[Pheminyne]

i want to have 2 textures on the same surface. i would like them to blend together in the middle. i've tried tons of ways of doing this, 2 surfaces with transparency maps, one surface with falloff, but i just can't seem to get it right. and just when i think i've got the falloff right, i add the second texture and end up with some really strange grainy stuff. any suggestions? i can post what i've got so far, but it doesn't really demonstrate what i'm going for at all.......LOL

[philip]

stack the 2 textures on top of each other and put the alpha map for the second one on top.

[Kvaalen]

I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to do, but to make one texture blend into another during an animation:

Create two layers of textures, one with the first texture, the other with the second. Then animate with time the layer optacity of the layer on top. To do that you have to click on the E button at the right of the Layer Optacity input, and then the graph editor will come up where you can animate it over time.

I hope that is what you want.

[Pheminyne]

here's what i'm going for, chrome plated glass on top, and clear glass on the bottom. i finally got the chrome to end where i want it, (granted, it isn't great chrome to begin with, but that's not really my goal right now) but i can't get the glass part to show up. it's there, it's just......invisible i guess

[philip]

oh well, I guess it's just too clear to show. Add an environment and render with some reflections to see what that will bring...

[Pheminyne]

i got this by putting an alpha map on the color channel. the glass layer is under it, as per phil's great suggestion (thanks for helping me get this far!!) but still no glass. better chrome, anyway....


[edit] wow you are too quick for me phil! if i remove the chrome layer altogether the glass looks awesome, so......i don't get it.

[Pheminyne]

ok hmm....i'm even more confused. i think my approach might be wrong. i changed the background color and now the glass is black! the one on the right, i removed the chrome layer, and now the glass is pretty. hmmm...........

[Kvaalen]

I'm not sure how you are doing the blending, but If I were you I'd do it with a gradient going from black to white and use that on the trasparency channel.

[Leovenous]

More of the blind leading the blind here. It seems you chrome is not Alphing (Alphaing? Alphaizing? Alphiating?) properly or the cup would feather to invisibility, right? Maybe? Because you are after two alphas, one for the crome and one for the class, could it be that you need to render the chrome and glass seperately and composit them? (Sorry, I have Photoshop on the mind). I am just glad I am not stuck in your shoes on this one. I got my own 3D problems... sheesh.

So, is your glass half empty, or half full?

That probably didn't help. Oh well, I tried.

[Pheminyne]

LOL you guys are funny. well, i originally started off with a black (at the top) to white (at the bottom) gradient on the transparency channel, but it didn't work out too well. right now i have it as alpha on the color channel, and it's closer. i tried putting the same gradient on the glass layer, and i checked invert layer, but i got the same nasty grainy mess i got putting it on the transparency channel. i added reflection/refraction environments and there was no change. i've changed/replaced/removed the background, but still i'm having the same problems. i'm not sure what's up with this, but i'll keep plugging away at it

Leovenous: half full, of course! i know nothing at all about compositing, i've heard of it, but.....how do you do that?

this is modeled off a real world thing, a mug my sister picked up that is chrome on the top and gradually tapers to clear glass at the bottom. it's SO cool looking i've just GOT to figure it out!

thanks for all the help guys, i'll let you know what i come up with!
i think i might post all the specs if/when i finally get it right!

[Pheminyne]

ok i think i'm getting closer. i have my gradient on the chrome layer, on the color channel and the transparency channel, but i'm still getting the grainy issue. anyone know how to fix this??

[Pheminyne]

ok i figured out the compositing thing, what do you guys think??

[R4s1n]

its looks good.... the only thing i want to ask you is to render this mug on a colored plane... not a skytracer image ..with AA, reflectivity, etc....
if you dont mind doing the extra work

[Pheminyne]

on a colored plane for ya r4s1n!! thanks for the kind reminder on ray tracing that wasn't skytracer, it was just a regular old gradient background

any suggestions on the glass part? it seems kind of....flimsy?

[Pheminyne]

wait!! this one is better!!