Transparency Issues on Static Object (e.g. it isn't)

[Tathrin]

I'm trying to add a book, built off of the brilliant Real Readable Books mod by Zorkaz. Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I cannot get the pages to work like they do in the original mod. The texture keeps showing up as a flat opaque white poking out around the edges of the book.

I've been poking at this on and off for two years now, with no success, and I'm at my wit's end. Does anyone have ANY ideas what I'm doing wrong, or how to fix it?

 

Here's a quick upload of the basic file if anyone wants to take a look and try to save me: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BQz0EEbijnf1FBidUQd9VxMa8XW24pQI/view?usp=drive_link

 

[ChuckYufarley]

I'm assuming you're trying to eliminate the white pages sticking out of the book. If that's the case the problem is you did not include an alpha channel in your texture. The alpha channel determines which parts of the mesh will appear transparent. The lower half of the UV map for the book mesh contain the "pages". The lower half of your texture is white. That's why the "pages" appear white when viewed in Nifskope, in the CK, and in game. 

I went ahead and edited your texture to include the needed alpha channel. I had to reduce it's size by half in order to upload it here, so you might want to either enlarge it or edit your original to include the alpha channel.

I don't know which image editor you use for creating your textures, but here's a short tutorial on how to create alpha channels in Photoshop.  

When saving your .dds, select Color + Alpha from the texture type. If you don't use Photoshop, I'm afraid you'll have to find that information somewhere else as I'm not familiar with other image editors.

Lavender.dds

[Tathrin]

You are my HERO, thank you!!! I think that was such a basic thing, that I was searching for far more complicated solutions that consequently had nothing to do with what I was actually doing wrong ughhh. (Figures.) Thank you so much!

[ChuckYufarley]

You're very welcome.

[Tathrin]

No, wait, I'm sorry, it still isn't working. I've watched that so carefully and followed every step, and everything looks right. It looks just like the one you sent me, which does work! I don't know if I have some setting toggled wrong in my Photoshop, maybe? But even if I so much as open your file, increase the image size, and re-save, it gives me the stupid blank white spots again. I'm so sorry to be a pest, but could you take another look?

 

Here's the full final texture, that just will not show up without the white spots, no matter what I do.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TXzjrzq2vQLQK0voCl21qZZJtTboVIKq/view?usp=drive_link

[RoNin1971]

It's not transparent. The white parts should not be visible (transparent).

Make sure it has an Alpha layer & delete the white parts.

Also: Make sure the nif you use has the NiAlphaProperty, or it might still not be transparent.

[Tathrin]

I'm using the same nif as from Real Readable Books (I just mapped the main texture to the new one I made, and renamed it when I saved it) and those look fine, so I don't think it's a problem with the nif. Also when I use the texture that ChuckYufarley made, it works perfectly. It's just that for some reason, whatever I do, my textures won't save correctly. Even if it's the same texture that ChuckYufarley made, or one taken directly from Real Books, as soon as it goes through my Photoshop the white bits appear.

The alpha layers look exactly the same. Even just resizing the image file ruins it. I have Alpha Channels and Layers both checked, everything looks right. It's just not coming out right.

[Tathrin]

Okay, it's something wrong with my Photoshop settings. I just tried it in photopea, and the texture works fine coming from there. I DON'T KNOW. But thank you both so much for the help!

[RoNin1971]

Can't help you there. I use Gimp myself. (& in this case: A BC3/DXT5 DDS)