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[WxTech]

In case later game versions still retain the awful, jagged graphics on tower and crane bases... these include:
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower, LargeCrane1 and WaterTower (which are the ones I've tweaked so far...)

In the relevant .mat file, set the following:

tfShouldSort 1
AlphaTestVal 0.1 or 0.5 or 0.9 (more on this below)
tfBlend 1
tfTestA 1

The best AlphaTestVal depends on one or more of the graphic's pixel density, LOD settings, and most of all, the width of any 'skinny' elements such as reinforcing braces on tower bases. The higher this value, the more aggresdively OpenGL 'erodes' into the opaque portion as it clips away the semi-transparent edges it creates when blurring out pixel jaggies at interfaces between masked areas for transparency.

AlphaTestVal 0.5 is always a good starting point, which works well for the LargeCrane1, for instance.

This simple, one-minute fix makes a world of difference! Now, instead of butt-ugly, jagged, overly-thick base members, towers and cranes look MUCH better. At ANY view distance the thickness is properly proportional. No more basically solid-looking scaffolding at longer view distances; with increasing distance these parts get propoerly thinner and harder to see. Bloody marvelous!

[Hubberranz]

Oh ! I am going to try that ! Those cranes I found to be soooo-ugly and non-immersive !

search results :

Code: [Select]

3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/SkinHi.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/SkinMid.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/SkinLo.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/base.mat <-----------------
3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/DamageLo.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/DamageHi.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/LargeCrane1/DamageMid.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/SkinHi.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/SkinMed.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/SkinLow.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/base.mat <---------------------
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/DamageLow.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/DamageHi.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Henderson_Tower/DamageMed.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/SkinHi.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/SkinMid.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/SkinLo.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/base.mat  <---------
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/DamageMid.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/DamageLo.mat
3do/Buildings/Pacific/Water_Tower/DamageHi.matAny of these we don't have to do ? Like base, damage, water_tower(s)-hi ?

oooh.. I have to stop/pause for now: got myself a stupid headache   --> aspirin...

Found in fb_3do08p.SFS

[WxTech]

Just do the Base.mat for those three objects; the other .mat files (which are essentially empty) refer to them.

I just minutes ago did my own LargeCrane. The Hi and Mid TGA's have a not very contrasty alpha channel. This results in the cross bracing having a bit of a translucence, even with AlphaTestVal 0.1. In Photoshop I boosted the alpha channel's contrast to the max (pure black/white; no grey pixels).This improved the resulting opacity, but also made for a slightly less smooth edges--still *far* better than otherwise.

For my Henderson Tower I actually dispensed with the Base.mat, instead making full-up individual .mat files for each TGA, because I did some custom tweaking of the .msh files.. But you should be fine, I think, by using the Base.mat file only for these adjusted values.

Also look at adjusting the LOD values if the transitionsare not as smooth as you'd like. I did. Indeed, what started this whole business was my desire to just tweak LODs. It evolved from there, by experimenting due to dissatisfaction with some aspects as they are...

[Hubberranz]

Thanks. I'll do/try as soon as I found/extract them ->done, extracted. 

[Hubberranz]

Before. ( "a field of black garden gnomes, fishing"). ( "sombres nains de jardin à la pêche" ) 

After. ( note that Water Towers are in their 'before' state; see the 'after' in next post ).

You are a genius man ! Yippee ! Yiiiipee ! This is so worth the trouble ! x 10
412.2 SASv5.3 Cannon's Channel40 map. Dover.

[Hubberranz]

Water Tower 0.5

Water Tower 0.9

Water Tower 0.1 ( my favorite, although very small diff. ).
Almost dead center is an airfield's tower that needs some of the same !
But I'm done for today.

[WxTech]

The downside is a solid ground shadow for the open latticework. The shadow mesh *might* have to be constructed differently, by defining the individual parts which cast shadows, instead of the current use of a single graphic to represent an entire collection of parts on each face. Unless some brighter spark than I can figure out how to address rhis using the current TGAs?.......

As it is, I'll accept the solid shadow in trade for the better object appearance.

[Hubberranz]

The top of the crane and the reservoir are opaque objects, so sunchine from high, or near high above would cast a similar shadow, more or less !    I have the tga's but cant open them, view them.
It still a great improvement... ! 

[WxTech]

Most of the game's .tga's are in a slightly different format. Download the very tiny IMF Viewer utility. (It doesn't even require installation/Windows registration--just drop it where you like.) It will open these, and you can Save as TGA in the usual format openable with Irfanview, Photoshop, etc. (Incidentally, any .tgb file--mostly big files for maps and planes----is really a .tga; simply change that last letter in the file name's extension before playing with it.

[Phas3e]

good job, its a vast improvement

[Hubberranz]

Download the very tiny IMF Viewer utility.

Great little tool. I was missing that.
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=1110.0

[SAS~Malone]

good job, its a vast improvement

+1