Easygen

Software to help build terrains for a map. Tutorial is included in the package. -------------------------- EasyGen 1.2 03/03/2002 -------------------------- Author: Francesco Bancalà bancaf@libero.it http://digilander.iol.it/ilbanca/ +----------------+ 0. About EasyGen 1. Installation 2. Features 3. Knwon bugs 4. Credits 5. FAQ & Troubleshooting +------------------------+ 0. About EasyGen ---------------- EasyGen is free. With EasyGen you build up terrains and export them as Quake3 source map (including alphamap and metahsaders). Bitmap import/export is also supported but EasyGen can do all the job by itself. Supported games: - Quake3 - Return To Castle Wolfenstein - generally all games based on Q3 engine, who need a source map(.map), an alphamap(.pcx) and a metashader script(.shader) to compile a terrain entity. (if you want to to learn more about this process read the Official Terrain Manual written by Paul Jaquays contained in the latest GTK installations) 1. Installation --------------- Make sure to extract all files contained in the zip in the same folder. After you've extracted the zip, EasyGen folder should looks something like this: EasyGen\modifiers\*.* - modifiers EasyGen\save\sample.egn - sample terrain EasyGen\tutorial\*.* - tutorial stuff EasyGen\EasyGen.exe - executable EasyGen\btnexgenipl32.dll - a dll EasyGen\readme.txt - this readme.txt EasyGen will not run if 'btnexgenipl32.dll' is not in the same folder. Also EasyGen needs to know your work mod folder under root folder (ie baseq3\, missionpack\, main\ etc etc), you will be prompted to browse for that asa you start EasyGen. I repeat for the last time, you need to browse for a MOD folder, not for the root folder. 2. Features ----------- > Terrain shape manipulation through several modifiers (Hill,Cone etc etc). > Program your own modifiers with an easy asm like language. read 'custom_modifier.txt' to learn how to do that. > Direct exportsource map plus alphamap and metashader script. > Alphamap import/export. > Bitmap import/export. > Models (md3) are loaded automatically from //models/ folder PS: this version DOES NOT support loading from previous beta versions of EasyGen. If you want to load a terrain that you made with EasyGen0.8 or earlier, you must do it through a bitmap that you have exported with the past version. 3. Known Bugs ------------- - Resizing the width(x|y) of the grid when lock is OFFdoes not resize the alphamap. (altering divisions does it). - I don't know what could happen if you use textures of different sizes, if you don't want get in troubles use textures of all the same sizes (all 256x256 or all 128x128, ...) - I think you'll find other bugs, please let me know :) 4. Credits ---------- Tnx to: .idSoftware for the game .NeHe for his OpenGL tutorials - http://nehe.gamedev.net/ .http://www.codeguru.com/ for his kick ass programming forum .guys of http://www.quake3world.com/ level editing forum .Binary Technologies for his powerfull image library Binary Technologies http://www.binary-technologies.de info@binary-technologies.de .KitCarson for breaking my balls to implement texture support :) Special thanks to: .RKone: for helping me solving an export bug. .^Lord Squart^: for some useful suggestions. .Hubas: he had to face an advanced version of the export bug and still give me useful suggestions He also wrote the tutorial .djbob: for telling me the way to fix the texture render bug .snickelfritz: for his alphamap tutorials .me 5. FAQ & Troubleshooting ------------------- Q: What the hell is this gray and white grid? A: you can get the damned grid for several reasons: 1. the width of each division along X and/or Y axis is not a power of 2. Use 128 or 192 or 256(most used). You set these values from the Grid TAB, 'Div.Width.', enter two values (one along X and other along Y, generally the same), then press Apply on the right. 2. You have played with the keys of the terrain entity from GTK, or renamed and/or edited the alphamap and shader files generated by EasyGen. To do this you ust know exactly what are you doing because there are linked references by names in that stuff. (filename and names inside text files) 3. Corrupted shaders? Try moving out custom pk3 from you mod folder. Q: Why do the textures look fine from EasyGen and from Quake3 are all shifted along a direction? A: This seems to be a bug of some q3map versions. To fix this edit your alphamap(PCX) exported by EasyGen with a 2D graphic program such as PaintShopPro and remove the first vertical line of pixels. If the original alphamap was 33x33 the final one must 32x33. Sounds strange but it works. Q: Mmm what are the various xxx_vxinfo.txt files under my EasyGen directory ? A: mapname_vxinfo.txt is generated when you insert the terrain into an existing map. When you insert the terrain EasyGen simply append the terrain entity to the end of your map. Vertexremapshader information is not inserted because it must be inserted into worldspawn entity that somewhere inside the map file, and I had no time to program a complete map parser. So you must insert it manually with a text editor, inside the worldspawn. This is a critical operation for someone, I know. Back up first. 6. Final Stuff ------------- Programming is an hobby for me, so I take no responsability if your pc blows up while running EasyGen ! Feedback, bug report, suggestions, are appreciated :P If you'd like to have EasyGen as a plugin for GTK/Q3R, write me and I'll think about it, btw I think it works better standalone. Quake3Arena and RTCW are registered trademark of 'id Software' ! > http://www.quake3arena.com > http://www.idsoftware.com