Transparent cockpits: How are they done?

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

I'm trying to add them them to my units, but is it done by setting the opacity of the texture? Does the game engine set this by reading the cockpit object, and then converting the object as transparency? How do I get my cockpits to look like the stock unit transparent cockpits? Tanks...BNG.

[Nielk1]

Opacity as material setting or mesh setting. I use REFLECTION3.PIC with some blackish material settings and some slight transparency myself.

[TheJamsh]

the stock models dont have any transparency i dont think, they are instead textured with 'glare.pic', which is just a black texture with some fake (and unconvincing) glare marks. personally i prefer them over transparent ones.

[Nielk1]

The ISDF mortar bike has a transparent cockpit for sure. I think they all do.

[General BlackDragon]

Thats because of a graphics glitch, something to do with eyepoint being inside model.

[VSMIT]

It's usually hard to tell because they're usually so thin on the body (i.e.: the Sabre).  Apparently, it does have some transparency, but it's so close to the body that it's almost impossible to tell.

VSMIT.

[Nielk1]

Thats because of a graphics glitch, something to do with eyepoint being inside model.

It can't be since when in First Person the unit is not drawn at all. It had to be specially coded so another unit's target cam will show your vehicle if you are in first person. (In 1.2 you are still missing.)

[Avatar]

Whoa...hold on...

If you make an object transparent by using the opacity of the material you end up with it being white under the 'no lights' setting.

If you use an Alpha Channel to make something transparent you keep the transparency under the 'no lights' setting.

You can also make something semi-transparent by using the 'glass' modifier on the name (myobject__g), which can do cool things to various materials. 

Finally, you can make something transparent with an alpha channel AND also define the object as 2 sided (myobject__2).  If you're really brave toss in the glass modifier also (myobject__2g).

Warning:  You can cause quite a framerate hit by having one transparent object behind another...  I have a 'lag cannon' that can bring even powerful computers to their knees when my ship morphs... 

-Av-

[TheJamsh]

lag cannon haha

[bigbadbogie]

Lag cannon? *raises eyebrow*

So this is what Avatar has been up to is it? All this *talk* of BZC and now the truth comes out. 

[Nielk1]

I never knew about __g, if I set opacity at the mesh object level I don't have the light issue.

[bigbadbogie]

Only if it is absolute 0. It happens during lightning strikes too.

[Nielk1]

Oh good, I never use absolute zero except for things that are already __h

BTW, BBB, your the one who gave me the idea to use REFLECTION3.PIC after I looked at your QF Tower thing.

[bigbadbogie]

Yeah... its a damn good effect isn't it.

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Cool, I noticed the __2g thingy on the ISDF terminal object as I'm currently making my own recycler variant as I now have quite a few units that need a home now. I think I've finally begun to overcome my fear of making stuff. I guess it won't be too much longer before I have enough assets to make a completely new race of BZII freedom fighters. Dam shame that animations are out of my reach for now, but it sounds like even without them I can still make most of the units. Has anybody ever gotten a non animated walker type to work in the game? Will it still some how move to engage targets, or is animation the only way to get a walker to function in-game?