Flight Sim Texturing program for Windows 95 and later by Toby Vickers.
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Version 3.2 Improvements
========================

* Faster file access

* Colour numbers now refer to FS palette not Windows Palette

* Colour numbers available for palette and currently selected colours

* Text Tool with multiple fonts

* Easy to use interface

* More bugs fixed

DISCLAIMER:
===========

THIS FILE IS COPYRIGHTED BY TOBY VICKERS. YOU MAY NOT DECOMPILE IT OR OTHERWISE REVERSE-ENGINEER IT, MODIFIY IT, SELL IT, INCLUDE IT IN ANY CD OR PACKAGE, UPLOAD IT TO OTHER SITES, ANY MAY NOT CLAIM THAT IT IS YOUR OWN WORK. THIS PROGRAM IS FREEWARE AND MAY BE DISTRIBUTED AS ALONG AS THE ZIP FILE IS UNMODIFIED FROM THIS ONE. NO WARRANTY IS PROVIDED WITH THIS SOFTWARE. YOU USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I ACCEPT NO LIABILITY FOR ANY HARM CAUSED TO YOUR COMPUTER THAT YOU BELIEVE WAS CAUSED BY THIS PROGRAM. FINALLY, REPAINTING OF A COPYRIGHTED TEXTURE FILE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO ALTER CONSTITUTES BREACH OF COPYRIGHT/AN ACT OF PIRACY.


Phew! Now we've got that straight, I'll explain the program:

System Requirements:
====================

A 32-bit version of Windows: Win 95, 98 etc.
Preferrably a decent CPU: i.e. 150 MHz +
16MB RAM
MS Flight Simulator version 5 or later, including CFS

Ideal Environment:
==================

800*600 or 1024*768 resolution, 256 or more colours, although 256 probably works best!
Standard font sizes!!! (large fonts can make the window appear funny!)

Installation:
=============

Exract everything to a NEW folder called "TexEd" in your "Program Files" folder, usually:

"C:\program files\TexEd"

Copy the DLL files and the OCX files to your "Windows\system" folder, usually:

"C:\windows\system"

Make a link on your desktop to "C:\program files\TexEd\Fstexlte.exe" and label the link FS Texture Editor.

Double click the link.


Usage:
======

The first thing to understand is that painting an aircraft is NOT easy, and if you are 'artistically challenged' then this may not be the program for you :-( . Usually you'll find that each texture file is actually two halves, e.g. left and right sides of a fuselage, or upper and lower sides of a wing. Every aircraft has a different layout of texture files, and often has a different number. It is not always possible to paint some parts of some aircraft, e.g. engines, wheels etc. On other aircraft there are many detailed textures covering every inch of the plane. Its up to the original designer, and sadly you can't change that. ALWAYS ASK THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S PERMISSION BEFORE REPAINTING A PLANE. When you are painting an aircraft, make sure that all your textures line up, and that all apertures, e.g. doors and windows are aligned. Check you have used the same colours throught (where appropriate). Sometimes, its all too easy to use slightly different shades in the editor, which then become all too apparent in FS! If you are drawing a curve, which ends up looking rather jagged, try clicking sqaures in, in a colour that is tonally between the colurs of the curve and its background, e.g. grey between black and white. this will soften the edge of the curve, making it look less 'pixelised'.

To open a file, click open, and then find the file you are looking for and either double click it, click OK or press return. The progress bar, will show you how far its has got opening the file. (Matching colours against the FS palette and manipulating the layout of the file so it is possible to edit it). The bar will go from 0 to 100 twice. This is emant to happen. The same thing is happening (only more slowly in reverse) when you save the file. Clicking 'Copy' will place the WHOLE texture onto the clipboard so you can paste it in Paint for example. BEWARE! Not every colour available in Pait is available in FS, so whenever you introduce a new colour in Paint, be sure to use the change facility in the editor to set it to a similar FS compatible colour.

Clicking on the palette with the left button sets the foreground colour
Clicking on the palette with the right button sets the background colour
Either button may be used in all drawing facilities so you can use two colours at once.

TEXT - Click a point on the texture enables the text boc at the bottom centre. Typing text makes it appear on the texture
FONTS - Opens a window to set the font/size/attributes for the text facility
DRAW - colours in one pixel
LINE - clicking two points draws a line between them
CIRCLE - clicking two points draws a circle, the first point being the centre, and the second being any point on the circumference
FILL CIRCLE - same thin only solid
BOX - clicking two corners (a diagonal in effect) draws a box
FILL BOX - same as above only solid
GRADIENT - This will draw a vertically gradiented box, with the top as the foreground colour and the bottom as the background colour.
CHANGE - changes all points on the texture in one colour to a different colour
ZOOM - shows an enlarged portion of the texture 64*64 pixels to the bottom right of the point you click at
TRANSFORM - Brings up a menu that can perform all manner of flips, shifts and switches
REVERT - In case of disaster, reverts the texture to the last saved version
EXIT - If you don't understand this, sell your computer - though beware, it won't prompt you to save changes

Limitations:
============

1) There is no fill command as yet (cos I can't work out how to do it!)
2) File opening and saving still a little slow
3) Zoom feature for viewing purposes only
5) You can't see how the textures will fit around the model :-( For this reason I always have FS running simulataneously, as the textures refresh automatcally each time you go back to the simulator (in FS98 anyway!).

Happy Painting,

Toby Vickers
Email constructive comments to: tobyvickers@netscapeonline.co.uk