TEXBMP.ZIP is freeware. Any commercial broadcast or CD-ROM
distribution is only possible after written authorization of
the author.

Copyright (c) 1998 by Luis Vieira de Sa'.
All rights to these files are reserved. 

     Luis Vieira de Sa' <luis@it.uc.pt>
     http://www.it.uc.pt/~luis/fltsim.html
     December, 1998

1. INTRODUCTION

TexBmp.exe is a very small Windows programme to view FS texture
files and convert them to bitmap and vice-versa. 

You can do the following:

- view *.r8 *.pat *.bmp ... files by double clicking a valid
  file in Windows Explorer (you need to associate file extensions
  to TexBmp.exe).

- view *.r8 *.txr ... texture files based on non-standard
  FS palette, such as the Las Vegas and the Meigs textures.

- browse a texture folder to see a large number of texture and
  bitmap files in a single window.

- view FS color palettes.

- convert *.r8 files to *.bmp files.

- convert *.bmp to *.r8 files.

- let TexBmp calculate the best palette fit when you convert
  a bitmap with a non standard palette.

- set several options in *.bmp to *.r8 conversion.


2. INSTALLATION & REQUIREMENTS

Unzip TEXBMP.ZIP to an empty directory and then run TexBmp.exe.
TexBmp.exe is a Visual Basic 6.0 programme and it only runs on
Windows95/987NT platforms. 

TexBmp only works with 8-bit 256 by 256 pixels bitmaps and with
uncompressed texture files (*.r8 *.oav *.pat *.txr *.?af ... ).


3. TIPS

Select Maintain Indices if your starting bitmap has already a palette
       'compatible' with the selected FS palette. 

Select Default Settings if are getting problems in the conversion. You
       will normally leave Maintain 116-127 Indices unchecked. (Default
       is equivalent to include the first 0 up to 116 colors).

Unselect Maintain Indices (and Default settings) to get control of the
       colors that your converted texture will contain. For example if
       check Include 0-31 and nothing else, your texture will be a grey
       scale texture.

'Include colors X' means the colors X will be used in getting the fit
       between the inicial bitmap and the converted texture.

'Maintain Indices X' means that the color indices will not be altered.