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How do I create and add a material image which has transparency

jgarnold

jgarnold

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To save some 'faces' edges etc (sorry I can't remember the proper term) I considered creating a large fence (in Blender) using a 'plane' and then adding an image for the material which has the balustrades and ballisters only and the spaces between transparent. I am sure I did something like this a long time ago but cannot remember how. The fence will only ever be seen from one side and from a distance and so the normal geometry is not required.
I know that using My total object already has a lot of 'faces' and so I want to try and keep the fence to a minimum.

Here is an image of what I have (this is about one twentieth the length of the fence)-
sechelt_offices_fence.jpg


The spaces between the bars will be transparent.

What image type do I need to use which will have the alpha channel set correctly?
And what properties do I need to set on the plane in Blender?

Or would I be better off sticking just to (lots of) rectangular mesh cubes and not worry about the total faces ie about 3000 faces?

Thanks
 
- Create under Blender a MSFS Material type MSFS Decal
- Your image will be create with a transparency background and you copy/paste your grid in
- Affect in the albd slot your texture composed by the previous image.

1768906826191.png
 
You need a png image file where the transparent parts are fully transparent. (Jpg or bmp do not have the alpha channel for transparency). Then apply a MSFS Standard material to your plane with that image as Base Color. Set Alpha mode to Blend. You can use an Occlusion/Roughness/Metallic and a Normal image to improve the looks (or just adjust the Metallic and Roughness settings manually. Tick the Duble Sided to make it show from both sides. Attached an example file...
 

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Thanks Didier and WildLynxPIlot,

Firstly I did use the material type MSFS Decal to place some 'advertising' words on a glass window some time ago and had forgotten how I did it (see image below of my shed on the Sechelt docks).

Now you, Didier, have described it so thanks very much for that. I will make sure I update my Word document containing 'tips and tricks' for next time. [ added later] BUT I could not work out what to do and so found a youtube tutorial for decals (by Fedrico Pinoti) and followed that to where he applies a new material type (MSFS) Decal and then under 'texture maps' he opens the image for 'albedo'. When I try that neither texture maps nor 'albedo' is displayed. Has Blender changed. I think that I need a more detailed method than what you state. Thanks

Secondly I also had forgotten about the png type image file. I think that .gif may also support the alpha channel but that wouldn't work anyway I think.

Thanks also for doing the work for me in attaching the correct file complete with ensuring the pixels are 'square'? ie divisable by 4. WildLynxPIlot you too have described a method and I seem to remember trying both yours and Didier's method some time ago. [added later] ALTHOUGH I could not work out how to include the png image with MSFS Standard material. I tried adding it as normal before setting MSFS material to Standard which didn't work.



1768946506840.png


Below is the real thing, I would have added the illuminated red open sign if I was more clever.-

1768948207400.png
 

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Wow you are on the ball Gary.
I am now putting the finishing touches to the Buccaneer restaurant and Harbor Air offices at Sechelt using photos a great mate, who I have never met but lives at Sechelt, sent me (I also use slightly modified photos he sent for 'material' on the front faces of things for authenticity (eg the 'sandwich' board showing fuel prices and the signs on the gate further along).

I really don't why I am doing such things as adding the fence as most if not all users of my scenery will ever see it as it is behind where the parking 'docks' are. Why do I do these things Gary? Maybe looking for something to do?

Here is the blender image and you can see the fence currently in white on the right side.

BTW the current version of my Sechelt (water) airport which includes the 'shed' is downloadable at flightsim.to

1768950520037.png
 

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Are you saying there is another CAX3 update since we last discussed the possible modification of piers to accommodate a PBY ? :)

GaryGB
 
No. I have added another parking location next to a buoy for larger floatplanes such as the PBY and have got carried away adding more scenery. Hopefully I will upload it to flightsim.to in the next week.

The current downloadable version contains a rough version of the Buccaneer restaurant and better version of the Harbour Air offices with the radio 'mast'.

The version I am currently on adds the water parking (PBY) and also adds more detail to those buildings since I found images taken by my 'friend' who lives there. Its been a great challenge to try and copy the real scenery of a place when just using photos both from the internet and from my 'friend' with no detailed drawing showing measurements. I guess those who develop aircraft often have the same challenges.
 
