FSDS3.5.1 Changes - Need Help with Transparent Textures

[Guest pecrowther]

I am upgrading models from FSDS 2.0 and 3.5 to 3.5.1. I have worked my way through a few changes:1. For a multi-LOD (level of detail) model - where you have models of varying details to be viewed at different distances, you have to give the models a specific name, e.g.:Simple_LOD_400 (for the main model)Simple_LOD_100Simple_LOD_25 (for the most distant)I don't know if the virtual cockpit model has to have a special name, but I am using VC - which is what they use in the tutorial.2. All animations must fit within the new parameters - generally 0 to 100. A single bad animation with a keyframe at 200 can cause them all to fail. Some of the animations appear to have changed directions. I am trying to work this one out.3. You have to replace AnimatedTimed animations with something like NonRandomAmbient. However, as noted elsewhere, I have not figured out how to get these working in the right direction.4. 2D Lines no longer work. I enjoyed using them to create wires and railings. They have been "illegal" for a long time, but still worked. Now they don't. They need to be replaced using transparent textures. This brings me to the last problem.5. Transparent textures don't work. This is where I am stuck. I have tried varying the textures - changing the texture depth (8-bit, 16-bit, etc.), using an alpha channel or color key, using DXT3 and DXT5 and alpha channels and color key, mipmaps and no mipmaps. In FSDS, I have tried checking the box for transparent textures and unchecking the box. I have saved the files in bmp and dds. I have given the textures a prefix of "tran_", "trans_" and "transp_". I have searched message boards for answers. Nothing works.Has anyone figured how to make transparent textures work with FSDS 3.5.1?Thanks,Phil

[Guest pecrowther]

I don't know why this solution worked, but I appear to have solved the transparency problem by simply creating a material called "Transparent" and assigning that to all the parts or polys that need a transparent texture.Things that did not appear to matter:1. Whether I checked the box in Part Properties for "Uses Transparent Textures"2. The color of the transparent texture.3. Whether I checked the box in Polygon Properties for "Closed lines" or not. (Now that lines are out, I am not sure if this box should ever be checked, but with a lot of my parts it is.)Now, on to the next challenge - which is why don't the dds textures line up correctly? I don't HAVE to use them, but I would like to since I understand that they load much faster.Phil

[n4gix 4,947]

Phil, before converting your textures to DDS format, be sure to "flip vertically." DDS textures are upside-down and inside-out...If you convert with the SDK Imagetool, they are "automatically flipped" for you. If you use the nVidia plugin from Photoshop, you have to do it manually prior to doing a Save As to DDS/DXT5 format.

[Guest pecrowther]

BillThanks. That did the trick! I am using DXTBmp and I did not realize that I had to flip them manually (the alpha too).Everything seems to be working in DXT1.Would the program run faster if I used MipMaps? I use multi-resolution models, so I can "do it myself" by creating smaller sized maps for each different resolution model. But MipMaps might be helpful for the initial changes in size.Phil