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Q U E S T - 3 D
Version 3.1
Shareware Release
User Manual
Copyright (c) 1987-1989 The Quest Company
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
2 Introduction
2 System Requirements
INSTALLING AND SETTING UP THE PROGRAM
3 Disk Contents
3 Installing QUEST-3D:
Floppy Disk Systems
Hard Disk Systems
5 Program Configuration
HOW TO OPERATE THE PROGRAM
7 Using The Menus
8 Drawing Specification Reference
9 Keyboard Reference
REGISTERED USERS
10 Version 6 Features
14 Registration Form
3D DESIGN: THE BASIC CONCEPTS
15 3D Space: The Drawing Environment
15 Cursor Movement On The Drawing Planes
15 Drawing Planes And Your Viewpoint
COMMANDS AND OPERATION
16 Command Reference
46 Error Messages
1
INTRODUCTION
QUEST-3D is a design and modeling program that enables you to
create, view, and edit three-dimensional wire-frame objects and
images.
Completely menu driven, the program is easy to learn and use, and
features versatile commands with emphasis on conceptual design
and illustration applications.
QUEST-3D features the ability to create drawings from any
viewpoint around your drawing, and uses a simultaneous command
architecture that allows you to use several viewpoint commands
even during the drawing functions.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
QUEST-3D Version 3.1 requires the following:
An IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or Compatible
MS-DOS or PC-DOS Version 2.1 or later
Two Floppy Disk Drives or Hard Disk
512K RAM
CGA Mode - A Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) and compatible
CGA Color Monitor.
EGA Mode - An Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) and
compatible EGA Color Monitor.
VGA Mode - A VGA display adapter and compatible VGA Color
Monitor.
Optional - 8087/80287 Math Coprocessor supported.
(Increased speed performance ranges
between 3 to 10 fold)
Notes: Printing your drawings using the Shareware release
will require a memory resident screen printing
utility. Screen Capture Programs can also be used
to import drawings into several Paint Programs.
2
DISK CONTENTS
Filename Description
QUEST3D.EXE The QUEST-3D Program
QUEST3D.CFG Configuration File
QUEST3D.TMP Drawing Template File
PART1.DOC Part 1 of the Version 3.1 Users Manual
PART2.DOC Part 2 of the Version 3.1 Users Manual
README.DOC Printing instructions for the manual
FBPLANE.I3D Illustrated tutorial file
LRPLANE.I3D Illustrated tutorial file
TBPLANE.I3D Illustrated tutorial file
TEMPLE.I3D A Greek temple (sample file)
PYRAMIDS.I3D Pyramids (sample file)
PLATFORM.I3D Offshore Oil Rig (sample file)
STATION.I3D Space Station (sample file)
BUILDING.I3D Small boutique style building (sample file)
OFFICE.I3D Large office building (sample file)
INSTALLING QUEST-3D
The following installation procedures contain the instructions
for setting up the QUEST-3D program for Floppy Disk or Hard Disk
operation.
FLOPPY DISK SYSTEM
Format Two (2) Floppy Disks.
Insert the QUEST-3D Shareware Disk into Drive A, and a newly
formatted diskette into Drive B. At the DOS prompt, enter the
following commands:
A> COPY QUEST3D.EXE B:
A> COPY QUEST3D.CFG B:
A> COPY QUEST3D.TMP B:
These are the three program files necessary to run QUEST-3D.
Once they have been copied to your "new working program disk" in
Drive B, remove the disk from Drive B, and insert the other newly
formatted disk into Drive B. (Do not place a write protect label
on your working program Disk.) At the DOS prompt, enter the
following.
A> COPY *.I3D B:
3
This will copy all the sample files to the disk in Drive B, and
you can use it as a drawing file disk. When completed, remove
the Shareware program disk from Drive A, and store it for safe
keeping.
Now place your new working program disk into Drive A. The
installation of the program disks are complete, you are now ready
to start the program, and configure it to your system. At the
DOS prompt, enter the following:
A> QUEST3D
QUEST-3D will now be loaded into memory. When the opening menu
is displayed, proceed to the section below titled: CONFIGURATION.
HARD DISK SYSTEM
Overview
To run QUEST-3D from your hard disk, it is suggested that you
first create a subdirectory for the QUEST-3D program files. From
this new directory containing the program files, create another
subdirectory that will contain your Drawing files. This will
help keep your hard disk organized, and make it easier to
selectively backup or copy the drawing files you create.