I shall look forward to your update when its is ready; your scenery has become a wonderful enhancement of that area in FS. :)

GaryGB
 
jgarnold said:
Thanks also for doing the work for me in attaching the correct file complete with ensuring the pixels are 'square'? ie divisable by 4. WildLynxPIlot you too have described a method and I seem to remember trying both yours and Didier's method some time ago. [added later] ALTHOUGH I could not work out how to include the png image with MSFS Standard material. I tried adding it as normal before setting MSFS material to Standard which didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click on New to make a new material. Give it any name. Then You will have the MSFS Material Params tab available. Select the Standard type and scroll down - there are the boxes where you can select your textures for Base color, O/R/M and Normals. Open the png file in the Base Color box (and the other two if you use them - O/R/M is a special file that needs to made correctly and adds occlusion, roughness and metalness details to the texture and the Normals is also a special file that makes the height structures of the texture visible). And also remember the tickbox for Double Sided and the selector for Alpha Mode.

Image1.png

Image2.png

Image4.png

Image5.png
 
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jgarnold said:
I am now putting the finishing touches to the Buccaneer restaurant and Harbor Air offices at Sechelt using photos a great mate, who I have never met but lives at Sechelt, sent me (I also use slightly modified photos he sent for 'material' on the front faces of things for authenticity (eg the 'sandwich' board showing fuel prices and the signs on the gate further along).

I really don't why I am doing such things as adding the fence as most if not all users of my scenery will ever see it as it is behind where the parking 'docks' are. Why do I do these things Gary? Maybe looking for something to do?

Here is the blender image and you can see the fence currently in white on the right side.

BTW the current version of my Sechelt (water) airport which includes the 'shed' is downloadable at flightsim.to
Click to expand...

That looks very good! The fence could very well also be made as a real 3D fence. 3000 faces is not much, and it looks better (from close distance) than just the flat, textured plane... But then, of course, if it is in a place where not many people see it close up, then the plane is good enough.

Why are we doing this...? Good question. 😄 For me it is just fun to make good looking stuff for the sim - I don't like flying to default airports but want to see how places look in real life. And yes, as a retired oldtimer it is good to have something to do and also good to learn new things... :cool:
 
jgarnold said:
Below is the real thing, I would have added the illuminated red open sign if I was more clever.-
Click to expand...
Not difficult: Make a texture with the look of the Open sign. Make a box or other suitable 3D object for the sign in the correct place make a MSFS Standard material and open the texture in the Base Color. Make a second texture as a copy of the first one (must be exactly the same size), but make everything except the letters totally black (the letters red, I suppose). Open this second texture in the Emissive texture box. Then you can adjust the intensity of the emissiveness by changing the black Emissive Color to some suitable intensity red color. This will light up the letters on Open sign with the light color of your choice...
 
Thanks. I wasn't selecting open at 'base color'. All good. Works a treat. I wonder why I used (type) Decal before. There must be a difference between the two methods.
Yes I have used emissive before for flashing lights on buoys. I will try that later. Thanks again. It seems you live in Finland and it must be very cold there now. I visited there briefly some years ago and remember seeing buildings with turf growing on the roof or was it another country?
 
The decal type is mainly for placing textures on planes in front of other textured objects (like decals on a window).

Yes, I live just west of Helsinki. We currently have about -2°C and some 15-20cm snow on the ground. Buildings with turf on the roof are not common here. I think you can find more of those in Norway and Iceland.
 
Aha. Yes I used msfs material decal for the signage on the windows of shed seen in an image above.
It's been many years since my land tour of Scandanavia. I think we viewed the huge ski jump at Helsinki used many years ago for the winter Olympics. Do you ski?
I just noticed your 'signature' and web site. Well done.
The best image of that open sign which would need a of work (79 x 37 pixels) -
1768988792486.png
 
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Just make a quick Google search for images using "open sign" as search words and you will find several suitable versions that can be used as a basis for your sign...

There's no huge ski jump in Helsinki - the closest is in Lahti. And the Helsinki Olympics were the summer Olympics in 1952 so no ski jumping then...:) I do ski occasionally, but only cross-country skiing.
 
What a great suggestion about looking an image. Thanks. I'm sure we saw one of those huge ski jumps somewhere in Scandanavia maybe the Olympians practice there.
Better leave it there as we are off topic.
 
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