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Topic Starter	Topic: Creating a glow effect
N|K Grunt Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 63	Posted: 09-24-2009 01:06 AM                  What ways are there to create a glow effect in a Quake 3 map? I am thinking of creating a 32-bit .tga file and using alpha channel. I learn't this from researching and gave it a shot but haven't had any success. Is there any other ways? How can I create a correct transparant .tga? I have Photoshop Elements 5 that supports .tga. Once a .tga texture is complete, does it require a shader?
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^Ghost Mercenary Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 230	Posted: 09-24-2009 01:41 AM                  only way q3 recognizes a texture as transparent is if it has a black background, maybe white too (some1 correct me if im wrong).. and yes u will need a shader file for it.. think of it this way,, for any texture that u would want to 'animate' it somehow it will need a shader. only time u dont need a shader if the texture is a still image, and does nothing. _________________ NRC Defrag Q3 Map Archive
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maz0r Veteran Joined: 20 Apr 2004 Posts: 168	Posted: 09-24-2009 02:43 AM                  AFAIK q3 fully understands and supports the alpha channels of tga files. So no need for 'black or white backgrounds' at all, just use a program supporting alpha channels (like photoshop does).
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dONKEY The Afflicted Joined: 14 Oct 2001 Posts: 581	Posted: 09-24-2009 02:53 AM                  Both answers can be correct. For visible transparent areas you need to use a texture with an alpha channel and the appropriate script. For glow effects you would use a base texture and a separate glow texture on a black background and the appropriate shader to blend the two image and information on how you want the blend to appear. Again the shader manual will guide you. You can of course have a transparent texture and glowy bits on the same texure if you want, but again you need the appropriate script. Hipshot's advice in your other thread was sound. Find a shader that is almost what you want, then edit it to suit your needs...obviously renaming it and saving it in a separate shader file.
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obsidian I'm the dude! Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Posts: 12498	Posted: 09-24-2009 07:36 AM                  For a glow effect, you don't need a .tga with alpha channel, a simple additive .jpg will do. An additive texture (blendFunc add) will add non-black colour values to whatever is in the frame buffer. The only time you need a .tga file with alpha channel is when you want some pixels to be opaque while others are transparent (blendFunc blend). For example, grates, window frames with shiny glass behind it, plants, rocky textures that blends to dirt, etc. Regardless, you will certainly need a shader. Manual in my signature below. _________________ GtkRadiant | Q3Map2 | Shader Manual
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N|K Grunt Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 63	Posted: 09-27-2009 01:23 AM                  Cool, thanks man! Do you know how to make a texture partially transparent, like 50%?
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N|K Grunt Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 63	Posted: 09-27-2009 01:28 AM                  Let me see if I've got this right. I create a .tga with my graphics, and leaving the area I want transparent black... Then in an alpha chanel I set the colour 0/0/127 (255/2=127.5.. Round off 127) for it to have 50% opacity?
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g0th- Insane Quaker Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 262	Posted: 09-27-2009 02:01 AM                  ye gray is 50% trans _________________ http://www.g0th.se
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N|K Grunt Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 63	Posted: 09-27-2009 02:04 AM                  Cool, thought I got it figured... Now I am trying to figure out how to get Photoshop Elements 5 to fricken work... I am following the manual on selecting alpha channel, but it is not working. I hate Adobe I swear they can't program for shit I don't care what innovations they've come up with.. Corel are way better!
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Hipshot This is not Æon! Joined: 20 Jan 2002 Posts: 2222	Posted: 09-27-2009 02:23 AM                  You don't need to leave any area in the RGB space black, you control transparency only through the alpha. And why don't you use photoshop instead of elements, then? _________________ Q3Map2 2516 -> http://www.zfight.com/misc/files/q3/q3map_2.5.16_win32_x86.zip Q3Map2 FS_20g -> http://www.zfight.com/misc/files/q3/q3map2_fs_20g.rar GtkRadiant 140 -> http://www.zfight.com/misc/files/q3/GtkRadiantSetup-1.4.0-Q3RTCWET.exe
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N|K Grunt Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 63	Posted: 09-27-2009 02:26 AM                  I can't afford it and even if I could I wouldn't use it as I don't role with product activation.
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g0th- Insane Quaker Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 262	Posted: 09-27-2009 02:52 AM                  get gimp or so then it's free _________________ http://www.g0th.se
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N|K Grunt Joined: 23 Sep 2009 Posts: 63	Posted: 09-27-2009 02:54 AM                  Unstable... and before you say it, IrfanView is also a peice of shit.. Every second thing you toggle tells you to 'install a plugin to use this feature' or what ever. I will eventually get a quality image editor from Corel, but until then I am stuck with this unstable, purposly unoptimized & poorly designed peice of shit produced by Adobe; Photoshop Elements 5.
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g0th- Insane Quaker Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 262	Posted: 09-27-2009 03:39 AM                  yes gimp is pure shit and you can't do anything in that program without a crash. Only idiots and morons would ever use a program that crashes occasionally!! or wait all somewhat advanced programs can crash sometimes. Learn to deal with it! _________________ http://www.g0th.se
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DTS Elite Joined: 12 Jul 2000 Posts: 11553	Posted: 09-30-2009 05:17 PM                  g0th- has a point: If an authoring program crashes often, you just save often. I suggest Paint Shop Pro, though. Also, you might find that older versions of a program are more stable. Some have several versions to choose from on one page with one or more denoted as "stable".
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Silicone_Milk Immortal Joined: 12 Mar 2005 Posts: 2205	Posted: 09-30-2009 06:00 PM                    I use gimp regularly. I've yet to see it crash. Stop using it improperly
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