Alpha mask

Hi,
How does an Alpha mask work for textures?
Should it be a pure B&W; image or allows
grey shadings?

Thanks

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Warlock Shipyard
(url="http://"http://www.jreyes13.net/warlock/")http://www.jreyes13.net/warlock/(/url)
Ship graphics and other stuff

What an in depth description of the problem... 😛

What program are you using? What is this to be used for... etc...

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'It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames'
- Harry Hill

Quote

Originally posted by Juan:
**Hi,
How does an Alpha mask work for textures?
Should it be a pure B&W; image or allows
grey shadings?

Thanks

**

You can use ONLY b/w images - no shades. If Nova could handle transparency, it would be so much more in tune with today's game graphics, but hey, it is only shareware, right?

Denb

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But, oh, what a wicked world it was that drove a man to sin.

Oh, I think I wasn't clear enough... :frown:
I wanted to know how to make bump maps (?) to be used when modelling. That thing about making a flat texture, and give it a bit of 3D effect using a B/W bump map (I messed with the term Alpha mask, sorry). 😕

Depth: All I need to know from a basic level to do them. 😉

Thanks a lot

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Warlock Shipyard
(url="http://"http://www.jreyes13.net/warlock/")http://www.jreyes13.net/warlock/(/url)
Ship graphics and other stuff

Ah, a bump map 🙂

A bump map is basically just a 2d greyscale image that is interpreted by the renderer to create a feigned look of a varying height surface. The darker the shade, the "deeper" the bump. A simple bump map can be created using a desaturated (greyscale) version of the mail texture 🙂 Most 3d programs will convert a colour image to greyscale to be used as a bump map.

Hope that helps slightly 🙂

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'It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames'
- Harry Hill

Many thanks for the brief but precise description.

Does it create a true 3D surface or it's just an image effect while rendering? I mean, if I render a cube and texture it with a bump map, the edges will be straight (while having a bump effect on the faces) or the edges will be bumped?

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Warlock Shipyard
(url="http://"http://www.jreyes13.net/warlock/")http://www.jreyes13.net/warlock/(/url)
Ship graphics and other stuff

Quote

Originally posted by Juan:
**Many thanks for the brief but precise description.

Does it create a true 3D surface or it's just an image effect while rendering? **

An image effect.

Quote

I mean, if I render a cube and texture it with a bump map, the edges will be straight (while having a bump effect on the faces)

Correct, the edges will be straight.

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Quote

Originally posted by Juan:
**Many thanks for the brief but precise description.

Does it create a true 3D surface or it's just an image effect while rendering? I mean, if I render a cube and texture it with a bump map, the edges will be straight (while having a bump effect on the faces) or the edges will be bumped?

**

Use bump maps to create small surface details - panel lines, scratches, etc. Use displacement maps to deform the model - for instance, using a DEM (digital elevation map) to convert a plane into a landscape.

Matrix

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Quote

Originally posted by Denb:
**You can use ONLY b/w images - no shades. If Nova could handle transparency, it would be so much more in tune with today's game graphics, but hey, it is only shareware, right?

Denb

**

isn´t it possible to make a transparency map...? it might just be me, but isn´t there such an option .
What´s the basetransp option for then..? Making the entire object transparent...?

Actually i think you can use the alt. image together with base transp to king of fake a transparensy map.

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And then there were silence.................

The basetrans makes the entire object transparent. its whats used for the vellos ships 🙂

I dont think that would work unfortunately...

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'It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames'
- Harry Hill

Quote

Originally posted by Jules:
**The basetrans makes the entire object transparent. its whats used for the vellos ships:)

I dont think that would work unfortunately...

**

I´m not satisfied,
What does the alt. image actually do....?
Why not..?

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And then there were silence.................

Quote

Originally posted by modesty_blaise_us:
**I´m not satisfied,
What does the alt. image actually do....?
Why not..?

**

You can use it to have two different animations going at once, with different numbers of frames, and at different speeds. You might also be able to use it to have "Battle damage" show while the ship is disabled, by hiding the alt frames while disabled. The Alt frames will cover the damage that is rendered onto the base frame.

~ SpacePirate

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And he'll board your ship!
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(This message has been edited by SpacePirate (edited 04-03-2004).)