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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 6th Nov 2009 at 1:34 PM
Default Window glass fading problem
Hello, so I posted up this glass windows I made, but someone pointed out a problem in use that I didn't notice myself at first : the mesh randomly fades out according to angle (not necessarily distance). I've observed this a little, and I believe that it's something all windows glass parts do in the game, we just don't really notice because the frame of the window itself remains visible.
The window glass material is essentially transparent (not translucent), with a strong reflection (and maybe shine ?). So my theory is that it's a setting in the material for window glass that causes that.
I will experiment, but if anybody has a better clue than me out of the bat…

The aim would be to get rid of the fading (or rather, disappearing of the glass)… I'm not sure it can be done actually...

The glass window is here, if you want to take a look at it.
http://www.modthesims.info/download...d=1#post2921938
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One horse disagreer of the Apocalypse
#2 Old 6th Nov 2009 at 3:14 PM
Are you sure this isn't simply that at certain angles there is no glare on the glass? Even in real life this happens. Try making the glass sightly less transparent so it doesn't completely disappear in glare-free area.

"You can do refraction by raymarching through the depth buffer" (c. Reddeyfish 2017)
Forum Resident
#3 Old 6th Nov 2009 at 4:02 PM
I looked at this and I couldn't get the base game full tile window to do the same. It's true that both lose their glare from certain angles/distances, but this issue is something else completely. Hazui's window does properly disappear.
Screenshot: http://i35.tinypic.com/aakk1x.jpg (Two identical windows there and you can see only one. Plus left side is the base game window.)
I'm sorry I can't come up with something constructive, making windows is even more complicated than you first thought huh? :P

What comes to mind is maybe it's in the coding, and how the game renders the 3d objects, there's a lot of other things that disappear to save graphics card resources, like the unviewed side of basically everything ("backface culling"?)...
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#4 Old 6th Nov 2009 at 4:45 PM
Hmm... *scratches head*
Yes, making windows is really complicated sometimes ^^.
I think both you and Inge have a point. At first, I thought it had something to do with object fading. But the window frames don't fade like that anyway, so I supposed it was something in the material... I'll have to experiment with the transparency.
I wonder if that happens when you use a different transparent shader. Will have to try that too.

By the way, I made a door yesterday, and it displays the same effect exactly. So it may definitely be something in the shader...
Alchemist
#5 Old 6th Nov 2009 at 11:14 PM
But the frame doesn't use the glass shader. Something is missing in the clone that is in the original.

If you like to say what you think, be sure you know which to do first.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#6 Old 7th Nov 2009 at 12:39 AM
I did change the frame's shader to the same as the glass one… The two parts are there, they are transparent (they make up the sides of the whole pane, vertical and horizontal ones). I made the wall shadow very small and essentially close to the ground, because it interfered with the transparency otherwise, if it showed...

I haven't had time to experiment today because of work. But I will when I'm less busy… I have a few things to try thanks to the feedback ^^.

Wes, do you mean you opened the files and didn't find the shader there ?

By the way, the door isn't fading, contrary to what I wrote earlier.
I'll get to the bottom of this
Alchemist
#7 Old 7th Nov 2009 at 1:21 AM
No, I didn't open them. So the frame is supposed to be transparent, and the far right window is the invisible one? I was confused there.

If the glass shader has the same values as the regular window, then you are probably not going to find the issue there.

I would bet there is something missing... it may be missing because it was renumbered and there is no image or MLOD with that number, but when an object just disappears, then the mesh or texture for it is missing.

If you like to say what you think, be sure you know which to do first.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#8 Old 12th Nov 2009 at 9:51 PM
I just realised I never answered this post.
I didn't find where the problem was.
The window needed to be upgraded anyway, so I actually used a new mesh and a different clone. This time the window does not display this fading/disappearing problem (not that I could see anyway, and I did test them extensively), though if it is still there and I missed it, I suppose I'll hear from the users, since it is now up for download.

Thanks for the feedback anyway to everybody. I guess this one is staying a mystery for the time being.
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