Merging gmax objects and transparent textures...

[Guest]

Working with gmax last night trying to make a complex hangar and I ran into some problems. How do you create transparent textures such as windows and make them work in gmax? Can you take multiple objects and merge them together to make one object? I think that might be easier than just trying to make the hangar out of one box! One more thing... how do you make dynamic doors and make them open on a comm frequecny? This is something that is not as important to me as the rest, but I think it would be a cool feature to add to the hangar. Andrew HeathRumpleteaser8@aol.com THE RED WINGS RULE! http://www.duncanfuller.com/d21tracon/logo.jpg"Skate to where the puck's going to be, not to where it has been." - Wayne Gretzky

[Guest]

There probably is a proper way to create the transparent windows using a mask channel or alpha channels or something like that but when I create transparent textures I cheat and use FSDS to do it. Convert your image to 8 bit (as that seems to be all FSDS accepts) and use the 'make transparent texture' box to decide which parts will be transparent. Then convert back to DXT1 or whatever using Gmax Image tool and add your mip maps. Of course I'm assuming you have FSDS to do this but if not here is a tutorial "the proper way" :D http://www.windowlight.co.nz/ontarget/gmaxt40.htmlAbout the merging; you can create several different boxes or shapes in one "scene", once again this website has tutorials on it http://www.windowlight.co.nz/ontarget/gmaxt03.htmlAbout the comm activated doors, someone called rusty is making an animated jetway activated by comms in another thread so you could try there because he said when he figured it out he would make a tutorial on how to do it.:-wave

[Guest]

if you don't use the _T suffix on your texture, then the alpha channel of your texture will define transparency, assuming you convert your texture to dxt1 + alpha.B

[Naji 5]

Re transparent textures for windows or such, I haven't tried it yet, but it can be done with the opacity option in gmax material editor. Open gmax help system, and search for the words realistic textures or colors, and you will find good hints on how to make transparent glazing or curtain walls, like what basic colors to start from and what degree of opacity. I may have read this in a book, but I'm kind of sure something is mentioned in gmax reference as well. Cheers.

[arno 1]

Nope. Your alpha channel can define transparancy with any name!When you select the HasReflectMap option and have set the material right it will become reflection, otherwise it will always be transparancy.Same with the nightmaps and lightmaps. These don't have to be _LM anymore with GMax, just set up the material with the right texture at the right properties.Arno

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[arno 1]

With the opacity option you can set the transparany of the whole material. But when you have windows in a texture, the best thing you can do is add an alpha channel to it (in your painting program) and then save it using ImageTool as a DXT3 texture. Then you can set specific parts (the windows) as transparant.And about the other questions. For the merging try to use the compound object. You can then select how the different objects are merged.And about the COM freq thing. Look at the post from rusty. He is tryong something like that for a gate. I am working at the BGLC code for the freq checking now and when I have worked it out, I'll post it here again. It will work the same for your hangar doors then.Arno

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Member Netherlands 2000 Scenery Team[a href=http://home.wanadoo.nl/arno.gerretsen]http://home.wanadoo.nl/arno.gerretsen/banner.jpg[/a]