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Hello,I am relatively new to MSTS, but have already picked up on how to reskin some of the ad-on models I've downloaded. My present problem is this: I can't seem to get the knack for including transparencies in my models. I am using TGATool2 to translate .ace files into .bmp files. I then do most of my modifying of the .bmp files in PaintShop Pro 8. Then, I save the modified files as .tga files so TGATool2 can turn them back into .ace files again. For the life of me, I can't seem to make heads nor tails of the PaintShop Pro "Help" information concerning alpha files and transparencies. For example: if I am modifying a freeware passenger car, how do I draw new transparent windows in exactly the shape and location I want, and how do I make the old transparent windows opaque? Then, how do I save all the information I need, and in what file format? It seems PaintShopPro will only save alpha files in it's proprietary format and not in .tga files. TGATool2 will only convert .bmp and .tga files back to .ace format for MSTS? It all boils down to the following 2 questions:1) How do I "paint with"/manipulate transparent areas on a particular file? 2) How do I save that file, with the alpha-file information, into .tga?Do I need to be using a different paint program? Are there utilities out there I haven't found yet that can help? Am I dense here, maybe there's an obvious solution Im missing?Please help EChicas@aol.com" target="_blank">PEChicas@aol.com
Hello Here' some things that might help. I work in PSP 7, but 8 is probably similiar. Load the bmp or tga file you want to work with into PSP. Select the "masks" menu, then select "load from alpha channel". Any alpha areas will appear in a checkerboard pattern. From the masks menu select "edit mask" and you can now paint in new transparent areas. You can use the color selction to select varying degress of transparency. The color pallet will be replaced by a grayscale pallet. The darker shade, the more transparent it is. To paint over an existing transparency, simply paint as normal over any transparencies. The tga format supports only ONE, not multiple alpha channels, so it is important to save your work correctly. Make sure you save the mask to the original alpha channel (usually labeled alpha channel 0), NOT as a new channel. If you don't do this, you will lose your work! Save as a tga, then convert to ace via TgaTool 2. Make sure to compress your textures in TgaTool 2 to save yourself (and everybody else, if you upload) space. Hope this helps!Grizzly
Grizzly has done one way, here is another. Using TGATool2 open the ace you want to edit, and send the main image to your editor, do not close TGATool. Work on the image and when finished, save. Go back to TGATool and reload the image,then create an alpha template from within TGATool and then send that to your editor, when finished, save and then back into TGATool as above. Now you export as Ace-(Alpha). Doing it this way, although it is maybe a bit longer, you do not have to worry about tga formats.mervyn.
