Readpal.txt

+---------------------------------------------------------+
|This file is called Readpal.txt instead of readme.txt so |
|   that you can simply copy all of the contents of the   |
|  unzipped wrcmpal directory over to the wrcm directory  |
|without overwriting any files under normal circumstances.|
+---------------------------------------------------------+

16th September 2001

Welcome to the Water Rocket Computer Model Palette Editor
Version 1.10. You will, no doubt, devote an inordinate 
amount of time (possibly even more than on the Water Rocket 
Simulator) to playing with this to the detriment of your 
water rocketry, your life and everyone that you come in 
contact with (none of which I can be held responsible for).

The idea behind this program is that the user can have more
control over the way that the 3 Dimensional optimisations
look. This can be used for: 
# making school/university projects look better;
# displaying contours easier; 
# individualising the model output; and even, 
# using less printer ink.

Licensing details are at the bottom of this document - if 
you have already registered the water rocket computer 
model, you need not register again.

NOTE:- You need to have version 4.4 or later of the Water
Rocket Computer Model so that palettes are actually used.

-V1.10---16-September-2001----------
I have added a View button to the main screen. Pressing this 
will display full screen the current palette selected in the
palette list on the right.

Pressing [Space] (or the left mouse button) will change over 
to the next palette in the list.

Pressing [W] (or the right mouse button) will toggle the 
background between black and white with the change in the 
palette order the same as on the computer model.

Pressing [Esc]ape (or the left and the right mouse buttons 
together) will get you back to the main screen again. 
However, the current palette in the selected palette list 
will be the last palette viewed and the palette details at 
the bottom will be for this palette should you wish to edit 
the colours within it. In this way, you can make 
modifications to palettes without having to locate them on 
the list again, either to the colours within the palettes 
or to the order of the palettes.

-V1.00---09-January-2001------------
Well, like all version ones, this is a start. I have 
played around with it, checking that it works okay and 
that all of the features work as they should. 

The features are:

Before it even gets going:
# It checks to make sure that all of the palettes in the 
  order file do exist, removing those that do not (and 
  letting you know about it first).
# If the order file does not exist, it generates one using the
  available files.
# It checks each of the palette files to make sure that 
  they conform to the standard file specification, adding any
  details as required (again, letting you know what it is 
  doing).
# It lets you know if there are too may palette files in the 
  working directory (you are limited to 100 files in the 
  directory and you can choose up to and including 50 files
  to go into the order file - why would anyone want more?).

List Editor (Main Screen)
# List of the first 100 palette files on the disk (why would
  anyone want more than this???
# List of the 50 palettes that the WRCM uses in the order
  that they are used.
# Buttons to add files to and remove files from the list.
# Buttons to move chosen files up and down the list.
# Save List button (this saves the list, not the palettes).
# You can drag a file from the file list into the selected
  list and drop it where you want in the order.
# You can drag a file from the selected list and if you 
  drop it in the first list, it will be removed from the
  selected list.
# You can drag selected files and drop them where you want
  on the selected list thus reordering the list.
# New palette button to create a fresh palette (this starts
  off as a grey scale but you can do what you want with it).
# Edit palette button to edit the current palette (the one 
  in either list but the actual file is listed in the window
  at the bottom of the screen). You can also edit a file 
  simply by double clicking it on either file list.
# Copy palette button that allows you to take an existing 
  palette and make a new copied file from it. You have the 
  opportunity to give it a new description so that you can
  recognise it and if the file name already exists, you will
  be given the option to change it or overwrite the existing
  file.
# Exit button. Should you ever need to exit the program, this
  is how you do it. Remember to save the selected palette 
  file list first though.

Palette Editor (Graphics Screen displaying the colours)
# Copy button to copy a chosen colour into the clipboard.
# Paste button to paste the clipboard colour onto a 
  chosen palette colour. You need to have already copied
  a colour first to do this. Press [Esc]ape to get out of 
  this.
# Flip button to invert the order of a selection of palette
  colours. Press [Esc]ape to get out of this.
# Gamma button to change the linearity of a selection of 
  palette colours. You can choose which of Red Green and
  Blue you want to edit. Press [Esc]ape to get out of this.
# Interpolate button to make a series of intermediate 
  colours between the two colours you choose, on the palette
  colours between those two colours. Again, you can change 
  the linearity as with Gamma above, except that this time,
  the maximum and minimum values for each of the three 
  colours (R, G & B) is determined by the values of the two
  chosen colours. Again, you can choose which of R, G and B 
  you want to edit. 
  TIP... You can make a good toned transition from Black, 
  through the colour of your choice, to white by 
  interpolating between black (at the bottom) and white (at
  the top) and choosing in turn R, G then B, and using a 
  different linearity for each. 
# Save button to save the palette and go back to the other 
  screen.
# Abandon button to go back to the other screen without
  saving.
# Note that each of the previous functions can be selected
  by pressing their initial letter to get it (C, P, F, G, 
  I, S & A) and when you are within a function such as 
  Interpolate, the keyboard is still active so that you can
  (in the case of Interpolate as an example) press R, G, B, 
  C and D or [Esc]ape or use the arrow keys to change the 
  linearity.
# Drag and drop colours, shifting those between just by 
  clicking on a colour and dragging it to where you want it
  to go, the dropping it.
# Alter R, G & B values by dragging the respective value bar.
# View the palette as it would appear in the WRCM both with
  a black background and a white background so that the 
  palette is easier to visualise.

=========================================================
The copyright of this program remains in all respects the 
property of Paul Grosse. That is to say that it is 
Copyright (c)2001 Paul Grosse. All Rights reserved.
However, you may distribute this at no cost, only in the 
form of the original zip file (WRCMPAL.ZIP) and unaltered.

For the purposes of licensing this program, you are 
effectively licensed to use it with the Water Rocket 
Computer Model of which this is effectively a component.
If you have already registered the Water Rocket Computer 
Model, there is no requirement to register this program.