***Important notes regarding image alpha analysis pdf

[Guest Vorlin]

I'm already getting feedback regarding a pdf file on gauge alpha images that I uploaded to the FS2004 misc files ( I got your e-mail Matt, glad you liked it ). However, I'll be revising it as soon as I fully understand the reasons behind some of the reactions I'm getting in my own gauge when I try to apply that info.I took it to the next logical step and ran the same tests on solid blue, green and red backgrounds. Those tests indicate that the odd results found with a white base and 50% alpha were entirely due to a reaction with red in the background, and red alone. I did not get the odd vertical stripe with blue or green but with red it ran all the way down to the diagonal center line.But... when I tried to use that information to put a translucent grayscale image over an attitude indicator, all of the light gray reacted with the underlying blue and came out greenish.After I stopped banging my head on the desk, again, I tried altering things to see what I could get to happen. As long as I used a light gray over the the gauge, all the parts that were over the blue of the gauge came out greenish. So, I went to a full color version of the grayscale image and it was much better... but not perfect.Anything very light in color that had alpha applied and was over the color blue still came out messed up the same way. It doesn't seem to matter if I used 8 bit or 16 bit 444, the results were the same.If the Nemeth brothers are reading this, could you tell me what you did to get the light white transparent reflection on the inside of the 500d canopy glass in the VC view? This is the kind of effect I'm trying to lay over a gauge and, as you can see, it's getting far too involved.Exterior models use DXT3 but I haven't tried that since one test long ago where the DXT3 image failed miserably when I tried to use it in an XML gauge... but I'll give it another shot later today.When I have a better handle on exactly what's reacting with what, I'll revise the analysis pdf and upload it to the library. Until then, use the available one as a general guide but remember that there seem to be a lot of exceptions to the information learned from that test.Scott / Vorlin