
DCC_PRE
-------

Author: Rand Phares (rsphares@yahoo.com)
        Co-author of Cleimos & Cleimos2
        Member of TeamTNT, contributor to Icarus, Bloodlands,
        Grievance, and the BOOM source project.


DCC_PRE is a preprocessor for DCC.  It reads *.WAD and DCC.INI files and
creates a *.TDT file with the following information in it

        from the *.WAD files:

                - standard and custom textures
                - standard and custom flats
                - (BOOM) translucent filters
                - (BOOM) colormaps

        from the *.INI file:

                - painful flats
                - flats that should be aligned on the 64x64 grid (i.e. GATEs)


DCC.INI
-------

DCC.INI contains information that DCC_PRE uses to create a *.TDT data
file for DCC.  You should edit DCC.INI to fit your circumstances:

        IWAD_FILE = c:\doom2\doom2.wad

                This is the location of your DOOM2.WAD file.  If you're
                creating a full TC, and you're replacing DOOM2.WAD with
                another valid IWAD file, then change this line to point to
                your IWAD file.

        PWAD_FILE = c:\mystuff\mypwad.wad

                If you have custom textures and/or flats, set this line to
                the name of the PWAD file where they can be found.  If you're
                not using custom textures or flats, comment this line out
                with a leading ':'.

        TDT_FILE = c:\mystuff\mypwad.tdt

                This is where DCC_PRE will store the data it reads.  DCC
                will also read DCC.INI to pick up the location of this file
                for input.

        [PAIN]

                In DOOM2, the player expects certain flats to be painful.
                This section lists those flats.  If you're not doing a TC,
                you should probably leave this section alone; the flats
                provided were obtained by examining registered DOOM2.

                If you're doing a TC, change the list accordingly.

        [64x64]

                Certain textures look best when the structures (sectors)
                they're applied to are bounded by the 64x64 grid.  Teleport
                gates, for example.  This section lists the flats that are
                expected to be bound this way.  The standard GATE flats
                are provided.

                If you're doing a TC, include the flats that you expect to
                behave this way.


If you're working on different projects simultaneously, you can create
different versions of the DCC.INI file for each project.

 
How to use DCC_PRE
------------------

Make sure you've edited DCC.INI to your liking, then invoke DCC_PRE with

        dcc_pre [-p] [-i mystuff.ini] 


        where:             -p:  print an ascii report (optional)

               -i mystuff.ini:  an alternate DCC.INI file (optional)


Once you've run DCC_PRE, you should have a (binary) *.TDT file for DCC
to use.


Examples
--------

1) I don't have any custom textures or flats!

        DCC.INI reads:

                IWAD_FILE   = c:\doom2\doom2.wad
                : PWAD_FILE = zilch
                TDT_FILE    = c:\doom2\doom2.tdt

Then the simple command

        dcc_pre

will create a data file called doom2.tdt that holds information about the
standard DOOM2 textures and flats.


2) I have my own PWAD file with custom textures and flats in it!

        DCC.INI reads:

                IWAD_FILE = c:\doom2\doom2.wad
                PWAD_FILE = c:\mystuff\mystuff.wad
                TDT_FILE  = c:\mystuff\mystuff.tdt

Then the command

        dcc_pre -p 

will create a data file called mystuff.tdt, and print an ascii report to
the screen. mywad.tdt will contain information about your custom textures
and flats, as well as the standard DOOM2 data.


3) I'm making a full TC and I have my own IWAD, thank you!

        MYSTUFF.INI reads:

                IWAD_FILE   = c:\mystuff\my_iwad.wad
                : PWAD_FILE = zilch
                TDT_FILE    = c:\mystuff\mystuff.tdt

Then the command

      dcc_pre -p -i mystuff.ini > report.txt

will create a data file called mystuff.tdt and capture the ascii report
in report.txt.  mystuff.tdt will have NO standard DOOM2 data in it; only the
data from your IWAD.


4) I'm making a full TC and some of my textures are in my own IWAD, but
   I've got some late-breaking ones in a separate PWAD!

        MYSTUFF.INI reads:

                IWAD_FILE = c:\mystuff\my_iwad.wad
                PWAD_FILE = c:\mystuff\my_pwad.wad
                TDT_FILE  = c:\mystuff\mystuff.tdt

Then the command

      dcc_pre -i mystuff.ini

will create a data file called mystuff.tdt.  mystuff.tdt will have NO
standard DOOM2 data in it; only the combined data from your IWAD and PWAD
files.


Bug Reports
-----------

If you find any bugs, or have suggestions, please send email to

    rsphares@yahoo.com






