Transparency help & Fog querie

# 1 22-11-2006 , 12:44 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005

Location: London

Posts: 7

Hi!!

Please excuse this post (although help is what I'm after) but I'm on a last resort here.

It's my job to give texturing a go for an environment I have to build in a group for college. Now I've touched it once briefly but I really can't remember how to use the alpha channel technique (to add bumping, transparency etc) to a texture.

One technique I'm mainly interested in for now is adding transparency to an object by doing it in Photoshop. it is possible right?

I need to make a surrounding background imagine for the environment but need to make it so that the surrounding background (a wall of image planes so to speak) fades into the sky globe that will be placed on top of the whole thing. Does that make any sense?!

I mean I'd like to do this:
user added image

So if I had an image that fades to transparent in photoshop, how to do it so that it comes out that way in maya? Or if it's not possible to have a gradient fade for planes then would I be able to have just the top of the image transparent? (this is only a rough example image!!)
user added image

I'm pretty sure this has something to do with creating an alpha channel and saving it as a TIFF or something, then doing something to it in maya but I really really can't remember and don't seem to be able to find any relevant tutorials (plus I'm on a bit of a time problem here!)

Any suggestions or walk throughs? I'd appreciate it sooo much!!! so so much!!!

The other thing I wanted to ask, how would be best to add fog/mist (low ground) to an enivornment? Is it something I can add in maya or would it be easier to add in After Effects?

Who ever can help me here is a super star!!

Quote

# 2 22-11-2006 , 07:44 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2006

Location: NY

Posts: 208

Well, you're right about the alpha channel. In Photoshop, create the alpha, and anything you want to show up has to be 100% white. Anything you don't want has to be 100% black. Then, anything in between will be in grayscale, depending on how much of a fade you want. So, in essence, for your bump, the lighter (closer to white) the detail is, the more of a bump you will get. Then, as you said, save as a tiff and import it into the shader in Maya.

But, there may be some other tricks, I'm, by far, not an expert. I just noticed that you said you were pressed for time, so I wanted to try and help out as much as I could.

ABout the fog and stuff, I can't really help you there, but I wouldn't mind learning that myself :p

Eric Tacti
3D Artist

Quote

# 3 22-11-2006 , 04:15 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

you might be able to do it faster in Maya for what you need and actually watch it update as yo do it.. use a plane with a lambert sahderbut fist press f8 on the keyboard and get to the paint effects canvas. hit new image and name it or get the res you want, 512 by 512?? hit the little camra on the tool panel for the canvas, wait.., i'll be back its easier to show you. or you could try and find an old WIP of mine called 'easy scene.' or something like that.

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 4 22-11-2006 , 04:34 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

OK so start with a plane, i have torn off a perspective panel (twin screens) to make it more clear, you do not have to do this, you'll see what i mean.

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy.jpg
Views: 402
Size: 21.5 KB
ID: 31573

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 5 22-11-2006 , 04:36 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

i said press F8 before?? that was wrong sorry, press 8 and you will have the canvas come up. press the button with the two brushes and the visor will pop up, this as you know is where you have your brushes

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy01.jpg
Views: 410
Size: 19.5 KB
ID: 31574

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 6 22-11-2006 , 04:39 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

you have to make a texture so you must go to 'canvas/new image and pick the resolution you want 512 by 512 here. name it if you want (i already did this and should have mentioned it in the last post, it is square like this because th resolution is 512 by 512.

anyway, when you have hat sorted paint something on it. in this case i painted some muddy looking grass and a flower.

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy02.jpg
Views: 402
Size: 23.8 KB
ID: 31575

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 7 22-11-2006 , 04:41 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

if you haven't already dropped a new shader on it now is the time and while you are at it drop a file node onto it then aplly all that to the plane and it should look like this

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy03.jpg
Views: 408
Size: 27.3 KB
ID: 31576

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 8 22-11-2006 , 04:44 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

now double click on the file node to get this folder and search out where your texture has gone, you should have saved it to a place when you made the 512 by 512 texture, there is a browser there so you can put it where you want, by default i think it goes to 'source images' thats where mine was.

drop the texture you made into the file node (my texture was called transparency and so it was easy to find.

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy04.jpg
Views: 392
Size: 23.6 KB
ID: 31577

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 9 22-11-2006 , 04:45 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

all thing corrrect as soon as you drop that lambert/file/texture onto you plane it will look like this (make sure you are in texture mode, press 6)

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy05.jpg
Views: 389
Size: 28.4 KB
ID: 31578

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 10 22-11-2006 , 04:49 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

all that is OK, now if you press the camera, there is a red line i drew so you can see it you will be able to watch you plane update as you draw.

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy06.jpg
Views: 399
Size: 28.4 KB
ID: 31579

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 11 22-11-2006 , 04:54 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

so as you draw more flowers or what ever you will see it update in real time.

I know this is not gradient but I think with all the brushes available in Maya you will have no trouble getting what you want.

as i drew on the white canvas i watched it in the perspective panel update with the flowers i was drawing.

hope that helps.
you can use photo shop but i often ask people why they bother unless there is something there that Maya doesn't have. it is much easier to make seamless textures in Maya than photo shop, just press on the little green arrows in the canvas panel, which arrow depends on which way you want it seamless, both arrows and you have a complexly seamless texture, one arrow and it is seamless in the direction of that arrow (hope that makes sense)

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: transparancy07.jpg
Views: 383
Size: 32.3 KB
ID: 31580

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 12 25-11-2006 , 04:41 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005

Location: London

Posts: 7

Hey!!

Sorry I forgot to reply sooner! Thank you both so much for that help!! Especially you mirek, that was really nice of you to help me in such depth!!! Thank youuuuuu!!!!

Quote