A question on particle effects

[Erik]

How do colour maps work? (for example on muzzleflashes)
Havent yet found out how to work with it, for example how does one make darker parts visible? How to change the fully transparent colour (if possible)?

[KDR_11k]

They're RGBA value sets, each set is one color it reaches during its lifetime.

[Master-Athmos]

As KDR said: You always have groups of four numbers meaning Red, Green, Blue and Alpha (i.e. transparency). You just write those four number groups right one after another. So e.g.

Code: Select all

1 1 1 0.5 0 0 0 0.5

would result in a colormap that makes the particle white in the beginning and then makes it go black until the end of its lifetime while always being halfway transparent (it's a fluent transition). Each group of the four numbers you add get distributed equally on the particle's lifespan. So if you put in three of the four number groups the first quad of numbers will be about how the particle looks when it gets emitted, the second quad will be about its state when having passed 50% of its lifetime and the third quad is how it has to look at the end of its lifespan...

To give you a visual clue: I guess you already know that kind of functionality from applying a gradient in whatever graphics software you use. It works the same way (except for having an additional value for the transparency):



So with five quads of values for the particle's color and alpha it'll do just that transition you can see in the image...

[Erik]

So what do i need to do if i want a thick dark cloud, without the black square around it showing up?

[bobthedinosaur]

what image are you using for the effect? something you made or something from another game? it might have to do with the alpha map, or it could just be you have a texture issue with your visual settings and/ or your gpu.

[Erik]

I'm using both self made textures and some that are "default" as in i don't really know where i got them from, most likely the sample mod.
They work fine but only for bright colours and low transparency settings. Higher alphas turn them into black squares.

[bobthedinosaur]

try giving the texture an alpha map, make black the outside and details white. this may help the texture loose its box effect

[Erik]

I cant do Alphamaps T_T

[bobthedinosaur]

uploaded it and i will make one

[Erik]

For every particle that i wanna do?
How does that work with gimp? All i can do is pressing "del" after loading an image to make the housecolour dissapear...

[smoth]

Gundam has pd effects take what you want.

[Erik]

thx, can i even take the codes?

[smoth]

Yeah

[Erik]

Thanks a lot I'm really not good at coding those.