Brooklyn Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 I am learning to use image props in architectural models. I'd like the image props to display various degrees of transparency to allow buildings to be read through these entourage elements. Is there a way to achieve this? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment
HoskinsArchs Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 I had the same issue and a friend of mine solved it for me like this: The solution requires that you create the image prop from your own image file, create an alpha channel in Photoshop and save the image as a tif with alpha channel before importing it as an image prop into Vectorworks: Use an alpha channel in the image that you?ll base the prop on in photoshop ? and instead of having ?background? black and ?tree? white, have the background black and the tree a shade of grey. The lightness of the grey will later determine the transparency: if the 'tree' alpha channel is 100% white, the tree prop will not be transparent, if the 'tree' alpha channel is 50% white, the tree prop will be 50% transparent. For architectural 'see through trees' the grey should probably be 75-90% white, i.e. 10-25% grey. When you import the image as an image prop (it will have to be saved with its alpha channel intact, which is a tiff save-as option in photoshop) select ?use mask? and then ?alpha channel?. Quote Link to comment
jeffroyer Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Hoskins - thanks for this step by step. Quote Link to comment
Fergy Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 This works, until you attempt to render with any sort of atmospheric effect such as haze. Then the alpha channel mask disappears. Quote Link to comment
propstuff Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 This works, until you attempt to render with any sort of atmospheric effect such as haze. Then the alpha channel mask disappears. I haven't found this. The image shows a stock image prop and lights with Lit Fog. It's behaving as expected. (but it's not a very complex scene) Quote Link to comment
Fergy Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 (edited) It failed on me, but my model had a lot of lights and haze in it, as well as a lot of textures. I posted about it in another thread, but there was no response to the questions. I also discovered in the same model (as well as all other models) that OpenGL rendering isn't working on the Macbook, unless you group all of the objects and then edit the group. Edited August 31, 2010 by Fergy Quote Link to comment
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