????TGA with Alpha Channel????

[remcen]

i would suggest downloading the gimp.
it's a free open source programme and it supports all kinds of graphic formats including tga's with alpha channels.
if you make a new texture, simple enable background -> transparent nad save it as tga.
and i would recommend you feersum endjin's paatool v1.1 (not v1.0!) to convert your tranparent textures. if you enable 'no alpha filtering', it eleminates the completely tranparent edges of your textures.for comparison and download if you don't know what i mean.

[Lean Bear]

Planck,

The .tga you sent me is a texture, and I'm really looking for something transparent (so it won't show up in OFP). I tried that anyway and it did, it looked like the ground was on the wall (good camoflauge though )

remcen,

I already have feersum.endjin's paatool v1.1, but I didn't understand the Gimp. The site didn't make any sense at all? Can you tell me what to download?

[Planck]

@LB

The tga I sent you is a texture, this is true, but it is a texture which has an alpha channel.

I thought that was what you wanted.

All you have to do is paste the texture you want on top of the texture which is already there.
The alpha channel will not be affected.


Planck

[Lean Bear]

The Alpha Channel needs to be in the texture so that the transparency will work, but since the .tga file you sent me has a textures on it, then it won't be transparent.

It's the transparency I'm intrested in, that's why I've been lookng for all this help with Photoshop etc.

Sorry if I've mislead you, but the Alpha Channel needs to be in a transparent texture anyway (so it will be transparent).

[Planck]

The texture is on its own layer.

The alpha channel is on its own layer, so to speak.

You can change the texture layer to whatever you want.

You may also edit the alpha channel to your own specs.

The alpha channel at the moment is white.....(transparent).

You can edit it to make the parts you want transparent by using black in the relevant places........(opaque)

Edit:  corrected mistooks


Planck

[Lean Bear]

Hmmm, I'll have to disagree with you there Planck. You see, when I open up the .tga file in Photoshop, its one layer, ie. if I edit the layer it will affect the alpha channel (I've tried this with other textures before, so I know that it will affect the aplha channel).

[Planck]

Lean Bear

I examined the texture before I sent it to you, so I KNOW it has an alpha channel.

I use Paint Shop Pro, I loaded it into this and examined the file properties.

Results:

1 layer
1 alpha channel

I also loaded it into Texview and looked at the alpha channel from there........it is white, and the RGB texture layer is also there too.

I can only conclude that whatever program you are using to view this texture is not up to the job.

I have just this minute looked at the texture again.
There is no change it has the texture layer AND an alpha channel.

Also copying over the texture layer does not affect the alpha channel.
Once again, I KNOW this because I do it all the time.

However, if you merely copy the file into a new one, you WILL lose the alpha channel.

At least this happens for me with PSP.

btw.......I got in back to front in my earlier post......it is white that is transparent and black which is opaque.....my apologies.  The alpha channel on the texture I sent you is white so it is completely transparent, if it wasn't you wouldn't see the texture through it.
Actually I think it depends on how you look at it when trying to decide which is transparent and which is opaque. Anyway, thats the way I look at it.


Planck

[Lean Bear]

I can only conclude that whatever program you are using to view this texture is not up to the job.

Yeah, you're probably right Planck.

I can see where you're coming from now that you've explained how you view the .tga file in Paint Shop Pro, but in Photoshop, it just comes up as one layer.

Perhaps you could just send me the alpha channel layer without the texture layer on top. So I could edit it without messing up the alpha channel (Cause if I tried to edit it with both layers, it would mess up the alpha channel, since my program thinks it all one layer).

[Planck]

I seriously doubt the program you are using will be able to edit the alpha channel.

Perhaps if you tell me exactly what you require, I can get it done.

The file must have 1 texture (or background if you like) and 1 alpha channel.

You can't really edit them together.

I could make you a file that has a black texture (background) and a black alpha channel.
This would make the whole thing transparent ingame.........I think.......hehehehehe.

Anyway......let me know what it is you are trying for.


Planck

[Lean Bear]

Yeah, that's what I had in mind. Something which will appear completely transparent in-game.

[Planck]

OK LB,

Have a play with this one attached below.........it is a .paa file in a zip.

It has a black background and a black alpha.


Let me know if it works ok.


Planck

[Lean Bear]

Thank you Planck!!

That's what I've been trying to make/get all this time!!

[Lean Bear]

Anyone scanning this topic for an idea of how to make transparent textures or TGA files woth an Alpha Channel then here is your answer:-

!!!THE GIMP!!!

Its free, easy to use and great for editing and making new OFP textures in general.