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-
-
- H C S H O W
-
- Version 1.0b
- April 4, 1992
-
- A Targa(tm) and GIF(tm) Viewer for Tseng(tm) HiColor(tm) Cards
-
- Copyright 1990,1991,1992 Synergrafix Consulting. All Rights Reserved
-
- HCSHOW is produced by:
-
- Steve Enns Synergrafix Consulting
- 2425 Haultain Ave. - Custom Programming
- Saskatoon, Sk. - Graphical and Numerical Software
- Canada S7J 1R2 - Hardware and Software Consultation
-
-
- Donations gratefully accepted! $10.00 will get you the latest
- version of this program on disk! Don't make me hunt you down
- like a dog to scream shareware licenses into your face!
-
-
- This program is dedicated to all those unemployed ray-tracing
- artists out there who have the talent, skill (and time ;) to
- create truly amazing images out of pixels and imaginary light.
- (Miller and Brown - come to town, I'll buy you a beer - not
- tomorrow though, I'm washing my hair.)
-
-
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
-
- Thanks to all the contributors to the absolutely superb graphics
- books:
-
- Graphics Gems Academic Press, Edited by Andrew S. Glassner, 1990,
- ISBN 0-12-286165-5
-
- Graphics Gems II Academic Press, Edited by James Arvo, 1991,
- ISBN 0-12-064480-0
-
- Thanks as well to some greatly inspirational and explicit code
- by Michael Abrash in the November 1991 Doctor Dobbs Journal.
-
- Finally, great thanks to Daniel Lee Crocker and the Stone Soup
- Group for numerous tremendous contributions to the public good
- through PICLAB, and FRACTINT (the best program ever written) both
- containing very enlightening Targa(tm) file code.
-
- Thanks also to John Swenson who wrote TGVIEW, which encouraged me
- to write this much faster and better program. ;-)
-
- Trademarks like GIF(tm) and PC(tm) are held by
- their respective companies.
-
-
- DISCLAIMER
-
- The HCSHOW program is provided without warranty of any kind. The
- user of the HCSHOW package assumes complete responsibility for
- any and all incidental or consequential damages which may occur
- during normal or abnormal use of the HCSHOW package. Use the
- HCSHOW program at your own risk.
-
-
- LICENSE
-
- The HCSHOW program and documentation are Copyright 1990,1991,
- 1992 Synergrafix Consulting. All rights reserved. The HCSHOW
- program may be freely distributed to others by any means, as
- long the following (three) conditions are met:
-
- 1) HCSHOW is distributed in a "package" containing
- the following files:
-
- HCSHOW.EXE
- HCSHOW.DOC
- HCSREAD.ME
-
- 2) HCSHOW is not distributed as part of any other
- product, except with specific written permission from
- the authors.
-
- 3) NO fee of any kind is charged for the HCSHOW
- package or for the service of providing the package,
- except Computer Bulletin Board Systems or Services,
- which may distribute the HCSHOW package even though they
- may charge a membership or service fee.
-
-
- Look for the HCSVGA library on your favorite bulletin board
- system. The HCSVGA has the Targa(tm), GIF(tm) and HiColor
- support used by HCSHOW.
-
- (If you are seriously interested in the source code for the
- HCSVGA library, then write me a letter with your proposed uses
- for the code, and I'll return a quote for the price. (Probably
- $50.00-$100.00 with no royalties.)
-
-
- REQUIREMENTS
-
- HCSHOW requires the following:
-
- - PC(tm)/XT(tm)/AT(tm)/386(tm) computer
- - TSENG 4000 based Video Card equipped with
- at least 1 Megabyte of display memory, and
- a Sierra HiColor(tm) DAC chip
-
- Optionally:
-
- - A MS compatible mouse for the incredibly
- confusing "Cursor Mode"
-
-
- USAGE
-
-
- HCSHOW filespec[.GIF|.TGA] [outfilename[.TGA]] /dither /comp
- /autoscale /mode=0..3 /text=str /giftag=giffile /comm=str
- /nocomm /info /slide=n
-
- where:
-
- filename - the Targa(tm) or GIF(tm) to display.
- outfilename - the Targa output filename (used to save dithered
- pics, see below.)
- /dither - dither the image if it is a 24 or 32 bit Targa(tm)
- /comp - compress the output Targa(tm) file
- /autoscale - try to scale the GIF(tm) to fit the screen
- /mode=n - force mode n. Not all modes work with all cards.
- /text=str - display "str" when placing text in cursor mode.
