Can someone please tell me the answer to this very simple question.

How can you add a 2d image to a scene which has an aplha applied to it, the idea obviously is that the black areas of the alpha are transparent.

Thanks.

Well in V5I what I normally do is:

1. Objects Menu
2. Create Alpha
3. Click the little Arrow under colour picture to load the colour image
4. Click the little Arrow under Alpha picture to load the transparancy map
5. If the transparancy on the preview is the wrong way round click the little white circle on a black back ground next to the Alpha picture image

Hope that helps

Eaglewing1000...you are aware that the last primative in the primative fly out is an 'alpha plane ready'  2 poly plane and it has all the requestors you need to get the images to appear as you want.It will also auto scale to the pro portions of your image as well as all the stuff in impish's post.

thanks that answered my question 100%. thanks.

Eagle... you will find that lighting on the alpha plane may look a bit off from the rest of the scene... you can either adjust your original image, or you can disregard the lights for that alpha plane and set it's illumination higher than 100%.  black robert from Poland has some great info on his website... http://www.graphique3d.republika.pl/

he has a nice tutorial about how he put his great VUE scenes together.  ... part of it is on his alpha plane sky settings.