Need to use alpha channels and TSM for the first time
Started by muskokaandtahoe4 posts3 min read
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I'm building a route and have a couple of areas where I need to show some drainage canals or small, stagnant creeks. Because I'm already using the default water texture for a large (blue) body of water I need something different for this problem. I figure the best way to do this is to create an object in TSM, texture it appropriately, and simply bury the edges leaving exposed that portion of the water I want to reveal. Of course, I want the top of the water to be mostly transparent with lower layers being dark.I don't know how to apply multiple layers of textures using TSM (I assume this is the best forum to learn). Is this something where the layers are actually in the .ace file -- that I could put any texture on the part within TSM? Or is that done in TSM, in which case how to I show multiple textures over the same x/y locantion -- multiple parts or some other way?Dave Nelson Western Pacific / 1950
RE: Need to use alpha channels and TSM for the first ti
You have to construct the textures outside of TSM using a paint program that supports layers to make a bmp or tga file that can be converted into an ace file. You can use the bmp to map the texture in TSM but dont convert on export. The final file will then pick up the ace that was previously converted, and be already mapped, as long as it is in the correct folder.To do the conversion from tga/bmp to ace easily you need TGATool2.mervyn@madasafish.com
RE: Need to use alpha channels and TSM for the first ti
I have the Corel products (I tend to use their PhotoPaint software more than Draw), TGATool, and TSM.Lemme see if I understand your reply: do the texture in Corel, run it thru TGATool, use the original .bmp in TSM... Well, that's what I've done for some of the other objects I created so that's all familiar....Hmmm.... I'm looking at the default water texture I'm using, something I downloaded from here: there are 3 distinct visible layers present and I see there are 3 .ace files as well. Sounds like an equivalent object from TSM would have 3 flat surfaces with some gap between, each textured as described above -- that should work, right?Dave Nelson Western Pacific / 1950
RE: Need to use alpha channels and TSM for the first ti
That sounds about right, with each texture having different degrees of 'transparency' to allow the overall effect to be seen. I was originally thinking more along the lines of making a single texture out of several layers and applying that to a single surface, but the multi-layered object using different degrees of alpha would seem more attractive, although more work intensive.mervyn@madasafish.com