Importing Targa files ignores alpha channels

Whenever I import a targa file with an alpha channel, MMF completely ignores the alpha channel and just goes with transparent color.

Same with some PNG files. 24-bit works, but nothing else I've tried does. :(

Errr ...

You need 32 Bit Tga or PNG. The alpha channel is stored in this extra 8 Bit. 24 Bit means no Alpha channel available ;)

I personally had no problem with alphachanneled TGA and PNG so far. Works fine for me :)

Oops, I was getting alpha channels mixed up... I think. I only want the transparency colour stored in the file recognised...

But you set the transparent colour in MMF manually, don't you? There is this set transparent colour thingie with the colour picker ...

What bothers me a bit in MMF 2 is the fact that you have to set the transparent colour manually. In MMF 1.5 the first upper left pixel was chosen automatically. It's always an extra click now.

I meant when you set a transparent colour in Photoshop, for example, I want that colour to be recognised. It does for 24-bit. Other applications seem to have no trouble in recognising it.

I do like the fact that you can choose your own transparent colour, but it would be nice for it to recognise the ones stored in the file.

When importing an animation of targa files, it will only recognize the alpha channels if I have the transparent color set to black 0,0,0. When importing a single image, it won't recognize them at all. PNG files with alpha channels work fine, but I don't like those because Photoshop won't let me save to PNG with an alpha channel. I have to go out of my way and use After Effects to get a PNG with an alpha channel.

If it helps at all, I tried fooling it by making a copy of the single image I was trying to import, and it still didn't recognize the alpha channels. Either it can read my thoughts, or it relys on a difference between the images, or it has to have a certain number of frames for it to work. Come to think of it, that probably didn't help at all.

I render TGA and PNG directly from trueSpace. And MMF loads those pictures fine. Even single pictures.

Ah, now i see what you do wrong. It's about how you import your pictures.

Enter Picture Editor. Click at Import. Choose your picture.

Have a closer look at the Import Options now: Options - Transparent Colour - there is a colour picker button. Click at the Pick Button and pick the colour of your image you want to have transparent. Then click OK, and your PNG or TGA should be transparent by Alpha Channel when there is one. No matter what colour your transparent colour has :)

What about when you use the Active Picture/Active/whatever objects to load new images at runtime? The transparent colours aren't recognised then.. :\

That's a completely different chapter ...