                WALLS - A 3D Wall Creation Utility
             Shareware by Computer Projects Unlimited
    (c) 1996, Bill Valaski, Jr for Computer Projects Unlimited


REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Note that this is a shareware program.  As such, you may use it on a trial
basis for thirty days.  After this time, the program should be registered 
if it is continued to be used.  The cost is $10.00 and payable to:

                   Computer Projects Unlimited
                   PO Box 12370
                   Cincinnati, OH  45212

Be sure and specify your name, address, and where you obtained the program
when registering.   Please, check or money orders in US funds drawn on US
banks only, cash is also gladly accepted!  

Registration entitles you to receive a copy of the program with the 
shareware dialog box removed, and the next update of the program will be
sent to you for free.



WARNING

This program has been encrypted & Kelvinated for your own protection.  In
addition, whenever you run the WALLS program a dialog box will appear to
remind you of the shareware nature of the program.  If the dialog box is
not present, or has been tampered with, the program will not run.  If you
want to have the shareware reminder removed, please register the program.



BACKGROUND

As an architect using AutoCAD and 3D Studio, I'm often wanting to create
walls for floor plans which could be used in presentation situations
without having to learn a whole new language or method of drawing.  Walls
can be created by extruding Line entities, using the BOX command or using
individual 3DFace entities, but more often than not I end up spending quite
a bit of time adding caps to the tops of wall lines and fixing all the
flipped normals.  Add to that if I need doors or windows shown, and you've
spent quite a bit of time tinkering with a single model. If 3D is _ever_
going to pay off for an architectural firm, it needs to be much simpler
than this.

To achieve this goal I've taken a little time and created a program which
draws 3D walls (with wall caps), adds doors and windows, and allows you to
vary wall width and height as you're tracing your original 2D floor plan.
The program works very similarly to the AutoCAD DLINE command, which is
quite familiar to most architects using AutoCAD, and all wall elements
are drawn in a clockwise manner, so there's no additional messing around in
3D Studio.


COMMAND LINE

To run the program, type

     (LOAD "WALLS")

at any AutoCAD Command: prompt.  You can also place the load line in your
ACAD.LSP file for autoloading in any drawing editing session.  If you
place the program in a directory other than the main AutoCAD directory,
make sure that the path to the directory is included in your SET ACAD=
statement.

The program will display an initial dialog box to remind you that the
program is shareware.  Pressing the OK button will remove the dialog box
during the current running of the program.

The first command line you are given is:

     Starting point for wall:

Pick the point where the wall will start from.  Walls are drawn to the left
of the direction which you are tracing in.

Once you have picked the first wall line point you are given the next
command line:

     Current settings:  Wall height - 8'-0"  Wall width - 4"
     Door/WINdow/Height/WIDth/Close/Undo/<next point>:

Your current wall width and height setting are shown followed by a list of
possible wall creation commands.  The current wall setting will only be
shown the first time you run the WALLS program, and any time you make a
change to the wall width or wall height.

The default option at this command line is to select the next wall point.
When the point is chosen, WALLS will draw a 3D wall composed of two sides
and a wall cap.  If this is the first wall drawn, an end cap is placed at
the start point of the wall.  For subsequent wall lines, the WALLS routine
will fillet the walls and only draw the next wall cap and wall lines.

If you hit the return key at this prompt you will exit from the program.
If you have drawn one or more walls, a final closing cap will be placed on
the end of the wall, otherwise no wall entities are drawn.



Selecting the Door option will then display the following command line:

     Current settings:  Height - 7'-0"   Width - 3'-0"
	 Height/Width/<Add door>:

The Height and Width options will allow you to adjust the opening size for
the door, and the default Add door option will create a door opening at
the current wall position in the 3D wall that is being drawn.  If you
press the enter key at this prompt, the door opening is created using the
current settings.  If you pick a point, the distance between the point and
the last wall point selected will be used for the door opening width.  An
opening will be created using the selected width and you will be returned
to the main WALLS command line.

**NOTE:  Doors, and the wall line following the door opening, are drawn in
the same direction as the previous wall line.  This was done in order to
minimize the entity manipulation needed when transitioning between a wall
in one direction and a door opening in another.



Selecting the Window option will then display the following command line:

     Current settings:  Sill height - 3'-6"  Opening Height - 3'-0"  
                        Width - 3'-0"
	 Sill/Height/Width/<Add window>:

The Height and Width options will allow you to adjust the opening size for
the window, while the Sill option allows you to define where the bottom of
the window is located.  The default Add Window option will create a window
opening at the current wall position in the 3D wall that is being drawn. If
you press the enter key at this prompt, the window opening is created
using the current settings.  If you pick a point, the distance between the
point and the last wall point selected will be used for the window opening
width. An opening will be created using the selected width and you will be
returned to the main WALLS command line.

**NOTE:  Windows, and the wall line following the window opening, are
drawn in the same direction as the previous wall line.  This was done in
order to minimize the entity manipulation needed when transitioning
between a wall in one direction and a window opening in another.



Selecting the Height option will then display the following command line:

     Enter new wall height <8'-0"):

You can type in a new height for the wall to be drawn, or pick two points
in the drawing which will be used to determine the wall height.

When you transition between walls of different heights, the WALLS program
will automatically determine the necessary end wall caps to close off the
previous wall which extends above or below the current wall.



Selecting the Width option will then display the following command line:

	 Enter new wall width <4">:

You can type in a new width for the wall to be drawn, or pick two points
in the drawing which will be used to determine the wall width.

When you transition between walls of different widths, the WALLS program
will automatically determine the necessary end wall caps to close off the
previous wall which is wider or narrower than the current wall.



Selecting the Close option will draw a final wall line between the last
wall created and the first wall.  All walls will be filleted to insure a
smooth transition between wall sections.



Selecting the Undo option allows you to remove previous sections of walls,
or door and window openings.  As you undo wall section, the height and
width setting used in each section are restored and will be used in new
wall sections.  If you use the Undo option to remove the first section of
wall created you will be given the original WALLS prompt to select a new
wall starting point.