DDS file and transparency - fade

[Bluegunk]

Quick question to texture experts. I was making a hat look like a semi transparent mesh, using Gimp, layer transparency (etc.).  I converted the DDS to PNG to to the job and exported it to DDS after (with Mipmaps).  It looks great in game - close up.  As I move away, the texture fades out and becomes invisible.  

 

I probably did it wrong or missed a step.  I'm no expert with this stuff. Please can someone kindly point me in the right direction for fixing it?

 

Thanks!

[traison]

32 minutes ago, Bluegunk said:

DDS to PNG to to the job and exported it to DDS

 

32 minutes ago, Bluegunk said:

using Gimp

 

Some issues I see here:

1. As far as I know, the Gimp dds plugin is ancient and will not for instance open BC7 encoded DDS files. This is why it fails to open most "modern" Skyrim SE textures.
2. DDS -> PNG -> DDS tells nothing about which pixel format was used before, and after the edit. If in doubt, make sure it didn't change. Use a program like texdiag to tell which format you're dealing with. Use texconv if the Gimp plugin is unable to match it.
3. If its still not working after making sure the pixel format remains the same (Edit: and using texconv to make the final (edited) DDS), consider saving the texture with no mipmaps and test again.

 

Examples:

$ texdiag info texture.dds
$ texconv -ft png texture.dds
$ texconv -f BC7_UNORM texture.png
$ texconv -m 0 -f BC7_UNORM texture.png

 

Edited March 12, 2024 by traison

[Bluegunk]

Hello again! Thank you. Yes, this Gimp doesn't do BC7. It's quite an old mod. The DDS opens fine in Gimp 2.10.

I'll follow your instructions!

 

Right, here's Texdiag's result:

phm_99_hel_0055_hair.dds
width = 2048
height = 2048
depth = 1
mipLevels = 12
arraySize = 1
format = B8G8R8A8_UNORM
dimension = 2D
alpha mode = Unknown
images = 12
pixel size = 21845 (KB)

Edited March 12, 2024 by Bluegunk

[Andy14]

If a mesh becomes invisible from a distance or from another angle there are only 3 possible causes.
- missing mipmaps
- incorrect shaders in the NIF or the mesh is not normalized
- insufficient skin (bone weight)

[Bluegunk]

Thanks both of you!

 

I got this sorted. The mesh is fine, it's the DDS I was adjusting.  And now I have it working. It's making sure the DDS saved without mipmaps, using RGBA8. Perhaps not a perfect solution for the purist, but it's only a hat in game and it works. 🙂

Chalk up another bit of learning!

 

Thanks!