Want to create a transparent texture that repeats without doubling back on itself? The solution is to convert the object to a mesh in order to reduce the texture mapping to a single plane. This tutorial will explain how to do this as well as help to ensure your transparent texture settings are looking good.
Create Texture
Be sure you are uploading a .png image with a transparent background. Create a new renderworks texture and add the .png image to the color shader:
Next, select ‘Image Mask’ in Transparency shader, Reuse ‘This Texture’s Color’ and set mask source to Alpha Channel:
Apply Texture
I’ve made a simple model, an extruded rectangle with a panoramic background. I want to put a repeating Scenic Mentor logo onto this white rectangle with a transparent background.
I apply my texture to the extruded white rectangle by assigning the texture in Object Info:
Unfortunately, I’m not done yet. The texture is wrapping around all 6 sides of my extruded rectangle:
Convert to Mesh
To solve this, simply select the rectangle in the design view, go to Modify > Convert > Convert to Mesh. Then delete the back plane and 4 sides of the rectangle, leaving only one plane for the transparent image to map onto.
Now we are left with a repeating texture with a crisp transparent background that doesn’t double back on itself. If you wanted this to be more like a step & repeat, you could simply extrude a second rectangle to sit immediately behind it, as whatever color you background you desire.
