how to make the visual tool transparent?

hi, all ,I want to make the cube of the visual tool transparent, but there is no opacity attribute. Of cause we can draw in the ondraw trigger, but I think an opacity attribute is more convenent.

now, I use a BFR's ondraw trigger to do what I want, See the effect in the attachment.

Sorry Qin Tian,

But this time I really like to ask if you use the search function of the Forum, before you open a new thread?

I just searched for “transparent” and found 4 Threads (where one thread is your thread).
And in my eyes your questions is answered in these three threads:

/threads/thread345&highlight=transparent


/threads/thread540&highlight=transparent


/threads/thread782&highlight=transparent


I did not open your model and had a look into it, as I wrote in this thread
/threads/thread783

So I hope I gave you the right direction to solve your problem. If not, you may need to explain better, what the problem is.

Hi, Tom, yes, I have seen the posts before. But I want a more convenient way with visual tool.

thanks

Qin,

if you look at the very first link that Tom posted and read the 2nd post you can read:

"Flexsim doesn't read the opacity parameter from 3ds or wrl files, but you can set up your files using textures so that they have transparency in Flexsim. This is significantly faster and more flexible although more work from the user."

So there isn't a more convenient way, sorry for that.

Steven

Sorry, maybe I didn't express my thoughts clearly.
what I want is not a transparent 3ds or wrl, but a simple cube, sphere,etc. So, I think a opacity attribute like that in the rack will be convenient.

thanks

Qin,

the cube of the visual tool internally is drawn by using opengl commands, so if you want opacity the visual tool has to be adapted, so send a mail to flexsim and ask if they want to put it on the development list.

if you need it now use the drawcube command. It draws a nice cube and you have the possibility to enter the opacity.

Originally Posted by qin tian

So, I think a opacity attribute like that in the rack will be convenient.
thanks

This I don't understand, this thread is about the visual tool and you are talking about the rack?

Steven

Hi, Steven, my english is not good.

The rack has an opacity attribute, so I think maybe the visual tool can have this attribute.

Now, I use the drawcube command. But I am lazy. I just want to set opacity attribute in the visual tool and select cube or sphere to draw.

The fact that you are lazy was already clear to me

Using a visual tool to draw a cube or sphere is not a good idea. The overhead of using a complex and heavy object like the visual tool, instead of a simple draw command, wil make a lot of things slower: drawing, clicking, moving etc..

Again if you wish for an opacity option on the visual tool, direct a request at [email protected]

Steven

Qin,

I think what Tom and Steven have bee trying to get across to you is that you are not using the forum effectively or efficiently for yourself or anybody else that will use it in the future. Where there were already 3 previous posts that covered this topic we really did not need or want a 4th. This only serves to spead usefull information out over a bigger area. In the future it would be more helpful and more appreciated if you had simply asked a specific question as an extention to one of the other three posts. But, only if the post had not answered your question.

While I and the others do appreciate your participation in the forum and we do not want to discourage you from using it. It has become apparent that you are using the forum as the first place of reference for the questions that you have. I would not recommend posting questions on the forum on a regular basis without first looking into the software documentation and then searching the forum. The software documentation is a valuable resource that would have been able to answer many of your questions. And as pointed out above the forum would have been able to answer many more of your questions that the documentation couldn't.

Again, I would like to thank you for your participation and I do not want to discourage anybody from posting a valuable question on it. However, I would ask that you go to the documentation and then search the forum before posting a new thread.

Brandon