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[doctorb5]

Hello,

I'm trying to represent a star field. I have seen several methods including one using Terranim8or. But I was trying to find a simpler solution. So here's what I did:
-Create a simple cube, convert to mesh, get rid of all faces except one.
-Create a JPEG file with a bunch of black dots randomly located all over a white background.
-Create a new material. Load the JPEG file as its transparent texture. Apply to what is left of the "cube" (I call it the wall now).
-In scene mode, create a new scene. Add the "wall of stars". Position the camera in front of the "wall". Add an infinite light BEHIND the "wall".

Well, I was hoping to see the stars shining through the wall. All I see is dark.  Does that make sense? What am I overlooking? Thanks for any help.

[thecolclough]

if the camera is looking straight at a light, it doesn't see the light.  it can see any objects in the vicinity which the light is illuminating, but you won't see the light itself, and the light will only work on the side of the object which is facing towards the light.  it sounds like your problem is that you're looking at the unlit side of the face, and there's nothing visible through the holes except the background, because the light itself is invisible.

here's an even simpler solution: invert your trans map (ie. make it white-dots-on-black-background), reload it into anim8or and make the new version your trans map, and set the emissive to 1, and the emissive colour to white.  that should render correctly in scene mode, irrespective of how it's lit.

hope that helps

- colclough

[doctorb5]

Well, I'm not sure I understand why, but your trick works beautifully!!! The only "awkward" thing is that the "wall" is actually completely white in Scene mode and you have to render with a black background in order to get the full "space" effect.

In any case, this is a great help! Thanks!

[thecolclough]

glad it worked

if you're seeing solid white in scene mode, that probably means that either there's some setting which has been set wrong in the program (some checkbox which isn't checked in one of the options panels), and/or your computer isn't powerful enough to handle transparency maps in the working views.  i'm using a high-powered computer, and it does apply trans maps in working views, but i can't remember whether or not it worked on my previous machine.

anyway, how the trick works: by setting the emissive to 1 (ie. maximum glow-in-the-dark factor), and the emissive colour to white (which, as we all know, is the lightest colour you can get), you basically make the whole object glow completely white, irrespective of lighting conditions.  but then by applying the trans map, with only a few little dots of white (white bits on trans map = opaque bits on your object), you make most of the glow-in-the-dark white panel/wall/whatever invisible.  the few bits which are allowed by the trans map to remain visible, will then show off the emissive settings, producing the little glowing spots.

hope that made sense...

- colclough

[doctorb5]

Yes, it makes perfect sense. Thanks again!

[thecolclough]

you're welcome - it's always great when someone actually wants to know about some of the nerdy info i spend my time absorbing

- colclough