. Future

I would like to release V2.0 with a Windows front-end. It would allow creating new QC files automatically and running modelgen and texmake with a single keystroke.
I would also like to support future Quake engine games. We'll have to see who distrubutes their code sources.
And always, it depends on time, and how much I have.
 
9. History

9 jul 1997 Version 1.5

	Added lwo input and bmp input/output and lmp input.
	Also compiled for maximum speed and Pentium operations.

23 feb 1997  Version 1.0

	Seems to be bug free.  Haven't made any changes since July 31, so, I figured I'd rerealese and call it 1.0. However, I haven't redone the special effects, and I didn't add a computer-generated Jabba, so I think this will not be known as an important rerelease. Maybe I should talk to Taco Bell...


31 jul 1996  Version 0.3 Beta

	Fixed more memory problems. Were causing crash at some arbitrary number of frames, depending on mesh size. Now able to import 251 frames without crashing. There still are problems above this, but it will give plenty of leeway to artists until I correct the problem.

	Fixed on-the-fly mesh type determination in texmake.

23 jul 1996  Version 0.2 Beta

	Fixed vertex ordering problem, and file-access errors. Replaced Alias loading code. Progs should load correct type on the fly.

	Changed all of the existing generic C memory and file access code to Windows code.

21 jul 1996  Version 0.1 SBeta

	Initial release.



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