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FSX transparency mystery

robystar

robystar

Messages
5,214
Hi,

Could somebody explain why I am seeing what I am seeing here in the attached screenshots?
In the first picture, if you look at the right side, you look through one semi-transparent glass window. If you look a bit left, you look through two glass windows and the background trees disappear although the terrain continues. AI is not visible either behind the glass.
In the second picture, the same thing. Notice the disappearance of the trees when looking through the two glass windows and the change of landscape with houses in the back that should not there and are therefore a reflection of something.
Funny thing is:
With only a diffuse transparent texture with a greyscale landscape with trees as alpha, you end up with just a dull semi transparent glass window.
Adding a specular texture with this kind of tree landscape alpha channel and you end up seeing this reflection of a landscape without trees but with houses(Makes me think of a SF novel about glass that light takes 20 years to travel through so that everything you see behind it is from 20 years ago).
In the materials settings I only have a specular level of 50 and all other things unchanged (false).

This really beats me.
 
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Specifically you need to look at the Z-test settings

Z-write Alpha
Z-test (GreaterEqual makes most sense to me)
Z-test level ... ahh ... now here's the trial and error part ... noting it is possible to make something completely transparent, and still reflective.

The level you choose will depend on the level of grey you used in your alpha channel.

The main reason for using a spec and a diffuse alpha channel is to be able to control the reflection "power" and transparency in the texture more or less independently

Glass is not the most forgiving of FSX materials.
 
Thank you so much for pointing this out.
I have the Alpha test Function at greater
test level at 134
Z test Alpha True.
Any inkling why I get a reflection of some unknown landscape instead of my own specular alpha landscape?
Will experiment with the test level.
 
The specular map does not specify your reflection ... it specifies the specular colour (and based on how you have it set up) the reflection "power" based on the alpha channel.

The reflection image is present in FSX Global Environment Map .. unless you create and specify a reflection map ... but thats a whole 'nother topic.

Z-write alpha also ?
 
Hi,

Yes, Z-write also.
Found out what I was seeing through the double glass: the landscape behind it but with the trees invisible.
The idea behind all of this is that I would like to have a semi tranparent glass window (which in itself is not a problem as I just add a grey scale alpha channel to a greenish difuse texture) with also some reflection of the environment for which I made an environmentmap texture that I put in the alpha channel of the specular texture.
Tried blending environment by this specular alpha but it only gives me completely transparent glass.
 
Hi,

If you want to determine what is reflected you will have to make a custom environment map (which has to be a cube-map). The alpha of the specular map only determines where it is reflective, not what is reflected.
 
Shoot,
Thanks Arno, forgot about the cube map.
Question remains though why trees and AI disappear behind the semi transparent glass texture. Any idea why?
 
Perhaps we would need to see exactly how the material is set up ....
 
Thanks for trying to help me, but in the meantime I changed my materials settings so many times, I haven't the faintest anymore how I managed to get this kind of problem. Tried to but cannot seem to be able to replicate it anymore.
In my present settings, trees are there again but AI still disappears and the glass, although just what I want color and transparency to be, is still not 'glossy/shiny'. If that is helpful, I could make a screenshot of my transparent material settings?
Problem is that I am working in the dark and through trial and error.
As an example, I would have thought that the SDK example of the specular map w/Reflection 2 would lead to a semi transparent shiny glass when I use a diffuse map with grey alpha and a specular map with black alpha, setting Blend diffuse by diffuse alpha true and specular level at 64 or higher. Not so.
But then, mind you, I work with MCX settings and I would not know where to adapt the Blend reflection by Inverse of Diffuse Allpha as it is no option in the MCX materials editor.

PS Don't stay up late for my sake.
 
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Hi,

(Good Friday. Car still in the garage. Stuck at home. Weather not too good. Time enough for FSX)

Attached is a screenshot of my doings of today.
I decided to make a very simple cube wuth GSU and texture it with two of their standard textures that could later be changed into FSX dds textures I made seperately.
Now the screenshot shows a terminal in the background where the semi transparent texture of the windows has turned semi transparent dull purple as a result of my using a multicolored horizontally layered texture diffuse map going from green to purple and a specular dark green texture. Both have a grey alpha channel. If I change this diffuse map into greyish blue I get a rather normal semi transparent color but without gloss.
For the cube I used a screenshot of the surroundings as a diffuse texture and a dark green specular texure map with both alpha channels grey as well.
The result and my findings:
- None of the semi transparent textures is shiny.
- The way GSU uses the textures is defined in the dimensions. The purple glass of the window remains purple regardless of the outlines of the picture you use. But if you size the texture in GSU to the real dimensions of the polgon to be textured, then you do get the outline of your design in the texture. That is why, for instance the glass windows of the terminal are purple instead of the shades of different colors used for the diffuse texture.
- The trees behind the semi transparent windows are gone again.
The materials settings in MCX are only:
set default transparent. No blending.
I uploaded my cube mdl (so you can see the materials settings) to megaupload: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q4I8Z76U.
I realize you must have a very twisted mind :) if you want to understand what I am trying to convey, but as you are FS addicts, maybe you have and hopefully understand my reasoning. I cannot find a better way to express myself even after editing the present text a dozen times, (I am starting to appreciate the effort the ACES team has put into trying to explain how these things work:cool: but to no avail).
Roby
 
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It is likely that the cube map is not in the correct format ...

Also, the transparency setting still must be incorrect ... as the glass on the building behind does not seem to show.
 
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