HOTRACK.EXE - HO scale track designing and drawing program.

(c) PRL 1998.

This program is provided as Shareware and is limited to a maximum of 30 sections per track. Also, the Shareware version forces a 1 minute delay before the beggining of the program.

If you would like to receive the registered version of the program , please send a working HO scale slot car (new or used) to:

Pablo Rodrguez
Hda. Emiliano Zapata 6
Echegaray, Edo. Mex. 53310
Mexico

(Note: If a car can't be sent, $10 US dollars will be acceptable. The easiest way is to pay thru www.paypal.com to slothomex@yahoo.com with your credit card (available from many countries). From U.S.A. maybe you can send a Western Union "Dinero en Minutos" money order and be sure to send an e-mail to notify me).

Make sure to include an e-mail address to receive the registered version of the software.

Registering HOTRACK grants you a license to use one copy of an enhanced version of the program which is able to handle tracks up to 1,000 sections and without starting delays. The registered version will be e-mailed to you as soon as your register is received.

Latest unregistered version of HOTRACK available at:

	http://www.geocities.com/slothomex

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HOTRACK.EXE runs on MS-DOS. After you receive the "Command>" prompt (wait 1 minute in the unregistered version), type one of the following keys:

(2) Move down
(4) Move left
(6) Move right
(8) Move up

	Move the drawing in the screen (try your numeric keypad).

(-) Previous section
(+) Next section

	A red section marks the section to replace, erase or insert.

(E) Erase current section

	Erases the current (red) section.

(D) Draw

	Redraws the screen.

(C) Change scale (1in = pixels)

	Change the scale of the drawing. 1 inch equals X pixels.

(H) Help

	Displays a help screen including commands and available sections.

(I) Insert section

	Inserts a new section at the red circle. Imput section type
	(as displayed in Help).
	For curves specify direction ("L" for left, "R" for right").

(L) Load file

	Loads a *.THO file from the current directory. 
	Don't include any file extension.

(N) New track

	Erases the screen.

(G) Generate layout file

	Generates a *.PLN file (ASCII) containing a printable 
	sequence needed to build the track and quantity of each
	section required. The name of the file is taken from the
	last .THO file opened or saved (or TRACK.PLN if no filename
	has been typed yet). The file is displayed on screen also.

(Q) Quit

	Quits the program.

(R) Replace current section

	Replaces the current (red) section with a new one.

(S) Save file

	Saves a *.THO file to the current directory. 
	Don't include any file extension.

(T) Turn design 45

	Rotates the design 45 clockwise.

(P) Change working directory or path

        Enter new drive and directory for data files. To use current
        directory press enter.

(U) Change units (feet-meters)

        Switch length and dimensions between feet and meters. Track
        pieces and offset are always displayed in inches.

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Notes:

1) Chicanes are displayed as "diagonal" straights
2) If the drawing is to big to fit on the screen, scale will be automatically reduced until it fits.
3) Older versions of DOS included a program called GRAPHICS allowing you to print graphics screens using the "Print Screen" key.
4) Although this technique is not guaranteed, you can include a printout of your designs along with the layout descrption following these steps: (1) Start windows, (2) Run a full-screen DOS session, (3) Run HOTRACK, (4) When your design is ready, copy it to the windows clipboard by pressing the "Print Screen" key, (5) Press "ALT+TAB" to return to windows, (6) Start Microsoft Word, (7) Open your .PLN file as text, (8) paste the design onto the page.
5) This program needs a VGA video card.
6) The included file "TEST.THO" is a sample of a simple track designed with this program.
7) Multiple lane tracks are made by inserting a "MUL" section at the end of the circuit. A "MUL" section will shift current inserting point 3 inches to the right allowing you to start a parallel track.

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Please forward your comments to: slothomex@yahoo.com

Enhancements and new versions will be posted
at: http://www.geocities.com/slothomex
