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Home ? How Do I ...? ? Transparacy Issue?

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21/06/2014 21:19:40

SonOfKong
SonOfKong
Posts: 65 		Hi All. I've made my own 3d model of a spaceman's helmet and I'm reasonable happy with it. However, I'm struggling to apply a transparent visor to the helmet. I've followed the tutorials that give video advice on this subject but when I eventually go to import the ase into Muvizu (following what's encouraged in the tutorial using Google Sketchup) instead of the visor being transparent, the WHOLE! model is transparent???? Can some one please tell me were I am going wrong. I've maybe missed something somewhere but don't understand what? How do I get the helmet to be a solid colour and just have the visor transparent. CAN IT BE DONE I wonder??????
edited by SonOfKong on 21/06/2014
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21/06/2014 23:47:39

fazz68
fazz68
(Account inactive)
Posts: 763 		ive never been able to work that one out myself. you could import the visor on its own using the alpha to opacity setting. it would save you tearing your hair out Big Grin
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22/06/2014 00:02:46

urbanlamb
urbanlamb
(Account inactive)
Posts: 1786 		for ase? you need to create an alpha layer mask for the transparent areas this can only be done with a proper tga texture you create an alpha mask for the areas you want to be transparent ..

or in fbx you use materials you would assign a material one for the helmet part and a second for the visor part and use transparency sliders

Personally because its a visor you dont want it completely transparent so i would go with the fbx method the ase method is really only good for trees and the like where you need a truly invisible area
edited by urbanlamb on 22/06/2014
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22/06/2014 10:22:40

SonOfKong
SonOfKong
Posts: 65 		Many thanks for the replies!. I gave fbx a try and found that (yes is does work) but the model lost it's smoothness????? I've tried exporting in Blender, Sketchup, and even my favourite Milkshape 3D but the result in fbx is the same, the helmet looks like an orange that has been left out in the sun. If you guys know a way to get around this I would appreciate the heads up. Very grateful for all your help!
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22/06/2014 13:30:17

SonOfKong
SonOfKong
Posts: 65 		post script. I've noticed that when I imported my model into Blender it defaults to an un-smooth condition (I don't know the propper terminology). ase exporting in this state doesn't seem to degrade the model, only exporting in fbx does it remain like a withered orange. However I've noticed that in Blender you can add a 'smooth' modifier which, when imported into Muvizu, remains smooth. The rub for me is trying to find the 'smooth' file in Blender. The tutorials on the internet make it seem so easy but when I go to try it things don't always seem to work?????? I wish Blender was more 'idiot' friendly.
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22/06/2014 16:31:55

urbanlamb
urbanlamb
(Account inactive)
Posts: 1786 		ase is roundy yes this is the way ase works fbx is more accurate

you will need to use smooth and add normal maps if you want those edges to go away basically fbx is being more accurate about it all. So that is normal. Fazz got transparency to work as well he figured it out last night you will need to add smooth modifiers and other things in blender but watch your vertex count. However if you use the set to smooth shading it does help a bit

here is smooth shading you can try that it gets rid of some of it use it in object mode


edited by urbanlamb on 22/06/2014
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22/06/2014 19:52:15

urbanlamb
urbanlamb
(Account inactive)
Posts: 1786 		here is the smooth modifiers but i would not use them until i looked at my vertex count

again use in object mode to apply it you need to add the modifier and edit it in edit mode


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22/06/2014 21:40:51

SonOfKong
SonOfKong
Posts: 65 		Wow! Urbanlamb... what can I say. Thanks for going to all that trouble with the pics. I can see I'm going to have to learn to use Blender. I do have one problem with it (at the moment). Because I'm using a secondry 3d modeller to make the original model (ie Cheetah 3D (used on a Mac) the helmet and visor) Blender doesn't seem to like me using the 'smoothing' tool. It seems to disappear on me. It appears if I create a new mesh but not if I import from outside Blender. I can see tho that I'm going to have to give Blender a serious looking at when it comes to modelling. Just wish the learning curb was not so high. One bright note is that I tried importing the helmet into blender,(minus the visor) export the helmet as a ase file as a hat in Muvizu. With the helmit in Blender without a visor I made a new oval mesh to fit inside the helmit, this was to be the new visor. I saved the visor as a fbx and imported the visor as a 'mask' in muvizu, this went in as transparent. There is a little bit of playing around involved but it's do-able. lining up the visor with the helmit etc.
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22/06/2014 21:53:10

urbanlamb
urbanlamb
(Account inactive)
Posts: 1786 		the modifier? that one?

when you add it until you hit apply the effect is native to blender only if you want it to be present outside of blender you need to hit apply, but then you cant undo what you did after that so be sure to make a second copy and move it to another layer and apply the modifier there and keep the original unmodified copy intact.

study those pictures well i keep having to clean out that photo bucket account as its almost at capacity so they wont be there forever
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