How to make a character see-through? (K1)

[DarthRevan101 104]

I've got a custom appearance that's a reskin of the Dark Jedi model. I want to make him translucent like a ghost, similar to the Ajunta Pall Unique Appearance mod, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[Kexikus 995]

From what I can tell, this is simply done with a half-transparent texture for both the head and the body. The holograms seen in K1 are also unique appearances that most likely use a transparent texture (unlike in TSL, where the hologram is an overlay).

 

So yeah, you'll need a unique appearance.2da (and heads.2da if necessary) row to assign him a unique texture and then give that texture an alpha channel of something like 50%.

[DarthParametric 3,783]

It looks like in some instances, holo Vandar for example, they animate the alpha value of the meshes instead.

[DarthRevan101 104]

From what I can tell, this is simply done with a half-transparent texture for both the head and the body. The holograms seen in K1 are also unique appearances that most likely use a transparent texture (unlike in TSL, where the hologram is an overlay).

 

So yeah, you'll need a unique appearance.2da (and heads.2da if necessary) row to assign him a unique texture and then give that texture an alpha channel of something like 50%.

 

I've made the image semi-transparent in GIMP but it doesn't show up in game like that.

[Kexikus 995]

You don't need a semi-transparent image, but an alpha channel. That's somehow the same thing but it's saved differently.

 

When saving your half-transparent image as .tga, it'll loose this transparency as .tga doesn't support transparency (I think). Instead it'll either look like it did before you made it half-transparent or it'll have washed out colors if transparency is replaced with grey colour. Either way, it's not what you want.

 

Instead you need an alpha channel. I don't know how GIMP handles these, but there should be tutorials for it. You need to add an alpha channel with "50% opacity". This information will then be stored in the .tga and can be read by the game. There it can be used for transparency, but also for other effects like cubemaps. In your case it should be read as transparency of course.

[DarthRevan101 104]

I've got an Alpha Channel but I can't figure out how to change the opacity. It won't let me edit the channel attributes.

 

[DarthParametric 3,783]

An alpha dictates transparency by greyscale values. White is 100% opaque, black is 100% transparent. You won't actually see transparency in Gimp. It's a mask that the game uses to control transparency.

 

If you are creating transparent images in Gimp, try saving them as PNG and then converting them to 32bit TGA. PNG actually uses an alpha for transparency, unlike GIF, and I believe that Gimp will preserve it during conversion (unlike PS).

[DarthRevan101 104]

Okay, so I've got it working (kind of) but it's only transparent in certain places. For example it looks exactly how I intended when I'm on Taris but if I go to Kashyyyk then it's no longer see-through. Is there something I'm doing wrong/a way around this or should I just live with it?

[DarthParametric 3,783]

What's it look like on Kashyyyk?

 

Btw for Ajunta Pall it doesn't look like they went the hologram route. They just used the standard Dark Jedi model and applied the blue shield VFX via the on-spawn script. The relevant bit being:

 

	effect efVisual = EffectVisualEffect(2041, 0);
	ApplyEffectToObject(2, efVisual, OBJECT_SELF, 0.0);

Edit: I tried out a mesh edit. Here's Ajunta Pall in his vanilla guise vs mesh alpha values of 0.5 and 0.75:

 

 

Uses the standard vanilla textures.

[DarthRevan101 104]

What's it look like on Kashyyyk?

 

Just solid, opaque. Except for the eyes though I think. I'll post a screenshot when I get back to my computer.

[DarthCalculus 2]

Just solid, opaque. Except for the eyes though I think. I'll post a screenshot when I get back to my computer.

I have the same issue now as DarthRevan101, except I'm having it with the Ajunta Pall Unique Appearance mod. Instead of being fully transparent like in the screenshot of the mod, the only thing that's transparent is the eyes and a small patch at the end of the "loincloth".

Everything else is opaque, but when the loincloth goes over the leg, it also becomes transparent. (I used this mod about 6 years ago, and back then it worked fine.) Does anyone know why that might be and how I can fix it?

[DarthParametric 3,783]

You can try this:

 

 

It requires the non-transparent textures from Silveredge9's mod, but nothing else (so delete the NCS, DLG, and UTC from his mod, if they are in your Override).

 

It uses a full body model with a reorganised hierarchy, much like the hologram fixes I did for TSL. I made some edits to the meshes to hopefully minimise any rendering issues. It uses mesh-based alpha, as with my example up above. I went with a value of 0.5, but that can be adjusted if necessary.

