Visions of Reality ART Viewer
Programmed by Lief O'Pardy, Asterix
RIP routines by Cap'n Crunch -ICE

∙ Introduction ∙

I (Lifo) would like to welcome you to Illuminate.  Illuminate
was  first thought of around ??/??/93,  and its main  purpose
then  was nothing more then a Tool for me to  self enhance my
skills as a  programmer.  Back  then I was not in NPI or VOR,
it  was  just  something *I*   wanted  to do.  Later  as time
progressed  I  became  a member  of VOR  and  Illuminate  was
choosen  as the group's Ansi Viewer,  And I have never stoped
working on it since that first day.  Now I believe that it IS
the BEST viewer for our 703/202/301 area, at least.

∙ Illuminate Features ∙

Θ  Full support for ACiD's SAUCE
Θ  RIP support (Cap'n Crunch.ICE routines)
Θ  FLI support (uhh, damn, forgot what his name was..uhh)
Θ  File Masking
Θ  Easy navigation through your directories
Θ  Supports ~3800 file/directories in one sub-directory
Θ  Fully user configurable.  By use of a seperate options
menu in the program
Θ  Full AnsiMation support in TEXT and MCGA modes.
Θ  Features SMOOTH-Ansi-scrollback in VGA graphics modes.
(not SVGA or text modes)
Θ  Features a Wide (full block) mode in all graphics modes
Θ  Ansi viewing modes include:
- 80x25x16  text modes
- 80x50x16  text
- 320x200x256  VGA
- 320x400x256  VGA
- 640x480x256  SVGA
- 800x600x256  SVGA
- 1024x768x256  SVGA

∙ Supported file formats ∙

Θ  Illuminate  will view ANSI screens  in all the video modes
stated  above  in  the  "Features"   section.   Also,  The
Excellent MODEX  library I  use for  some of the  graphics
modes was written by Matt Pritchard.
Θ  Illuminate  supports viewing of  level 0-1 RIP files.  The
routines were written by Cap'n Crunch / ICE.
Θ  Illuminate  displays  normal  320x200x256 MCGA  FLI files.
Θ  Illuminate  will Execute  EXE/COM files  from the Picklist
for  your  convience.  This was mainly  added  so that you
could  view  any  Intro/Loaders  that  the  Coders  in VOR
release time to time.  It does shrink out of memory before
executing  the child program,  to give it the  most memory
possible.

∙ Function / HotKeys ∙

F1 │  Quick Help  Θ  Displays a brief discription of HotKeys

F2 │  Option Menu Θ  Open the Options Menu. (TAB can also be
used to open this). Read the "Option
Menu" section for more info on it.

C │  Drive/Path  Θ  Change your current "d:\path[\mask#1]",
just like you would at the DOS prompt.

A │  Ansimation  Θ  Toggle Ansi-Mation flag for the current
highlighted file. A character appears to
the right of the filename when its tagged
as an AnsiMation.

W │  Wide mode   Θ  Toggle W-I-D-E mode ON/OFF.  This has
NO affect in Text modes.
This can also be used while viewing
ansis in graphic modes.

S │  Scrollback  Θ  Toggle Ansi Scrollback ON/OFF.  This
will work in any of the different
video modes, except svga modes.

V │  View mode   Θ  Change the resolution that the ANSI's
are to be displayed in.

-80x25 text        Θ  Normal text mode.
-80x50 text        Θ  50 line text mode. (an 8x8 font).
-320x200x256 VGA   Θ  Standard VGA display. (This is actually
a ModeX variant, NOT MCGA.)
-320x400x256 VGA   Θ  ModeX variant available to ANY 100%
register compatiable VGA card.
-640x480x256 SVGA  Θ  SVGA mode for most SVGA cards.
-800x600x256 SVGA  Θ  SVGA mode for some SVGA cards.
-1024x768x256 SVGA Θ  SVGA mode for some SVGA cards.

+ - │ Toggle Res. Θ  Use these HotKeys while viewing ansis
to raise or lower the current resolution.

∙ Option's Menu ∙

You gain a lot of control on how  Illuminate functions with
this menu.  When you EXIT this menu, the current settings are
automatically saved.
Options include:
-  Select ANSI viewing resolution.  (also can be  done from
the file Picklist).
-  Toggle Scrollback  ON/OFF.  (also can be  done from  the
file Picklist).
-  Toggle Wide mode ON/OFF. (also can be done from the file
Picklist).
-  Toggle F/X  ON/OFF.  With this ON,  Illuminate will fade
out-in  when it first  starts, when  it exits,  and when
viewing a file.
-  Toggle SAUCE  ON/OFF.  If  this  is  ON,  then  as  each
filename is displayed in the picklist, it first searches
for SAUCE  in the file.  This slows  down the picklist a
little.  So turn  it off if you want it to go faster, or
if you dont want  the  "artist name"  and "title" of the
files.
-  Change the BaudRate Simulator value.  This slows the CPU
clock down Internally, so this feature is not allowed in
multi-tasking  evironments  (OS/2,  Winslows, DV).  What
this  does is,  it simulates  the  Modem  Baud rate  you
selected, so as the ansi  is displayed it  goes the same
speed  (or close to)  as it  would if  it were coming in
from the modem.
\(This feature is not currently Installed yet)
-  Change the filemasks that you want to be searched in the
picklist.

