Alpha Channel and Spec Map Issues

ladyxbug

I have no idea what's going on, and I've browsed the web to find solutions. Firstly I keep hitting an error with maya not being able to support RGBA_H files when my source images were tga. I've read I can just change the render settings, but now it makes tga files funky, transparent, and glassy. So I'm forced to use png, since it acknowledges transparencies without me having to make an alpha channel; heck when I did make an alpha channel for tga maya's mental ray derps regardless.

Now I have a problem when I plug in my specular map. I've tried both tga with an alpha channel and png, but the result leaves the same translucent shine where it shouldn't be. I've read I can plug in the alpha channel in the transparency channel, but its linked and dependent on the diffuse.

haa and that's where I'm at. I will do more research in the meantime.

Obscura

Simply multiply your alpha to the specular map so it will mask out those areas.

ladyxbug

Hmm.

Firstly, I don't know how would you multiple an image that's already blobs of black and white, and thus far with any image file format that handles an alpha channel I get this. That's just the diffuse, and it's been consistent with tga. and .tiff. When I tried to work around with .png I get the results above. When I tried to output the alpha channel in the transparency node, the result looks worst compared to the first image.

Maya, por que.

ladyxbug

Anyone have ideas?

ysalex

I think what he is saying is that you need to remove the specular component in the texture, from areas that you want to be transparent using alpha.

He's also giving you the solution. Because your alpha is black and white, you would take the alpha texture in photoshop and place it on top of your specular. Then you set the blending mode to multiply, so that white areas remain unchanged, but the black areas will be blacked out, removing the specular from areas where the alpha should be making them transparent.

ladyxbug

Oooo.

Thank you, both of you. Now that I re-read it I don't know I how mistranslated that to thin something else.