QUESTION on Alpha Channel/Transparency Map for Vanilla Textures

[Jorak Uln 458]

For my Overhaul i use the vanilla textures to get the right proportions, but from then on i develop the new tex from the scratch.

 

That causes one problem: 

When the Vanilla tex has transparent/ semi-transp. areas, i dont know where they are.

 

The point is, in general i dont work with alpha channel, my program handles transparency different ways. One of them is to make a black/white texture (with all kinds of grey areas=semi-transp.), which works like a "transparency map" and selects desired areas:

 

example:

 

 

(this can be also solely black/white...-> many possibilities)

 

 

Now, when i have the vanilla tex e.g. NAR_Met1 (watch ingame near Fassa at Pylon Areas)

 

 

i want to ask you guys, how can i manage to see which areas have transparency and which not??

(i need to make a similar map like in the first example)

[Malkior 476]

I edited a few of these textures and gave them the appropriate Alpha layer that is at least obvious when viewed in a program that shows them. I guess,

 

I could hunt down each layer with Alpha applied to it, but probably an easier method could be to open each texture in KotorTool and look for the CM_baremetal (or whatever Cubemap it may use) in the text box below it.

[Jorak Uln 458]

I edited a few of these textures and gave them the appropriate Alpha layer that is at least obvious when viewed in a program that shows them. I guess,

 

I could hunt down each layer with Alpha applied to it, but probably an easier method could be to open each texture in KotorTool and look for the CM_baremetal (or whatever Cubemap it may use) in the text box below it.

Maybe i clarify what i mean a bit more:

 

This is the way i do it:

 

 

As you see there are Step A, B, C. 

 

A = my texture from the scratch

B = finished product

C= the desired texture, this one defines which areas from A are transparent.

 

As you see, C is quadratic (power of 2).

 

so when working on NAR_Met1, i only need to get sth. like Layer C.

(i already know in Kotor Tool its CM_baremetal)

 

So hope that was easier understandable

[Malkior 476]

*Ah, mathematics, my constant foe...

 

Umm.... I have honestly no earthly clue how your program processes textures.. :| All I can say is that I make them from scratch by hand or by copying the original image, desaturating it, and inverting it....

Sorry I can't be more help, you know... :/

[Jorak Uln 458]

*Ah, mathematics, my constant foe...

 

Umm.... I have honestly no earthly clue how your program processes textures.. :| All I can say is that I make them from scratch by hand or by copying the original image, desaturating it, and inverting it....

Sorry I can't be more help, you know... :/

No worries. 

But you mentioned the alpha layers. Could you show me?

[Malkior 476]

Okay, here's hopefully a simple explanation of my own method.

I open the file in Photoshop (BTW, the texture you showed from Citadel Station is actually TEL_HW3, IIRC ) and then click the channels dialogue. After clicking the Alpha tab, I can make simple edits to it with either the paint tool, or by importing something via copy-paste. 

 

It generally looks like this.

 

 

 

 

(I used the same texture, albeit edited; I also for some reason can't get the text tool to display any size above 1pnt, so I had to scrawl the words with the paint tool.. hopefully it is legible...)

[Kexikus 995]

Some tools that don't fully support Alpha channels, also allow to save and load them as selections (e.g. ps Elements). You could then make a new layer, get The selection, fill The selected part with some color and then modify This layer. In The end you'd get The selection from The layer and save it as Alpha channel again.