Transparency?

Transparency?

Not sure if this would be skinning or modelling so ill just put it here.

I have been planning out a Star Wars map for a while and I went to try to see if i could get a lightsaber to work through skinning. I got the Blademaster because that was the closest I could think of at the moment, and I tried to skin his sword into a lightsaber. His sword is too fat and is shaped different. I erased what was under it and everything but it just has the lightsaber i made and then the rest of his sword is black. The saber is like at the bottom of his sword. Is there a way to make the black part of his sword that was left become transparent? I looked around but I couldnt really find a solution. I tried leaving that part of the texture transparent but it still came out black. Is there a way to do this without modeling it?

If not, I would try modelling it. I have 3d Studio Max 6 but Ive never been able to get it to open the .mdx files that winmpq exports. I've tried the blizzard art tools and it says theyre made for a different version which is 5 I believe. How do I do this?

yes. it's called alpha-ing. if you have a half-goood image-editing program, you will be able to use an alpha brush. use alpha like you would erase something, to make it the shape of a lightsaber. then recolor or do whatever.

if you want see through BUT still there you need modeling programs.an example of see through would be the kotg ghost.alpha is when a part of a skin is erased as ddngf said.

ummm, well if you cant do it you could use mine, you will have to know about mdl editing for diff color beams?

anyhow, I have 2 of them, unless you do not want them otherwise go right ahead and MODEL them.

use wings3d and export as obj then convert to mdx, with the obj to mdx tool found someplace.

As they are lightsabres/attachments they need no animations, or attachment points.

http://www.wc3sear.ch/index.php?p=Models&Authors=Sansui