Chris on models...

[Rassilon]

If I were to apply a PNG file with alpha1 to a mesh would the transparent parts not show? Or is there a way to reproduce in studio MAX a transparency map using a PNG file with alpha1 mask? I want to reproduce nebulas using meshes and I think the best way would to incorperate the same procedure you use to render clouds in Celestia...If the above is not possible would it be possible to update models with transparency maps? Or if one just applied a PNG file to an already existing 3ds mesh the alpha1 mask will not appear?

I have tried this previously and the alpha1 shows up on the mesh as black instead of transparent or opaque...I may not be doing it right though...

[Rassilon]

Figure a bump is in order....

[chris]

If I were to apply a PNG file with alpha1 to a mesh would the transparent parts not show? Or is there a way to reproduce in studio MAX a transparency map using a PNG file with alpha1 mask? I want to reproduce nebulas using meshes and I think the best way would to incorperate the same procedure you use to render clouds in Celestia...If the above is not possible would it be possible to update models with transparency maps? Or if one just applied a PNG file to an already existing 3ds mesh the alpha1 mask will not appear?

I have tried this previously and the alpha1 shows up on the mesh as black instead of transparent or opaque...I may not be doing it right though...

You're doing it right . . . Celestia is unfortunately ignoring the alpha channel in your texture. You might try setting the opacity of the model to something like 99%--that may trigger Celestia to use the texture alpha. I'll look at making a real fix for this; I'm not sure exactly what to do, since Celestia doesn't know that a texture has an alpha channel until it's actually loaded it . . .

--Chris