Transparencies and Layer 0 - Totally stuck - Problem solved

bbwolf

Hello there

Up until now I allways could help myself with the video tuts and previous forum entries.
But now I am totally stuck and close to having a conorary.

I have a model with a few buildings. Commercial factory. To be safe I drew everything on
a different layer, foolishly thinking they´d prolly work the same as in Photoshop. Now, I allready found out that evrything transparent is locked into Layer 0. But that doesn´t help me.

I have tents all over the place and the tents have windows and beeing able to see thru them is mandatory. In addition I need trees. And I have a floorplan I imported as a picture which I initially placed onto a layer I called background, or so I thought I did. Still a but fuzzy about how those layers work for real.

Now, every tree I got from the 3D warehouse is not visible as long as the transparencies are checked on. If I uncheck em, my windows become black. And adding insult to injury, now with transparencies checked on, my floorplan vanishes. But without it I can´t work. I am partial to just working with default component trees, but they´ll stick out of the finished pic because they´re pretty low poly by comparisson. And then when I´m done turning the transparency on again because then I´ll no longer need the floorplan.

But there gotta be a better way. Please, can anybody out there tell me how to display trees and windows at the same time? Where´s my big mistake???

Many thanks in advance

Wolf

sorgesu

Wolf,

I have some ideas about what may be going on. If your model is not too big could you post it? I think there are a number of issues, possibly.

First of all, ideally all geometry should be on layer 0. You should use groups and components to physically separate your geomtry and then associate the group or a component with a separate layer. That is : the geometry inside the component is on layer 0 but the component "packaging" is on a different layer. You use the layers only to toggle visability of things. Transparency should work on every layer unless you are using "colour by layer' and then all items with a different material would need to go on a different layer. Not the best way to work.
Can you post your model?

bbwolf

Hya Sorgesu

Thanks for your help. But, post the model? You mean the .skp as an attachment inside
this post? Gotta try this.

About your tips...

So if I merge the layers, after I grouped the buildings, and then reasign the groups to
different new layers, there is a possibility of getting everything right?

And what´s "colour by layer", please?

I´ll try posting the model

Wolf

sorgesu

I wouldn't merge anything until someone here has had a chance to look at your model ( yes the .skp) and tried to see what is happening.
Colour by layer is an option available from the layer browser. If you haven't actually activated that, stay away from it for now. We will see if that has accidentally been activated when we look at your model.

sorgesu

I need to pop out.
The link doesn't work but you don't need anything so facny just go to the options when you are replying to a post and look for the"upload attachment" tab and follow the instructions.
I apologize but I wont' be available for a few hours.
I hope someone else pops in and gives you a hand before I return .
I'll check in then

bbwolf

Okay. I won´t merge. I was busy setting up a ftp connection and my webspace to post the data anyway.

Thanks for the help. It is highly appreciated.

sorgesu

Hi Wolf
Your model is in "hidden line" mode. That means it will not show paint colour or textures/materials that are applied. So neither the transparent paint nor the tree material will show in this mode.

If you go to this post: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=9503

I explain there how to go from "wirframe" display mode to "shaded with textures" display mode. You can do the same to get out of "hidden line" mode and then you will see your transparent paint colours and your tree materials.

To have nicer edges around your materials with alpha transparency, such as with your trees, you can go to : Window>Styles Click on the edit tab, click on the second icon which is for face settings and at the bottom of the dialogue: enable transparency and make it "Nicer" insted of 'faster".

I checked your layers and in most cases you actually do have the inside geomtry on layer 0 and the component or group instance on a separate layer. So that is mostly okay. You just really need to be aware as you are creating these to make sure that things are on the layers that you want.

Hope that helps.

bbwolf

Heya Susan

So all I did now was to check the default style and uncheck the profiles and bingo.
I still don´t understand "hidden line mode" thou. I am constantly switching between
the different views and my problem was in the "shaded with texture" too. (Not a total noob here )

Anyway it now is nowhere to be seen. Everything is nicely displayed. Hmmm.

Many many thanks for your help. Nice to have ppl who actually have time and knowledge
to help others.

Wolf

bbwolf

Hello Susan

Well, it is almost closing time here too. Means it´s prolly deep in the middle of the
night at your place. Thanks for the tip with attachment. I guess I was just too warped
around work to see the tree in the woods. I´ll attach the data, then.

Hmmm. Too big to attach. I´ll provide a new working link then.
http://www.notneededanymore.com/emptypromise

Anybody else got a guess or a tip? I´d hate having to start over again.

Wolf