Alpha settings with mental ray

# 1 21-08-2015 , 10:26 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2015

Posts: 3

Hello everyone, I cannot find a solution to what seems to be a rather simple task. I want to render a png image with a background color but I cant turn the transparency off. I will really appreciate it if someone can help me out with this.

Things I have already tried.

1- turning off alpha in renderable cameras worked with vray but fails with MR.

2- pass custom alpha checked/unchecked

That was pretty much all I could dig up on this topic.

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# 2 22-08-2015 , 11:09 AM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: Prague

Posts: 3,228

Break the alpha connection to the shader in the hypershade or the node editor.

From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

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# 3 22-08-2015 , 05:33 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2015

Posts: 3

Thank you David for your reply, but I am not talking about any one shader. I am talking about the alpha/mask that is saved with the .png format I want it to show the background color that I set in the camera environment attribute but it comes out transparent.

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# 4 22-08-2015 , 06:45 PM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: Prague

Posts: 3,228

Ah sorry i misunderstood, as far as i know any image format with an alpha channel will not save the camera background colour. if you save as a jpg you'll see the background. Only way i know of the top of my head.

TBH you're not meant to see the camera bg colour in a final render which is why it's not there. Why not just comp in any colour you want afterwards? It will take no time at all and give you a lot more flexibility especially if it's just a solid colour

My advice save as jpg if you must but personally i'd save out as a 16bit exr then comp in the bg afterwards. Someone else might know a way but it's not something i'd ever do.

Sorry I can't be of more help.
David

From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

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