gif image opacity - making translucent annotations or translucent plots

[superryan]

Hi,

Is there any way to make some add-on to have translucent images? Right now, i'm adding gif images as annotations to my 2D graph, and the clear background remains clear in the plot, but the rest of the image is solid (and i'd like to see them as somewhat opaque, too). I had a similar question weeks ago about plotting translucent lines & points .. and appearently alpha channels are only accessable in VC.NET ...

but is there any work-around where i can display 2 images / plots / items / anything overlapping each other, and i can see both?

i will take *any* work-around. 🙂

thanks,
Ryan

[Eric M]

Hello Ryan,

It sounds like you have already set the annotation to be transparent which allows any plots to show through the selected background color of the image. Short of developing your own controls, there does not appear to be a way to have the images in the annotations to be translucent. The same goes for other overlapping objects.

What is it you are trying to represent with the mix of images and plots? Is there another way the relationship can be represented? Maybe you could use a separate Picture control in conjunction with the graph to display the appropriate image.

Regards,

Eric M

[superryan]

Hi Eric...

I'm taking 2 sensors - 1 takes a photo of the area, and the other takes an energy signature... so what i need to do is show the physical image and then on top of that, show some translucent plots of energy. And these plots are nothing more than a couple of big squares of various shades of red, tiled side by side.

i actually was never able to get an annotation to be translucent. I took a translucent GIF and added it to my plot as an annotation, but it showed up solid. is there an obvious trick im overlooking?

And as for representing the relationship in any other way -- i'm game, so long as I can show the 2 sensors' data together. (I'm only 1-month old to Measurement Studio).

Thanks,
Ryan

[superryan]

More susinctly, I should ask: how do you make annotations translucent?

😃

Thanks in advance,
Ryan

[Eric M]

Hi Ryan,

Unfortunately, there is no trick. You cannot make annotations translucent, even if you start with a translucent image. A selected color of the image can be made transparent, but the annotation cannot be made to be translucent.

Another idea for a solution could be to have a Picture control next to the graph. Then, have the image in the picture be updated to correspond with the data being displayed in the graph.

I did a quick Google search for translucent ActiveX controls. There appear to be some sources for this type of control. Of course, there is no guarantee that these would work with Measurement Studio controls. You may or may not find solution to fit your needs.

Regards,

Eric M.

[superryan]

if anyone runs into a similar problem, NCTsoft makes a package called NCTImageStudio (download.com) that will take care of the issues from this thread.

-ryan