Procedure
Be sure you are in the root directory of your hard disk.
C> CD\
Next, create a subdirectory for the QUEST-3D program files:
C> MD QUEST
Go to this new directory and create another subdirectory:
C> CD QUEST
C> MD DRAWINGS
While still in the QUEST directory, insert the QUEST-3D Shareware
Disk into Drive A, and issue the following commands:
C> COPY A:QUEST3D.EXE C:
C> COPY A:QUEST3D.CFG C:
C> COPY A:QUEST3D.TMP C:
4
These are the three program files necessary to run QUEST-3D.
Once they have been copied to your Hard Disk, go to your new
DRAWINGS subdirectory:
C> CD DRAWINGS
Next, copy all of the sample files on the Shareware program disk
to this subdirectory:
C> COPY A:*.I3D C:
When completed, remove the Shareware program disk from Drive A,
and store it for safe keeping. The installation of the program
files are complete. You are now ready to start the program and
configure it to your system.
Go back to the QUEST directory:
C> CD C:\QUEST
and issue the following command to start the program:
C> QUEST3D
QUEST-3D will now load into memory. When the opening menu is
displayed, proceed to the section below titled: CONFIGURATION.
CONFIGURATION
The current program configuration is displayed on the opening
screen of the program, under the headings: Graphics System and
Directories.
Your Graphics Display Adapter:
QUEST-3D supports the three standard IBM graphics adapters: CGA,
EGA, and VGA. Using the cursor keys, move the menu selector to
the menu option: DISPLAY, and press ENTER. A submenu will
appear, and display a menu option for each of the Display
adapters mentioned above.
Select the menu option of the Display adapter you have installed
in your system. (MCGA users, select the CGA option). When you
select a menu option, the configuration displayed on the opening
screen will be updated to your choice. Once you have selected
your display adapter, return to the Main Menu by selecting the
Main Menu option at the bottom of the menu.
Your Drawing File Disk or Directory:
QUEST-3D allows you to specify any disk drive or directory for
the storage of your drawing files. Select the menu option:
5
DIRECTORY. You will then be prompted to enter the Disk Drive or
Directory of your drawing files.
If you are using a Floppy Disk system where Drive A contains the
QUEST-3D program, and Drive B the drawing files disk, then simply
enter: B:
If you are using a Hard Disk, and you have installed the program
as described above in the Hard Disk Installation procedure, then
enter the following: C:\QUEST\DRAWINGS
Saving the configurations:
To save your current system configurations, so QUEST-3D can use
them each time the program is started, select SAVE SETUP from the
menu. Your current configurations will be saved to disk.
The program is now installed, configured, and ready to be used to
create or view 3-D images. To learn how to create 3-D images,
proceed to the section: 3D SPACE: THE DRAWING ENVIRONMENT. Or,
to just view the sample files, see the command: 3D DRAW in the
command reference section.
6
USING THE MENUS
THE COMMAND MENUS - The menu selector consists of a small pointer
that moves along both sides of the menu to indicate the current
menu item for selection.
You control the menu selector by using the UP and DOWN Cursor
Keys. When you have the menu selector positioned at the desired
command, just press ENTER. Depending upon the command, the
program will either perform the desired task, or one of the
submenus will appear.
From time to time, messages may appear in the top row of the
display. They may be questions for you to answer with a menu
selection, or it might be a message informing you of what is
taking place with your drawing. Whenever you wish to cancel a
routine that has prompted you to select a filename or input,
simply press ESCAPE and you will return to the menu again.
THE FILE DIRECTORY - Another menu used in the program is the File
Directory Menu. It is a special menu that lists the drawing
files on disk. The screen is divided into two columns of files,
each displaying the name of the file, its size in bytes, and the
date it was last edited or created. If you have files in the
directory, or on the disk, they will be listed here on the
screen.
If the particular file command requires you to choose a filename,
the menu selector will appear after all the files have been
listed. You can move the selector using the UP and DOWN cursor
keys, and by using the LEFT and RIGHT keys you can move the
selector to the other column.
