Transparency and Background Rendering problem

[darrenc182]

I am trying to render an outdoor scene with terrain, a skybox and my simple HUD. I can render the HUD in the transparency world with the Terrain, but I cannot render the skybox, terrain and HUD together. I can also render the skybox and terrain just fine by themselves also. I am putting my HUD in the transparency world like this:

 

fw.GetTransparency().SetWorld();
CreateAmmoHUD();
CreateHealthHUD();
fw.GetMain().SetWorld();

 

I am rendering the skybox like this:

fw.GetRenderer().SetSkybox(LoadMaterial("abstract::FullskiesBlueClear0016_2_L.mat"));

 

When that is commented out terrain and HUD render fine. When it is uncommented then I get a black screen with the HUD display but no skybox and no terrain, however everything renders fine for the first frame and after that I get a black screen with the HUD only. Does anyone have an idea on how I can fix this, or is this potentially a bug? All help will be greatly appreciated.

[Marleys Ghost]

what are you using for your HUD ?

[darrenc182]

what are you using for your HUD ?

 

I'm using plane meshes and textures with alpha channels if I remember correctly and I'm parenting all of the plane meshes to the camera.

[Sanctus]

Don't know if you solved this or not but if you use SetBlend with alpha blend you should set the blend back to none before drawing the scene. That worked for me.

[VeTaL]

This is old thread, but i dont want to create new one with the same problem.

 

Looking like this dont works for particles

 

SetBlend(BLEND_ALPHA);

TEmitter emitter = CreateEmitter(20,800,Vec3(0,0.2,0),1, _parentEnt);
PaintEntity(emitter, g_gunSmoke);  
SetEmitterRadius(emitter,0.005,0.1);

SetBlend(0);

[macklebee]

Why should it? SetBlend is for the drawing commands. Set the world to the transparency world using SetWorld, and then back again to the main world after creating the emitter. The Wiki is your friend.

[VeTaL]

http://www.leadwerks.com/wiki/index.php?title=Worlds#SetWorld

 

There is not too many info... I saw tutorial on transparency, there is creation of new worlds, changing them and so on... Isnt it done in TFramework ?

 

In another words, is there defined-in-TFramework transparent world?

 

PS: Here it is

http://www.leadwerks.com/wiki/index.php?title=Framework#GetFrameworkLayer

[VeTaL]

Anyway, this also don't works

 

SetWorld(GetLayerWorld(GetFrameworkLayer(1)));

TEmitter emitter = CreateEmitter(20,800,Vec3(0,0.2,0),1, _parentEnt);
           PaintEntity(emitter, g_gunSmoke);  
           SetEmitterRadius(emitter,0.005,0.1);

SetWorld(GetLayerWorld(GetFrameworkLayer(0)));

[VeTaL]

So, how can i make good emitter using C++ ?

[ZioRed]

Are you sure that your emitter doesn't work? At first glance you are using a one-shot emitter, so may be it's "quick" and you don't see it, try to using a looping ones, the following code works for me:

 

TFramework fw = CreateFramework();
TCamera camera = GetLayerCamera( GetFrameworkLayer(0) );

TModel crawler = LoadModel("abstract::crawler.gmf");
TModel crawler2 = LoadModel("abstract::crawler.gmf");
MoveEntity(crawler2, Vec3(-2,0,0));
TMaterial mat = LoadMaterial("abstract::dust.mat");
TEmitter emitter = CreateEmitter(50,3000,Vec3(0,4,0));
PaintEntity(emitter, mat);
SetEmitterRadius(emitter,0.005,0.1);
PositionEntity(emitter, EntityPosition(crawler));
EntityParent(emitter, crawler);

PositionEntity(camera, EntityPosition(crawler));
MoveEntity(camera, Vec3(0,0,-3));

flt mx = 0, my = 0;
HideMouse();
TVec3 camrotation = Vec3(0);

while( !KeyHit() && !AppTerminate() )
{
mx=Curve(MouseX()-GraphicsWidth()/2,mx,6);
my=Curve(MouseY()-GraphicsHeight()/2,my,6);
MoveMouse(GraphicsWidth()/2,GraphicsHeight()/2);
camrotation.X=camrotation.X+my/10.0;
camrotation.Y=camrotation.Y-mx/10.0;
RotateEntity(camera,camrotation);

if (KeyHit(KEY_C))
{
	mx = 0;
	my = 0;
	camrotation = Vec3();
	PointEntity(camera, crawler);
}
if (KeyHit(KEY_X))
{
	TEmitter newEmitter = CreateEmitter(50,3000,Vec3(0,4,0));
	PaintEntity(newEmitter, mat);
	EntityColor(newEmitter, Vec4(0,0,1,1));
	SetEmitterRadius(newEmitter,0.005,0.1);
	PositionEntity(newEmitter, EntityPosition(crawler));
	MoveEntity(newEmitter, Vec3(0, 0, 2));
	EntityParent(newEmitter, crawler);
}

TVec3 pos = EntityPosition(crawler);
if (KeyHit(KEY_D))
	pos.X += 0.5f;
   if (KeyHit(KEY_A))
       pos.X -= 0.5f;
   if (KeyHit(KEY_W))
       pos.Y += 0.5f;
   if (KeyHit(KEY_S))
       pos.Y -= 0.5f;
   if (KeyHit(KEY_Q))
       pos.Z += 0.5f;
   if (KeyHit(KEY_E))
       pos.Z -= 0.5f;
PositionEntity(crawler, pos);

UpdateFramework();
RenderFramework();
Flip();
}

[VeTaL]

Thanks, ZioRed, but i was talking about making particles transparent and gave code of my trying to set transparent world.

