Alpha Rendering Error based on Camera Angle

[jonbee]

When rendering Billboards in scene using:
SetBlendingMode(CONST_TV_BLENDINGMODE.TV_BLEND_ALPHA);

Setting the camera's X angle above a certain value will cause these billboards to not render.

EDIT: This only occurs when the Billboards are inside another transparent mesh.

[AriusEso]

EDIT: This only occurs when the Billboards are inside another transparent mesh.

You didn't say that on IRC. I should've asked.

Try using the SetAlphaTest() function. It sounds like it is maybe a sorting issue.

[jonbee]

Yeah, I realized that may have been the issue after posting, but it does not help.

[AriusEso]

If you're not already doing so, can you try TVScene->RenderAll(true, true) ?

[jviper]

hmmm.....this actually sounds like the depth buffer's short coming (the fact the the depth buffer does not take transparency into account).

if you just have the one mesh that is transparent and the billboards are not transparent, then simply making sure the mesh get's rendered last should fix your billboards from disappearing. But if you have multiple transparent meshes, or your billboards are also transparent, then you'll have to sort everything from back to front. If your transparent meshes are complex, you'll have to split them up into smaller and simpler meshes.