The File Directory Menu can contain a maximum of 380 files
consisting of 10 pages of 38 files. If you have more than one
page of files, the program will automatically move to the next
page to list more files, if no more files are found, or if you
want to move back to a previous page, use the PGUP Key. Likewise,
if you want to page forward through the list, use the PGDN Key.
If you have multiple pages, you can also jump to the first page
by using the HOME Key, or to the last page using the END Key.
7
DRAWING SPECIFICATION REFERENCE
The following specifications provide a quick reference about the
drawings created by QUEST-3D.
DATABASE
3D Vector & Boundary-Rep Coordinate System. Object oriented.
Resolution Independent.
MAXIMUM LINES AND SURFACES
3000 lines, 750 (4 vertex) to 1000 (3 vertex) surfaces.
(Surfaces available only on Registered Users Release)
MAXIMUM DRAWING SPACE
-7000 to +7000 drawing units along each axis
NORMAL DRAWING SPACE, MAXIMUM VIEWPORT
-3000 to +3000 drawing units along each axis. Viewport height
will depend on your display's aspect ratio.
DISK DIRECTORY/PATH
3 user defined.
Drawings Version 3.1 & 6
Library Version 6 only
Export Files Version 6 only
MAXIMUM DRAWING COLORS
CGA Mode: 2, Black & White. EGA Mode: 16, user defined from 64
color palette. VGA Mode: 16, user defined from 64 color palette.
VIEWPOINT CONTROL
User controlled, 360 Degrees. Also, 4 defined Orthographic
DRAWING FILE STORAGE
Binary Format. Data Point, Line Vector, and Surface Boundary
database. I3D File Format. (Drawing File listing & 3rd Party
Developer Kit is available from The Quest Company)
FILENAME EXTENSIONS
Drawing and Library Files: "I3D" Versions 3.1 & 6
Plot to Disk Files: "PLT" Version 6 only
HP-GL Disk Files: "HPL" Version 6 only
DXF 2D and DXF 3D: "DXF" Version 6 only
8
KEYBOARD REFERENCE
This is a summary of the keys used for the operation of QUEST-3D.
The Menu and Command Reference Section also describes in more
detail several of these keys, and where their use is appropriate.
FUNCTION KEYS
F1 - Filename input F2 - Previous Viewpoint
F3 - Left View F4 - Right View
F5 - Top View F6 - Front View
F7 - Perspective (Ver.6 only) F8 - Axes Grid
F9 - Units/Degrees F10 - Redraw
CURSOR KEYS
HOME, PGUP, PGDN, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT
Moves the graphics cursor during the Drawing commands. Moves
your viewpoint during the XYZ VP command or PAN-ZOOM command.
LEFT, RIGHT
Cycles the color palette during the COLOR-FORE command, and
cycles the Drawing Units or Axes Rotation Degree increment during
the F9 KEY.
CHARACTER KEYS
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, +, -
Jumps to, or increments, the Zoom Factor while the PAN-ZOOM
command is active.
D
Toggles the use of one of the three Drawing Planes while any of
the Drawing commands is active
P or Z
Activates the PAN-ZOOM command.
ESCAPE
Where appropriate, cancels a command, exits a drawing command, or
cancels an input prompt.
9
REGISTERED USER
QUEST-3D Version 3.1 is a shareware program designed to introduce
the principles of 3D graphics.
A far more advanced level release of QUEST-3D, Version 6, is sent
to users who contribute a registration fee to help support its
production and development costs.
Version 6 incorporates a full set of professional-level 3D design
tools which include the following:
MORE DRAWING COMMANDS
---------------------
Circles, Arcs, Polygons, Surfaces, Curves, and B-Spline Curve
fitting commands.
NEW SURFACE MODELING COMMANDS
-----------------------------
Automatic 2D to 3D surface extrusions with user selectable
relative, or absolute, distances along any axis. For example, a
2D floor plan can be turned instantly into a 3-dimensional house
as QUEST-3D automatically extends the floor plan into surfaces to
create walls.
Automatic 2D to 3D circular extrusions with user selectable
degrees of revolution and surface sections. QUEST-3D
automatically performs circular extrusions on 2D contours to
create cylindrical objects - everything from spheres, cones, to
elaborate circular objects can be created.
