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FS2004 MCX latest dev rel transparemcy

robystar

robystar

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5,214
Hi Arno,

As you notice I am back to FS9 for a moment because I an helping someone out with a FS9 project (Takes a while to get used to FS9 again).
But here is the problem: I cannot seem to be able to make semi transparent windows anymore without obliterating everything I see through it. The walls of (say) a house have disappeared when looking through the window, no matter if I set default transparent or not, and I see the landclass behind it.
Probably sonething to do with priiorities but as far as I know, in FSX that has not been the case for the last two years at least.
Do you know what is going on or has this been the subject already of some discussion I do not know about?
 
Hi Roby,

The default transparent button does not really do anything for FS2004. For FS2004 it is just the alpha channel that determines the transparency, independent of those other attributes.

It sounds like a drawing order issue to me. What you could try is make sure the inside of the building uses a texture that is alphabetically before the outside texture. Usually that fixes the drawing order issues.
 
Evening Arno,

Well, the outside has the same texture as the inside.
How does a texture know it has a higher drawing order than its collegue? By its having a name that starts with a letter that in the alphabet comes before the one of the other texture? Is that what you are saying? So if I paint the inside walls black instead of white, while the outside is green, I solve the problem? Funny:confused:.
 
Hi,

Yes, in the ASM code made by MakeMDL the textures are listed in alphabetic order. So if you outside starts with z and the inside with a, you know they are drawn in the right order.

If both use the same texture, then the only solution is manual tweaking of the ASM code to get the drawing order correct. But that's not what I would recommend to anybody :).
 
Hi,

Sorry, but if I understand you well, it is the semi-transparent window texture that has to have a name that starts with a letter that comes after the first letter of the texture of the inside wall?
 
Yes, indeed.
 
If you are using MakeMDL, I have found that giving the part a small amount of transparency in the material (i.e. Opacity at 99% or lower) will signal MakeMDL to draw that part last, helping with these issues.

Hope this helps,
 
Hi Folks,

As long as we are talking about transparency - in MSTS we actually had to set transparency in the modeling software for export with the shape... From what I am reading here - that is not necessary with MSFS ? Simply putting an alpha on any shape will make it transparent ?

Regards,
Scott
 
With MSFS, if you name it with a _T on the end, with an Alpha, it makes it shiny (in FS9).



Arno and Roby, I am wondering if this visibility with transparencies also works with FSX. I have run into a bug with my FSX model with the instruments glass. Should one render them last, as you are saying? Or does that apply in FSX. I am about to try forcing the Z (what ever that is) and see if that helps the gauges to show.

Oddly, the gauges can be seen outside of the plane through the regular glass, but from inside, the glass hides the background objects. They are presently being rendered at A. I havent tried Z yet.


Bill
 
Hi,

I had this problem in FSX a long time ago but not recently. Perhaps because Arno took care of it in his newest MCX? It does not mean it cannot be there, I just have not noticed it any longer.
 
Scott, in FS9 that is true. Using GMAX, if you make the alpha dark you get:

texture name without _t: transparency
texture name with _t: reflections

There is no need to set this in the model unless there is a transparency visibility problem, as described above. But you cannot switch a texture from one to the other without editing the model.

That said, for FSDS 2 I believe you had to set this instead in the Texture Properties. So older FSDS models do not follow this GMAX convention. I don't know how FSDS 3 works with FS9 models, but I assume if it uses MakeMDL it would act much the same way?

Hope this helps,
 
Hi,

For fsx there are other material settings that affect the sorting, the fs2004 tricks don't work anymore.

I think the _t prefix only works for aircraft btw, not for scenery.
 
I fixed my vizibility issue with this route. Roby, I dont know if this will help you out. It might if you have such controls with Materials.


Note: Z-Fighting in Gauge Textures
It is possible that some of the gauge texture sheets will encounter Z-buffer fighting issues. This issue can be addressed with additional settings. If you are experiencing Z fighting issues with gauge texture sheets, try applying the following change in the material and re-export. This would be used, in your case, in 'interior' materials behind the glass.

Select the Set Default Opaque button in the Framebuffer Blend dialog.
Check the Z-Test Alpha box in the Material Alpha Test dialog.
Set the Alpha Test Level slider greater than 128.
Select Greater in the Alpha Test Mode drop-down dialog.
 
Be aware that those settings are for FSX only, so they make no difference at all for FS2004 models. And this thread started about FS2004 models.
 
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