Why do some of my opaque fabrics look transparent in CLO3D Software?
Have you noticed that some opaque fabrics look transparent in your 3D window in CLO3D?
First, the fabric will only look transparent in your “3D window”. This issue will be resolved in two ways:
- 3D View: Press the “Quality Render” button
- Render View: Complete rendering
When you see this issue, it simply indicates that the fabrics are actually transparent, even though the transparency is not apparently noticeable. If fabrics are completely opaque, there will not be any transparent parts in the 3D window.
All the texture maps included in our zfab files are in PNG format, including the Base Color Map. Unlike JPG format images, PNG formats can reflect the level of transparency.
Our Base Color Maps may hold different levels of transparency even for opaque fabrics, depending on the size of gap in-between the fibers, even while the gaps are actually invisible to the naked eye.
However, this is not a problem since we also provide an opacity map that controls the transparency. We apply an opacity map on every zfab file, which means our 3D fabrics are almost identical to their physical versions.
Then, what about the transparency issue in 3D Garment Window in CLO3D Software?
If you observe any transparent sections on the fabric in the 3D Window, it indicates there’s a sheer quality(in other words, there are very small spaces between the fibers) of the physical fabric even though it’s not visually apparent.
Please see the example below.
The left photo was taken in natural light, giving the impression that the fabric appears almost opaque.
However, as seen in the right photo, the same fabric appears slightly sheer in stronger light.
Our fabric scanner detects extremely subtle sheerness, and it's represented on the Alpha map as a grayscale. Let's take a look at an example of PD-00442024 below.
This fabric has slightly sheer quality as shown in the Alpha map with grayscale. This causes transparent sections in 3D Window, however, they are completely eliminated in Render Window.
Some articles suggest converting the Base map format to JPG and excluding the Alpha map in the Zfab file to resolve the transparency issue in the 3D window. However, this is not an appropriate solution as it results in the loss of fine details of the fabric texture and its distinctive features are lost in the final rendered image.
The fabric used in the following rendered images is PD-00390411. This Jacquard knit has visible gaps between the fibers, giving the fabric a knitted appearance. If you convert the Base map format to JPG and exclude the Alpha map, the 3D fabric in the rendered image becomes flat and loses knitted texture.
Please see the difference between the rendered images below.
Would you rather prefer to run a simulation in the 3D Window while avoiding the transparency issue?
There is a simple solution - click on “Quality Render” and you will see that the transparency issue is eliminated in your 3D window.
**Please note that the Alpha map is not included in our Zfab file if the fabric is completely opaque. As a result, you will not encounter any transparency issues in the 3D Window in this case.