So what's this BINedit thing then?
BINedit is an editor utility for the objects used in the Microsoft and Terminal Reality Inc. (TRI) games Monster Truck Madness (1 and 2), Fury3, Hellbender, CART Precision Racing, FLY! and probably some more. This program was developed with MTM in mind, but should work with the other programs, too.
The original version(s) of the program that OP worked on was designed to run under a Windows 9x environment with a screen mode of at least 64,000 colours. The program was not 100% compatible with Windows NT operating systems (Windows ME and Windows 2000 being NT systems) - it could still run, but strange and unexpected things would occur!
Since then the project has fallen into the hands of Richard Borchard III, who is currently engaged in updating BINedit to be compatible with WinNT systems, and adding new features and squashing bugs. Make sure you check the Download & Installation page for the latest version of BINedit.
While working on a .BIN model in BINedit, keep a piece of paper and a pen or pencil handy. These are invaluable for noting down vertex numbers and coordinates, schematic diagrams, filenames etc.
You've probably heard it a million times, but I cannot stress how important it is to save you work at frequent intervals. But it's doubly important when working in BINedit, due to the program's inherent instability - the program can quite literally crash just because you clicked somewhere you shouldn't have!
99% of the time, BINedit will behave itself. But don't think you can gamble with that 1% - crashes can and will happen. I myself will save my work after carrying out any major operations - say, mapping faces - before continuing to the next operation. Having known the frustration of losing many hours' worth of .BIN work to a program crash (or even carelessly closing the program without saving first), it's really worth the minor inconvience of initiating the Save command every now and then. This will save you any potential loss of models and much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the future.
I have Angus to thank for this tip, and Phineus for the write-up and images. This is a handy way to make a complex, symmetrical model (such as a truck body) with the minimum of fuss.
Make one side or half of your model.
The trick is to make sure the model is aligned along one of the axes. In this case, it's centered on the x-axis. All the points for the middle of your model should be on the axis. So, here, all the model's middle points have an x value of zero.
Now, just go to Model -> Resize....
You see the current width, len(g)th and height values. The trick is just to change the width to a negative value. Of course, if you are working along the length or height, you'd switch that value instead of width. Leave the 'Keep proportions' box unchecked.
Click OK and your model will look very strange. Don't worry, the next step fixes that.
Simply select all faces.
Then flip all faces in group.
And of course, deselect all faces.
Now you have an exact mirror of your original model.
To complete the process, go to File -> Insert...
...And select the file you started with. When you click open, your model will be complete with two perfectly symmetrical halves.
If you like you can merge close vertices, and then delete unused vertices.
Nice trick.
Anecdote: When I made that mirror tip, I had actually created the entire model, then chose the better half and deleted the other half. That way, I had the benefit of perspective while creating, then perfect symmetry for the finished model.
It's usually a good idea when modifying someone else's work to get their permission before you begin. Although most people agree that anyone can use anything they want in making their trucks, there are a few people who are a bit touchy about others using their hard work (sometimes rightly so, particularily in the case of scratch-built .BIN models that they spent hours working on).
Windows is notorious for it's tendancy to lock up or "crash" at the most inconvenient moments. The Windows Resource Meter is a little-known but immeasurably valuable system application that can help you to avoid those nasty Windows freezes and crashes.
I especially recommend it to users of BINedit, because the utility really eats your system resources and a lot of BINedit crashes can be attributable to running out of resources.
Many of those mysterious crashes in Windows can be laid at the heart of a basic coding deficiency in the Windows 9x line (95, 98, 98SE, and Millennium Edition). The problem lies in a dependence on tiny 64K resource tables in Windows 9x. In layman's terms: Over time in any given Windows 9x session the resources will diminish - regardless of the quantity of your RAM or how big your hard drive! It's a cruel fact, but if you leave Windows 9x running long enough (minutes, hours, or days depending on how many programs you are running) it will eventually crash and frequently without warning.
As the user, you can accelerate this process by running applications. Each application will take its share of your system's memory, most of which you gain back upon closing out some or all running applications. But resources are steadily drained over time. Rebooting brings back your maximum resources and is a strategy that is useful on heavily used machines. Rebooting once every two or three hours might eliminate most of your freezes due to resource loss. However, there is a little-known Windows system utility that can help you decide exactly when you need to reboot or close out applications. This handy little program is called the Resource Meter and it may already be installed on your computer.
To check and see if it is installed, click on the Start button and look in Programs -> Accessories and Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools. If you don't see the Resource Meter in the Start Menu then you will need to install it. Go into Start -> Settings -> Control Panel and double-click on Add/Remove Programs. On the window that pops up, click on the tab labelled Windows Setup. Double-click on Accessories for Windows 95 or System Tools for Windows 98 and place a checkmark in the box left of System Resource Meter. You may have to supply the Windows CD at this point if the .CAB files aren't available on your computer.
The first time you use Resource Meter it will give you a little warning message. Don't panic... it really doesn't use very much resources, a tiny fraction in fact. So check the box "Don't display this message again". Now it will take up residence in the System Tray next to your clock on the Taskbar.
Letting your mouse pointer hover over it without clicking will display the three resource percentages. To see a bigger readout, double-click on the icon.
A user with good initial resources should be in the 80-90 percent range for all three values after startup. If your computer is below those optimal values (especially if you're below 70%) you will need to find out if you can unload some in-memory programs to improve your resource levels.
If you watch the Resource Meter over time you will see it lose bars and change colors. Keeping a watchful eye will help you know when you are in danger of a crash - and to make it even easier, the utility will warn you with a message box when your resources are 90% occupied or more. If it turns yellow or - heaven forbid - red, it's probably time to close all your programs and reboot!
To make it easier to use Resource Meter you should place a shortcut into the Startup folder. That way it will load every time you start Windows and will serve as a reminder to you with a simple glance at the taskbar. Here's how to get it into the Startup folder for Windows 95 and 98.
Right-click on the Start button and choose Open or Explore. Double-click on the Programs folder and then the StartUp folder. Right-click in an empty area and from the menu select New -> Shortcut... to create a shortcut to the Resource Meter. On the dialog box at the Shortcut screen type: C:\WINDOWS\RSRCMTR.EXE (or browse to this file) and then click on Next. At the next screen type in a descriptor: Resource Meter. Then click on Finish.
Congratulations! You now have the Resource Meter monitoring your system all the time. Watch it carefully... it can save you a fatal crash! A good rule of thumb is to reboot when the meter shows levels in the 30%-40% range or lower.
Original source: A Well-Kept Windows Secret: The Windows Resource Meter
I save my work-in-progress .BIN models to a lot of different filenames. Basically what I do is to prepare and save all the components of the truck seperately (eg. body, frame, rollbar etc.) first, and then put them all together and save the final .BIN. This is really just "covering my bases": if I screw up somewhere with the final .BIN, all I need to do is reassemble all the components. It's a bit like making something out of Lego really.
Another point is that it is usually a good idea to stick to eight characters or less for the filesnames of the files you put into your truck (although in the case of "development" files that do not go into the truck, and the actual .POD filename, you can go over if you want).
You can compare saved component .BIN models by inserting them into one another, however this is only for checking and reference. Do not save or you'll be stuck deleting the inserted parts if you are not satisfied with the way they fit together. Once you have made your comparison and checked what you are looking for, clear the screen by going to File -> New, and then reopen the bin you want to work on.