Downloading & Installing
Package Contents
Using the Framework Classes
Running Editors & Demos

1) Download the latest package from the Tiamat homepage.

2) Extract the contents of the package.

You should end up with something that looks like this:

All Tiamat Distributions
/Tiamat Framework Specifications x.x.xxxx.pdf: This document contains the specifications for Tiamat.
/ReleaseNotes x.x.xxxx.html: This contains a list of all changes introduced in the current release.
/Java/: Contains the .jar file for the Java implementation of the Tiamat framework. See Using the Framework Classes
/Java/Javadoc/: Contains the API reference for the Java implementation of the Tiamat framework. This documentation is also available online.
/Java/lib/: Contains 3rd party libraries used by the Java implementation of the Tiamat framework.
/Java/Source/: Contains the source code for the Java implementation of the Tiamat framework.

Full Tiamat Distribution
In addition to standard distribution items, the full distribution package also contains the following:
/Java/: Contains the executable .jar files for the Java editors of the Tiamat framework. See Running Editors & Demos.
/Samples/characters/: Contains sample characters for use with the character editor.
/Samples/sprites/: Contains sample sprites for use with the sprite editor.
/Samples/themes/: Contains sample themes for use with the theme editor.

To use the Java implementation of the Tiamat framework you will need to reference the framework .jar file from your project. I would highly recommend using the Eclipse IDE for Java development. Here's a link to the Eclipse help for adding a .jar file to the classpath. Otherwise you'll have to wrestle with the Java classpath to add the reference.

When you build your .jar file you'll need to add the Tiamat framework .jar to the classpath. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use Ant to build your .jar file. The jar task in Ant has an manifest section where references can be set. Otherwise you can set the manifest using the jar command line.

The Tiamat framework specifications document the properties, methods, and usage of each class. The Javadoc API reference is another source for class definitions.    

Demos
Help for Java based demos

Tools

1) Run the Tools executable .jar file. The file will be located in the /Java/Tools/ directory and will be named tools_<version number>.jar. You can either double-click on on the file in Windows explorer or run it from a command line with: java -jar tools_<version number>.jar

2) A frame will load with a list of available editors. Click on the one you want to execute. When you close the editor this frame will pop-up again. This quicklaunch frame can be exited at any time by clicking the 'X' (just like every other program with a little 'X' in the corner).

3) Help for using the editors is here