Difficulty importing own images onto Billboard nodes plugin without a Background

gsm77

I have installed the billboard nodes plugin. I have no trouble using the provided nodes and images.

I can even import my own png and jpeg images.

The problem that i have is that with my own images they all come with a white background even thought i may have created them on a plain transparent background in photoshop and cutout any background. Years ago when i used Bryce i believe by doing something with an Alpha chanel you could get rid of any unwanted background. Is there a way to do this with imported sqaures in Daz Studio.

Thanks

fixmypcmike

Transparency map, black for the background areas you want to remove, white for the image, in the Opacity channel for 3DL or Opacity Cutout for Iray,

gsm77

Still no luck. I have tried by creating a black background on a png image. I am not sure of how to access and adjust the opacity channel in Daz i will be using 3dl to render

fixmypcmike

On the Surfaces pane there's a separate channel for Opacity, put the black and white image there.

Richard Haseltine

This is a separate black-and-white image, not the image you want to use with a black background.

gsm77

I would like to use a colour image with no background or tile

kitakoredaz

Though most of case I use different mono-opacity map (about iray, Cut out opacity ) as mask,   with other alberto or emission color maps 

but you can separate "alpha" channel in photo shop (I only know gimp though),by  color mixer,  then convert  aplha channel as mono tone value. 

it should make cut out opacity map correspond to your alpha.  (alpha 1,00  = white, alpha 0 = black,)

 

 about both DS lender and shader, , we need to apply mono-opacity map to set alpha.  if you  use iray (and ds uber iray shader).  geometry>cut out .

there is 'cut out opacity map' and 'strength' property. (and sometimes DS miss apply reverse gamma, then check it in ds image editor, and set gamma=1.0)

with keep Cut out opacity strength value = 1.00 ,  apply ,mono tone opacity map.  (which you use color mixer, or simply make new mask)

it is multipled with cut out strength,  then you can use it as alpha  (multiple with other color map generated R,G,B)

of course,you can use gray tone, to adjust alpha, (I apply blur often in 2d editor,  and sometimes use scale, and off set, in ds image editor)

gsm77

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I will have to try on 3 d delight as my imac does not really handle Iray very well.