Transparency maps

Digital humans the art of the digital double

Ever wanted to know how digital doubles are created in the movie industry? This course will give you an insight into how it's done.

Watch

# 1 30-07-2006 , 06:31 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Australia

Posts: 159

Sorry for the simplistic question but when im applying a tree texture to a plane, and then adding the alpha map in the transparency channel and then turn on cast shadows, there is an outline shadow of the plane. How come?

Quote

# 2 01-08-2006 , 09:28 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2005

Location: Santa Monica

Posts: 76

to your eye only the tree exists on that layer, but to maya it sees the whole rectangular shape. the lights can't tell the difference, so it'll be a square shadow. i think you need to cut the tree out to get a shadow.

i could be wrong, if so i'd like to know how to do that too.

Quote

# 3 01-08-2006 , 09:47 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Australia

Posts: 159

When i was using LightWave i found that clip maps were the answer but dont know if there might be something like that in Maya. Surely there would be as I've got the Total Textures cd's and they encourage the use of having plants applied onto planes.

Quote

# 4 01-08-2006 , 05:25 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Cleveland, Ohio (USA)

Posts: 1,541

hey check this tutorial out... this should be what you need...

https://www.3dtreat.com/pages/tutoria.../solution.html

Accept no substitutions.

Quote

# 5 01-08-2006 , 06:16 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Australia

Posts: 159

Thank you so much. He mentions that it should be fixed in later versions and I'm using 7 so are there any other suggestions? plus it seems to make the colour a bit too bright

cheers

Quote

# 6 01-08-2006 , 08:33 PM

Senior Software Developer
Join Date: Jan 2005

Location: Livingston, Scotland

Posts: 1,701

What file format are you using?

Chris (formerly R@nSiD)
Twitter
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will truely know peace - Jimmy Hendrix

Winner SM VFX Challenge 1

3rd Place SM SteamPunk Challenge (May 2007)

Quote

# 7 01-08-2006 , 11:31 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Australia

Posts: 159

I was using a JPEG but i think the same applied for TIFF

Quote

# 8 02-08-2006 , 07:10 AM

Senior Software Developer
Join Date: Jan 2005

Location: Livingston, Scotland

Posts: 1,701

JPEGs do not support Transparancies, suggest a png or PSD File

Chris (formerly R@nSiD)
Twitter
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will truely know peace - Jimmy Hendrix

Winner SM VFX Challenge 1

3rd Place SM SteamPunk Challenge (May 2007)

Quote

# 9 02-08-2006 , 01:46 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Cleveland, Ohio (USA)

Posts: 1,541

at the same time that jpg files don't support transparency, you can still use them and achieve transparency in a material by creating a black and white silhouette of your original jpeg and attaching it to the transparency of your material.

as far as it appearing too bright, under the file texture attribute editor you can decrease the color gain levels in your color balance tab.

Accept no substitutions.

Quote

# 10 07-08-2006 , 08:09 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Australia

Posts: 159

Yes what I had done was create a alpha map and also used the transparency values already present in a TIFF image.

For those interested I have found the best solution which is funny how it doesnt seem to be mentioned in a lot of places. What you have to do is reduce the 'shadow attenuation' to 0 in the objects raytrace properties.

Quote

Reply to this thread