Lightwave 2018 - Where is the Additive Transparency feature

[jlw3d]

In Lightwave 2015.3, there is a feature called Additive Transparency, which can be found in the Surface Editor, under the Advanced tab near the bottom of that section. Since I have purchased Lightwave 2018, I can not find the feature called Additive Transparency. I rely on that very much. Has anyone out there found it in their Lightwave 2018? Or does anyone have a work around that can achieve the same results of the Additive Transparency?

[tajino]

I was looking for it as well. Any chance to bring additive transparency back?

[jeric_synergy]

I was looking for it as well. Any chance to bring additive transparency back?

+1. It's really useful.

[Snosrap]

What is that used for?

[hypersuperduper]

It’s used for a lot of old school lighting effects among other things. Very non-PBR, and it is just one issue with lightwave now missing a simple fake renderer like the old one.

[Snosrap]

I thought it was something along those lines. I never used it so I won't miss it.

[jeric_synergy]

I used to use it all the time: damned if I can recall the applications for it though. It's definitely not a RW thing, but convenient in the early days.

OH, wait, I remember: you could do a funky Fresnel thing with it... I think... g.d., aging sucks....

[Shloime]

One thing I remember was atmospheric effects: If you had some simulated atmosphere and a planet behind it (in space) the brightness of the planet could never be less than the atmosphere object. Or it occluded objects less bright than the object in front... or wait... I think...
Actually I think hypersuperduper is on the right path, it seems to be obsolete with PBR.

[jeric_synergy]

I think it's inconsistent with the whole PBR thing/philosophy. Of course, it's all just math and LWG could do whatever they like.

But i think this would be more of an NPR gimmick.

[OFF]

Was playing with lw2018. Not exactly AT but close from my point.

[jeric_synergy]

!!! No matter what, you've gotten a "new" cool effect.

One of the CHARMS of LW has always been that you could put in non-nonsensical numbers, like negative light values*, and SOMETHING would happen-- the software wouldn't coddle you and tut "no no no!". I'm not sure that's still true with the PBR mechanics in place.


*I tried to get everybody to call them "darklights" but didn't get any traction.....

[MSherak]

!!! No matter what, you've gotten a "new" cool effect.

One of the CHARMS of LW has always been that you could put in non-nonsensical numbers, like negative light values*, and SOMETHING would happen-- the software wouldn't coddle you and tut "no no no!". I'm not sure that's still true with the PBR mechanics in place.


*I tried to get everybody to call them "darklights" but didn't get any traction.....

Many areas in 2018 that ability is gone since Principled rendering is fixed math.

[jwiede]

Many areas in 2018 that ability is gone since Principled rendering is fixed math.

Yep, and LW is (much) lesser for it. Hopefully they realize the baby is missing and was last seen amidst that bathwater that got tossed.

[jeric_synergy]

Many areas in 2018 that ability is gone since Principled rendering is fixed math.

I'm not sure what "fixed math" means, and I suspect having physically impossible numbers would seriously mess with the routines, BUT: it's all just numbers, and they COULD throw whatever they like in there.

Personally, PBR isn't at all important to me. If it weren't a ton of work, I'd say make a "no training wheels" switch which would allow users/customers to play with whatever numbers they want, but with the proviso of "don't come whining to us if it doesn't look like you think it should."

[jwiede]

It's more that we used to be able to add customer terms, modify order and magnitude of terms, etc. and no longer have the same abilities in that regard -- the formula is now much more fixed as are the terms, we just get to decide whether to use them or not. Not a perfect analogy, but close enough.