Mold and reshape objects into other shapes using a command that
allows the interactive repositioning of surfaces vertices. Users
can specify the movement of just one specific surface vertex, or
all vertices and line endpoints common to the same coordinate can
be moved simultaneously. It's like pushing and pulling an object
into another shape.
ADVANCED VIEWING OPTIONS
------------------------
For the ultimate in three-dimensional viewing, the surface
rendering feature automatically "paints" each surface in a
drawing, transforming wire-frame drawings into completely painted
scenes of solid models. Options include the rendering of
surfaces with or without edge highlighting, and the rendering of
scenes using the viewport or the entire screen. When rendering
to the viewport, access to the COLORS MENU is available to
instantly change color palettes while the completed rendering is
displayed on the screen - giving users the ability to experiment
with different colors for mood, lighting, or seasonal effects.
10
Automatic Hidden Line and Surface Removal can be performed which
dramatically enhances the clarity of scenes, and displays your
drawing in "solid" form. As in reality, only those lines, or
line segments, visible from your viewpoint and not blocked by
surfaces will be displayed. These enhanced views may also be
output to a plotter, or exported in either DXF or HPGL format for
use in other programs.
Automatic 3-Point Perspective display. Turn On Perspective Mode
and your drawing will be displayed in 3-Point Perspective. And
because QUEST-3D maintains a true 3D database on every entity in
a drawing (including, circles, curves, and text), everything in
your drawing will be adjusted for full visual realism.
MANIPULATE OBJECTS INDEPENDENTLY
--------------------------------
Objects and/or Groups of objects can be controlled independently.
Version 6 allows the designation of up to 100 different objects
in each drawing! They can be Moved, Scaled, Edited, and even
Rotated to any angle you desire, enabling users to control the
exact location and orientation of any object in a drawing.
No control points to set or manual input required - the commands
have all been optimized for fast interactive control through the
menu. And don't worry about remembering the names you gave each
of your objects, QUEST-3D will display their names right in the
menu - picking the object you want to manipulate is as easy as
selecting a command.
Copy, and Mirror Copy, commands are also included to quickly, and
effortlessly, create duplicate objects.
GRAPHICS LIBRARY SUPPORT
------------------------
Objects or shapes can be saved to disk and later merged into
drawings whenever needed, saving valuable design time by never
having to recreate objects.
COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER PROGRAMS
---------------------------------
QUEST-3D is designed to integrate easily into your current and
future design system. HPGL disk files, as well as AutoCAD's 2D
and 3D DXF files can be created - enabling images to be
transferred to most CAD and Desktop Publishing programs for
additional drawing enhancement or high resolution printing. DXF
files created from 2D CAD programs can also be imported into
Version 6, where the surface extrusion commands can turn your 2D
drawing into a 3D image.
11
ADDITIONAL EDITING COMMANDS
---------------------------
Erase Last, Undo Last, and Block Erase. Erase Last gives users
fast, one key operation for erasing any entity (circle, lines,
curves, etc.) that has just been drawn. If you change your mind,
the Undo Last command will restore the entity that was just
erased with the Erase Last command. And Block Erase allows users
to specify an entire series of lines or surfaces to be deleted at
one time, saving valuable time on major editing operations.
TEXT
----
Version 6 will automatically generate text for any character,
word, or phrase input by the user (1-40 characters at a time).
The text is created using individual line segments and can be
manipulated just like any other object.
MOUSE SUPPORT
-------------
Full Mouse support is included (Microsoft Mouse compatibles).
PLOTTER SUPPORT
---------------
Hewlett Packard and Houston Instrument Plotters are supported to
provide high quality hardcopy output. Other plotters, or output
devices, using either the Hewlett Packard HP-GL or the Houston
Instrument DM/PL command languages are also supported.
AND MORE
--------
A 170 page printed manual is included with the Version 6 program,
and contains illustrations and a tutorial. Free Technical
Support is provided to registered users only. Additionally,
registered users will receive information on all future updates
as they become available.
IMPORTANT
---------
QUEST-3D Version 6 requires systems to be equipped with 640K.
This differs from the v3.1 Shareware Release, which requires only
512K. (QUEST-3D Version 6 enjoys itself with about 535K of RAM.)
12
How to become a registered user:
--------------------------------
By Mail: Fill out the registration form on the next page, and
send it along with the Registration Fee to the address
below. VISA and MASTERCARD are accepted.
