Memo to self.

Ok, this won't be too interesting for you, this is more for my own benefit.

After 2 and a half hours of messing around with .tga's, compilers, google and other such geeky stuff I finally managed to get alpha maps into the Source (HalfLife 2) engine. This is good, because by Wednesday I need to have made a model that uses alpha maps, and normal maps. This is bad, because I haven't managed to figure out how to get normal maps in there yet.

Anyway, my methodology: use the fourth channel of the .tga as the alpha channel and save out as 32 bit. Compile the material, and in the .vmt file edit it to look like this:

"VertexLitGeneric"
{
"$baseTexture" "models\alpha"....stick texture name here
"$translucent" 1...makes it see through ala glass...."$alpha" 1 works better for the stuff I need to do on further testing it looks like translucent works best
"$nocull" 1...1=2 sided material, 0=1 sided material
}

Define: geek
"Traditionally a term of derision, geek has come to have a more positive connotation in this computer age. Technically adept people now frequently refer to themselves as geeks, in a mixture of self-deprecation and pride."

[You may have noticed I've played around with some colours, some fonts, some dashed lines and other things. Thumbs up, or thumbs down?]