Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: Omniscaper on December 13, 2003, 07:19:08 pm

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Omniscaper on December 13, 2003, 07:19:08 pm

What does Freespace do with the Alpha channel of a DDS file?
I converted all of my Sovereign textures to D3DFMT_DXT5 and I got some strange results. The model was transparent in certain parts. Not complete transparancy.

The TGA textures I converted from, that came with the Sovereign model, contained an Alpha channel which originally meant to designate the glow maps. This is the first time I converted with the alpha's intact. I was expecting Freespace to use the alphas as a glow map which would save me a lot of time. But it seems as if it used the alphas as OPACITY MAPS.

This is VERY interesting. If my suspicions are correct, Freespace can have windows or transparent areas now. Can someone confirm this?

I reconverted the TGA's to D3DFMT_DXT1 and that got rid of the alphas and all is normal procedure from there. Treated like a pcx.

Performance wise I didn't see a boost in FPS but a reduction in loading time. Then again I'm working with a Geforce4 MX.

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Flipside on December 13, 2003, 08:14:18 pm

Ah, it seems RandomTigers question is answered, he wasn't sure if they would work or not ;)

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Lightspeed on December 13, 2003, 08:43:25 pm

I can confirm this. I had made some funny stealth textures for a fighter, making it transparent based on the brightness ;)

Alpha Blending works on textures. It does NOT work on mission backgrounds and it does NOT work on the interface. It does NOT work on any effects, either. (on those that aren't alpha blended by standard)

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Goober5000 on December 14, 2003, 03:41:28 am

Neato.  Lightspeed, suppose you made some animated cloaking textures for the Pegasus, with a gradually decreasing opacity?  We could have a really neat cloaking effect.

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Lightspeed on December 14, 2003, 06:10:44 am

animated DDS & TGA = not possible at the moment, sorry. Also, they need to be faded when stealth is turned on/off, else they'd fade around all the time.

I could do nice cloaking textures for it, but they wouldn't work... yet :)

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Nico on December 14, 2003, 06:48:12 am

Quote

Originally posted by Lightspeed
I can confirm this. I had made some funny stealth textures for a fighter, making it transparent based on the brightness ;)  

Couldn't you tell us about this then???? "trout-slaps lightspeed".
Darn, and I wasted my time finding half-assed solutions to simulate transparency :doubt:.

Ok, so TGA alpha chanel for transparency. yeah, makes sense, since it's what it's for, after all :p

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Lightspeed on December 14, 2003, 07:45:08 am

I wanted to.. but it was on some model, im not... supposed... to post pics of ;)

So I would have made some maps for another ship to show it, but Omniscaper beat me to it :)

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: KARMA on December 14, 2003, 08:10:12 am

I think Random Tiger was suggesting to DON'T use alpha on model's textures...
BTW omniscaper, yes, the alpha channel in TGAs is used here for  opacity, and the glowmaps are on additional textures
Are DDS already implemented? I thought they were scratched for the moment

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Lightspeed on December 14, 2003, 08:12:56 am

last time i tried DDs wasnt supported.

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Flipside on December 14, 2003, 08:27:21 am

Last I heard, DDS support is included, but RT didn't like the way it was done or something, so it may not work 100% for everybody. I'm not sure of the techno side, but I was under the impression that DDS stuff will need to be recoded before it is stable?

Flipside :D

Title: Direct-x textures allow OPACITY MAPS!!??
Post by: Kazan on December 15, 2003, 11:41:40 am

wow.. using the alpha channel as an actual alpha channel instead of using bastardization implementations like some other games do! BIG SURPRISE

*massive rolleyes*