Texturing

[RiscaStation]

Hi
I am new to creating models and am having a problem with my first.
I have been following "Paul's" tutorial on "Remembrance". I have created two texture files for this model, one is a "BMP" file and the other a "TGA". Both file sizes are 512 by 512. When applying the textures in "3DCanvas (version 6.6.1.0), in particular the "TGA" textures, the Transluscent parts are Transluscent in "3DCanvas" but in "MSTS" are shown as white areas I pressume the term for these white areas to be opaque. I checked the "TGA" file using "TgaTool2" for the masked area (Black for full transparency).
I have been assuming "3DCanvas" converts the textures used in the "3Dcanvas" program" into "ACE" file format for use in "MSTS".
Why am I getting opaque areas when these areas should be "Transluscent" in "MSTS"?
Can anyone help me please?

Mike

[wmalder]

I have seen 3DC convert tga files to ace but I've never been happy with that. I always use TGATool2 or Aceit to do the conversion directly from the tga or bmp file before trying to see my handiwork in either Shape Viewer or MSTS itself. I've usually only seen one tga file converted during the creation of the .s files. Understand as well that MSTS doesn't use either tga or bmp directly so be sure that all your textures have been converted by whatever method and are present in the same directory as your .s file.
As to translucency, remember to define the polygon that contains a transparent surface as either 0,1 or 2 when applying a texture in 3DC. 0 will allow most things on the other side to be visible but only as long as the alpha channel is set at 0,0,0 (black) anything else will make the alpha appear opaque. I believe there is a use for a setting of 1 but I forget what. If you define a transparent surface as 2 virtually anything behind is will be visible and you can 'tint' the windows by varying the opacity (black --> white = clear -->opaque in the alpha channel, any colour in the main texture -nonalpha will be transparent). Hopefully this isn't too confusing. I thought so too when I started but it's fairly straightforward once you get it to work once or twice.

[dkightley]

Download my telephone box tutorial...which covers translucency...I think!

Building a Telephone Box in 3DCanvas [914710 bytes] - Telephone Box.pdf File ID: 13791 Date: 15 Jan 2006 - 1743 Downloads

If not, search for a thread I started in this foum using TRANSPARENCY as a keyword. I put it there as a reference so I could go back to it!

Here you go:
http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... ansparency

[RiscaStation]

Hi

Thank you wmalder for your kind words and advice I shall put them into good use.

For dkightley: I am unable to down load your tutorial the screen changes and it hangs and does nothing else. Bit disappointed!

Thanks both

Mike

[RiscaStation]

I have seen 3DC convert tga files to ace but I've never been happy with that. I always use TGATool2 or Aceit to do the conversion directly from the tga or bmp file before trying to see my handiwork in either Shape Viewer or MSTS itself. I've usually only seen one tga file converted during the creation of the .s files. Understand as well that MSTS doesn't use either tga or bmp directly so be sure that all your textures have been converted by whatever method and are present in the same directory as your .s file.
As to translucency, remember to define the polygon that contains a transparent surface as either 0,1 or 2 when applying a texture in 3DC. 0 will allow most things on the other side to be visible but only as long as the alpha channel is set at 0,0,0 (black) anything else will make the alpha appear opaque. I believe there is a use for a setting of 1 but I forget what. If you define a transparent surface as 2 virtually anything behind is will be visible and you can 'tint' the windows by varying the opacity (black --> white = clear -->opaque in the alpha channel, any colour in the main texture -nonalpha will be transparent). Hopefully this isn't too confusing. I thought so too when I started but it's fairly straightforward once you get it to work once or twice.

I used ACEit to convert my .bmp and my .tga files. However, in MSTS the clear parts which are shown to be clear in 3DCanvas program, are not clear in the sim. these areas are shown as white! Can you explain to me the point you made about :---

"0 will allow most things on the other side to be visible but only as long as the alpha channel is set at 0,0,0 (black) anything else will make the alpha appear opaque".

How do I ensure I get 0,0,0. It has taken me a while to get to this stage as I am new to this field and would appreciate all the help I can get.

Would I be right to assume the clear areas have to be crisp and accurate if the mask is to do its job? Would failure to do this result in the white areas that I am getting?

Many thanks for your help

Mike

[wmalder]

When you generate a texture with a paint program you will have to generate an alpha channel. I can only speak about Paint Shop Pro for generating those alpha channels. In PSP I 'paint' the areas that I want clear with Black at a setting of Red=0, Green=0 and Blue=0. I then go to the Layers menu and open the New Mask Layer. I will then generate a mask 'From Image' and choose any non-zero (not absolute black). The area not chosen then becomes a checkerboard pattern that should define those areas that you want clear. Now what you do is Layers --> Load/Save Mask -->Save Mask to Alpha Channel and then save the file as Targa (.tga). When you open the file in TGATool2 those area that you saved as an alpha channel should show up at the upper right as black.
If you have defined the surface as Translucent '0' as you applied the texture in 3DC, those area will appear transparent in 3DC. One word of advice, what you see in 3DC is not what you will see in the sim as far as alphas and textures go - the textures will often look fuzzy in 3DC but will be much sharper in MSTS or Shape Viewer.
If you want to 'tint' a window you need to define the outside surface as '2'. What you do then is open the .tga file in TGATools2 and from the menu, open the alpha channel in the editor (I've defined my editor as PSP of course) and it will open the editor with just the alpha channel. To reduce the transparency of a texture, lighten the gray. Black = totally transparent, White(255,255,255) is totally opaque. Somewhere in between should work - you'll have to experiment. Save the file and exit the editor. TGAtool2 should now show the alpha as a lighter shade of gray. Now open the main image with the editor (from the menu) and colour the windows any colour you wish. Save, exit and the image in TGATool2 should now have coloured windows etc. Export the file with transparent alpha and you should have tinted windows.
I hope this isn't too confusing. As I said before It gets easier once you see what works.

[RiscaStation]

Hi

Thanks for taking the trouble to help me. I have printed this info off and will try this out.
Many thanks

Mike

[dkightley]

For dkightley: I am unable to down load your tutorial the screen changes and it hangs and does nothing else. Bit disappointed!

Right click on the download button and select "Save as". When downloaded, you'll be able to open the file in Acrobat.

[RiscaStation]

Hi Thank you for the info I did just as you suggested. I now have a telephone project to do aswell.

Thanks

Mike