Transparency problem after update to beta version

Troubleshooting graphics
1

Hello,



till yesterday I had run my project with a old jme3 alpha version from march or april. After the update to the beta version I get a transparency problem.



My purpose is to draw a transparent box with a wirebox around and a plane (a box with z-Size zero) inside the box. It is important to see the plane inside the box. This is already fine with the old jme3 version: http://i.imgur.com/ZEKXK.png



With the new beta version the same code creates the following image: http://i.imgur.com/Ox3YF.png



Here is my program code simplified in a small class which shows only the relevant code:

[java]

import com.jme3.app.SimpleApplication;

import com.jme3.bounding.BoundingBox;

import com.jme3.bounding.BoundingVolume;

import com.jme3.material.Material;

import com.jme3.material.RenderState.BlendMode;

import com.jme3.math.ColorRGBA;

import com.jme3.math.Vector3f;

import com.jme3.renderer.queue.RenderQueue.Bucket;

import com.jme3.scene.Geometry;

import com.jme3.scene.debug.WireBox;

import com.jme3.scene.shape.Box;



public class InsertionContextTest extends SimpleApplication {

Vector3f size = new Vector3f(5, 5, 5);

Vector3f position = new Vector3f(0, 0, 0);



public static void main(String[] args) {

InsertionContextTest app = new InsertionContextTest();

app.start();

}



@Override

public void simpleInitApp() {

flyCam.setMoveSpeed(100f);

cam.setLocation(new Vector3f(0, 20, 10));



Box b = new Box(size.x, size.y, size.z);

Geometry insertionContextBox = new Geometry(“inputArea”, b);

Material mat = new Material(assetManager, “Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md”);

mat.setColor(“Color”, new ColorRGBA(246, 255, 0, 0.3f));

mat.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(BlendMode.Alpha);

insertionContextBox.setMaterial(mat);

insertionContextBox.setQueueBucket(Bucket.Transparent);

insertionContextBox.setLocalTranslation(position);

insertionContextBox.setModelBound(new BoundingBox());

rootNode.attachChild(insertionContextBox);



BoundingVolume bound = insertionContextBox.getModelBound();

BoundingBox bbox = (BoundingBox) bound;

WireBox wireBox = new WireBox();

wireBox.fromBoundingBox(bbox);

wireBox.setLineWidth(3f);

Geometry insertAreaWireBox = new Geometry(“selectedGeometry”, wireBox);

mat = new Material(assetManager, “Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md”);

mat.setColor(“Color”, new ColorRGBA(246, 255, 0, 0.3f));

insertAreaWireBox.setMaterial(mat);

insertAreaWireBox.setLocalTransform(insertionContextBox.getWorldTransform());

rootNode.attachChild(insertAreaWireBox);



Box p = new Box(size.x, size.y, 0);

Geometry insertionContextPlane = new Geometry(“helperPlane”, p);

Material material = new Material(assetManager, “Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md”);

material.setColor(“Color”, new ColorRGBA(255, 255, 255, 0.8f));

material.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(BlendMode.Alpha);

insertionContextPlane.setMaterial(material);

insertionContextPlane.setQueueBucket(Bucket.Transparent);

insertionContextPlane.setLocalTranslation(position);

rootNode.attachChild(insertionContextPlane);

}

}

[/java]



For the new jme3 version I used Unshaded material instead of SolidColor, elsewhere the code is exactly the same.



Has anybody an idea, why the plane is not visible with jme3 beta version?

2

I solved the problem. If a call updateModelBound() for the insertionContextBox geometry then is already fine. But that’s a little bit strange, because the jMonkeyEngine SDK says: “Updating is not needed in jME3, check your update order if you need to call this”. Nevertheless, it looks like that the updateModelBound method is important. Without calling this method I can’t see the inner plane. Is this approach ok, or is there any problem with calling updateModelBound?

3

Just don’t set a BoundingBox for it, it gets one by default. But you’re right it should get updated in the update loop.