Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets, Comando G)

[DoctorRuina]

The result is spectacular, RD. Thanks a lot! I'm trying to place the pupil in the eye, but I don't know if I've gotten a good result. And if someone knows how to use alpha we could fix the cape.

[DoctorRuina]

I find it difficult to get the pupil position right. honestly I don't know if I've improved it.

[Randomdays]

The "w_joe_kao" pic included in the rar has the pupils in the right place, but the skin is smaller and darker than the main skin. You might use that for a base to work off of though.

I think the file that cranlox did and linked to might have the alpha applied to it.

[DoctorRuina]

Oh! where is that file? I tried using alpha but I couldn't get it.

[Randomdays]

It should be in the rar you downloaded

[Randomdays]

The Phoenix is uploaded with the other G Force files

[DoctorRuina]

It looks great! When I have time after other projects, I will try to do Berg Katse and the Galactor soldiers.

[BentonGrey]

These looks great, guys!

[Randomdays]

I usually work with irfanview as my main graphic editor. Its not much but usually gets me what I want except in the case of this transparency issue. It looks like it automatically shows the transparency color as the background color and saves the pic without the alpha channel for tga. MAybe a different version would work but I just got this version back in May.

I think other programs could do a better job, like Gimp or Photoshop, but for the rare times I need it it's really not worth the effort for me to ad more programs to install and learn.

I was hoping some of the more advanced skinners would step and covert them over, but I guess that ther earen't any around at the moment.

Doc, take a look at gimp if you want -its free and should be able to work with the tga or converting over the png and keep the transparency.

[cranlox]

I don't think I'm advanced in anything, but specifically what you want is to change colors here and there or make image details, it may be within my reach. I don't know the program at all, so I didn't actively join in, but with Gadget I did and I tried to contribute, but I'm still struggling to improve my methods. Still think I owe some fx to Benton?

[Randomdays]

Sorry if you already know this, but just to put some info out there if you or others don't

Not just change the color, but make it invisible in game. Tga's and some other picture formats, can have an "alpha channel" or transparent color. That color won't appear on the mesh. You can make a cape longer, shorter, ribbed, or put holes in it without altering the mesh, just the skin.

There's also the fact that skins only show up on one side of a mesh, and are invisible on the other. A single layer cape would only be seen from either the front or the back, but not both. That's why most capes are double layered so that this doesn't happen.

male_alpha is specifically set up for this. Looking at some of the skins for the various male_alpha variants on my computer, some appear to be working as they should while others aren't. Not sure if this is due to my video card or just the newer version of windows than back in the day. I'm pretty sure that they worked as they should when they were created. If so, they may work either better or worse for you than for me.

Put one of the male alpha's in the viewer and check out some of the skins for it if you have them. You'll see different versions of the alpha parts and can se if they're working for you or not.

Below is one that was working - Coal Tiger for male_alpha_collar_cape. In the first pic, everything looks good, but in the second pic you can see that the mesh for the cape and collar are much longer and higher than this character uses. It's also blocking out part of his head from view.

There are also pieces set up for the ends of the hands for things like Wolverine's claws, and forearm fins.

This is different than transparency of the mesh itself where the character can appear ghost like, or like glass. This part is working on the visors of the team members above. This doesn't work too well in FF, but does better in FFvt3R

The alpha on the skins is set up on the skin itself, where the alpha on the character can be set in nifskope, for the entire character or just part of it.

[cranlox]

Of course, with alpha channel or what is transparency (empty squares let's say ) the problem with doing that is that the shadows continue showing the real shapes without the transparency, that happens to me with the wings of the W.i.t.c.h. that's why I tried to start generating things that are directly from the real shape that they should be.

If it is true that there are double-sided layers in FFVS3R, in my opinion they are the best
I always did the issue of assigning the alpha directly using the tga or dds file with the transparency, surely from starting from basics already done.

Here I attach Ken's perforated cape (quickly with transparency) it does not look transparent in the viewer or in the game, you probably have to change the cape model or activate the alpha/transparency color, which I don't know how to do.

FILE

It seems that neither the body nor the cape of that model shows alpha channel use in nifskope and I can't put it on, the "gac_tex01" texture is actually perforated in this version that I share and the lower part of the cape is still black
The cape cannot be replaced by a Batman or DarkVision one because the front of the chest and the neck of the character are attached to the cape model

[DoctorRuina]

I use irfanview for some basic stuff and I use photoshop 7.0 for the skins. I may not be able to use alpha with 7.0. I've tried and couldn't.

[DoctorRuina]

Selecting the piece, Node/Attach Property/NiAlphaProperty. This works with your skin, cranlox.

[Randomdays]

That's great Doc! I Didn't think that doing that in nifskope would have an effect like that.

Learned something new and we got the capes working1

Good job both of you!

[cranlox]

HERE THE FILES JOE AND THE GIRL
https://www.mediafire.com/file/07c3f1xubd7ptl5/JOE_CONDOR_CAPE.rar/file
https://www.mediafire.com/file/6xypfhx7nbneauq/file_GIRL_CAPE.rar/file

 

[DoctorRuina]

Thanks a lot, cranlox!