Alpha Texture Add ?

[WeylandYutani]

Can i add a another Texture on a Texture like some stuff with an Alpha channel directly in SFM through any command or something. Things to make a Texture dirty or for better effects like Raindrops on a Texture etc etc. I dont want to Edit my Textures all the time and change my Default Files. Or maybe with Edit the Vmts but i dont know how and i dont know if this is possible after a Model is compiled.

[Zappy]

You will have to edit the textures (and then use override materials to replace $BaseTexture in materials), judging by what you seem to want.

[WeylandYutani]

Are you really sure ? Im pretty sure theres at least a way with VMT Edits, i have certain Models what uses a Base Texture then for sure Bump and Specular Maps and then an Alpha Texture, it uses a Command called $phongexponenttexture but i dont know if this is still possible after a Model is compiled.

At least i think it is possible even on a compiled Model to add an Alpha Texture through this $phongexponenttexture command. Also this is an VMT command prompt so SFM should be able to handle it aswell. But clarifications for $phongexponenttexture arent nearly as accurate to tell me what it does, in VTF Edit it looks like a Texture perimeter, clarifications tell me that this hasnt anything to do with Textures so im confused.

[Zappy]

$PhongExponentTexture changes highlight intensity and size of phong (that white shine on many models), and has nothing to do with the actual colours of textures.

The closest to what you're looking for may be $Detail, but even then not really what you're looking for (because of how strict it is and such). But you can look it up on the VALVe Developer Wiki, and see if it's useful to you.

[episoder]

yep. you can't use the exponenttexture since only stores the "sharpness". you gotta add both dirt or rain with $detail. be aware that you can't simple add $detail in sfm. the material won't update. you gotta include a default texture and most of the parameters in the base vmt to override them in sfm.

the default detail shade is grey. for duller materials you go lower, for reflective things like you gotta go higher. it supports colors too. if you want to animate raindrops or some sorta flow on the model you can use an animated $detail texture. or texturescroll. it'll have seams tho. for highclass stuff you could remake the uvmap of the model to allow a seamless "native flow" in the complete texture layout. there's probably a cheap trick for rain. i just thought about realtime. "animated hemi map". center splashes. side flows. but... it's not in the engine. too simple. gotta try that in my mod. :) it's a lil bit of very work.

regular wet or dirt mapping is static. baked with bumpmap. the limit: if you want normals for those overridden details you gotta add those to the bumpmap. the real reflectivity for everything is generally stored in the alpha channel of the bumpmap. this is the default phongmask. black is none and white is full reflection. you can alternatively use the alpha channel of the basetexture for the phong mask.

[Zappy]

Originally posted by episoder:

the default detail shade is grey.

...Depending on $DetailBlendMode, of course.

[WeylandYutani]

Ok but i saw certain Models what use two Textures, a Base Texture and for sure as Bodygroup an Alpha Texture. So how was this done, was this done before the Model got Compiles and finished ? Because it looks like it was simply added through VMTs.

[Zappy]

Originally posted by WeylandYutani:

Ok but i saw certain Models what use two Textures, a Base Texture and for sure as Bodygroup an Alpha Texture. So how was this done, was this done before the Model got Compiles and finished ? Because it looks like it was simply added through VMTs.

I have a really hard time trying to make sense out of what I think you might mean. Could you be a little clearer, please?

[episoder]

do you have a link to that certain model? it's really hard to guess with that messed up terms in your description. a "bodygroup"? does it replace the mesh? then it's probably a seperate texture or the mesh recycles that one texture using free space with another uvmap. or uses a dirty version of a material/"skin". that's if it doesn't need the mesh to be replaced you could do it with a texturegroup. the vmt of that "skin"/material can still do the multitexture blending and lighting however you want it. if it's a seperate geometry layer that overlays with an alpha texture you gotta make that material for it use whether alphatest or translucent.