I have a png that I’ve erased the middle for a corona effect. I can make the material translucent but if I try to use the png that I’ve erased the middle from it shows the erased area as black - so it’s not incorporating the alpha.
Attached is a screen grab showing what I’m trying to achieve
Any advice is appreciated.
Can you post the png or better yet a file where you are using it in a material?
The image in the previous post is a screen grab from Rhino set to Shaded
This is what I get when I render from Vray - because I don’t know how to tell Vray to see the alpha
This is the PNG
That second image file is a jpg.
I only have Vray 2 here but this works with a png that has an alpha in the Transparency channel of a Standard material.
I use VfR2 only too and I can recommend the option “use color texture as transparency” if your texture is a PNG with transparency.
Thanks for the replies.
My problem is that I use VR3 and there is no such slot in VR3. I have put the png into slots in Diffuse, Translucency, and Opacity. No effect. I have Affect channels set to Color + alpha wherever I can find it in the confusing mess of options in VR3. No effect. I can even get it to appear correct on the Preview ball. But not in the render.
Anyways, thanks for looking at it for me. Fortunately I can export to C4D and do it there. Inconvenient but at least the client will get what they want.
Give the Vray support people a shout here… https://www.chaosgroup.com/support#using-vray There’s a question form at the bottom of the page.
I will do that. This points up why I find VR3 such a disappointment. Things that should be obvious, that were obvious in VR2 are now confusing and require an email to support or time on a forum. Shouldn’t be this way.
You could try to work without translucency. I would try to use a glass with a colored diffuse layer like at my screenshot here. (Maybe you need to avoid to use the BRDF material and need to work with added layers.)
Your transparency map for the hole should be placed at the reflections/diffuse/refraction layer. The colored ice texture is at the refraction color and diffuse color. The diffuse transparency could be set so that this layer is light transparent. So you could get a good mix of all effects. Also you could add a textured emissive layer for a light glow.
Thanks for the reply but I have V3 (I might revert to V2 - it seems simpler and more logical than V3).
Only I can suggest to write at the Chaosgroup forum about this. I wrote about the bad usage of v3 often, but they seems to believe that’s my problem.
For me it’s like a has driven a robust all terrain car and now I got one of this over designed “plastic” street cars that is build on a monday (in german it means it’s full of bugs).
I believe that in V-Ray 3 you have to create standard black and white opacity map, wich should be matter of seconds, luckily.
I will try that.
What frustrates me is that simple tasks that are obvious in other programs are gone or convoluted in V3.
I agree with Micha - V3 is a low rent product.
I disagree completely. Give it time, there’s no point in overreacting. 
Everyone is hoping for better products in the rendering front for Rhinoceros. Chaosgroups responses on this forum have slowed, with no input here with direction things are going.
In another forum post, there was discussion that Chaos recently merged with another company and then closed US operations. Their own forum also has reduced activity … and appears to be monitored by fewer people.
That being said, the revised UI is a big change and there are too many parts not working well enough. But, I do think the app is now more user-friendly for a total beginner to learn. (And a good sized transition for an existing expert.)
As far as being easier to learn, I will find out for sure in the next few weeks. My college course is about to start on V-Ray and its been installed on all of the school computers. Stay tuned.
A final release shouldn’t have a long known bug list like a beta. I need Vray for production. It’s no fun to get an unfinished product after years. My clients like to get images/animations/VR based modern render technics like they know from other places.
I wrote a request for more developing power and attention to the users need at the chaos group forum. I would be glad if users, who think we need a better product and support, please write there too:
(Since I’m not good in writing english posts it could be great to get help by some native english speakers. I afraid I don’t find the right words always.)
I’m sure Rhino is it worth to get a quality Vray plugin, not a slim version with slow bug fixing. I’m sure because I looked aground and found no alternatives. The combination of Rhino and Vray could be a winner package at medium price good for professional designers and architects.
We shouldn’t forget: the Rhino/SU plugins could be an alternative to the high price Autodesk products.
I had the same issue , but after several tries I managed to find my way in the new V-ray. The Alpha image has to be imported under the opacity menu and (the way I did it) you have to chose “Diffuse texture Alpha” in the coustom sourse selection. And that’s it!
