Tools...
	Our work in The Parsec Paintbox falls into two categories: Graphics and development tools. For graphics we tend to use off the shelf software packages but for development tools we're very much into custom app territory and we end up having to write our own software to get the job done.
	Graphics Apps Originally working with the DOS based NeoPaint, our graphics are now created using a combination of 3D Studio and Paint Shop Pro. Occasionally we stray into Windows Paint territory but when it comes down to 2D graphics, PSP is the undesputed king, offering advanced filters and effects but still allowing us to get dirty and play around at the pixel level. No idea what we're talking about? Don't worry about it. While others may shout the virtues of Imagine and Truespace, when it comes to 3D there is only oneserious option: 3D Studio. While we're still using the ancient version 3 for DOS (I know, but it's true) the complexity of Max makes it far too scary to make the jump just yet. Used mainly for it's modelling capabilities rather than an animator/renderer we still use the old beast for splash screens and the like but new kid on the block Blender has us thinking about jumping ship (mainly because it allows us to start using all that SGi hardware that's sat doing nothing). Check out the official Blender site to find out more (and as it's FREE then what do you have to lose?)
	Development Tools While our graphics work is more than adequately covered by off the shelf apps, development tools are a totally different matter. 100% custom efforts that may end up being used for just one game, our development tools are becoming more complex and there is a push to make them far more generic and re-usable. So how does an artist create something like that? Well he has to be a programmer too and luckily that's what Neil is. While Team DP products are coded in the much heralded C, over here in graphics land we favour the far superior Delphi. Why is it superior? Oh, it just is. All of our tools are written in Delphi and this is down to the minimal amount of development time needed and the fact that Neil is 100% Pascal. If you're expecting an in depth discussion on the big D though, try looking at Borland to find out more. Over the years we've used many development tools and they were mostly game specific, and therefore far too numerous to mention here. What follows are the current tools that we're using and the ones that we'll hopefully be using for the foreseeable future. Does this make any difference? Probably not, but I had to be able to show off somewhere =;) iPro 3D The main development tool used on Maverick, iPro 3D originally started life as a simple 3D tool used for simple point/line creation. Yes it had a perspective render engine built in but was extremely limited. Developed way back in 1995 under Delphi 1, it was an academic exercise and didn't really get used until Maverick came along. It's ability to import 3D Studio's ASC files allows us to convert 3DS data into something that we can use. Modified, overhauled, re-written, and sworn at repeatedly, the current iPro 3D incarnation allows it to apply textures, add Maverick specific data such as docking spheres and shot vectors, resize meshes to fit inside the Maverick universe, and most importantly, export data ready for Maverick to use. It's gone through just about every version of Delphi that's been released but it's looks as though the Delphi 6 version will be the last one. 3D Studio does the modelling and iPro 3D really does little more than embelish that data. Long in the tooth now, it's about to be replaced by the far more powerful Animate 3D. Render Tester Simply put, a bodge. Developed to work alongside iPro 3D, Render Tester is a nasty little application that allows us to visualise our 3D objects in 3D. Yes it's OpenGL but the interface is non-existant and it's an extremely clumsy way to add the functionality that was missing in iPro 3D (and was too complex to integrate at such a late stage). Animate 3D Currently being developed for use with the next generation of Team DP's software, Animate 3D is the big brother of iPro 3D. Animate 3D offers all of the generic functionality of iPro 3D but includes a keyframe animator, an object hierarchy system, advanced texture mapping options (including automatic and manual individual face alignment), and importing for both 3D Studio's ASC files AND Quake 2 models (translated across from ID's original C code). The results? Better texture mapping, more complex models...and animation. Built with OpenGL from the start it has realtime texture mapped animation playback and rendering sub-systems. Written from scratch using Delphi 6, Animate 3D has support for far more objects, faces, and points than iPro 3D ever had, and it's 3D rendering engine is far in advance of Render Tester in terms of both interface (i.e. it has one) and flexibility. Currently undergoing beta testing, Animate 3D will be the major development tool used by us for the next couple of years. Now if only I can crack the 3D Studio PRJ file format... iPro The original iPro image package was a final year project for Neil at uni. A simple 2D photo/image editor with a 3D bolt on (which later evolved into iPro 3D) that was dog slow and bug ridden (and at 15,000 lines of code, decidedly badly written). Redeveloped as version 2 (pretty much from scratch) iPro is still bug ridden but does allow us to do things that even the mighty PSP doesn't offer - auto image merging, controllable overlays, and bump mapping for example. Yes it might not be the best piece of code in the world but it does allow us to tweak the manipulation algorithms as we go...but it's still badly written.

The Parsec Paintbox was created by and is maintained by TheNeil and while all content is checked and updated regularly, the author cannot be held responsible for any broken links, incorrect information. Any software or data downloaded from this site is done so at the user's own risk and the author cannot be held responsible for any damage caused - ŠTheNeil 2001