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Translucency: alpha channels and color

by Keith Johnston · in Artist Corner · 01/30/2003 (7:55 am) · 6 replies

I'm having trouble getting translucent objects to look the way I want them to. For example, I want a red tube that is translucent to look really dark red, but to still be translucent. So I created a texture in Paintshop Pro 7 with opacity set to 99% and filled it in with a solid red color. Here's how it looks against the ground: www.pinolisoftware.com/working/screenshot_00001.png.

Is there any way to make it look darker?
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Associate Anthony Rosenbaum
#1
01/30/2003 (8:12 am)
To acchieve opacity you use the alpha channel in the png (photoshop) When you export the object you make sure the opacity mapping is marked (3d studio Max) so that it used the png's alpha channel.

Torque 3D Owner Keith Johnston
#2
02/03/2003 (4:27 am)
Up till now I've been trying to use Milkshape for this. I have Max5 now - where is this Opacity checkbox? I see this option in the material editor "Alpha Source: Image Alpha, RGB Intensity, None". Should that be checked to "Image Alpha"?

Torque 3D Owner Keith Johnston
#3
02/03/2003 (6:36 am)
OK, this is really weird - look at this screenshot: The texture in the guibitmapctrl on the left is the same as the texture used on the model on the right. See how the bitmap is much darker than the model? Why?

I used Milkshape to export the model on the right.

www.pinolisoftware.com/working/translucent.png

Laurent Pavet
#4
02/03/2003 (6:44 am)
You have to check the opacity in the maps section of the material panel
(Don't look at the yellow things, it's the only picture I've got in reference)
www.ksgfx.com/tutorials/graphics/alphamat/Mapsroll.jpgIt's the same for the env map, you have to check the reflecitvity on.

Hope it helps.

Torque 3D Owner Keith Johnston
#5
02/03/2003 (7:20 am)
That did it! Thank you! This has been driving me nuts. It looks great now exported from Max.

So the only question left is - does Milkshape not export translucent objects as well as Max...? Or was I doing something wrong in Milkshape.

Torque 3D Owner Keith Johnston
#6
02/03/2003 (9:25 am)
Aha! Once I compiled the new Milkshape exporter (1.1.2) it looked fine. The problem I think is that I was using an older milkshape exporter that only supported additive transparency. That's why it looked brighter with the older exporter.