transparent water surface

[neil]

hi i'm new, how would i go about making the water surface node transparent so the water look better?

[JP]

Change the material's flags to transparent. I forget what the methods and parameters are but if you check the API for ISceneNode you should be able to notice which functions and parameters it is.

[neil]

thanks for your help. I checked the help files but am still having trouble, could someone send me a source example of what the alpha code would look like. I appreciate it.

[rogerborg]

Have you looked at example 8 Special FX? Does it do what you want? If not, what do you want to do differently?

[neil]

The special fx example shows how to create the water node (which I have already done). What I want to do is make the water node semi transparent so i can see whats under the water, sorta like real water. So all i need help with is the code which would make something transparent or have an alpha value.

[rogerborg]

Off the top of my head, replace this:

Code: Select all

	node->setMaterialTexture(0, driver->getTexture("../../media/stones.jpg"));
	node->setMaterialTexture(1, driver->getTexture("../../media/water.jpg"));
	node->setMaterialType(video::EMT_REFLECTION_2_LAYER);

with this:

Code: Select all

	node->setMaterialTexture(0, driver->getTexture("../../media/water.jpg"));
	node->setMaterialType(video::EMT_TRANSPARENT_ADD_COLOR);

That'll give you a basic translucent layer, but then you'll lose the really pretty water FX. I'm not sure there's an out-of-the-box material type that'll give you both.

[Dark_Kilauea]

Try EMT_TRANSPARENT_REFLECTION_2_LAYER, but note that it doesn't work 100% in OpenGL (irrlicht version 1.3.1)

http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/docu/na ... .html#a158

[neil]

thanks for all the help. I managed to do what i wanted. But i have one last quick question. How would you make the transparent node (in this case water surface) less transparent? I would like my water a little less transparent that when using EMT_TRANSPARENT_ADD_COLOR.

[rogerborg]

Replace this:

Code: Select all

	mesh = smgr->addHillPlaneMesh("myHill",
		core::dimension2d<f32>(20,20),
		core::dimension2d<u32>(40,40), 0, 0,
		core::dimension2d<f32>(0,0),
		core::dimension2d<f32>(10,10));

	node = smgr->addWaterSurfaceSceneNode(mesh->getMesh(0), 3.0f, 300.0f, 30.0f);
	node->setPosition(core::vector3df(0,7,0));

	node->setMaterialTexture(0, driver->getTexture("../../media/stones.jpg"));
	node->setMaterialTexture(1, driver->getTexture("../../media/water.jpg"));

	node->setMaterialType(video::EMT_REFLECTION_2_LAYER);

with this

Code: Select all

	mesh = smgr->addHillPlaneMesh("myHill",
		core::dimension2d<f32>(20,20),
		core::dimension2d<u32>(40,40), 0, 0,
		core::dimension2d<f32>(0,0),
		core::dimension2d<f32>(10,10));

	smgr->getMeshManipulator()->setVertexColorAlpha(mesh->getMesh(0), OPACITY);
	node = smgr->addWaterSurfaceSceneNode(mesh->getMesh(0), 3.0f, 300.0f, 30.0f);
	node->setPosition(core::vector3df(0,7,0));

	node->setMaterialTexture(0, driver->getTexture("../../media/water.jpg"));
	node->setMaterialType(video::EMT_TRANSPARENT_VERTEX_ALPHA); 

Where OPACITY is the degree of opacity, with 0 being transparent and 255 being solid.