[Coco] getting graphics into CoCo games easier

[Roger Taylor]

One thing we've needed for years is a way to convert existing 
graphics from a PC into sprites and bitmaps for use with CoCo games, etc.

I could easily write a Projector-3 format driver that converts 
whatever is on the graphics screen into a compressed .asm source code 
file representing the image, as well as specific areas of the image 
as a grid or single areas.  If a grid of a certain width/height/size 
is chosen, a source code file would be created with fcb's/fdb's/fqb's 
of the graphics data.  I know of ways to automatically create the 
sprite masks, including a one-pixel black bordered mask if that's desired.

Again, you could take any kind of image, and if it's not a GIF, BMP, 
or some other P-3 compatible format you can use a PC editor to turn 
it into one, then move it to a virtual .dsk that P-3 (running in 
M.E.S.S. or VCC) can access.  Load in the picture, and then choose 
<E>ncode and type .asm for the new extension and voila. That's what I 
want it to do anyway.  A highlighter grid will appear on the display 
where you can section off the area the sprites are in and size them, 
etc. before saving to the source code file.

I'm sure the .asm file could grow pretty large if I don't use some 
kind of compression scheme, but the Rainbow IDE doesn't care how big 
the files are and has no problem with crunching this kind of 
stuff.  The idea is to make it easier to make CoCo games using 
existing HQ graphics found all over the web, scanned in, hand drawn 
from the PC, etc.

I also almost forgot, does Chet Simpson's ImageMaster actually work 
to create CoCo sprites in .asm source?