Back again.  Now I've discovered another problem with my brand new Vue 7 Infinite.  Here's what one of Monsoon's flowers looks like on an Alpha Plane:

I did not have this problem with Vue 6 so I know it's not something I'm doing wrong.

Am I alone with this problem or is anyone else having trouble with Alpha Planes?

Open the plane in V6 and see what mapping mode it is set to since you know that works.  Then open it in V7 and see if it has changed.  You may want to start off with the setting of Object Parametric.

The alpha cutout isn't showing. Chech the transparency tab of the material, do you see any function applied?

Quote - Open the plane in V6 and see what mapping mode it is set to since you know that works.  Then open it in V7 and see if it has changed.  You may want to start off with the setting of Object Parametric.

Yes, the mapping is set to Object Parametric in V7.

Quote - The alpha cutout isn't showing. Chech the transparency tab of the material, do you see any function applied?

To my untrained eye, it looks as if no function  is applied.  Here's a screen shot:

I haven't been in this editor before so I am confessing, I don't know what to do next.

Here is a screen shot of the Basic Material Editor of the erring image in Vue 7 Infinite:

Yep, the transmap isn't loaded in the transparency channel. What is the image format of the map you're using for the alpha plane? Do you have a colour map and a transmap? Or is it a single image, tif, tga or png, with em bedded alpha information ?
2nd question: how did you create the object, choosing alpha plane from the primitives menu, and loading the colour map then the alpha map? bThe tranparency channel shows a black map used as transparency, which means all visible, and your colour map's background is black, so the alpha plane should redner only the colour map, yet, it creates a grey background around the flower...

Quote - Yep, the transmap isn't loaded in the transparency channel. What is the image format of the map you're using for the alpha plane? Do you have a colour map and a transmap? Or is it a single image, tif, tga or png, with em bedded alpha information ?
2nd question: how did you create the object, choosing alpha plane from the primitives menu, and loading the colour map then the alpha map? bThe tranparency channel shows a black map used as transparency, which means all visible, and your colour map's background is black, so the alpha plane should redner only the colour map, yet, it creates a grey background around the flower...

All of what you say/ask makes sense, but I am applying the Alpha Plane image the exact same way in Vue 7 as I did in Vue 6 - that's why it's a mystery to me.

1.  I click on the Fly-out Primitive button in the left tool bar and select Alpha Plane

2.  In the Alpha Plane Options dialog box I navigate to the Monsoon folder in the Bitmap folder and apply it in the Color picture.  It's a PNG file so it automatically appears in the Alpha Picture box as well.  The preview in the Alphs Plane Options box looks just like it's supposed to render"

Ok, so it may be a png problem. How does Vue7 react? Does it load automatically the alpha map in the alpha picture slot?

Nope - it's not automatically loading the alpha from a png - just tested using the same flowers. 

Quote - Ok, so it may be a png problem. How does Vue7 react? Does it load automatically the alpha map in the alpha picture slot?

Yes, all I do is click the little arrow below the Color Picture, load the PNG, and then the image is automatically loaded into both the Color picture and the Alpha picture.

Quote - Nope - it's not automatically loading the alpha from a png - just tested using the same flowers. 

The funny thing, though, is that the Roadsign you have us apply to an Alpha Plane in Week 2 in the LVS Vue Intro  class renders perfectly - complete with correct Alpha. Further support for the theory that the bug only occurs with PNG files.

Yes, the jpg files with seperate alpha maps work fine.  This is a bug.  It will get fixed.  If you have an open ticket, add this info to it.  I will report it too.

I seem to remember V6 had a problem with PNG files that were indexed rather than RGB.  Would crash Vue every time you tried to load one.

OK - here's the response from e-on:

*Hi Mari-Anne,

This is a known problem that will hopefully be fixed in the next update.

Best regards.
Lee Randall

• Would anyone venture a guess as to when the next update might be?  7.5???

I'll bet a virtual dollar by next week Wednesday.  

Quote - I'll bet a virtual dollar by next week Wednesday.  

Sounds like someone has the inside scoop......

Nope - just guessing.  E-on has always been responsive to releasing patches as soon as they have a few fixes ready.  There are a bunch of little details items that need to be released quickly (missing presets, this png thingy). 

Hey, Mari-Anne. I did some tests, and was surprised at how Vue 7 is handling transparency regarding alpha planes. Yet, I can thankfully get it to work... :P

First of all, I used tif files (that include the alpha channel) to create alpha planes. Vue 7 didn't load the transparency, as did Vue 6.

So I switched to the Basic Material Editor. The Transparency function showed nothing, whereas Vue 6 would have automatically shown the alpha map image.... Then I clicked the Alpha map box, clicked Use color map, and clicked the little black and white diamond to reverse the transparency (because Vue 7 loaded the transparency in reverse by default).

I'm mentioning the last bit about the little diamond because if you have transmaps in which the black and white areas are the opposite of how Vue reads transparencies, you don't have to edit them in an image program to reverse the black & white; you only need to click that button and voila! it's done! :p

By the way, when I used jpgs to create an alpha plane (1 color map and 1 transparency map), the process was even easier in Vue 7 than when I used the tif files... I loaded the maps in the appropriate boxes, and they showed immediately.

So at least we can still use alpha planes until e-on fully resolves this issue... I must say, I'm relieved. If this feature was fully broken, I would cry. :p

Quote - Hey, Mari-Anne. I did some tests, and was surprised at how Vue 7 is handling transparency regarding alpha planes. Yet, I can thankfully get it to work... :P

First of all, I used tif files (that include the alpha channel) to create alpha planes. Vue 7 didn't load the transparency, as did Vue 6.

So I switched to the Basic Material Editor. The Transparency function showed nothing, whereas Vue 6 would have automatically shown the alpha map image.... Then I clicked the Alpha map box, clicked Use color map, and clicked the little black and white diamond to reverse the transparency (because Vue 7 loaded the transparency in reverse by default).

I'm mentioning the last bit about the little diamond because if you have transmaps in which the black and white areas are the opposite of how Vue reads transparencies, you don't have to edit them in an image program to reverse the black & white; you only need to click that button and voila! it's done! :p

By the way, when I used jpgs to create an alpha plane (1 color map and 1 transparency map), the process was even easier in Vue 7 than when I used the tif files... I loaded the maps in the appropriate boxes, and they showed immediately.

So at least we can still use alpha planes until e-on fully resolves this issue... I must say, I'm relieved. If this feature was fully broken, I would cry. :p

Wow, Angelsinger!  You did it!!  It works - I even got Monsoon's pretty little PNG flowers to work using your method.  What can I say other than Bravo and Many, Many Thanks!

Hey Peggy!  I'll bet you a million virtual dollars that your are wrong.  I suppose either way, I have nothing to lose :)

Maybe we should do this like the baby pool at work.  One of my co-workers is due to deliver on Tuesday - I have 5 bucks on Wednesday for that too (mom gets all the money).  :)