[DarthCalculus 2]

Thanks for a fast reply and fix! Worked like a charm, but there's still an issue. Now it looks like the generic commoner face is plastered on top of the ghost so that the transparent custom texture is clipping from inside as the whole thing flickers. The body is properly transparent. I removed the heads.2da file (though I need to replace it because I'm using the Malak's Unique Apprentices mod), and it still has the generic face on top. Any ideas?

 

On a similar topic, I'm trying to reskin Bandon's armor to look the armor TOR Jedi wear, i.e., greenish with brown cloth. I've been tweaking it without transparency, but when I export to TGA, the texture is mis-applied to the model; hands are on the chest, boots on the legs, etc. Is that because Pixelmator can't handle alpha channels? I thought if I didn't have transparency, it wouldn't matter. Or is there something I'm missing? All the tutorials seem so simple, but when I do it, it doesn't work.

EDIT: Nevermind, seems like using GIMP and keeping the alpha channel works. Too bad I absolutely suck at texturing!

[ndix UR 218]

...when I export to TGA, the texture is mis-applied to the model; hands are on the chest, boots on the legs, etc.

 

 

The TGA format includes an ability to say which corner is the 'origin'. GIMP gives you access to set this when you first save a TGA, for instance. The game expects a specific value (which I can never remember). If you make the wrong choice, your image is seen by the game as 'upside down' or mirrored horizontally. Probably Pixelmator made the wrong choice, maybe without letting you, the user, choose. If it's not that, you can get weird behavior from not having an alpha channel, so that's also an option.

[DarthParametric 3,783]

Now it looks like the generic commoner face is plastered on top of the ghost so that the transparent custom texture is clipping from inside as the whole thing flickers.

You kept Silveredge9's appearance.2da I gather? It wouldn't have patched out the head reference (it was based on patching a vanilla row). It's an easy enough fix, I just need to update the installer to overwrite every cell in the row.

 

Edit: Here, run this one, that should resolve it hopefully - https://www.darthparametric.com/files/kotor/k1/[K1]_Patch_for_Silveredge9's_Ajunta_Pall_Unique_Appearance_v1.1.7z

[DarthCalculus 2]

You kept Silveredge9's appearance.2da I gather? It wouldn't have patched out the head reference (it was based on patching a vanilla row). It's an easy enough fix, I just need to update the installer to overwrite every cell in the row.

Hey, it worked! Thank you so much! I did check the apperance.2da file, but I guess I didn't scroll far enough to the right and just gave up after the body model columns. Now it's all "ghosty" and proper. Is there a way you can post this fix along with the original mod or link to it from that page? I'm going to preserve it, but in another 6 years, I may not find it again.

 

By the way, love your other work, DarthParametric, and wanted to say thanks! Great idea of diversifying the Star Forge Jedi. 

[DarthCalculus 2]

The TGA format includes an ability to say which corner is the 'origin'. GIMP gives you access to set this when you first save a TGA, for instance. The game expects a specific value (which I can never remember).

Roger that, it gave the choice of bottom left and upper left. I got lucky and guessed right the first time. It was bottom left. And yeah, there's no such option of choice in Pixelmator.

 

Now where could I find someone to do my idea of reskinning Bandon's armor to the TOR Jedi style...? 

[DarthParametric 3,783]

Is there a way you can post this fix along with the original mod or link to it from that page? I'm going to preserve it, but in another 6 years, I may not find it again.

Only Silveredge9 could do that (or a mod/admin), but the prefereable approach would be for Silveredge9 to just incorporate my additions in an update to the original mod. But with a single post in 2016 and a last login date of January 2017, that seems like a long shot. The best I could do would be to release it formally and post the link in a comment on Silveredge9's mod.

 

Great idea of diversifying the Star Forge Jedi.

Wasn't my idea, I just did the legwork.

 

Now where could I find someone to do my idea of reskinning Bandon's armor to the TOR Jedi style...? 

Post a request in the request forum. Although don't expect to be inundated with responses (not ones offering to do the work at any rate).

 

If you are talking Bandon then I gather you want something for K1. Not sure about that, but there are a few existing options for TSL:

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/486-tor-armored-robes/

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/246-armored-robes-for-jal-shey-armors/

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/64-movie-style-jedi-master-robes/

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/62-daks-armored-robes-22/

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/137-darth-darkus-armored-robes/

 

http://deadlystream.com/forum/topic/4676-heavy-armored-master-robes/

[DarthCalculus 2]

Hey, thanks a lot! Seems like a lot of stuff has come out for TSL since I last played it. I remember Darkus' robes, and they are awesome! But yeah, I meant for K1 because I thought it might be neat to replace the Star Forge robes with Bandon's model and have a TOR-esque skin for the light side version. Though honestly, I'm currently in love with the Revan's Maskless Hoodless Robes mod, so it's no biggie.