dude... X-ray transparency effect.

[Avahor]

Hi guys.
As you can check on the screenshot there's an interesting shadow effect into Warcraft III maps. When a hero walks close shadowed trees they become transparent, these trees are located out of playable area. into the shadows bounds.
.
unfortunately on my test this effect only happens with trees out of the playable area. on the sides just on the limits. I tried to put trees over shadow in random places into playable area but nothing happens.
I don't how is named this effect. I would like to know if it can be done via map settings or it could be activated via filters.
Or maybe a better option is some attached model that makes hero always visible.
for example the known model of frozen rose aura always is visible, (as the health bars) but aura's owner not.
Any tip will be very appreciated.

 

[Talavaj]

Always visible model needs to have a no-depth flag, this forces the game to ignore the model in screen depth calculations always rendering it in the front.
Like the UI elements for example.

To do this you can easily edit the model in magos editor and just check the "no depth test/set" flags in the material editor.
To do it the way the trees do on your screenshot you would have to edit the trees, create an alternate animation where the trees are transparent and play that animation via triggers when the character model is behind them.

There is a way to make only certain materials show through other models but not through the character model itself.
So this way you could make it that it only shows kind of a "shadow" through other models, not the whole model since that can look a little jarring.

Something like this:

 

[Avahor]

There is a way to make only certain materials show through other models but not through the character model itself.
So this way you could make it that it only shows kind of a "shadow" through other models, not the whole model since that can look a little jarring.

OMG!... that's exactly what I need. Your screen is just what I have on mind. How do you make this kind of <<Shadow>> across other models?

beforehand Thanks Talavaj!

 

[Talavaj]

You have to edit the model you want to show behind others, make two material layers in the material editor.
Move the one you want to show to the bottom, assign whatever texture you want it to have and check the "no depth test/set" flags.

That should do it. Obviously, the bottom material layer you can edit however you like.
Make the texture greyscale, or just make the whole model one color or whatever.
The model on this picture is textured with an alpha material in the bottom layer.