[Tutorial] How to make ANYTHING completely transparent

[Sparky]

Disclaimer: This may not work for you, but you can experiment with it.

EDIT: This will not work using our current modding methods. See this post for more information.

This technique can be used to make absolutely anything rendered by the Halo Engine completely transparent:

Simply rename the tag you want transparent to include # at the end.

So for example, completely transparent active camoflage can be obtained by renaming the bitmap "rasterizer\active camouflage distortion" to "rasterizer\active camouflage distortion#" -- easy, isn't it?

Other renaming effects, as described by the HEK manual:


% Two sided property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface renders both sides of the surface instead of just the side that the normal is facing.
# Transparent property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface allows the surface up to be rendered with transparency.
! Render only property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface makes the surface only render the face, the face or surface will not have any collision.
* Large collideable property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface sets the surface up to not be rendered and only have collision.
$ Fog plane property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface makes the surface not be rendered. The faces acts as a fog plane that can be used to define a volumetric fog region.
^ Ladder property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface sets the surface up to act as a ladder for the player. The surfaces is climbable.
- Breakable property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface allows the surface to be able to be destroyed or broken. (e.g. glass)
& AI deafening property. This property does not apply to multiplayer levels. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface allows that surface to inhibit AI functions.
@ Collision only property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface sets the surface up to not be rendered and only have collision.
. Exact Portal property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface makes the surface able to be used to define an exact portal.

[Sugarlumps]

Simply wonderful stuff! Now we don't have to null bitmaps in models and we can just use this method

[kiddten]

holy shit... ladder property's? EPIC.

[Smythe]

I'm interested in these-

- Breakable property. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface allows the surface to be able to be destroyed or broken. (e.g. glass)
And
& AI deafening property. This property does not apply to multiplayer levels. This flag or shader symbol when applied to a material that is applied to a face or surface allows that surface to inhibit AI functions.
these look interesting.... what would happen if i did it to a vehicle?
Hold on, if i made the cyborg bitmaps with a ^ at the end would you be able to climb it?

[Kayar]

Awesome! Man... this is pure gold. Excellent find!

@Olly: Yes, you would be able to climb the cyborg. It would work just as things work if you use the "can climb on any surface" flag, only that now we can choose what surfaces we want climbable.

Simply amazing.

Ooh... also Olly, what you said about using these on vehicles... this way we could actually manage to make an invisible no-collision vehicle to drop AI out of. Only that without the collision they wouldn't be able to be dropped out of it... hmmm...

[Sparky]

I only tested this a little bit so far, and note that this thing may only work with shader and bitmap tags. Will continue testing.

[Fortune]

With the destructo command, could i make for example a destructo rock?! thats awesome

[Amy]

I was wondering if this would work just by renaming tags.

[Sparky]

With the HEK, destructible surfaces are created as part of the bsp, not as separate scenery objects. You can try it, though... you might need to add a destroyed effect, like the banshee and wraith have in single player versions.

[Turtle]

So in theory you could make a destructible/invisible BSP?

[Smythe]

So in theory you could make a destructible/invisible BSP?

This man is a genius!

[Turtle]

So in theory you could make a destructible/invisible BSP?

This man is a genius!

That was sarcasm, right?
What I meant was the entire BSP, Not just The destructible surfaces that HEK creates.

[Smythe]

So in theory you could make a destructible/invisible BSP?

This man is a genius!

That was sarcasm, right?
What I meant was the entire BSP, Not just The destructible surfaces that HEK creates.

No sarcasm. i was serious. but the way that the engine does it i think the entire thing would break at once...

[Turtle]

No sarcasm. i was serious. but the way that the engine does it i think the entire thing would break at once...

I suppose, but then again, The pillar of autumn BSP in the first level of Halo did it in parts didn't it? Or was that to do with Scripting or Emitters or something?

[Smythe]

No sarcasm. i was serious. but the way that the engine does it i think the entire thing would break at once...

I suppose, but then again, The pillar of autumn BSP in the first level of Halo did it in parts didn't it? Or was that to do with Scripting or Emitters or something?

Effects and scripts and somesuch.