Excuse me, I need your help for something...

ID:178473
 
May 7 2002, 8:29 pm
I've been having... Difficulty.

You see, I want to make something transparent (so it can be seen through, slightly. I've tried fiddling with invisibility, that dithered transparencies library, and neither seemed to give me any results.

So I'm asking if someone would please help me on this one, please.

Thank you very much.
May 7 2002, 8:35 pm
The short answer is that you're not going to get any better than dithering or flickering... as BYOND's graphics engine currently works, a pixel is either there or it isn't.

You can make a "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" effect for holograms or ghosts by making every other frame of a movie empty... you can dither an icon so that the icons below it show through, if somewhat pixelated, but you can't make translucent colors.
May 7 2002, 8:41 pm
In response to Lesbian Assassin
Lesbian Assassin wrote:
The short answer is that you're not going to get any better than dithering or flickering... as BYOND's graphics engine currently works, a pixel is either there or it isn't.

You can make a "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" effect for holograms or ghosts by making every other frame of a movie empty... you can dither an icon so that the icons below it show through, if somewhat pixelated, but you can't make translucent colors.

The dithering approach works quite well. We have a transparent weapon effect in L&D using that.
May 7 2002, 8:45 pm
In response to Lesbian Assassin
Lesbian Assassin wrote:
The short answer is that you're not going to get any better than dithering or flickering... as BYOND's graphics engine currently works, a pixel is either there or it isn't.

You can make a "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" effect for holograms or ghosts by making every other frame of a movie empty... you can dither an icon so that the icons below it show through, if somewhat pixelated, but you can't make translucent colors.

Your second paragraph you said exactly what I needed, dither an icon so that the icons below it show through. But how do I do that??
May 7 2002, 8:48 pm
In response to Buruma
Buruma wrote:
[snip]
dither an icon so that the icons below it show through. But how do I do that??

The color in the upper left while editing icons is the transparent color. You could make every other pixel transparent like a checkerboard. You should not have to worry unless you have really tiny details to show.
May 7 2002, 8:51 pm
In response to ACWraith
ACWraith wrote:
Buruma wrote:
[snip]
dither an icon so that the icons below it show through. But how do I do that??

The color in the upper left while editing icons is the transparent color. You could make every other pixel transparent like a checkerboard. You should not have to worry unless you have really tiny details to show.

Thank you Mr. Wraith, Ms. Assassin, Mr. Deadron. I'll do that then. I hope you didn't mind too much my incompetence...
May 7 2002, 8:52 pm
In response to Buruma
Buruma wrote:
Thank you Mr. Wraith, Ms. Assassin, Mr. Deadron. I'll do that then. I hope you didn't mind too much my incompetence...


It's not really incompetence it's a common mistake, some of BYOND's best coders don't even know about the mask effect in the icon editor.
May 8 2002, 2:48 am
Buruma wrote:
I've been having... Difficulty.

You see, I want to make something transparent (so it can be seen through, slightly. I've tried fiddling with invisibility, that dithered transparencies library, and neither seemed to give me any results.

One other approach you might try, for stationary objects:
proc/MakeTransIcon(atom/item,atom/under,opacity=0.5)
  var/icon/ic1=new(under.icon,under.icon_state)
  var/icon/ic2=new(atom.icon,atom.icon_state)
  ic1.SetIntensity(1-opacity)
  ic2.SetIntensity(opacity)
  ic1.Blend(ic2,ICON_ADD)
  item.icon=ic1

As long as the object doesn't move, you're set.

Lummox JR
May 8 2002, 5:34 am
In response to Lummox JR
And, if you need a movement system, you just have to make it reset to the origioal icon and icon state and then run the blending program again. I use something like it for a shadow system in one of my new games, which has some pretty innovative graphics effects in it.

-Lord of Water
May 8 2002, 7:04 am
In response to Buruma
So long as you type in proper english, your incompetence it totally acceptable :oP
May 8 2002, 10:07 am
In response to Lummox JR
[Giggles] It wasn't for an object though, it was for stationary turf :p