∙ Legal MumboJumbo ∙

-  R.I.P. "Remote Imaging Protocol" is a Trademark of
TeleGrafix Communications, Inc.

∙ Thanks to all... ∙

- Asterix \npi∙vor\, for ALL the help he's given me with
Illuminate, and EVERYTHING else over the last (almost)
year. I would'nt be here if it was'nt for him... <sob>,
<tear>...<g>.
- SiDS \acid\, for all the info, and ideas he's given me
for Illuminate.
- Matt Pritchard, for his wonderfull modex library.
- Cap'n Crunch \ice\, for his RIP routines (even though I
HATE that damn delay!)
- <did i forget anyone?> <hope not>.

∙ BUG report?! ∙

Did you noticed a BUG while using Illuminate?  If so, I
would love to hear about it (not!).  If you'd be so kind
as to Email me (Lief O'Pardy) on Seminole Wind -VOR WHQ
explaing what the error was... thank you.

Known BUGS!
-  At the moment the only thing worth mentioning is that,
it seems that the 640x480x256 svga mode will not work
100% correctly on some (all?) TSeng.  I dont know what
the problem is, so I cant fix it; yet.

∙ Revision History ∙

( Revision History only started with version 1.5 )

Legend:
* = Something new that has been added with this release.
+ = Something that was modified/expanded from an earlier
release.
- = Something that was taken out of Illuminate, That used
to be in an earlier release.
¡ = Something "BAD" has happened to a certain part of
Illuminate.

Θ  v1.6a -10∙94-
?  This is mainly a small maintenence release (I've been
a little lazy with Illume the last month).  Not a lot
has been added or modified.  I HAD planed on putting
mouse support in, but right now I dont feel like doing
it, since its SOOOO tedious to do!!! IMO, ugh... ;>
+  Illuminate now sports a new interface, Designed by
Asterix.
+  Viewing Ansis in SVGA modes is now a LOT faster (about
2x to 3x faster).  The earlier code was slow due to a
stupid "oversite" on my part...

Θ  v1.6  -09∙94-
*  A title screen was finally added.
*  Illuminate no longer depends on ANSI.SYS for Ansi-
Mations!  Illume uses direct memory writes to do
it, so that means its fast too! (sometimes too fast
;> ).  So that means Illume now FULLY supports
AnsiMations in TEXT and MCGA modes!  this also means
that illume no longer needs ANSI.SYS AT ALL!
-  You no longer have the option of turning the cursor
ON and OFF. Now it just stays off all the time.
*  Now use the + - keys while viewing an ansi to change
the current resolution.  Note that, when you go from
a TEXT mode TO a Graphic mode, It will have to Create
a new palette, & when you go from a Graphic mode to a
TEXT mode, it will have to Re-Load the file again. It
does this because of the way the ansi gets loaded, it
tries to use the least amount of memory possible.
*  The 3 SVGA modes have been coded back into Illuminate.
(finally).  The code is my OWN (not that BGi crap!),
and they are very limited.  It only supports the VESA
standard, but that shouldnt be a problem anyways.
The setpix() routine is a little slow, but that will
be speeded up later... (ScrollBack is NOT supported
in the SVGA modes).
*  Illuminate   now  incorporates  SMOOTH  scrolling  when
viewing ANSi's In the VGA Graphics modes.
+  VGA mode 360x480 was replaced with 320x400.
This mode gives the same effect of a 50 line Text mode.
+  The ANSI Pharsing routines have been improved.
It now supports file's  that have lines longer then 255
chars.
+  The 400 line limit in scrollback mode has been  broken.
Its  now  only  limited to  the  amount of conventional
memory you have available.

Θ  v1.5  -08∙94-
*  When EXECUTING an EXE/COM from the picklist.  Illume
will now "shrink" it self in memory, to give as much
memory as possible to the new executable.
¡  Minor drawback.  The configuration is now saved in an
external CFG file.  For some reason the RIP routines
interfear with some of my other routines for figuring
the EXE size, so I can't attach the config there.
(Even though the RIP routines are not included in this
release, I dont feel like changing everything around
again, so that the CFG is saved in the EXE.
-Live with it!)
*  Added XGA mode 360x480x256 for viewing ANSI's. -works
on any 100% register-compatable VGA card.
+  Completely RE-Coded the Option's Menu.
+  Now 7 filemasks can be searched at once, instead of 3.
(this can be changed to as many as i want, but the
option menu, can only hold so many file masks in the
list!) ;>
+  Greatly increased the scrollback speed for MCGA mode.
*  0-1 level RIP support has been implemented.  Rip routines
are by Cap'n Chrunch / ICE. (as if you could'nt tell
by the NAG when illuminate starts. ugh!)
(Since there were NO RIPs in this months pack, there
was no reason to include the routines, Cause of that
DAMN Delay at the beginning!)

Θ  v1.4  -07∙94-
*  Added support for ANSI viewing in 320x200x256 MCGA
graphics mode. (NO shading is performed)
+  Completely change the picklist.  It gives much more
of a professional look now.
-  As of this release, Illuminate no longer supports
the playing of MOD files.  Because the Mod routines
used just plain suck, and are too slow.
?  [others that I've forgotten...]

Θ  v1.3 -06∙94-

<EoF>