Combining Transparency and Light

Hallo everybody,
{sorry, my englich is yet poorer than my knowledge about OpenGL :sorrow:}

I’m trying to combine transparency with kight effect(s), but everytime I enable light, transparenca ist lost, using OpneGL 3.

ALPHA Values (transperrency) of all (relevant) colors are set to 0.5f, so I don’t understand the phenomen.

My main(…): // using ‘_’ to see formatted code //

int main( int argc, char* argv[] ) {
_ glutInit( &argc, argv ); // initialize GLUT
_ glutInitDisplayMode( GLUT_DOUBLE | GLUT_RGB | GLUT_DEPTH );
_ glutInitWindowPosition( 5, 3 );
_ glutInitWindowSize( currentWidth, currentHeight );

_ if( glutCreateWindow(" <DESRIPTION> | Anonymus 2014") == GL_FALSE )
_ exit( 1 );

_ init();
_ glutDisplayFunc( renderScene );
_ glutReshapeFunc( reshape );
_ glutKeyboardFunc( keyboard );
_ glutSpecialFunc( specialFunc );
_ glutMouseFunc( mousePressedOrRealeased );
_ glutPassiveMotionFunc( mouseMotionReleased );
_ glutMotionFunc( mouseMotionPressed );
_ glutTimerFunc( msecs, animate, 0); // delay[mSec], Function Pointer, parameter

_ glutMainLoop();

_ return 0;
}

so after creating window 1st lights are configured:

void init() {
_ initLigths();
_ loadGLTextures();
_ glPolygonMode( GL_FRONT_AND_BACK, GL_FILL );
_ glEnable( GL_DEPTH_TEST );
_ glClearDepth( 1.0 );
_ userInfo_and_menu(); // my user outputs
}

void initLigths() {
_ GLfloat mat_specular[] = { 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f };
_ GLfloat mat_shininess[] = { 50.0f };

_ // 1st light (‘0’)
_ GLfloat light0_position[] = { 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f },
_ light1_position[] = { -1.0, -1.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f };
_ //glClearColor( 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0 );
_ glShadeModel( GL_SMOOTH );
_ glMaterialfv( GL_FRONT, GL_SPECULAR, mat_specular );
_ glMaterialfv( GL_FRONT, GL_SHININESS, mat_shininess );
_ // / ??
_ glLightModeli(GL_LIGHT_MODEL_TWO_SIDE, GL_TRUE);
_ // ?? /
_ glLightfv( GL_LIGHT0, GL_POSITION, light0_position );

_ // 2nd light (‘1’)
_ GLfloat light1_ambient[] = { 0.2f, 0.2f, 0.2f, 1.0f };
_ GLfloat light1_diffuse[] = { 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f };
_ GLfloat light1_specular[] = { 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f };
_ GLfloat spot_direction[] = { 1.0f, 1.0f, 0 };
_ glLightfv(GL_LIGHT1, GL_AMBIENT, light1_ambient );
_ glLightfv(GL_LIGHT1, GL_DIFFUSE, light1_diffuse );
_ glLightfv(GL_LIGHT1, GL_SPECULAR, light1_specular );
_ //glLightfv( GL_LIGHT1, GL_POSITION, light_position1 );
_ glLightfv(GL_LIGHT1, GL_POSITION, light1_position);
_ glLightf(GL_LIGHT1, GL_CONSTANT_ATTENUATION, 1.5f );
_ glLightf(GL_LIGHT1, GL_LINEAR_ATTENUATION, 0.5f );
_ glLightf(GL_LIGHT1, GL_QUADRATIC_ATTENUATION, 0.2f );
_ glLightf(GL_LIGHT1, GL_SPOT_CUTOFF, 41.0f );
_ glLightfv(GL_LIGHT1, GL_SPOT_DIRECTION, spot_direction) ;
_ glLightf(GL_LIGHT1, GL_SPOT_EXPONENT, 2.0f );
_ //
_ glEnable( GL_LIGHTING );
_ glEnable( GL_LIGHT0 );
_ glEnable( GL_LIGHT1 );
}

Rendering occurs with (partionally pseudocode)

void reshape( int width, int height ) {
_ if( changedViewAngle || currentWidth != width || currentHeight != height ) {
_ if( changedViewAngle )
_ changedViewAngle = false;
_ else {
_ currentWidth = width;
_ currentHeight = height;
_ }
_ }
_ glMatrixMode( GL_PROJECTION );
_ glLoadIdentity();
_ // define viewport
_ glViewport( 0, 0, width, height ); // x,y of lower left corner

_ gluPerspective( angle_degrees_gluPerspective,// y direction
_ 1.0, // aspect ratio => field of view
_ 0.7, 10.97 ); // zNear, zFar

_ glMatrixMode( GL_MODELVIEW );
}

void renderScene() { // Code to be executed in every Frame
_ glLoadIdentity (); // Reset / actual Model-/View-Transformations-Matrix
_ // Camera
_ gluLookAt( gluLookAt_eyeX,
_ gluLookAt_eyeY,
_ gluLookAt_eyeZ,
_ 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, // centerX, centerY, centerZ of view
_ gluLookAt_upX, // Camera View-Up Vector
_ gluLookAt_upY, // i.e. the normale of
_ gluLookAt_upZ ); // (upon) camera
_ LIGHT_BLUE_CLEAR; // Background Color
_ glClear( GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT );

_ glPushMatrix();
_ glTranslatef( 0, 0, // x, y (stay)
_ -0.3f ); // z --> behind
_ glRotatef( -1, 1.0f, 0, 0 );
_ drawSomething(); // the background
_ glPopMatrix();
_ //
_ glPushMatrix();
_ glTranslatef( offsetX, offsetY, offsetZ );
_ glRotatef( 13.7f, 0, 0.1f, 1.0f ); // 1.37° around y-, 13.7° around z- axis
_ createObject1();
_ glPopMatrix();
_ //
_ glPushMatrix();
_ glEnable( GL_BLEND ); // works, but doesn’t with light(s)
_ glBlendFunc( GL_SRC_ALPHA, GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA );
_ glTranslatef( -7.1f, 6.77f, 0 );
_ if( isMovableToLeft ) leftArrow( 0, 1, 1.3f, 0.59f );
_ if( isMovableToTop ) topArrow( 0, 1, 1.3f, 0.59f );
_ if( isMovableToRight ) rightArrow( 0, 1, 1.3f, 0.59f );
_ if( isMovableToBottom ) bottomArrow( 0, 1, 1.3f, 0.59f );
_ glPopMatrix(); // */
_ glDisable( GL_BLEND );
_ WHITE; // uses #define statement for color
_ glutSwapBuffers();
_ glFlush(); // clear buffer(s?)
}

and animation is done by

void animate( int value ) {
_ if( mousePressed || sleeping ) {} // don’t animate
_ else {
_ updateValues();
_ calculatePositions();
_ }

_ glutPostRedisplay(); // call renderScene() in any case

_ // re-register Timer
_ glutTimerFunc( msecs, animate, ++value ); // delay, Function Ptr, parameter
}

Would be very nice, if somebody could tell me what to change or how to do for combining light effects with transpareny, if possible.
Thanks for your answers :smiley:

If you are really using OpenGL 3.x you must use shaders. But it seems that you are using OpenGL 1.x, I don’t remember how to do that. Have you tried with GL_ALPHA_TEST insteed of using GL_BLEND?

Thanks for your answer,
perhaps this is v 1.x, but I don’t know, because I used for basic structures some code fount in the internet and a very old book, often not commented or partionally only, and modified it. Only the code for creating my figures is written by me (didn’t post it).

Thanks for more responses :wink: