Hello everybody.
I would much appreciate help from anyone.
I am trying to create a new dds texture with transparent areas for a piece of clothing.. I have done exactlly as shown in multiple tutorials but my alpha channel does not export with the dds.. or disapears when i open my texture again in photoshop.

A tutorial i have followed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVr0MnVEAYg

I have exported my dds in DXT3/DXT5
Is there a seperate option i cannot find to export aplha? What do you do when creating a texture with transparency?

Picture of the channels of my file in photoshop
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Sinius/1-2.jpg?t=1290718900

Thanks

are you opening it up in blender, or somewhere else

I am retextureing a preexisting mesh.. using nifskope and geck to see if it works or not.

It sounds like you are doing most things right. Textures with transparency need to be saved in DXT3 or DXT5... which you've done already.

But you also need to make sure that the mesh/model you are applying the texture to has an NiAlphaProperty.

Open the .NIF file in Nifskope, find the NiTriStrip/NiTriShape entry for the part(s) of the mesh you want to be transparent, and right click on it. Then go to Node=>Attach Property=>NiAlphaProperty.

This should work... but you might have to mess around with different flag or threshold settings for the NiAlphaProperty to get the look you want. The default settings usually work pretty well though.

Thanks
That i have done, other textures with transparent areas work fine on the mesh.. its just the ones i am creating that do not work.
I am hoping it has something to do with my export setting?.. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Sinius/23.jpg?t=1290720768

Edit: Playing with the flag/threshold does not help make the texture work, it just makes the whole mesh either visable or completely disapear..
Theres still something im not doing in photoshop..
I have tried the process in photoshop 7 and cs3.. and i have installed the latest dds plugins for photoshop..

it is a lot easier if you just open the mesh up in blender and export it, just be sure the texture is marked as a normal map, the alpha is zero and premul is active.

Thanks but i think it is relevant the alpha channel is not prestent when i open the dds i saved back into photoshop.
Unless this is corrected i dont see how playing around with the mesh will cause the right parts on the mesh to become transparent.. plus i dont have or know how to use blender.. i have 3ds max..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Sinius/a-1.jpg?t=1290726332
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Sinius/b-2.jpg?t=1290726329
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/Sinius/c-1.jpg?t=1290726328

I think I may be pointing out the obvious, but why do you even need alpha maps, it looks like you just need to UV map that

Hmm... I'm really not sure why you're alpha channel is disappearing. DXT5 should preserve that channel... I use it all the time with photoshop/Nvidia DDS plugin. It almost sounds like the plugin or Photoshop isn't working right.... not sure honestly.

As a side note, I think you should export mip-maps with the texture as well... I noticed you did not have them enabled in your export settings. But this shouldn't have any effect on the alpha channel disappearing...

have you tried just saving it as png and converting to DDS?

Its definitely my export/photoshop settings. I just opened up somebody else texture and resaved it.. that texture no longer works as it did.. the transparency on it is gone.

Are you using "DXT5 ARGB 8 bpp | interpolated alpha"?

Are you 'flatening' the layers before you save the DDS file?

It worked.. Thanks

Ok.. why is nothing ever as simple as the tutorials let me beleive.. im trying to make the non transparant areas of my mesh glow so
I have added armor_g.dds and made the meshes emmisive colour white in nifskope.. aside from those two things does anyone know what would cause my
mesh not to glow in the dark?

I have been down this road before with morrowind and then oblivion but i always give up..

I assume you understand how glow maps work... when creating the texture brighter colors will result in more glow, and darker colors will reduce the amount of glow.

Glow maps don't use alpha channels, so you can save the texture in DXT1... meaning you're alpha channel problem won't be an issue. Save with mip-maps too I think.

Aside from that, you need to change the emmisive color in Nifskope, which it sounds like you did. If the emmisive color is black, then the glow map won't do anything.

If you still can't see any glow effect, try increasing the "EmitMulti" value in the NiMaterialProperty block details. If you increase this value high enough... you should start getting some very noticeable glowing effects.

In the same place you set the emissive color, make the EmitMulti at least a value of 2 or 3. A value of 3 should make it glow overpowerinly bright.

Remember, a glow is not the same as a light.

Thansk you.
Worked perfectly