  __  _     ____     ____                     ____           ____  ___  __ 
 |  \| |   |  __|   |  __|                   |  __|         |  __|| _ ||   \
 | \ \ |   |  _|    |__  |                   | |__  /\| |/- | |__ |   || | |
 |_|\__| . |_|   .  |____| .                 |____| \/\ |   |____||_|_||___|
-------------------------------------------- Chris' Crazy Car Factory of Fun -
Version 1.5 beta                                            By Chris Barnard
15th March 2000

THIS IS A VERY QUICK UPDATE ON THE README FILE FROM VERSION 1.43.
I wanted to get these new features out to everyone, but I keep getting held
up with different things, so I decided to get this out quickly. I'm still
working on adding a few more features, but possibly in the next few weeks I'll
make up a proper tutorial and completely rewrite the readme, so I hope no one
minds that I've left it for the moment.
So, for a while, you're almost on your own with the latest improvements
(sorry about that).

Here's a quick list of new features, some small explanations:

    - New layout

  In the 'Vertices' drop-down menu:
    - 'Flip poly' function (switches the way a poly is facing)
    - 'Copy verts' button
                   Note the way this function works: All selected vertices
                   are copied - they will appear in EXACTLY the same place
                   as the original vertices. HOWEVER, only the new vertices
                   will be selected.
                   The first thing you should do after pressing the 'copy
                   verts' button, is use the cursor keys to MOVE the new
                   vertices. I hope that makes sense.
    - 'Driver' flag button
                   This sets the driver movement flag for all selected
                   vertices either on or off. It's used to tell NFS4 whether
                   to make the vertices rotate or not (for the driver's arms).
                   This only has an effect in the :OD part.
    - 'Copy V1 to V2' function in the tool menu.
    - ZX view changed to XZ orientation.
    - Scrolling now scrolls properly in the views (you can move properly
      in three dimensions using the home, end, pgup, pgdn buttons - each
      viewport allows you to move in the two visible dimensions).
    - Fixed a few bugs, added a couple of other small things.

Right, now I'm gonna start work on a proper tutorial, so watch out for it on

www.nfscheats.com/editor

Thanks.

----------------------------------
FOLLOWING IS THE README FROM V1.43
----------------------------------

OK, this is only a small update to version 1.42 which fixes two major problems
that people KEEP emailing me about (yeah, it takes a few hundred before I take
notice - also money helps :). Since this is only a small update, I haven't beta
tested it (hence the 'beta' in the version number). Most of the v1.42 readme
follows these inital paragraphs, keep reading if you're new to CarCAD.

Well, anyway, the first thing is that 'Unexpected Error' bug that a lot of
people seem to get. It was mainly a problem with the computer I was compiling
CarCAD on, which had some quite old runtime DLLs which weren't entirely
compatible with machines that had newer versions (in particular, the COMDLG32
files). Well, the problem should now be fixed - some people will remember that
I did fix the problem once before but it reoccurred again after my newest
computer died and I was left with a barely-functional P166. Thankfully (after a
VERY long time), I'm now up to speed again with a much more agreeable PIII 500.

Well, the second problem I've fixed is one that's been highlighted by a
number of people - namely the 3DS export function. Yes, it's true that in
previous versions it didn't work properly, and 3DS files created by CarCAD
would not load into 3D Studio (oops!). Worse, saving NFS4 FCE files as 3DS
made 3D Studio actually lock up. That's now fixed - however there are some
limitations to the file saving/loading. Most notably you cannot import/export
UV data and material settings/etc. Only the objects/meshes/vertices can be
saved/loaded.

I've alse fixed the 'File->New' menu option. It was pointed out to me that
the New File function doesn't actually delete the parts from any previously
opened file - well now it does. I've also added an 'Are you sure?' message
box just in case you accidentally click on 'New' when you don't mean it!

Finally, just a couple of other small things in the UV remapper section.
First, I've added a 'Lock' checkbox to the remapper window (it's labelled
with an 'L'). If you are in the triangle editing mode, and you have this
selected, any triangle you click on will be changed to the currently-selected
UV remap group.
Secondly, clicking on save or load in the UV remapper window will now also
save/load the remap-group position data (the stuff you get by clicking on
'edit').