By Phone: The Registration Fee is payable by credit card. VISA
and MASTERCARD are accepted.
THE QUEST COMPANY
3117 W. Holland Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722
Ph. (209) 222-5301
9 AM - 5 PM Pacific Time
Monday - Friday, except Holidays
13
REGISTRATION FORM
QUEST-3D Registration $59.95
Package includes Version 6 Program Disks,
Library Files, Sample Files, and Printed Manual.
ADD Shipping and Handling: (check one)
______ U.S. destination - First Class Mail $ 5.00
______ U.S. destination - UPS Ground $ 7.00
______ U.S. destination - UPS Blue $ 9.00
______ Canada destination - AIR MAIL $ 6.00
______ Foreign destination - AIR MAIL $15.00
_______
California Residents Only: ADD Sales Tax $3.90 _______
TOTAL .................... $_______
Payment may be by Check or Money Order in U.S. Dollars payable on
a U.S. Bank. Make Check or Money Order payable to: The Quest
Company. VISA and MASTERCARD is accepted. Sorry no C.O.D.'s.
Purchase Orders must be accompanied with payment.
SHIP TO:
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Company (if applicable) _________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
If payment is by VISA or MASTERCARD, please provide the following
information:
Card Number: ___________________________________ Exp. Date ______
Name as it appears on card ______________________________________
Signature _______________________________________________________
Daytime Telephone _______________________________________________
14
3D SPACE: THE DRAWING ENVIRONMENT
To create true three-dimensional images requires the ability to
select points in 3D space. To identify these points (the end
points for lines or surface vertices) a coordinate system is used
that represents the point's location. The coordinate system must
specify how far to the side, how close or far back, and how high
or low the point is. A coordinate format of X,Y,Z identifies
this location.
The "X" represents the location from side to side (the X-Axis).
The "Y" represents the location's length (the Y-Axis). And the
"Z" represents the height or depth of the point (the Z-Axis).
Together these 3 Axes create the 3 separate "Drawing Planes" that
you can draw on, or through, when creating images.
The planes are sometimes referred to as the X-Y Plane, the Y-Z
Plane, and the X-Z plane. However, to make it easier and more
understandable, QUEST-3D uses names for these Drawing Planes that
in reality correspond to the sides of an image. They are the
Left-Right Plane (the Y-Z Plane), the Front-Back Plane (the X-Z
Plane), and the Top-Bottom Plane (the X-Y Plane).
CURSOR MOVEMENT ON THE DRAWING PLANES
When you are creating a 3D image, you will be able to choose
which of the Drawing Planes you want the graphics cursor to
travel or draw on. Simply determine which side of your image the
cursor must travel on to get to your desired location, and select
that Drawing Plane. Drawing Planes are selected while using the
LINES or MV CURSOR commands, and pressing the letter "D" on your
keyboard. The current drawing plane is displayed below the
"Model Menu" in graphics mode.
During the LINES or MV CURSOR commands, the movement of the
graphics cursor can be controlled by any of the cursor keys.
Each time you press a cursor key, the graphics cursor will move
to a new location.
When the graphics cursor moves, it moves by a Drawing Unit
increment that can be controlled by using the F9 KEY. This
allows you to set the movement of the graphics cursor to a
specific scale. The F9 KEY can be activated whenever the LINES
or MV CURSOR commands are in use.
DRAWING PLANES AND YOUR VIEWPOINT
QUEST-3D is designed to allow the creation of images from any
viewpoint. To accomplish this, QUEST-3D not only moves the
graphics cursor on the current drawing plane in the direction of
the cursor key, but also moves the graphics cursor in relation to
your 3D viewpoint.
15
Included with the program are three tutorial illustration files.
Each file illustrates one of the three drawing planes:
The FBPLANE.I3D file shows the Front-Back Drawing plane.
The LRPLANE.I3D file shows the Left-Right Drawing plane.
The TBPLANE.I3D file shows the Top-Bottom Drawing plane.
(For simplicity, only the Left, Right, Up, and Down cursor key
directions are illustrated, but you may also use the Home, End,
PgUp, and PgDn cursor keys to move the graphics cursor)
When viewing the three tutorial illustration files, use the XYZ
VP command to pick new viewpoints. Note the direction of the
arrows - the arrows indicate the path the graphics cursor will
take when either the Left, Right, Up, or Down, cursor key is
pressed.
ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEWPOINT KEYS AND AUTO DRAWING PLANE SELECTION
QUEST-3D has also been designed to automatically select drawing
planes for you, but ONLY WHEN USING THE ORTHOGRAPHIC VIEWPOINT
KEYS (F3-F6). The drawing plane selected by QUEST-3D will be the
one most associated with that particular viewpoint, i.e.
Pressing F3 will change your viewpoint to the Left View and also
switch the drawing plane to the "Left-Right" drawing plane, since
this drawing plane would most likely be the one you wish to use
from a Left View. (If you wish to use another drawing plane, you
may still use the "D" key to switch the drawing plane - similar
to that if you were drawing from an arbitrary 3-D viewpoint.)
Also, using the F2 Key not only switches your viewpoint back to
your "Previous Viewpoint," but also switches you back to the
drawing plane you were using prior to the use of the orthographic
viewpoint keys.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Using the concepts described above, and trying out a drawing of
your own, you will quickly discover how the correlation between
the Drawing planes and your viewpoint, give you the freedom to
accurately create images from any location in 3D space. More
specific descriptions for each of the three drawing planes can be
found in the command reference section. See the commands: LEFT-
RIGHT, FRONT-BACK, and TOP-BOTTOM.
COMMAND REFERENCE
The next section contains a complete description of the commands
used in QUEST-3D Version 3.1. The descriptions in the Command
Reference are in alphabetical order.
16
3D DRAW
Summary: Starts a new 3D Modeling session.
Menu(s): MAIN
Procedure
To begin a new drawing, or view and edit an existing one, the 3D
DRAW command will list all the files in the Drawings Directory.
Move the menu selector to the name of the file you wish to edit
or view. If you want to begin a new drawing, press the F1 KEY
and input a new filename. Do not include the ".I3D" filename
extension.
Following the selection or input of a filename, the program will
enter the graphics mode. If you entered a new filename, the
default drawing settings in the file TEMPLATE.CFG are loaded.
Once the MODEL MENU appears, you are free to begin creating your
new drawing. If you selected a file that already exists, the
file will be loaded into memory and displayed. You can then
begin selecting commands from the menu.
To end a graphics session and return to the opening menu, select
MAIN MENU located on the MODEL MENU. You will be prompted to
confirm your choice to "Return to Main Menu ?" Select CANCEL if
you wish to remain in graphics mode, or RETURN to end the current
graphics session.
YOU CAN NOT SAVE YOUR DRAWING FROM THE MAIN MENU, SO BE SURE TO
SAVE YOUR FILE BEFORE SELECTING "RETURN"
See Also
DIRECTORY, TEMPLATE, SAVE FILE
17
COLOR-BACK
Summary: Displays the Background Color Menu.
Menu(s): COLORS
Procedure
The Background Color Menu displays 16 colors (0-15). Next to
each color number is a color block, so you can see which color is
currently set to each background color number. If you are using
an EGA or VGA system, selecting a color will immediately redraw
your image with the new background color. After selecting your
background color number, you will return to the Colors Menu.
EXPANDING THE BACKGROUND COLOR CHOICES:
Even though you have only 16 background colors to choose from,
with QUEST-3D you can still use any one of the 64 colors (0-63)
as a background. For example, suppose you choose color number 13
and your image is redrawn, but the colors do not look very good.
On the Colors Menu, select COLOR-FORE. When the Foreground Color
Menu appears, move the menu selector down to color number 13 and
press ENTER. This will activate the palette selector.
Using the LEFT or RIGHT cursor keys will allow you to instantly
change the background color. You can now cycle through all 64
colors and choose the background color that looks best with your
image. When you find it, just press ENTER. Your background
color is now set, and you can return to the Model Menu by
selecting CANCEL.
CGA users: The COLOR-BACK command is primarily for use with EGA
and VGA display systems. If you perform a screen redraw while
using a background color number other than 0, the screen will
appear all white (white lines on a white background). If this
happens, simply use the COLOR-BACK command and select the color
number: 0.
See Also
COLOR-FORE
18
COLOR BARS
Summary: Full Screen display of current colors. EGA and VGA
display systems only.
