OpenGL Alpha Channel Problem

Nibbie

Posts: 1
Joined: 2013.01

Post: #1

Jan 19, 2013 — 03:04 AM

Hi. Great website you guys got here.

I'm making a particle engine and the idea is that as the particle's life decreases the alpha value also decreases creating a fade effect.

Code:

void UpdateRain(void)

{

    for (int i = 0; i < MAX_PARTICLES; i++)

    {

        int iRandX = ((rand()%500) - 250);

        float dRandX = float(iRandX)/9;

        int iRandZ = (rand()%500) - 250;

        float dRandZ = (float)iRandZ/9;

        int iRandLife = rand()%100;

        float dRandLife = (float)iRandLife/100;

        int iRandDeath = (rand()%10);

        float dRandDeath = (float)iRandDeath/1000;

        // Draw the particles using our RGB values

        glColor4f(Rain[i].r,Rain[i].g,Rain[i].b,Rain[i].life);

        Rain[i].xPos += Rain[i].xDir; //move on the x axis by x speed

        Rain[i].yPos += Rain[i].yDir; //move on the y axis by y speed

        Rain[i].zPos += Rain[i].zDir; //move on the z axis by z speed

        Rain[i].life -= Rain[i].death; //reduce life by value of death

        if (Rain[i].life < Rain[i].death)

        {

            Rain[i].xPos = dRandX;

            Rain[i].yPos = 20;

            Rain[i].zPos = dRandZ;

            Rain[i].xDir = 0.01f;

            Rain[i].yDir = -0.5f;

            Rain[i].zDir = 0;

            Rain[i].r = 0.90f;

            Rain[i].g = 0.90f;

            Rain[i].b = 1.0f;

            Rain[i].life = dRandLife;

            Rain[i].death = 0.01f;

            Rain[i].speed = (float)(rand()%360);

            Rain[i].angle = 160;

        }        

    }

}

void DrawRain(void)

{    

    for (int i = 0; i < MAX_PARTICLES; i++)

    {

        glPushMatrix();

        glTranslatef (Rain[i].xPos, Rain[i].yPos, Rain[i].zPos);

        glDisable (GL_DEPTH_TEST);

        glEnable (GL_BLEND);

        glBlendFunc (GL_DST_COLOR, GL_ZERO);

        glBindTexture (GL_TEXTURE_2D, myTexture[0]);

        //glvertex3f determines particle size

        glBegin (GL_QUADS);

        glTexCoord2d (0, 0); //bottom left

        glVertex3f (.05f, 0, 0.05f);

        glTexCoord2d (1, 0); //bottom right

        glVertex3f (.1f, 0, .1f);

        glTexCoord2d (1, 1); //top right

        glVertex3f (0.05f, .55f, 0.05f);

        glTexCoord2d (0, 1); //top left

        glVertex3f (0.05f, .5f, 0.05f);

        glEnd();

        glBlendFunc (GL_ONE, GL_ONE);

        glBindTexture (GL_TEXTURE_2D, myTexture[1]);

        glBegin (GL_QUADS);

        glTexCoord2d (0, 0); //bottom left

        glVertex3f (.05f, 0, 0.05f);

        glTexCoord2d (1, 0); //bottom right

        glVertex3f (.1f, 0, .1f);

        glTexCoord2d (1, 1); //top right

        glVertex3f (0.05f, .55f, 0.05f);

        glTexCoord2d (0, 1); //top left

        glVertex3f (0.05f, .5f, 0.05f);

        glEnd();

        glEnable(GL_DEPTH_TEST);

        glPopMatrix();

    }

}

I'm not quite sure whats causing the problem here so I'd appreciate the help. I'd also like to point out that changing the alpha value in the glcolor4f function seems to have no affect on the particles.

Thanks.

sealfin

Moderator

Posts: 680
Joined: 2002.04

Post: #2

Jan 19, 2013 — 08:25 AM

Welcome to the forums
Your code would be a lot easier to read – and thus you'd be more likely to receive an answer to your question – if you used the code tag/indentation
You'd be more likely to receive an answer to your question if you posted a question/described the problem you're encountering, and didn't just post code
I've taken a glance at your code and I'd guess that the explanation for why your call to glColor4f() is not affecting the opacity of your particles is because your call to glColor4f() is in UpdateRain() and not DrawRain() where it most likely belongs...

Mark Bishop

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