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               **** CarCAD v1.42 documentation follows.... ****
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the 'MANUAL.TXT' file for a very bad manual about how to use CarCAD, and
the 'NFS4.TXT' file for information on editing NFS4 FCE files.
However, both of these text files are slightly out of date for this version.
Read the 'History' section in this document for a list of new things.

***********
PLEASE NOTE
***********

I've made a manual for CarCAD - it's very tortured and quite a bad read, but
sorry, but it's the best I could do in about the two hours I had before I
wanted to upload the last version. If you're new to CarCAD, then READ it
before you email me asking with any questions.

This is the eighth release of NFS Car CAD. It is specifically designed for
editing 'FCE' files, which can be extracted from car 'VIV' files in both
Need for Speed 3 and NFS4.
Please make sure you read this entire document before emailing me with
questions. If you're already using an older version of the editor, then make
sure you at least read the 'New to this version' section (below), and the
'Known bugs' sections.
For ease of creation, this program was written entirely in Visual Basic,
and so is not a very high-performance program. I am slowly introducing more
optimisation code.
PLEASE make sure you read this entire file before you email me. Any questions
I can answer should be in here somewhere.


Requirements
============

As far as I'm aware, you just need these two files to run CarCAD.

     - MSVBVM50.DLL run-time library.
     - COMDLG32.OCX

DirectX6 (or newer) is required for the Direct3D view.

       All of these files should be in your WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory might
       already be on your system - I've put them on my homepage if you haven't
       got them (www.nfscheats.com/editor) under the 'Downloads' section.

Note: Some of the ways things are done in the program can be a bit clumsy and
      slow. My priority is to make everything work at the moment, and improve
      the user interface once it all runs properly.


The very latest version of Car CAD is available from:

        www.nfscheats.com/editor

This is the main homepage for CarCAD and is maintained by myself. All updates
and latest news will be available on this site. I also have an old 'mirror'
site which contains an old CarCAD page which hasn't been updated in a while.
I'm using that site as a backup to the NFSCheats site, so if you're having
trouble downloading from NFSCheats, you can try to downloading from the
following address:

        www.btinternet.com/~bitsandpieces/nfs3 (this is now very old and out
                                                of date)

If the NFSCheats server goes down I'll start putting news on this page too.

PS. I know I said in this document not to use my email address unless you
really have to (bitsandpieces@btinternet.com), but if you use the program
and like it, I would like to hear from you. Thanks.

*****************************
Old stuff new to version 1.41 (read this if you haven't already)
*****************************

1. Ok, the big new thing is Need for Speed IV support! To load or save NFS4
   FCE files you've got to make sure you select 'NFSIV FCE File' in the 'Open'
   or 'Save as' dialog boxes. NFSIII Files can still be loaded and saved, and
   it's possible to convert between the two file formats.
2. NFS4 files have three sets of vertices in their file structure. The first
   two appear to be 'undamaged' vertices, and the third appears to be the
   car mesh as it appears when damaged. You can edit the three sets of
   vertices individually by clicking on the 'V1', 'V2' and 'D' buttons on the
   toolbar (top of window). There are a couple of things in the file format
   that you can't yet edit, but I should have those complete pretty soon as
   well.
3. I've made a quick 'damage creator' function for NFS4 cars, which is in the
   'Tools' menu. All this does is randomly shift all the vertices around a bit
   - the effect isn't very convincing but it's ok. I'm currently thinking on
   how to improve it. You can reset the damaged vertices back to the same as
   the undamaged vertices by clicking on 'Reset Damage', in the 'Tools' menu.
4. I've fixed the problem with deleting multiple vertices that seemed to have
   surfaced at some point.

*******************
K n o w n   B u g s
*******************
- First of all, be very careful when using the program - there are lots of
  things you could do that would cause the program to crash, so just take it
  easy, and make sure you save your car at regular intervals.
- I've had some problems with cars that are created from scratch in CarCAD,
  and also with cars that have had polygons removed or added. Some cars can
  cause NFS or EA's CarTool program to crash. If this happens, try re-saving
  the FCE file using the new FCETweak program I've included with this release.