- /giftag=filename - display GIF "filename" when placing a GIF in
- cursor mode.
- /comm=str - display comment "str", and add it to the Targa when
- saving.
- /nocomm - don't display the Targa comment on the screen. (A
- comment can still be placed in the Targa
- with /COMM=str
- /info - display file information on the screen.
- /slide=n - do a slideshow of the specified files, waiting n
- seconds between each picture.
-
-
- EXAMPLES
-
- HCSHOW is very easy to use. When the picture is displayed, press
- <ENTER> to save the current display as a Targa-16(tm), press "C"
- to enter "cursor mode" (see below) or any other key to exit without
- saving.
-
- C> HCSHOW picname
-
- will display "picname" on the screen in HiColor mode. Looking
- for "picname.gif" first, and then "picname.tga".
-
- or
-
- C> HCSHOW picname out.tga /dither /comp /mode=3
-
- will display "picname" using dithering and 800x600 mode, saving
- the output (if any) to the file "out.tga"
-
- or
-
- C> HCSHOW a*.tga /dither /comp /mode=3 /text=Copyright~1992~SE
- /giftag=mylogo.gif /comm=Copyright~1992~SE
-
- will display all the files "a*.tga", dithering when displaying
- 24 or 32 bit Targas, using 800x600 mode and placing the text
- "Copyright 1992 SE" on the screen when using "cursor mode", and
- into the Targa as a comment when a screen is saved....
-
-
- CURSOR MODE
-
- Sorry, I'm going to leave this explanation in its current in-
- comprehensible state until I decide the future of this program.
- In the meantime, have a stiff drink, and just read through it
- really fast without stopping, and it will seem really obvious,
- just like proofs from your graph theory class...
-
- Press "C" when a picture is displayed to enter cursor mode.
- If you have a mouse (and mouse driver software) installed, you
- will have a graphical cursor available to define rectangular areas
- of the current screen image. Press and hold the left mouse button
- to start "dragging" a box to the desired size. Release and re-press
- the left button to restart another box. Upon choosing a suitable
- area with the "dragging box", press <ENTER> to use the current box
- area for further operations, or press <ESC> to ignore the chosen box,
- and return to the whole screen. Both <ENTER> and <ESC> exit cursor
- mode, and return to normal operation. If you chose a box and pressed
- <ENTER> you can now save the area within the box by pressing <ENTER>
- again, or you can press <ESC> to exit or <SPACE> to go to the next
- picture, if there is one. So there.
- Press the right mouse button when moving the mouse to activate
- the text (specified with /TEXT=str). This text can now be placed on
- the screen by pressing the right mouse button when you are satisfied
- with the position. Press "G" when moving the cursor to display the
- GIF (specified with /GIFTAG=giffile) a the current position. This
- feature is intended to allow placement of graphical logos saved as
- GIFs onto Targa images as a "signature."
- If you want to wreck the image, you can also press "I" to invert
- the colours in the current area, or "r" "R" "g" "G" "b" "B" to
- decrease or increase the red green or blue components of the colours
- in the current area.
-
-
- HISTORY
-
- - Version 0.5b Completed December 20 1991
-
- Just a Beta version! Lots more to be done...
-
- - Version 0.6b February 4 1992
-
- Output filenames are now properly recognized. Maybe.
-
- Now compiled with Borland C 3.0 for extra speed,
- especially when dithering Targa-24 files.
-
- - Version 1.0b April 4 1992
-
- Dithering of Targa-24's is faster still (Displays/dithers
- 3 times faster than TGVIEW...Hear that John Swenson?!)
-
- Wildcard input filenames, slideshows and all kinds of
- other new crap. (I decided to add a bunch of bugs instead
- of waiting for people to find them.)
-
-
-
- PROPOSED FUTURE ENHANCHMENTS
-
- - I would like samples of Targa(tm) files (or GIFs) which
- do not display properly when viewed with HCSHOW.
-
- - Support for other graphics hardware. Hopefully, we will
- be able to support new hardware and graphics modes as they
- are introduced. I will try to support the ATI VGAWonder XL(tm)
- if someone sends me some fairly explicit code demonstrating
- how modes are set, and memory banks are switched.
-
- - Faster GIF(tm) and Targa(tm) decoding and encoding
-
- - Quantizing Targa(tm) images to be saved as GIF(tm)
-
- - All kinds of editing, and picture tuning features.
-
- - Real Documentation! Not a priority, but I'm sure you
- guessed that.
-
-
-