CompuServe Thread

"Watermark" for logos

5 messages in this thread
#87346From: Mike RatledgeFeb 28, 1994 12:44 PM
OK, guys – here's one that should be a no-brainer, but I can't seem to figure out exactly "how-to": 'Watermarks' or the company or station logo that broadcast stations have added to the lower-right hand corner, which look as though they are clear, and allow anything that they are superimposed upon to show through. I've tried cutting out the front and back faces, I've tried lofting glass and white glass materials, but I always get what appears to be a 3-D image that doesn't have the highlighting I want (usually from the top-left but sometimes from top-right). I figure it's one of those that I need to create in 3DS and then put in the black shadows with either Animator/Pro or PhotoShop – but still am mostly in the dark as to what exactly I'm doing wrong. Any ideas? All I really need is a still image, that is in 24-bit color format, with minimum depth. It needs to be clear, but show an outline of the logo, of course.
#87507From: ALAN IGLESIASFeb 28, 1994 10:55 PM
Those transparent "watermarks", Mike, are typically done using an alpha channel with the stations' video switching equipment, or so I'm told by a reliable source (it makes sense to me). This enables the logo to be consistantly transparent, no matter what program material is playing. The logo's components are done with different shades of grey to facilitate different amounts of transparency, making some parts of the logo "darker" than others. If each of these parts is, say, a part of a beveled version of the logo, then a 3D affect is achieved. To simulate this affect with 3DS, I'd model a beveled version of the logo, and use Place Hilight to get the lighting correct. Hope this helps a little.
#87633From: Don LandisMar 1, 1994 11:57 AM
That's right Alan, Use an alphs channel keyer. I do it the poor man's way by dissolving the graphic in using a switcher.
#87829From: ALAN IGLESIASMar 2, 1994 12:47 AM
He-he, there's more than one way to see thru a logo… -Alan
#87676From: Mike RatledgeMar 1, 1994 3:01 PM
OK – thanks, Alan! I'll give that a shot. Seems like a plan to me…