Transparent Background

[dkgodfrey]

Is it possible to create a transparent background (alpha) in 3D? I have created an animated 3D graphic that I will export as an .avi and want it to have a transparent background for placement over other graphic background in a video.

Thanks.

Keith

[Soquili]

Hi Keith,

Export to avi does not support a transparent background. Use of a green or blue background (depends on your compositing video application) you can superimpose your Xara3D animation over other video.

[Timiditas]

Saw a friend using Xara3D, we talked about it. He also moaned about it, not supporting alpha channel while exporting animations.
I was also thinking about buying Xara3D for it is small and easy to use, compared to software from Autodesk, for example. Something like 3d Studio Max would be a galactic overkill for my needs, and no mortal human can afford that.
However I frequently work with avi files of 32bit color depth.
Xara doesn't seem to be updated very often, when looking at the release date of the demo version available on its download page (2005? )
Will there ever be an update to adress that rather small issue?
And if not, it would be enough if there were an option to just export transparency information to an 8-bit greyscale animation. Even thats not possible ATM.

Xara would surely benefit much from one of these options.
Thanks for your time.

[Soquili]

Xara3D can export transparent background animations as a gif file.

For avi animation set the background colour to either blue or green and use your video editor to remove the background. Blue screen and/or green screen has been used for removing backgrounds in video for decades.

[Timiditas]

I may just do that. However that was not my point. Why leave a good software unfinished?

[woodsglen]

I thought i just posted a question about alpha channels for X3d.. i must have done something at the log in.. just as well because here is the same question..

i too feel the Xara has really missed the boat on this one...

no transparent background - no alpha channel support...

Actually i bought the program thinking this was going to be the ticket.. then to find out that .... Duhh.. it doesn't work.

Oh well... they really should try and do an update.. even if it costs us a few bucks for the upgrade... it would then be a well rounded tool..

compared to other programs ... x3d is slick - easy - but unfortunately... misses the boat big time for a lot of potential media applications ( and sales)

Wayne

[Soquili]

The purpose of Xara3D was originally and remains to create web animated graphics using extruded text. Xara3D6 was released 18 February 2005, it will soon be 4 years old.

There are some advanced users that have pushed the software beyond it's designed limits.

To my knowledge the avi format does not support alpha channel or even a 256 color .gif transparency.

But as I posted several months ago in this thread most video transparency is created using blue/green screen technology.

Creating a blue or green background is as simple as a couple of clicks on the Color Options.

Xara Group Ltd. does not announce their plans to us forum members. They may or may not have plans to update Xara3D. The inclusion of a 3D extrude in Xara Xtreme may or may not indicate the future of extrusions in Xara software.

[handrawn]

you bought it without checking the output formats? Duuh indeed

it does support alpha for stills - you could always remake in a video editor....

[Soquili]

Wayne does your video software support Flash import? You could export your animation from Xara3D with transparency in Flash bitmap format.

[Timiditas]

To my knowledge the avi format does not support alpha channel or even a 256 color .gif transparency.

Avi is not a compression format but rather just a container. And it does support several bitdepths for its contents.
The output bitdepth is only limited by the used video codec.
About palletized transparency, I am not sure.