 

In tutorial, there is

//Render the world
SetBuffer(gbuffer);
RenderWorld();
//Render lighting
SetBuffer(BackBuffer());
RenderLights(gbuffer);

 

But as far as i know, framework already manages worlds and buffers.

 

So, thats what i'm stucked in: how can i render transparent entity (probably particles, not 2d text) in framework?

[Pixel Perfect]

This is taken from my engine's fire object class and the smoke emitter is using a transparent material for the particles. This definitely works for me. I'm using framewerk rather than framework (and a modified version to allow direct buffer access) but this should work just as well with framework. Hope this helps:

 

void fire::createEmitters(void)
{
float intensity;
float lifetime;

// Set transparent world
m_pFramewerk->GetTransparency().SetWorld();

//  Create the smoke emitter
intensity = 25+(m_fSmokeWidth*50);
lifetime = (m_fSmokeHeight/m_fSmokeSpeed)*1000;
TEmitter smoke = CreateEmitter(50,lifetime,Vec3(0,m_fSmokeSpeed, 0)); 
EntityColor(smoke,Vec4(1,1,1,0.25));
PaintEntity(smoke,LoadMaterial("abstract::softdust.mat"));
SetEmitterRadius(smoke,0.3,0.3);  // 0.5,0.5
SetEmitterWaver(smoke,0.4);
SetEmitterRotationSpeed(smoke,0.5);
SetEmitterArea(smoke,Vec3(m_fSmokeWidth));  // 0.5 
PositionEntity(smoke,Vec3(getObjectPosition().X,getObjectPosition().Y + (m_fFireHeight*0.5),getObjectPosition().Z),1);  

// Create the fire emitter
intensity = 100+(m_fFireWidth*100);
lifetime = (m_fFireHeight/m_fFireSpeed)*1000;
TEmitter fire = CreateEmitter(intensity,lifetime,Vec3(0,m_fFireSpeed,0));
EntityColor(fire,Vec4(1,0.5,0,0.3));
PaintEntity(fire,LoadMaterial("abstract::fire.mat"));
SetEmitterRadius(fire,0.25,0.15);
SetEmitterWaver(fire,0.25);
SetEmitterRotationSpeed(fire,0.5);
SetEmitterArea(fire,Vec3(m_fFireWidth));  // 0.4
PositionEntity(fire,getObjectPosition(),1);

// Create the heat haze emitter
TEmitter heat = CreateEmitter(20,1000,Vec3(0,m_fFireSpeed,0));
TMaterial material=LoadMaterial("abstract::heathaze.mat");
m_pFramewerk->GetRenderer().SetHeatHazeTexture(material);
PaintEntity(heat,material);
SetEmitterRadius(heat,0.50,0.50);
SetEmitterWaver(heat,0.5);
SetEmitterRotationSpeed(heat,0.1);
SetEmitterArea(heat,Vec3(0.25));
PositionEntity(heat,getObjectPosition(),1);

// Set main world
m_pFramewerk->GetMain().SetWorld();
}

 

You also need to ensure you have the line:

 

blend=alpha

 

in your material file or you won't get the transparency.

[VeTaL]

Thats the main question of this thread: how to change

m_pFramewerk->GetTransparency().SetWorld();

to framewOrk

[macklebee]

just out of curiosity, do lua scripted emitters work for you?

[VeTaL]

Yep, LUA barrel with fire forks fine.

I want to make transparent object with C++

 

PS: C++ and framework, if possible: i dont want to invent my "brave new worlds".

[Pixel Perfect]

Having looked at the Wiki page on Framework your previous code looks correct: SetWorld(GetLayerWorld(GetFrameworkLayer(1)));

 

So assuming this is not bugged is there an issue with your mat file or the texture itself?

 

What exactly are you seeing when the emitter runs ? Transparent areas being rendered non transparently ? Do you have a graduated transparency or are the transparent areas 100% transparent in the texture?

[VeTaL]

I see something like this

 

I use:

SetWorld(GetLayerWorld(GetFrameworkLayer(1)));

TEmitter emitter = CreateEmitter(20,800,Vec3(0,0.2,0),1, _parentEnt);
PaintEntity(emitter, g_gunSmoke);  

SetEmitterRadius(emitter,0.005,0.1);
EntityColor( emitter,Vec4(1,1,1,0.1) );
SetEmitterRotationSpeed(emitter,0.1);

SetWorld(GetLayerWorld(GetFrameworkLayer(0)));

 

PS: about smoke appearance point i ask in this thread ( http://leadwerks.com/werkspace/index.php?/topic/3036-getvertexposition-usage/ ), but this is another thread

[Pixel Perfect]

Well although I've never used framework that code looks ok.

 

However, the pic you've attached shows transparency working! Its a strange banded type of transparency which is not ideally suited for smoke but its transparency none the less. You might want to look at the alpha channel in your underlying texture. Does it display the same banded transparency?

[VeTaL]

This smoke looking like on the picture in both cases:

if i use

SetWorld(GetLayerWorld(GetFrameworkLayer(1)));

or if i comment it.

[Pixel Perfect]

Sorry but I have no idea what's going on then. If your texture and mat file are ok then either framework is broken or something else in your code is interfering with this for some reason.

 

I believe alpha test (only full on transparency) works in the main world but alpha blend (graduated transparency) requires the transparent world to render correctly.

 

I think you need to talk to someone who is using framework rather than framewerk to confirm transparent emitters are working correctly for them. Then maybe they could try your mat and texture files.

[VeTaL]

I'm using just a standard smoke files... Looking like i need to go back to framewerk from framework.

[VeTaL]

Hey... Is it really framework so useless?

[VeTaL]

Heeeey... How can i get access to transparent world in Framewerk?

[VeTaL]

thanks to Deluvas for his time, trouble was in old assets that i used in my main project (i think that, because i created new test scene and got sprites to work)