Skip to main content
added 135 characters in body
Source Link
Rich Sedman
  • 45.2k
  • 2
  • 109
  • 233

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

@lemon kindly provided a comparison of various methods with varying emission :

animated

From left to right...

  1. Emission shader only

emission only

  1. Transparent and Emission combined with Add shader (the one described at the start of this answer)

add transparent and emission

  1. Transparent mixed with Emission

enter image description here

  1. Transparent mixed with combined Emission/Transparent

enter image description here

1 and 3 produce shadows (and 1, obviously, turns black so is really not good). 2 and 4 don't produce shadows and are fully transparent - the only difference being that 4 fades at a different rate - mostly due to the Mix factor and the emission strength combining to affect the brightness non-linearly.

For a linearly varying emission with no shadow, number '2' seems the best solution.

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

@lemon kindly provided a comparison of various methods with varying emission :

animated

From left to right...

  1. Emission shader only

emission only

  1. Transparent and Emission combined with Add shader

add transparent and emission

  1. Transparent mixed with Emission

enter image description here

  1. Transparent mixed with combined Emission/Transparent

enter image description here

1 and 3 produce shadows (and 1, obviously, turns black so is really not good). 2 and 4 don't produce shadows and are fully transparent - the only difference being that 4 fades at a different rate - mostly due to the Mix factor and the emission strength combining to affect the brightness non-linearly.

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

@lemon kindly provided a comparison of various methods with varying emission :

animated

From left to right...

  1. Emission shader only

emission only

  1. Transparent and Emission combined with Add shader (the one described at the start of this answer)

add transparent and emission

  1. Transparent mixed with Emission

enter image description here

  1. Transparent mixed with combined Emission/Transparent

enter image description here

1 and 3 produce shadows (and 1, obviously, turns black so is really not good). 2 and 4 don't produce shadows and are fully transparent - the only difference being that 4 fades at a different rate - mostly due to the Mix factor and the emission strength combining to affect the brightness non-linearly.

For a linearly varying emission with no shadow, number '2' seems the best solution.

additional detail and inclusion and comparison of alternative methods
Source Link
Rich Sedman
  • 45.2k
  • 2
  • 109
  • 233

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

@lemon kindly provided a comparison of various methods with varying emission :

animated

From left to right...

  1. Emission shader only

emission only

  1. Transparent and Emission combined with Add shader

add transparent and emission

  1. Transparent mixed with Emission

enter image description here

  1. Transparent mixed with combined Emission/Transparent

enter image description here

1 and 3 produce shadows (and 1, obviously, turns black so is really not good). 2 and 4 don't produce shadows and are fully transparent - the only difference being that 4 fades at a different rate - mostly due to the Mix factor and the emission strength combining to affect the brightness non-linearly.

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

@lemon kindly provided a comparison of various methods with varying emission :

animated

From left to right...

  1. Emission shader only

emission only

  1. Transparent and Emission combined with Add shader

add transparent and emission

  1. Transparent mixed with Emission

enter image description here

  1. Transparent mixed with combined Emission/Transparent

enter image description here

1 and 3 produce shadows (and 1, obviously, turns black so is really not good). 2 and 4 don't produce shadows and are fully transparent - the only difference being that 4 fades at a different rate - mostly due to the Mix factor and the emission strength combining to affect the brightness non-linearly.

added 108 characters in body
Source Link
Rich Sedman
  • 45.2k
  • 2
  • 109
  • 233

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shadersshader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in itthe mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and Emission shaders.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader in this way will result in it being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission.

Use an Add shader to combine a Transparent and an Emission shader.

pure light material

The inclusion of the Transparent shader (set to 100% white) in this way will result in the mesh being fully transparent regardless of the intensity of the emission. ie, it won't cast a shadow and will be invisible apart from the light it emits.

Source Link
Rich Sedman
  • 45.2k
  • 2
  • 109
  • 233
Loading