How to create Alpha mapping ?

[anhdung86]

Ok, my game must has so many trees and i want to create lowest poly tree (for good frame rate), but i don't know how to create alpha mapping for leaf in trees, like that:



Anybody please help me about that, thankz verymuch

[Danimita92]

You need the texture of the leaves, then make a targa (.tga) image out of it. This image is gray, black and white. Black will be fully transparent, white will stay, and gray will be a little transparent.
Use the original texture on the tree's actor, and then use the tool "tga2gebmp2", load the tree's actor, and replace the leaf texture with the targa. Save, and there you are. An alpha texture

[anhdung86]

Thank Danimita, i will try it

[anhdung86]

Now, I have a problem with this:
-First i create 2 texture, one for tree body and one for leaf (.bmp):


-Then i create alpha texture for leaf (.tga):


-After convert my tree to .act file i use "tga2gebmp2" and replace the leaf texture with the targa. But when i view my tree with Equity, those leaf didn't transparent:


This is my tree actor and .tga file:
tga: http://www.mediafire.com/?adlaazma0ao
actor: http://www.mediafire.com/?ys3x3cd1men

Anybody know why?

[bernie]

You don't need to use "tga2gebmp2".
just load the actor into equity and change the texture there for your tga.
Which version of Equity are you using?

[anhdung86]

You don't need to use "tga2gebmp2".
just load the actor into equity and change the texture there for your tga.

I used Equity then the result didn't change.

Which version of Equity are you using?

I used Equily 4.2.1

[bernie]

The version of equity you are using is out of date.
download the latest version from my filefront account http://hosted.filefront.com/bernieRF/
version 4.2.5 supports tga and will show transparencies correctly in the viewer.

[Juutis]

You need to combine the texture and the alpha map to a .tga file with the AlphaCreate program (in your tools folder). Right now your alpha map is a .tga.

So, save your alpha map as .bmp -> open AlphaCreate -> enter the bitmap and the alpha map and hit 'Create'. And then you can use Equity to replace the texture.

[bernie]

You need to combine the texture and the alpha map to a .tga file with the AlphaCreate program (in your tools folder). Right now your alpha map is a .tga.

Yes true, I didn't spot that

[anhdung86]

@Juutis & bernie: I made it !!! Thank you very much

[anhdung86]

I have a problem with those leaf, when i put it in my level, they look very dark:



I think it's dark because i put a dynamic light above, so the surface which is not being light will dark, so how can i made it not being effect by light? (i try StaticMess entity but my tree look very bad). Any body help me please!

[steven8]

Make sure your fillcolor is 255,255,255 on the entity for the tree.

[anhdung86]

I used fillcolor 255,255,255 but it didn't change

This is my tree actor:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ldlaabn1jpw

[steven8]

Have you tried removing (or just moving) the dynamic light and trying say, a sunlight entity to see if there is a difference?

[anhdung86]

I tried both Sunlight and Sun entity, but the result didn't change, i don't know why