Question about clipmaps/alpha masks

[mk1978]

This is a beginner question because I am not 100% familiar with alpha masks and clipmaps. I have been making paintings (parking lots and container yards) for my 3D models with clipmaps in KT. I have used texture as a clipmap and inserted paint color in KT, see picture in sketchup and renders is KT and Twilight. Is there any easy way to get similar results in Twilight?

Sketchup:


Render in Twilight:


Render in Kerkythea when using texture as clipmap:

[Gaieus]

Well, in TL there is no slot for separate clipmaps but it will read the alpha transparency of an image (say png) as a clipmap. So you could simply create a separate image where you make the black areas transparent and put it on the face of the road. Very handy feature of TL (and now even SU) that images placed on faces do not create a Z fighting effect.

If you upload your image that you use in that example, I can show you what I mean.

Another handy way of dealing with such things in SU currently (in v7) is that you can right click on any face and make its texture unique. Then you can edit this whole texture to your likes (painting marks or whatever you wish)

[mk1978]

That was quick answer / good customer support!

I have to do some experiments before I understand what you meant. Anyway, here is the texture that I have used in the example model.

[Gaieus]

I am just a customer like you.


Here is a transparent version of your image (the white part also painted to yellow) that you can use somehow like in this fast prelim render I put together (not that in SU it may not look very nice but renders acceptably)

[mk1978]

Gaieus,
Thank you for the texture it works perfect! I have had problems to create transparrent textures but finally I found a simple Gimp tutorial. I assume that you created the texture like in this tutorial:

http://vimeo.com/groups/240/videos/5330253

[Gaieus]

I also use Gimp (for more complicated and advanced things) but for simpler jobs I prefer Paint.NET which is far easier to grasp and wor with. With transparency for instance, when you select something (a colour or area in the image) and simply delete it (Del button), it will become fully transparent. Just save as png 32 bit and there you are.

[mk1978]

Thanks again Gaieus. I have also been using Paint.net because it is quite easy to use. Anyway, I didn't know that I can make this kind of transparrent textures with Paint.net. Using Paint.net for making transparrent textures will make my workflow much faster.