                            --------------------

Keys
====
Some of these keys are obsolete and have been replaced with buttons or other
mouse-driven features. However, the keys still work.

There are three editor modes the part editor, vertice editor and dummy editor.
These modes are accessed from the 'Edit' menu.
Here are the keys for each editing mode. These keys only work when the view
windows have focus - to do this, just click on the main view window.

Part Editor
-----------
     1  -  Move selected part along x-axis
     2  -  Move selected part along y-axis
     3  -  Move selected part along z-axis
           Holding down shift whilst pressing 1, 2 or 3 moves the part in
           the opposite direction.
     4  -  Move selected part along x-axis (more accurate)
     5  -  Move selected part along y-axis (more accurate)
     6  -  Move selected part along z-axis (more accurate)
           The 4, 5 and 6 buttons allow parts to be moved more finely than
           1, 2 and 3. The parts move to the greatest degree possible that
           the current zoom level allows. Zooming in closer will make the
           parts move by even finer amounts.
           Holding down shift whilst pressing 4, 5 or 6 moves the part in
           the opposite direction.

     N  -  Name selected part
     R  -  Redraw screen
     +  -  Zoom in  (plus on numeric keypad)
     -  -  Zoom out (minus on numeric keypad)

Vertice Editor
--------------
     0  -  Show 3D view
     1  -  Show X-Y view
     2  -  Show Z-X view
     3  -  Show Z-Y view (I think that's the order)
     4  -  Show UV (texure map) view.
 Mouse  -  Select vertice (click on point)
           Holding down shift deselects a point
Cursor  -  Move selected vertice(s)
     D  -  Deselect all nodes
     S  -  Invert node selection
     R  -  Redraw screen
     +  -  Zoom in
     -  -  Zoom out
  PGUP  -  Scroll to the left across the screen
  PGDN  -  Scroll to the right across the screen
  HOME  -  Scroll up across the screen
   END  -  Scroll down across the screen

Dummy Editor
------------
     1  -  Show X-Y view
     2  -  Show Z-X view
     3  -  Show Z-Y view
 Mouse  -  Select dummy
Cursor  -  Move selected dummy
     N  -  Name dummy
  PGUP  -  Scroll to the left across the screen
  PGDN  -  Scroll to the right across the screen
  HOME  -  Scroll up across the screen
   END  -  Scroll down across the screen
                            --------------------

 Just a few notes about the program:

    - You can rescale objects by using the 'Rescale Model' option in the
      'Edit' menu. All parts that have a checkbox next to them will be
      rescaled by the percentages entered.
    - New files cannot be create at the moment. You MUST modify an existing
      file. Loading and saving of existing files should work fine.
    - There are three areas in the .FCE file format that have an unknown
      function - they are referred to as Reserved Area #1, #2 and #3 in the
      .FCE file format specifications from the FAQ at Hacked Speed III
      (camelot.warzone.com/hs3). If anyone knows what these are used for, please
      contact me (bitsandpieces@btinternet.com).

    - Use this program entirely at your own risk. I will not be held
      responsible for any damage it causes.

