FoilMaker Pro
=============

Very brief instructions, until I can get something a bit more substantial put together...


Installation
------------

Just put foilmaker.exe in a directory somewhere - anywhere.
It's worth creating KITES and PROFILES subdirectories too.

Running it
----------
Just double-click or whatever.

Select File-New. Select a profile (*.pfl) to to use for the centre of the kite.
It'll load most of the standard file formats. If you find one it won't load,
email me with a copy of the profile file & I'll try to fix it.
Alternatively, try this format :-

Line 1: Description of profile
Lines 2...n: X-coordinate <tab> Y-coordinate

Coordinates start at the TE, run along the bottom skin to the nose,
then return along the top skin

Sample file:

My foil profile
1.0	0.0
0.9	-0.01
0.8	-0.02
...
...
0.1	-0.2
0.0	0.0
0.1	0.2
...
...
0.9	0.01
1.0	0.0


Select a profile to use for the wingtips. The intermediate profiles will be morphed
from the tip & centre profiles.

You should now get 4 windows shown :-

	Plan view, a 'flat' view from above 
	Front view, showing the canopy curvature & DRib configuration.
	Tip profile
	Centre profile.

Change the size & shape of the kite by dragging the 3 rectangles in the plan view.
Edit profiles by dragging the waypoints in the profile windows.

All other parameters are reached from the Edit-Settings dialog
box - explore and experiment.


Printing Templates
------------------
Select one of the profile windows.
Select File-Print Preview. LOTS of pages will be generated. Print them if you're happy.
Profiles, Upper & Lower Skins, Vent sections & Valves will be printed.
Registration marks in the corners will help in lining up adjacent sheets.

VRML Option
-----------
The program can generate a VRML file which, with a VRML viewer, lets you examine
the kite and bridle in 3D before committing knife to ripstop. To get the best out
of this software you absolutely *must* get a VRML viewer. I use Cosmo 2.1 from
SGI (www.cosmosoftware.com), but WorldView (from Microsoft's site) is also OK.
To generate a VRML file, make sure the plan view is selected,
then go for File-Export to VRML.


What do I do Next?
------------------
Glue all the bits together, cut them out & stitch them together.
Unfortunately, I don't have more detailed instructions at the moment...


Bug List
--------
There ARE a few bugs, but I don't think there are many :-

1. In this version, you *must* have 'Generate DRibs' checked,
or a fatal error is generated. That doesn't mean that you have to use them,
just that the option must be enabled.

2. The UI is a bit quirky here & there :-
	Available menu options depend on the selected window.
	The plan view doesn't scroll properly.



Please report bugs, suggestions etc to me at foilmaker@fly.to



Thanks, and enjoy....

Pete Thomas.
