If you read BINedit.txt which is included with the program in the download .ZIP, you'll find the Mini-tutorial: the hay pyramid... which aims to give an introduction to using BINedit for making models. What I've done here is to revamp that tutorial and pretty it up with some screenshots - it's not a fancy model but I think it's a good tutorial, and after all it's where I learnt the ropes so I felt it deserved to be updated. So take it away Mr. Peiper...
Ok, let's build a hay pyramid to get a feeling for the program 8-)
Start BINedit. Do not load an object! (Or use the File -> New function)
Our pyramid needs a square base and four triangular sides. To add a face, we need vertices first.
Let's start with the base. We need four vertices. For simplicity's sake, we will insert them at a y-coordinate of 0.
|
Add the first vertex at Add the second vertex at Add the third vertex at Add the fourth vertex at |
x= 1000, y=0, z= 1000 x= 1000, y=0, z=-1000 x=-1000, y=0, z=-1000 x=-1000, y=0, z= 1000 |
Press the keypad "+" key a few times to see the vertices in the 3d view.
Viewed from the top (from the positive y-axis), they would look like this:
Press TAB a few times to see the 3d cursor cycle through the vertices.
Before we can add the base face, we need to load the texture. Select the menu option Textures -> Load... and load HAYSTACK.RAW.
(Note: Haystack.raw is an MTM1 texture file, so obviously you will need MTM1 to get it. If not however, there no reason why you couldn't open a different texture file, such as the MTM2 Crazy 98 version C8NUHAY.RAW...)
Now we can add the face. It should be visible from beneath the pyramid (negative y-axis), which means that the vertices of the face will have to be defined clockwise when looking from the negative y-axis. My sketch of the vertices is from the positive y-axis, we need to use a counter-clockwise order:
3, 2, 1, 0 will do. Select the menu option faces -> Add... and
enter the values in the edit fields.
The new face will appear in the 3d view (well, it will, if you rotate the model with the cursor keys until you can see the pyramid from below).
Since there is only the haystack texture in the texture pool, it will already be assigned to the face. We can test it by changing the View to "Textured". The 3d view will now display the face with its texture.
The pyramid still needs the four sides. First, we have to add the last vertex, the one at the top of the pyramid.
Add the vertex (it's # 4) at 0, 1000, 0. This is 1000 units above the center of the base face:
Now we can add the four sides. Defined in clockwise order, they are
| 4, 0, 1 (face number 1) | ||
| 4, 1, 2 (face number 2) | ||
| 4, 2, 3 (face number 3) | ||
| 4, 3, 0 (face number 4) | ||
| (the base is face number 0) | ||
To add triangles, leave the last vertex value at -1.
That's it! We've just built a (simple) MTM BIN model...
Select File -> Save As... to save the creation (I called it haypyra.bin). You will be warned that the model is not centered along the y-axis and asked if BINedit should center it vertically. Unless you are editing a truck shape which is usually floating above the ground, the left button ('Ja' is German for 'Yes') is the correct one. The pyramid will be lowered a bit.
Now fire up the track editor and use the new .BIN!
The pyramid is about 8 feet wide and about 4 feet high. To change its dimensions, use the menu option Model -> Resize...
To move a single vertex, select it with Tab/Shift+Tab and use the X/Shift+X, Y/Shift+Y, Z/Shift+Z keys to move it in 10 unit steps. Or use the menu option Vertex -> Set Coordinates...
Now let's change the texture of two opposite faces. First we need to add the new texture to the texture pool. Select Textures -> Load... and load the GOLFGRAS.RAW texture.
(Again an MTM1 texture - for MTM2, try CR4GRS00.RAW...)
Press the Spacebar or Shift+Spacebar until one of the side faces is selected (tinted purple).
Now press Shift+T. You will see a list with all textures in the pool. Select GOLFGRAS.RAW.
Now select the opposite face and do the same.
Voila! Now we have a pyramid with two different textures.
Experiment!