Simviation Forums

by **Jean Loup** » Wed Feb 17, 2016 7:39 pm

This time, my ALPHA troubles are not caused by my restless thick fingers: now Randow Choice (or Karma) elected me for disaster. Maybe my previous ALPHA CHANNEL TROUBLE post acted as a Lightning Rod for derelict ALPHAS on the loose to strike me!!

I downloaded a variant of the North American T-6 Texan South African Air Force T-6 Texan here at Simviation & it behaves as a tricky Texan should, I like it. I added 2 more textures of the Spanish Air Force, installed & opened my FS 2004 Silver Wings for test flights:

My Time of the Day choice being DUSK, (

forgot to compensate the hour difference between Mexico & Britain) and...

...the poor thing is phantasmagorical & translucent!! So I checked the other 3 Texans textures in this pack:

ALL translucent, like model kits made of cheap plastic... EXCEPT THE LAST ONE: FAB ELO. PLUS this phenomenom does not happen in Daytime hours ("only" :doh:

at Dawn, at Night & at Dusk):

Since FAB ELO has the ALPHA channel as a white square...I changed the ALPHA channel as a white square in 463+31: now translucency & reflections ARE GONE:

So ALPHA mods have DiRE consecuences!! And I did a lot of configuring there... Fearing the worst (

I boobooed my FS2004 AGAiN!!) I checked my aircraft with more shine over Bare Aluminum (darker Alphas):

Beech Staggerwing USAAF

Beech model 18 USAAF:

Gee Bee model Z:

My breath has come back before having an atack, menos mal. I tryed Reflections vs NO Reflections, in aircraft CFG I found a model Option- normal & No-refl -TO NO AVAiL: only replacing ALPHA channels with a White Square WORKS!! Now, I installed this Texan Pack in my FS 2004 Golden Wings

SAME THiNG... Of all my aircraft, this only happens with South African Air Force T-6 Texan. :think:

in BOTH SiMS. :violin:

HOW CAN I MODIFY THiS CONDiTiON, retaining reflections?? :pray:

by **logjam** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 1:01 pm

In TV and filming, have you ever heard of a "Blue background?" It's how they project weather charts into thin air to simulate a seemingly realistic screen. If the weatherman also wears a blue shirt, then the projection appears on his shirt too. Blue screen phenomena it's called. The weather man can't wear a blue shirt. Methinks the same problem is hidden somewhere in the SA Texan. Don't ask me where, but you are on the right track with a white square. Why not try colors?

by **Jean Loup** » Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:14 pm

logjam wrote:In TV and filming, have you ever heard of a "Blue background?" It's how they project weather charts into thin air to simulate a seemingly realistic screen. If the weatherman also wears a blue shirt, then the projection appears on his shirt too. Blue screen phenomena it's called. The weather man can't wear a blue shirt. Methinks the same problem is hidden somewhere in the SA Texan. Don't ask me where, but you are on the right track with a white square. Why not try colors?

Hello Logjam, I was wondering why other aircraft with ALPHA channel textures only use diferent shades of grey

This is the Top Wing ALPHA color on Lockheed L10E (sperry) that does not go translucent into Dusk, Night & Dawn:

Well, for the moment changing ALPHA channel colors as Logjam sugested & will report results. (soon I :pray:

hope)

by **Azframer** » Sat Apr 09, 2016 5:46 pm

I had read somewhere when trying to duplicate a bare metal or Chrome scheme you will need black as alpha channel under where bare metal or chrome will be. I guess black gives you a higher reflection than grey will, the darker the grey the more reflective the paint will shine if I understood it correctly.

Rick