Battlefield Modding Tutorials BFMODS

I want to make soldier ghosts but have no idea how to create a transparent mesh/texture file for them. How is it done exactly?

Are you trying to do this Server Side (it might be out of the question, I'm new to Server Side capabilities so I couldn't say, I can think of ways I might try it but never have) I know in DC there are a few textures that are already transparent that you might be able to code the solider skin to use. doesn't sound SS to me idk

If you want to do it for a custom map:

The transparent look is using whats called an "Alpha Channel" in for ex: Photoshop
If you were to open any texture in Photoshop and click on the "Channels" tab next to "layers" then at the bottom you click on the little new layer/channel symbol the new layer should automatically be named "Alpha 1" Now if I can remember clearly: solid black = completely visible and Solid white = transparent and Grey = half/half which might give you your ghost look lol. How the windows are made is that the actual texture is actually quite dirty, then in the alpha channel they paint a mostly Light Grey with some darker splats where they want dust to appear. The game places the soild image on the jeep and then uses the alpha channel to determine where it needs to be transparent and how much depending on how light/dark it is at that spot.

So for your Ghosts you need to find all the soilder skin files.
For example the American Soilder:
Ame1_sleeve_T.dds
Amerov_Z.dds
Amerun_Z.dds
ammobag_Z.dds
bacpacbig_o.dds

There are also 3 faces I believe
face_ame1_h.dds
face_ame2_h.dds
face_ame3_h.dds
to open these files you will need a DDS plugin if you use Photoshop (if needed I can find it)


I guess a simple way (I don't know how much Photoshop experience you have) would be to turn the brightness and Contrast up on the textures and then set the Alpha Channel to some sort of Grey, that way (in theory) in game the player models would look 30-60% see through yet a really bright white like they are glowing *in theory* ( this would also depend on how Bright/Dark shade of grey you pick for your alpha channel)

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I have cameras in your head!

you need to mod the rs file and that means adding the player model as a custom. and im pretty sure adding player models as a custom is either not possible or difficult. interested to see if anyone can manage it though. I've seen a thread or two on this kind of thing over the years.. chrome/envmapped player models etc.. but never actually seen a pic in game i dont think.

you'll need to do both, edit the rs file with the transparent code to enable Alphas, and edit the .dds files with alphas so that they can be transparent.

Nighthawk, you seem to know a lot more on the subject than I do, plus I don't have Photoshop, so could you be kind enough to do what you described for me?

If so, try making the soldiers (The Germans, preferably) semi-transparent (by that I mean not completely transparent, I would like to still be able to see the silhouette of the soldier). Don't worry if you can't do it I'll just use Zoolanders's code instead, but as I said it might be better to have the soldiers semi-transparent as opposed to completely invisible.

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