Some quick notes on GwynFlex version A08...(29 October, 1999)

New in this version:

- Big news: this version generates flex models (File->Export->
  Flex Model) with all the Corvus animations, that are playable
  in the game!!!

- Annoying news: either the light normals or the GLCmd code is
  defective, so in QMView the model appears "inside out." There
  is a new menu command, "Invert Normals", that was meant to
  fix the problem but it doesn't yet.

- Two new menu commands, Invert U-Axis and Invert V-Axis, can
  be used if the texture mapping coordinates in your mesh are
  backwards.

- A new version of fm2obj.exe is included. Previous versions
  of fm2obj did not properly store texture vertex information.
  Also, new demo meshes are incldued that were exported using
  this version of fm2obj.

  IF YOU ARE MODELING BASED ON THE CORVUS MESH, YOU MUST UPGRADE
  TO THIS NEW VERSION OF FM2OBJ.EXE AND RE-EXPORT YOUR STARTING
  POSES OR THEY WILL NOT HAVE CORRECT TEXTURE VERTEX INFORMATION.
  SEE BELOW UNDER "FIXING TEXTURE MAPPING FROM FM2OBJ"

- You can specify the set of poses to be applied to the model
  by selecting File->Export->Flex Model From... The first
  dialog box asks for the output file name, the 2nd dialog box
  asks for the name of the animation file (to be used instead
  of mocap.bin)

- The new Model->Groups dialog is used to enable. disable, and
  rename groups of connected triangles within an imported model.
  When generating body parts (Model->Make Body Parts) you must
  enable the groups that surround the bones you're generating for.
  Groups are listed alphabetically; there is always a group that
  includes all of the mesh.

- Enable a set of bones and a set of mesh groups, run Model->
  Make Body Parts, then enable a different set of bones and
  mesh groups and repeat, to get greater accuracy of mesh to
  bone assignment. The effects of multiple Model->Make Body Parts
  invocations is cumulative - keep going until all of the bones
  are green instead of white.

- GwynFlex now preserves texture mapping information from the
  model

- GwynFlex now remembers where its home directory is when loading
  mocap.bin, default.spz, and other internal files.

- GwynFlex now supports binding of weapon meshes to bones (using
  the grouping features - make your weapons separate groups)

- The Model->Generate->Body Parts menu has been replaced by
  Model->Make Body Parts.

- The dividing plane (View->Dividing Plane) can be used to assist
  in body part generation. To use it, make it visible, position it
  through a joint and between two parts of the mesh that you do
  not want to be assigned to the same bone, and then use Model->
  Make Body Parts. NOTE: Note fully implemented, mixed results.

- Fixed some bugs that sometimes interfered with loading of .3ds
  files.

Not in yet:
- You can only import .3DS binary and .OBJ ASCII files - no
  .FM or .MD2 import yet
- The body part algorithm is not foolproof and there is no way
  to tweak the results manually yet.

Installation:
- Just make sure that the default.spz file is in the same folder
  as the gwynflexa08.exe folder. The default.spz folder holds
  the default pose for the skeleton, in frame 'default'
- If you have downloaded the mocap.bin motion capture file,
  put it in the same folder as gwynflexa08.exe

Tips:
- When using Generate Body Parts, it's best to use a startiong pose
  in which the arms are stretched out horizontally and the legs are
  apart, kind of like the famous sketch by Leonardo DaVinci. This
  pose is the least confusing to the software, and provides superior
  results. For example, use CONJURE11 rather than RECOVER7.
- It's always best to start from an existing Corvus pose if you can.
  These poses already have all of the bones spun in the right direction,
  which can save you a lot of time and confusion ("Why is my head on
  backwards?). Select Load Pose, then type in 'mocap.bin' as the file
  name and type in the name of the pose you want to use.
- Once you have lined the skeleton up with the pose of your mesh,
  select Model->Generate->Body parts to automatically figure out
  which parts of the mesh belong with each bone. This can take
  several minutes - watch the status bar for 'Ready' to indicate
  that it is done. Be sure to check all camera views to make sure
  your skeleton is lined up right!
- Once you have generated body parts, you can view the mesh in
  various poses by selecting View->Generated Model and loading
  a previously stored pose (from a .psz file or from mocap.bin).

Sample meshes:
- The ZIP file includes two sample meshs, conjure11EC63.obj and
  conjure14EC63.obj, to play with. conjure11EC53.obj is the
  Styx1 model as he appears in the conjure11 animation frame.
  conjure14EC63.obj is the Corvus model, as he appears in the
  conjure14 animation frame.
- You can use the sample pose file, conjure11.spz, to load the
  conjure11, conjure13, and conjure14 poses onto either of
  these meshes, in case you haven't downloaded mocap.bin (2.5MB)


Contacting the Author:
- You can reach Gwynhala, the author of GwynFlex, at any of
  these addresses:

  serotonin@earthlink.net
  gwynhala@hereticii.com
  ICQ 38345327

- GwynFlex is Copyright 1999 by Christopher J. Burke
  Portions are Copyright 1996 by Nigel Thompson
  You can use GwynFlex and its output as you please,
  but you are not allowed to sell GwynFlex.
