The disappearing box

[Mark Wesley]

Imagine an cube. It sits in the middle of the scene. The cube is solid on the left hand side but has a graduated transparency that makes it invisible on the right hand side.

How should I do this?
Marks out of ten and no talking in class!

I've got a feeling I should know how to do this, so I'm prepared to be embarrassed.

Mark

[dwburman]

go to the Transparency Texture and...

you could use a gradient set to distance to object with a null object for a reference

you could use a gradient with a weightmap you applied to the object in modeler

you could use an image map of a gradient made in a paint program (or in LW and saved to an image)

you could use the Value procedural with tweaked position and falloff settings

That's what I can think of off the top of my head... there may be other ways.

[Mark Wesley]

I wondered how to make the Distance to Object option work in Gradient for this effect. Its obvious, now that you mention it that the object could be a null. That works fine except the null has a spherical area of influence, so that dissolves have a slight curve. The easiest was Value, with the minimum fiddling to get a result. Now my architectural structures (rows of houses) fade off on either side of the main central project.

Thanks.
Mark

[Mark The Great]

Try just using the x or z distance to influence the texture. That will take away the spherical quality.

[dwburman]

Np

[Mark Wesley]

What is it about Lightwave that makes people like me get dummer and dummer. Mark The Great, your advice makes perfect sense and I should have thought of that, but unfortunately I have reached an age when any new information replaces old information. This must be how Homer Simpson became the way he is...he was once a Lightwave user!
Thanks.
Mark