Can formats like TGA be modified to have areas that are transparent?

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Say I have a camo texture but I want to have one of the colors on the texture to be completely transparent. Could I use a paint program to digitally cut out a spedific color to make the resulting texture map work in BZII as a customized unit skin? Tanks, BNG. PS: Does it have something to do with setting up an alpha channel mask?

[GSH]

Any file format that supports an alpha channel -- and formats like .tga and .bmp certainly do support that-- will enable transparent pieces. The whole point of an alpha channel is to control transparency.

Transparent chunks of a texture are fine for overlays (e.g. glow maps), but not so fine for the base unit. I think that the results will probably not be what you expect.

-- GSH

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

Would the material colors underneath show through OK? I use them in conjunction with applied textures as a part of the overall model skin. I'm basically just trying to get a handle on custom skinning my units. From my tests so far both textures and material colors work well together visually. I've started working with layers in Paint.net, but I needs some feedback from other modders on what to try and what won't work as far as BZII rendering is concerned. Tanks, BNG.

[Nielk1]

No, it would be CLEAR. Straight though. Instead paint the color you want showing though on the texture.
Unless u have a face UNDER the face with the alpha texture.

[BNG Da BZ Fool]

How are transparent areas designated in say Photo shop? I remember someone TJ I think that said in GIMP he used the term color to alpha to describe adjusting something having to with color that is then set to the alpha transparency? In PS is it the same thing? I use Paint.net so I need to translate the posted information to figure out what the equivalent tools it uses to do the very same thing. Tanks, BNG.