History
=======
V1.5b 15th March 2000
    - New layout
    - 'Flip poly' function (switches the way a poly is facing)
    - 'Copy verts' button
    - 'Driver' flag button
    - 'Copy V1 to V2' function in the tool menu
    - ZX view changed to XZ orientation.
    - Scrolling now works properly in the viewports (you can move properly
      in three dimensions using the home, end, pgup, pgdn buttons - each
      viewport allows you to move in the two visible dimensions).
    - Fixed a few bugs, added a couple of other small things.
V1.43 30th January 2000
    - 'Unexpected Error' bug fixed (again!)
    - 3DS export function now works properly
    - The 'file->new' menu function works properly
    - 'Lock' mode added to UV remapper (the 'L' checkbox in the program)
    - UV remap group position data now saved in the UV file
V1.42 29th December 1999
    - 'Recent Files' list added
    - The viewport now stays in the same place when you zoom in or out (it
      doesn't reset to 0,0,0).
    - I've created a new car colour editing box for NFS4 files. You might know
      that NFS4 files actually have four different colours for each colour
      scheme; primary, secondary, car interior and driver's hair colours.
      CarCAD can now edit all the colours.
    - The 4, 5 and 6 buttons can be used to move parts much more accurately
      than the 1, 2 and 3 buttons - they work in exactly the same way, but
      parts moving is as accurate as the current zoom level.
    - Many bugs fixed, so many I can't remember most of them
    - Unfortunately, 3DS export still doesn't work properly. (sorry)
    - I think I've fixed the 'Unexpected Error' bug which has resurfaced.
      Let me know if you still suffer from this problem.
    - Some other things I've probably forgotton.
V1.41 4th July 1999
    - NFS 4 support added
    - 'Create Damage' and 'Reset Damage' functions added
    - Fixed bug with removing multiple vertices
V1.4b 15th June 1999
    - Triangle drawing substantially speeded up
    - Vertices can now be moved by using the mouse
    - Direct3D texture-mapped view added
    - Toolbar added
    - 3DS file export? (not largely tested)
    - A few new functions
    - Minor user interface changes
    - New about screen
    - Fixed a few bugs?
    - New 'manual.txt' - this is a very bad manual for CarCAD. Please ignore.
V1.35 2nd March 1999
    - Fixed various bugs from the last version
    - UV vertice moving sorted out properly
    - UV remapping mode/function
    - 3DS file import!!!!!
    - Multiple selection of vertices using mouse dragging
    - Movement of vertices now becomes more accurate as zoom level increases
    - Mirror and Swap X, Y, Z editing functions
    - Centre function
V1.3  30th January 1999
    - 'Unexpected Error' bug fixed?
    - FCE Viewer Direct3D program in archive
    - TGA file loading
    - Wireframe 3D view added
    - Node/Triangle adding (very simple)
    - Ability to create files from scratch (a bit dodgy)
    - Editor Window added
    - 'Extract Part' command (allows you to save parts to disk)
    - 'Insert Part' command (load parts saved with Extract Parts command)
    - Various minor bugfixes
    - A whole new set of bugs implemented (probably)
V1.2  17th January 1999
    - Car colour editor added (colours aren't quite accurate, though)
    - Tool Window included on right-hand side of screen.
    - Texure map UV editing added.
    - Copy Part command (Edit->Copy Part: Not very useful though)
    - Dummy add/removal.
    - Fixed minimize bug (minimizing the window caused a crash!)
    - Redraw key added (press 'R' to redraw screen)
    - 'Sure you want to quit?' message.
V1.1  6th January 1999
    - Fixed bug that only allowed editing of vertices in the first part.
    - 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' option ('View' menu) added.
    - Viewscreen scrolling in vertice and dummy editor added.
V1.0  5th January 1999
    - First Version

Things to do (in no particular order)
============
    - Parts fusing
    - Better system for adding nodes and triangles
    - Improve UV remapper
    - Editing/Automatically calculating normals
    - Editing car smoothing bits (*must do!*)
    - Importing DXF and other file formats
    - Better/more intelligent user interface
    - Make sure I don't put any more bugs in the code!

Credits
=======
Thanks to:

    FunkyAlex (BETA Testing)
    Addict (BETA Testing)
    Cougar (BETA Testing)
    VeNoM (BETA Testing)
    JamNJim (CarCAD name)
    NFSCheats (www.nfscheats.com)
    Tribute (original 3D mesh code)
    Patrice Scribe (Direct3D code and examples - 'www.chez.com/scribe')
    Hacked Speed III
    EdasX (NFSIII FCE File format specifications)
    Everybody who's given me support and helped me with the program.

Contact
=======
You can contact me at

bitsandpieces@btinternet.com

If you like the program and have used it to make a car, email me and tell
me where I can download it from. I'm featuring some of the best cars made
with CarCAD on my site. I really would like to hear from you.
However, please be warned that I may not reply to you - I am quite busy and
I really don't have much time. I would like to be able to answer everyone
who emails me, but it's becoming quite difficult to do that. I will try to
reply to everyone within a week, but I'm not sure if that'll be possible.
=======

Thanks and I hope you like the program.
bye.

Chris.
-*-