Menu(s): COLORS
Procedure
Selecting COLOR BARS will clear the entire screen and display all
16 colors (0-15) from the current palette selection. This screen
allows you to better judge the range of colors you are currently
working with.
To resume the program, press any key and the graphics viewport
and Colors Menu will be redisplayed.
See Also
COLOR-FORE
19
COLOR-FORE
Summary: Allows you to set each foreground color to any one of 64
colors.
Menu(s): COLORS
Procedure
The Foreground Color Menu displays 16 colors (0-15). Each color
number is listed, and next to the color number is yet another
number, this number corresponds to one of the EGA or VGA palette
colors (0-63). Next to each palette color number is a color
block, so you can see which color is currently set to each color
number. (EGA and VGA only)
QUEST-3D always keeps the color Black assigned to color number 0,
and is the only color number you can not change. The other 15
color numbers can be assigned any one of the 64 colors.
To change a foreground color assignment, move the menu selector
to the color number you want to change, and press ENTER. A
message will be displayed at the top of the screen indicating you
to use the RIGHT or LEFT cursor keys to cycle through the
palette. Next to the message is a much larger color block, and
in front of it, the number corresponding to one of the 64 colors
(0-63).
As you press the cursor key, the color block will change color,
and any line in your drawing using the selected color number (0-
15) will also change. When you find a color you like, press
ENTER. You can now repeat the procedure for another color
number, or return to another menu with CANCEL or COLORS. You may
also press ESCAPE during the palette cycling process to restore
the original color assignment you had before.
Notes
QUEST-3D uses color number 2 for the viewport border, number 14
for the menu and setting titles, and number 15 for messages and
the menu pointers. Feel free to reassign their colors.
See Also
COLOR-BACK, NEW COLOR
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DIRECTORY
Summary: Allows you to specify the Disk Drive and/or Path
specification for your drawing files.
Menu(s): MAIN
Procedure
When retrieving or saving files, QUEST-3D needs to know which
Disk Drive and/or Path the files are located. This command
allows you to configure the Drive specification that will be used
to locate and save your drawing files. (The Library and Export
File directories are reserved features used on the registered
users release.)
The DIRECTORY command will prompt you to enter the Disk Drive and
Path specification you would like to use. You are allowed to
have a specification up to a maximum of 40 characters. To cancel
the command, press ESCAPE. To enter, type in the specification
and press ENTER.
If you are setting a Disk Drive Only specification, then you must
use the following syntax: enter the Disk Drive Letter and a
colon. Do Not enter a backslash or any other character. An
example to use Disk Drive B is simply: B:
If you are using a Path specification, then use the following
syntax: enter the Disk Drive Letter followed by a colon, then
enter the backslash "\" followed by the name of the directory. Do
not include a backslash at the end of the directory. For example,
suppose you have QUEST-3D in a directory called "Quest" on your
Hard Disk, and you have a subdirectory for your drawing files
located below the "Quest" directory. If the subdirectory for the
Drawing files was named "Drawings" then the entry would
be: C:\QUEST\DRAWINGS
Notes
Using this command resets the directory path temporarily, and
keeps the changes in effect until you QUIT the program. Use the
SAVE SETUP command to keep the setting permanent.
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DISPLAY
Summary: Graphics Adapter configuration.
Menu(s): MAIN
Procedure
To specify the use of a particular Graphics Adapter, the DISPLAY
command will list the three adapters supported by QUEST-3D.
Choose the graphics adapter installed in your computer system.
QUEST-3D supports the CGA/MCGA, EGA, and VGA. (Color Monitors
Only)
Use the SAVE SETUP command to keep the setting permanent.
Otherwise, the program will only keep your selection in effect
until you QUIT the program.
SEE ALSO
SAVE SETUP
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DP B/W
Summary: Clears the menu from the display, and temporarily
redraws your image in full screen mode using a White background
and Black lines.
Menu(s): VIEW
Procedure
DP B/W (Desktop Publishing Black & White) redraws the current
view without a menu or message area by using the entire screen as
the drawing viewport. The program displays your image with Black
lines on a White background to better simulate the way your
drawing might appear in a Desktop Publishing program, or how it
will appear when printed or plotted.
The program is paused temporarily, and pressing any key will
reset the viewport and return you back to the View Menu.
See Also
FULL SCRN
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