Moho Forum

I'd like to see transparency enabled for a PNG skin on a 3D object if that is possible? I tried using a skin with transparency but doesn't seem to show transparent areas on 3D objects.

Also is it possible to add -not sure exactly what it is called- but transparency that uses a mask -so you have gradiations of transparency -for example areas that are gray are only partially transparent? Unless I missed something this doesn't seem possible with imported png.

It would be nice to have this for brushes as well; I'm thinking along what Toontoonz was saying about the brushes limitations; if you could draw a brush that had variable areas of transparency maybe where the brush overlapped along the line.

I did a quick mockup in PSP to demo what I mean. The top line is a normal brush. Then I made one with a mask to make the brush fade out from the center. Now the lines look slightly different depending on the distance of the brush spacing and the resultant overlap -or lack of overlap.

I can't say if it works for 3D but unless I'm mistaken you also refer to 2D layers right? In that case transparent .png files work. You need a .png image with an alpha channel. Here's an example:

http://www.nobudgetvideo.com/moho/trans ... xample.jpg
A .png layer rendered over a Moho background with some black and white shapes. The shadow and dissolving bar is transparency information contained within the .png file, that's the grayscale area you refer to.

http://www.nobudgetvideo.com/moho/transparent_bg.jpg
The original background layer.

http://www.nobudgetvideo.com/moho/moneytv.png
The .png with transparency.

Is that what you meant? I haven't tried it as a brush but I suspect that would be the same.

Good luck,

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

Hmmm... I must have missed something. When I have tried in PSP to export PNG I can export stuff that is either 100% opaque or 100% transparent but I can't get the say 50% transparent and other gradiations. Maybe I am missing one of the settings. If anyone is doing this with PSP and able to export partial transparency can you post a screenshot of the PNG export dialogue with your settings?

If this is already possible and I am wrong then LM may want to move this to the "How Do I..." forum.

Still interested in 3D if LM thinks it worthwhile. I was trying to create 3D sky sphere and then a 3D sphere within this with clouds and ground fog to slowly rotate around the camera as a continous moving background.

Thanks a lot.

I just tried it (this is my quicky 10 second check), but it would seen that the default (in the PSP7 I'm using) is only background transparency. I tried the Export>Optimized PNG and set it to Alpha Transparency and it worked just fine. Probably other settings in there, but like I said, it's the 10 Second Check.

Thanks. There some to be a tiny bug in PSP9 with the options as I didn't get it but after I switched to an other option and switched back it showed in the window. It still didn't work until I did the following -I'll note it here as I'll probably forget otherwise. Might be some extra steps in here ...

-I created a 128x128 image with transparent back
-I drew my brush
-New Mask Layer: from image, source luminance, invert data
-Selections: From Mask
-Export: PNG Optimizer: Use Wizard: 16.7 Million Colors: Existing Transparency

If you use the "use existing transparency" option on the PNG Optimizer advanced interface -instead of using the simpler 'wizard' the generated file does not work as intended in Moho -no partial transparency- but the wizard doing those steps I quickly mentioned above does; has to be a bug. Will see if I can explain it coherently on the Corel forums tomorrow but I doubt it.

The good news for me is that I think I'll be able to come up with some nicer brushes - if I'm right I'll be posting one or two over the next few days.

Thanbks for pushing me in the right direction.

Hey Bupaje!

Did you manage to get transparent brushes?
I would really need it now, I have done a lot of tests but I cant get it to work.
I create semi transparent brushes but when I use them the line turns out with no transparency at all. If I import the brushes as images they got their transparency.
Strange thing is that in the versions where I created the transparency with a mask you cant see any transparency at all in the brushes settings dialog (I made a big transparent hole in the brush, so it should be pretty obvious).
I'm using photoshop CS2 to create the brushes in.

16.7 Million Colors

Unless I'm mistaken, 16.7million colours is 24-bit colour -- you need 32-bit export to get the partial transparencies you mention.

J

Correct about 24Bit - 16.7M colors, but the other 8 bits are 256 values of grey to create the alpha. So if the export states a 16M color export with alpha it basically gets exported as 32 bit. But programs tend to use their own definitions which makes it quite confusing. Quicktime calls it Millions+ and + means alpha and they don't seem to care about the exact number of millions either... Adobe has a PNG256 and PNG24 and 24 is with alpha for instance.

I could be wrong but I think what I wrote above is correct. That said, it's all so illogical I'm losing track reading my own post

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

But can you have (semi) transparent brushes in Moho or has this discussion just gone to a discussion of png transparency in general?

My input was general...

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

rylleman wrote:Hey Bupaje!

Did you manage to get transparent brushes...

I don't remember. My memory has some holes in it and is wonky at the best of times. I haven't been able to play with Moho because of the homework load but if I find time -and that's a big if- I'll try to go through all the brushes to see if I managed to create any that worked.

Sorry for the unhelpful answer, if I do come up with anything I'll post it.

@rylleman - I took a quick look and these look like likely culprits - the goal was to see if they worked rather than pretty brushes so ... hope they might be of some use ...

http://www.stormvisions.com/moho/test_brushes_1.zip

Well rylleman asked about the PNG transparency and at least 1 or two of those brushes I posted seem to have it right.

Here is an image. The top grass and soil was with a brush with transparency, the bottom grass and soil with a standard brush




Here is a test of another. The middle is a standard brush and the outer two with brushes containing alpha



Hope that helps someone.

EDIT: Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. I took a quick look at these in an image viewer and I don't see that they have transparency info?

I think you know what you are talking about, the 4 images in the zip file have transparency information, I just checked in a paint program and the examples you posted look very good!

Reindert.
www.nobudgetvideo.com

nobudget wrote:I think you know what you are talking about, ...

Whew! Glad that worked must have been whatever I used to look at the image info last night.