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FSXA Make alpha in DXTBMP doesn't work sometimes.

jyarddog

jyarddog

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us-washington
I posted this over on scenery -general but thought I'd drop it here as well.

done this so many times with success, but now and then this happens.

Through the years I have made some nice transparent windows. but now and then, try as I may I sometimes cannot do it!!!
This is especially annoying when I am trying to teach a new designer how to do this and it fails! (Pardon me while I wipe egg off my face).
1. I open my Corel program.
2. make a 256x256 or 512x512 and choose a color, maybe light blue.
3. save as a windows bmp
4. open this with DXTBMP
5. choose ‘alpha’ and choose make alpha template’
6. hit OK and send to editor.
7. I click on my pallet and I get an array of squares all the way from 0 to 255. (I notice sometimes a number is chosen for me- I might try that or choose my own.
8. click ‘file’ then ‘save’ and X out of Corel
9. Back in DXTBMP ‘refresh after edit’
10. Save and choose dxt 1, 3, or 5. done
I use this for my texture for the window.
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Often I have noticed that after choose the level of trans in Corel and I am back I DXTBMP one of a few things might happen......
1. refresh edit show no change at all.
2. main bmp turns black and so does the alpha screen either before or after ‘refresh after edit’
If these things happen, what did I do wrong? Or does this just happen now and then?
---------
additional questions-
1. After ‘refresh after edit’ do I need to go to image and choose ‘reload after editing’?
2. If I find the level of trans is not what I want, can I take this bmp to editor without taking the main bmp out of dxt? OR, is it sufficient I just choose alpha template again to clear the old alpha?
You help with these questions are greatly appreciated. Yours, Bob
 
Here is what I do.

After creating the RGB I open it in DXTBmp.

Save as DXTn, make sure that if you use DXT1 that you do not use DXT1 (no Alpha).

Close DXTBmp.

Open DXT texture in DXTBmp.

Send Alpha to editor and edit.

Refresh after edit and save as Extended Bitmap.

Years ago I had some issues saving with DXTBmp after editing both the RGB and the Alpha in the same session. I got into the habit of never doing that again and have not had problems since.

So if I intend to edit both the RGB and the Alpha I will work the RGB, save, close DXTBmp, reopen DXTBmp and work the Alpha.

Hope this help.

cheers,
Lane
 
jyarddog said:
additional questions-
1. After ‘refresh after edit’ do I need to go to image and choose ‘reload after editing’?
Click to expand...
No, those options do the same thing.

I always use the little buttons and rarely, if ever, use the menu options.

jyarddog said:
2. If I find the level of trans is not what I want, can I take this bmp to editor without taking the main bmp out of dxt? OR, is it sufficient I just choose alpha template again to clear the old alpha?
Click to expand...
Once you have a texture in Corel you should never edit an existing .bmp, IMO.

Make your changes and save your work in Corel.

Open an existing texture in DXTBmp and send either the RGB or the Alpha to editor.

Copy all from your working texture in Corel and paste to either norm.bmp or trans.bmp.

Flatten the norm.bmp, not needed for trans.bmp (at least in Photoshop, which does not support layers for indexed images).

Save norm.bmp or trans.bmp, then go back to DXTBmp.

cheers,
Lane
 
Martin Wright just wrote back also and suggested about dxt 1,3,5 rediting will degrade it bit by bit. But if only once I do not see any problem with this. Multiple times- yes.
good thought o reload after edit and refresh after edit.... same. always wondered about that because a friend of mine says to do that and I said I have never done that.... never needed to. souded redundant to me and evidently is.

I will try doing all then shut do and reopen dxtbmp and save into dxt format. It was odd that now and then I would see my main texture black and the alpha window black too!!! My braine went.... erro....error....error! 604!!! hahaha
 
Jyarddog mentioned using his Corel program - I imagine one of the PaintShop Pro series. If so, 2 ways to skin that :cat:.

1. Do all the work with inside PaintShop Pro. Make a duplicate layer of your texture and work with it then make it into a mask - (flip it vertically) and save the Mask as the alpha channel. Then use the DXT plug in to Save Copy As a DXT file - DXT 3 or 5 usually.

For some reason the plugin sometimes destine work so…

2. Do the same thing wrt making a duplicate and working with it so that it produces a nice Mask. Then Save Copy As of just the Mask as a BMP and save copy as zzzz_ALPHA.bmp, then save the main gesture, also as a bmp zzzz.bmp. Open the main bmp into DXTBMP, open the alpha bmp into the alpha window of DTXBMP, flip both, and save as a DXT.

My rational is that I prefer to do all the "artist work" to include alpha channel development, in one application - currently I have Pixelmator and PSD on my iMac and PhotoShop Pro x4 on my PC. For Pixelmator and PSD I just do the Alpha as a different layer - turn it to shades of gray and work it into what I want, "transparency-wise" save as BMPs and transfer them over to run through DXTBMP.
 
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