Twisted D.I.R.T. Archive

Tool documentation

Practical guides for preserved track-making and game-modification tools.

Armadillo and Armadillo Project Manager

Armadillo download: Armadillo_1_0_157.zip
APM download: ArmadilloProjectManager_v11.zip
Game: Motocross Madness 2

Armadillo's role

Armadillo is Rainbow's official terrain editor. It creates the project, imports terrain and textures, defines the course and environment, places stock/custom objects, and bundles the result into an .env track. Keep it installed even when using Dillo Too or APM: several tools locate Armadillo through the registry or expect its project layout.

Preserved tutorials are also available as ArmadilloTutorial01.zip and ArmadilloTutorial02.zip beside the download.

APM's role

Armadillo Project Manager 1.1 was designed to inspect and update an Armadillo project outside the editor. Its preserved documentation lists:

  • multiple texture maps in complex custom objects;
  • High Definition track support;
  • limited built-in animation support for the start gate and 30-second man;
  • viewing and optionally updating PRJ data.

Early custom-object workflows relied on APM to add or repair resource/scene references that Armadillo did not maintain. Later internal discussion described much of APM as unnecessary when Dillo Too could load, edit, and package the project successfully. Use the smallest toolchain that preserves the project correctly.

Install APM

  1. If version 1.0 is installed, remove it with Windows Add/Remove Programs.
  2. Extract the ZIP to a temporary directory.
  3. Run setup.exe.
  4. Keep valid MCM2 and Armadillo installations registered in Windows. APM checks both registry locations and exits when it cannot find them.

The installation directory is not important; APM remembers the last opened project.

Safe project procedure

  1. Save and close Armadillo.
  2. Copy the complete project folder.
  3. Open the copy in APM.
  4. Inspect resource sets, project paths, models, textures, and animations.
  5. Make one change and bundle/test it before proceeding.
  6. Avoid opening the same project simultaneously in Armadillo, APM, or Dillo Too.

Installer asks for a disc

Forum users reported both APM and BikeSwitcher installers asking for installation media on some systems. This appears to be legacy Windows Installer/VB setup behavior, not a request for a track disc. Extract the archive first, run setup locally, and use a clean VM if the old installer still tries to repair another installation.

Sources