Tinker v1.0 Read Me
===================

Introduction to Tinker?
----------------------------
Tinker is a Utility to be used by people who use POV-Ray.  
It is not a Modeler.
It is not an Add On.
Is is not affiliated with any POV-Ray organisation in any way.

Whats does it do?
----------------------
Is solves a problem.  When using POV-Ray you often find that there is one setting you have to
keep tinkering with, perhaps a media setting.  In all you might end up doing 50 renders with
differing settings.  Then after the 50th you decide think...  

"Actually it looked better a few versions ago."  

This leaves you with a problem.  What were the settings back then?  You've
forgotten.  Tinker saves you from this problem.

When you open a POV-Ray file with Tinker and then click the render button it opens POV-Ray
which renders the file, Tinker then copies the Rendered image and the POV-Ray source file
to a sub directory and gives it a unique name.  You can edit the POV-Ray source file in
Tinker and the rendering and saving of the file is done automaticly.

Also it gives you the ability to browse through all of the versions.

Why should I use Tinker?
-------------------------------
You dont have to, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.  Actually the standard POV-Ray
interface gives you ample opportunity to do the same thing.  However you would have to
manually keep saving the source file under a new name each time.  You might also set the
multiple renders up as an animation run, but sometimes thats more trouble than its worth.

So Tinker saves you some effort.  

Installing Tinker
--------------------
Tinker is Windows application written using C# and requires that you have the MS .Net
Framework installed.  To be of any use you will obviously also need POVRay installed
on the same machine.

There are three files that constitute Tinker.  The first is this file, the next is the 
"Tinker.Exe" file which is the tinker application file.  The last is the 
"Tinker.Exe.Config" file, which you must edit ( with notepad or similar ) before
trying to run Tinker.  The file is XML and you'll see that there is a reference to the 
POV-Ray  exe file.  You simply have to ensure that this reference points to the exact
location of the POV exe.

Ensure the "Tinker.Exe" and "Tinker.Exe.Config" files are both in the same directory.
Then just double click on the "Tinker.Exe" file to run Tinker.

Getting Started
-------------------
Start Tinker.  Pick "File" on the menu then "Open".  Pick a POV file and after a second
or two the POV source will appear in the main window.  Click on the Render Button.
You can then start editing and rendering the POV file.  

The Source and rendered files will appear in a sub directory of the directory where
the POV file was loaded from.  The "View Latest" button will open a window that 
lets you view the last render.  The "Browse" button opens a dialog that lists all of the
renders.  If you pick a file from the list the associated rendered image is displayed.

Help
----

There isn't any.  I've stuck an email address in the Help (hee hee), you can try
emailing me with any questions or suggestions for V2.  I dont promise to answer because
I have a life to get on with ( if being an obsessive POV-er can have a life ).




