TexRD - version 0.4 beta for Windows (c) Luc Decker ========================================== contact : luc.decker.nospam@wanadoo.fr (remove ".nospam" to write to the author) ========================================== 1 - Presentation 2 - Required configuration 3 - Installation 4 - Quick start 5 - Recommended softwares 1 - Presentation ================ TexRD software allows animated random textures to be generated by means of algorithms based on reaction-diffusion principle. More specifically, complex chemical reactions between several fluids are simulated and produce various patterns by self-organization. Similar morphogenesis phenomena (spontaneous build-up of shapes) are observed in the real life and could account for the patterns observed on the skin on some animals, exotic fishes, shells, minerals... Even if it looks complicated to you, it is not necessary to understand how it exactly works to use TexRD ! You can take the advantage of the software by simply starting the calculation of the manifold given examples. Progressively, you will learn how to change simple parameters like the image size or its colors. Any texture generated by TexRD can be tiled, i.e. juxtaposing the same basic texture so as to fill a given space. The texture will be perfectly adjusted to each other, edge to edge without join. Web pages backgrounds can also use pattern tiling. TexRD is designed for graphic designers, cyber-artists, etc... Like a mathematical game, it showed also be of interest for science lovers as a powerful tool to create new original textures. The thrill of discovery is enhanced by the fact that reaction-diffusion patterns cannot be predicted by the theory (except for the simplest models). They require multiple trials associating chance, observations and attempts to find the rules governing the effects of the various parameters. You will discover completely novel textures, because there are so many combinations possible. With TexRD, you will be able to create all kinds of abstract images for postal cards or front pages, bindings, paper bookmarks, windows wallpapers, as well as new ideas for decoration patterns. Computer graphics experts could also use such textures to cover virtual objects and make them look more realistic - real world is full of random patterns ! This software version is free for non-commercial use. The author's agreement is needed in all other cases. If you put some images produced with TexRD in the public domain, you should mention "Textures generated by the TexRD software, www.texrd.com". If it is an website, contact the author : a link can be added from the texd.com website so as to illustrate some typical use examples. 2 - Required configuration ========================== This version of TexRD has been tested on Windows 98 and XP. It should work out properly with some other versions of Windows. The amount of RAM used by the software can reach 18 Mb, depending on the size of textures and the reaction models. The hard disk space required for installation is only 0.5 Mb. One should yet foresee to keep a few tens of Mb for image recording, in particular if you want to build animated sequences showing the evolution of textures. N.B. It is possible to disable the recording of images on hard disk and, in this case, use only the visualization module integrated in the software (set "t+100000" in the "image256"/"image16M" instruction parameters) 3 - Installation ================ Installation is carried out manually. - Uncompress the ZIP archive which creates the whole set of folders and files needed to run TexRD. If you update an existing version of TexRD, you can use the same installation folder, but all example files will be replaced by their new version (thus be careful if you modified them without renaming). Files that you have added (parameters,images..) will be preserved. - Option * Add a shortcut to "texrd.exe" on Windows desktop * Associate *.TRD files with the "texrd.exe" program - You can move "texrd.exe" and associated files in another folder. Nothing is recorded elsewhere. - To remove TexRD from your computer, simply delete the folder which contains the program. You may want to save your creations before. Contents of ZIP archive : texrd.exe program to run, window version texrd.ini configuration saving license.txt user license readme.txt this file versions.txt version notes and known bugs exemple.tpl basic example with many comments, loaded from "Help" menu examples\*.trd parameter examples for the available models examples\art\*.trd artistic examples examples\pov-ray example of texture use with POV-Ray software please read "readme_povray.txt" in this folder examples\backups original sample backups (concerns TRD files) test\test.trd test parameters (to run) test\compare.bmp compare this image with the one produced by your computer (debug helper...) 4 - Quick start =============== - Run TexRD - Open "Parameters" menu and choose "Load..." - Select one of the "TRD" files from the "Examples" folder. Parameters needed to compute a texture are loaded and displayed in the editor. As a beginner, you are not expected to understand their full meaning. - Open "Texture" menu and choose "Run". Watch the progress of computations : the texture is progressively building up and evolves with time. Most often, there is no precise step when the texture is completed. - Test different preview modes in the "Texture" menu, even during the computations. - Using Windows Explorer (or a software like ACDSee), browse the folder "TexRD\Examples" and open BMP images recorded here. These images are equivalent to concentration maps for one of the simulated chemical component. Actually, they contain nice texture after applying "false colors" (depending on the color map, pattern perception is enhanced). See below for help on image filenames. - Try some other parameters to obtain a different result. The following are the simplest to modify : "size ... ..." (texture size), "randseed ..." (random generator seed) and "colormap .........". - Very exciting examples can also be found in the "Examples/Art" folder - Finally, in the "Help" menu, you will find a full example which details the syntax and role of each instruction used in TRD files. CAUTION : after any modification, save the example files under another name. Your creations will thus be preserved when you will install an update of TexRD. Image filenames : if the parameter filename is "xyz.trd", the resulting textures will be saved under the name "xyz_[...].BMP", within the same folder. Filename is build from the component name ('A','B', ...) and the computation step (number of iterations). If one looks at component 'A' and wants to save the system state every 50 iterations, the files will be named "xyz_A000100.bmp", "xyz_A000150.bmp", etc... One can thus record the variation of the texture with time, and even make animated sequences. 5 - Recommended softwares ========================= - An explorer like ACDSee is recommended to browse the images saved with TexRD (shareware, see www.acdsystems.com ). The slide show feature of ACDSee can be used to animate a texture (set a 100 ms interval between each image). An AVI animation can be generated from a series of BMP images by using other softwares : for example, AviCreator freeware, see http://www.bloodshed.net/avi.html ). In order to check quickly the tiling (mosaic mode), use Windows wallpaper feature. - Feel free to use your favorite graphic software to modify raw textures saved with TexRD : enhance contrast, change gamma, combine several images... - To evaluate the rendering of textures in virtual environments (3D computer graphics), you will enjoy the use of a ray tracer like POV-Ray, which is a freeware, see www.povray.org. An easy way is to start with an example distributed with POV-Ray and to replace some textures by those made with TexRD. POV-Ray can load textures from images (instead of computing them), but BMP format is not available. Saving TGA images with TexRD will solve that problem, using an optional parameter in the instructions image256/image16M. An example of the combined use of TexRD and POV-Ray can be found in the folder examples\pov-ray, read the file readme_povray.txt.