PNG transparency with SU styles
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If you've seen the animated movies I create with SU (at TreasureInside.net) then you know how I insert png images of the characters into models. I use simple models without styles.
However, when I use styles, some strange things happen. Instead of just the border being transparent, everything turns translucent. All the background details show through the people. So I need to turn off transparency.
However, I would like to use styles and make the edges sketchy ... but I need the faces to stay opaque. I tried cutting away the border, so transparency could remain off, but that's lots of work.
Anyone have advice?
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Can you post an example SKP file with the sketchy line style applied?
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Yes Joel, I get that too. Haven't seen a fix.
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Thanks. One trick is to cut away all the border from a jpg and turn off transparency. That is what I want to do ... but the problem is cutting out the image from the background. It is possible and I have seen it done. Does anyone know how? - Joel
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Yeah, you can use a software like illustrator to general lines around an image that is nicely cut out like that. Then export that linework as dwg linework and there you go, you have the shape all cut out with SU lines. Its not super simple and it takes time though, but its probably faster than drawing the linework by hand in SU.
I thought TIG wrote a plugin to do this automatically, but I don't see it. I might have been thinking of his white to transparent plugin.
Rick made a plugin for this. Its not free, but not terribly expensive if you don't have hundreds to do. You install the plugin and then he charges for each cutout you do. you have send the png to his server and it processes and sends it back very quickly. Might be worth looking into:
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TIG's Image Trimmer: http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33445
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Perfect, thanks Dave!
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I'm not seeing it work. I select the image, choose Image Trimmer from Tools, but it does not trim off the transparent border pixels.
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Worked for me using TIG's Image Trimmer. try running the plugin with the Ruby console open and see if you get any messages. Go back to the thread and check to make sure you've got everything set up correctly.
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This is actually a known bug ever since these sketchy styles were introduced in version 6. (Some older members may remember Tomsdesk's plant packs he has never been able to release due to this).
So indeed the only solution is to cut the components around and forget image transparency when sketchy styles are used.
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Hmmm, I am getting a greyed out image and no trimming. I have all the files parked in their correct places.
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Did you open the ruby console and run the plugin? If so, please copy and paste errors (if any) back here to the forum.
Also, it did run the outline and trimming just fine. See how the sketchy lines in the background no longer overlap over the top of your character? So the trimming worked great. Now you just have to figure out why the .png is getting lost.
Chris
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The PNG isn't lost. It just isn't being displayed.
Try setting the face style to Shaded With Texture.
And it is indeed trimmed as Chris says The blue lines are the bounding box of the resulting component.
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I'm not sure how TIG's plugin works. Have you tried just putting them all into a model and selecting them all and running his plugin? Is that possibly a workflow that his plugin allows?
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Ahh, Shaded with Texture is the answer! Silly me. Thank you.
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