Here, for the delectation of all those dedicated Carma2
wannabe-modellers, is some tips on Plaything2, our internal tool for texturing
models saved as ASCIs out of 3DS Max, and saving them in Carma2 format.
All our level and car texturing, plus level and car preparation for use
in the game, was done using Plaything2.


A couple of points:
The msvcp50d.dll file included in the zip should be chucked in the
Windows\System folder. All other files live at root level with the app.

Any project being worked on relies on the model files having a directory
called TIFFRGB at the same level, into which RGB tifs get put for use as
textures. Once a Tif is in the TIFFRGB dir, it can be accessed by
loading it via the Material/load... menu item. It'll then become
accessible in the material selection field at the bottom of the screen.

If you get the Failure:Error! Screen format must be either 8bpp indexed or 
16bpp (RBG:565) hi_colour. m_scree->type=4

Just run 
C:\ProgramFiles\DIRECTX\SETUP\dxtool.exe" 
and untick both boxes. 

It'll work now, but to get your 3d card working afterwards 
just tick the boxes again. 



A few of the key commands to get bods started:

Wireframe: W
Zoom view in and out: A and Z. 
/ and * modify the amount of zoomage per keyhit.
Pan: Left & Right arrow keys.
'O' is 'Object mode', and allows you to rotate or move the model,
depending on which movement tool icon is clicked in the toolbar.
'F' is 'Face Mode', and allows you to select faces by clicking on them
when the selection cursor is active (the arrow icon in the toolbar).
Selected faces hilight green.
Quick toggling between selection and movement pointer is available via
hitting the spacebar.
If you want to rotate or move a model or submodel to get at faces,
you're okay to do so. Once you've done what you need to, hitting CNTRL R
with the object selected will Reset it back to it's original position. 
Also, using the 'explode' floating palette from the 'Object' menu, when
the parent object is selected, will allow easy access to internal
structures. There's no way to 'hide' objects, so this is the tool to use
for getting in to those hard-to-reach places.
'D' deselects selected faces or objects. If you save a file with faces
still selected, it'll mess up the mapping big time, so don't!
 


Note: The software is offered for use unsupported by Stainless - it's
going to rely on the bright users out there getting to grips with it.
The usual copyright blurb applies, and can be found in the
Plaything2.txt file.