Problem placing prims correctly when they have transparent textures.

Hi,

I don't think this query is for the Textures forum - it is more a building problem.

I am most definitely not a builder, but I am trying to make things for my new different type of club. I have a wrought iron (well sort of wrought iron type design) balustrade that I have made with it's transparent bits and placed on a prim. All is well with that. I have also made a matching sloping balustrade to attach to some steps. But, the sloping balustrade looks to be a long way away from where I placed it at most angles, so does not look like a stairway balustrade and neither does it appear to start from the top of the steps and end of the straight balustrade. So it looks terrible.

I know transparent (tga) textures can look odd at times, but is there a trick to link the prims together so that they look like a balustrade with a sloping stairway balustrade coming off of it and appearing to be in the correct place, rather than the sloping balustrade looking to be half a mile away!!?

Thank you for any helpful suggestions you can give me on this.

Honeysuckle

Don't overlap transparent textures in 3D space. That's the only answer. As soon as two or more surfaces with transparency overlap within your line of site, there are going to be sorting problems. This is true in pretty much every 3D engine in existence, from virtual worlds like SL to video games to professional 3D modeling programs that cost thousands of dollars. The only reason you don't see it in games is because professional artists make sure to build around the problem. They just don't overlap transparencies, ever.

Without seeing your design, it's impossible to make any specific suggestions for how to fix your particular build. All I can offer are the same basic tips that apply to every build:

1. If you've got any 32-bit textures that don't absolutely need to be 32-bit (meaning they don't absolutely, positively need to have transparency in them), resave them as 24-bit. It's a common misconception among new texture artists that "more bits" must somehow be better than "less bits", so they save everything as 32-bit in the beginning, before they learn the hard way that that's not how it works.

2. If there are two surfaces that definitely do need to have 32-bit textures on them, and they absolutely do need to overlap, then put something 24-bit in between them, if you can.

3. Pay attention to where the centers of your objects are. That's the root of the problem. The computer makes its sorting decisions primarily by the distance each object's center is from your camera. Sometimes you can use this to your advantage, by applying cuts and hollows, to change where a prim's center is, and eliminate the issue.

4. If necessary, be prepared to rethink your design entirely. There are certain things that just can't work in real-time 3D.

Read the transparency guide at the top of the texturing form for a better understanding of how this stuff actually works.

If you'd care to post some screenshots, we could probably make some more specific suggestions.

My problem is solved thanks so much to Chosen's advice.

I have been playing around all afternoon and now my stairway balustrades look like what they should be and look like they are sitting in the correct place and not off somewhere else half a mile away!

Thanks so much Chosen - you will get a special invite when my different type of "club" opens!!

Glad to hear you got it all sorted out (no pun intended).