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   <TITLE>BinEdit - Frequently Asked Questions</TITLE>
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<CENTER><FONT SIZE=+3>BinEdit - Frequently Asked Questions</FONT>
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<P>Q. I can use triangle (3 corner) and rectangle (4 corner) faces to define
the same shapes.&nbsp; Which should I use, and why?
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<P>A. Ultimately, the computer (MTM or Direct3D, to be more precise) will
break down all four-sided faces to triangles, because 3D acellerator cards
are only working with triangles (and most software renderers, too). The
reason for that is quite simple: Triangles are the only polygons in three-dimensional
space that are always plane. No matter how you place three vertices, you
can always find at least one plane that contains all three. That means
that a triangle is always unambiguously (?) defined by the three vertices
(unless they are all in a row). A face with four corners, on the other
hand, need not be flat. And in that case, the computer cannot know how
it is supposed to "bend" it to make it work. So what it does is connect
two diagonally placed vertices, thus transforming the single four-sided
face into two triangles. Since there are two such pairs of vertices, there's
a random element to that operation, which is why this situation should
be avoided.
<P>So, to answer the question, use triangles whenever possible, unless
<BR>a) you know the four vertices you are going to connect are all in one
plane (like in the example)
<BR>b) you don't care (maybe you're building a rugged surface and precision
doesn't matter).
<P>- Thank you Oliver Pieper.
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<P>Q. My models shine through the terrain and other objects.&nbsp; How
can I fix this?
<P>A. The face types are not set correctly.&nbsp; Goto Face>Select all
faces, then to Groups>Set Group Face Type.&nbsp; Models must be set to
mtm, backdrops to mtm1 transparency, and transparent objects must be set
to mtm2 transparency (in mtm2).&nbsp; Don't forget to save your work.
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<P>Q. I made an animated model using TxBin then resized it in BinEdit,
now the animations don't work right.&nbsp; What's wrong?
<P>A. You need to 1.) create it again using TxBin but this time get the
size correct, or 2.) redefine the animation in BinEdit.&nbsp; Either method
will work.
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<P>Q.&nbsp; My bins look OK except for a few black dots (from one to three
per bin) outside the image area where it should be transparent. The dots
don't show up in the bmp or the raw image at all. Any ideas on how to clean
these bins up?
<P>A. The problem is not the bin.&nbsp; In a paint program, fill the black
area with another color that will NOT spill into your main image. Set the
tolerance very low.&nbsp; The odd color dots will show up. Paint them over
using the same color as the fill so that the area is all one color. Now,
fill it back again with black and save. You should be fine.
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<P>Q. Isn't it "vertices", not "verticies"?
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<P>A. Depends on your dictionary.&nbsp; TRI obviously thought it was verticies.
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