Translucency Guide for Boom format maps

Alright, I couldn't find a simple guide for this, so I decided to make one myself.

IN BOOM FORMAT MAPS:

Step 1. Get a hold of a TRANMAP. The long way to do this is to run a wad through Boom in DOSBox (just an IWAD will do). This will generate TRANMAP.DAT. Put this file through MAKTRLMP.exe (which can be found here [Boom can be found here]). This executable will convert the TRANMAP into a .lmp file. Boom only recognizes .lmp files inside wads. You can then use Slade to import this into your wad. A slightly easier method would be to take it from a wad that already uses translucency. Just be sure to credit your sources.

Step 2. Take the TRANMAP.lmp and put it inbetween the FF_START and FF_END markers of your PWAD. If Slade doesn't already recognize it as a flat, convert it. Despite being 256x256, Boom won't crash or cause issues with the TRANMAP being a flat. Any other flats must be 64x64.

Step 3. To actually use this feature, make a dummy sector outside the map. Set the ceiling and floor to the TRANMAP. Add it as the middle texture on one of the lines as well. The line with the TRANMAP middle texture then needs to have a tag and the line action set to 260.

Step 4. Now that your dummy texture is set up, find what middle texture you want translucent and give it the same tag as the dummy sector. Test (make sure translucency is on if using a more advanced port like PrBoom+) it in game and it should work!

If you have any questions, please ask.

I have tested this in ReBoom and PrBoom+\UMAPINFO and it works flawlessly. Therefore, it should work in any port that supports TRANMAP lumps.

IN ZDOOM OR ETERNITY:

This one is easy as pie. There is only one step: tag the middle texture you want translucent with line action 260. Make sure translucency is enabled and test the wad. No TRANMAPS needed.

THE BENEFITS OF TRANMAPS OVER MORE ADVANCED PORTS:

TRANMAPS are very customizable. You can open the image in any image editor that supports layers and play with the opacity and colors to your heart's content. A great many interesting effects can be done this way, best shown in Esselfortium's  tranmap.wad (found here[a great thread about it can be seen here]). Methods of editing TRANMAPS can create shader - like effects. There is one catch though:

DRAWBACKS OF TRANMAPS OVER ADVANCED PORTS:

The interesting shader - like effects can only be used in software rendered ports like Boom, SMMU, ReBoom, Woof!, and MBF. I believe it can work in Eternity but it does not in ZDoom or ZDoom derived ports, GLBoom+, modern PrBoom+ versions, Doom Legacy, and many more due to the hardware renderers. The good thing is that you can choose whether this is a drawback or a benefit: with the right mindset you can say "wow I can make shaders in 16 bit ports!" ;D

Hope this helps and happy mapping!

Useful! Gonna try this on my next map, never done translucency before. 

@Dusty_Rhodes

Some screenshots of what can be achieved (Taken from TRANMAP-FX):

@Redneckerz excellent addition to this post. Thanks!

How do you make the TRANMAP.DAT file? Just running Boom with -file does nothing. I'm really just interested in generating a proper TRANMAP for a customized color palette.

I thought Boom generated it, but it might not allow for custom colors. I'll look into that.

5 hours ago, maxmanium said:

How do you make the TRANMAP.DAT file? Just running Boom with -file does nothing. I'm really just interested in generating a proper TRANMAP for a customized color palette.

Use maketrmp.exe. More details here.

On 2/12/2022 at 2:06 AM, Redneckerz said:

Use maketrmp.exe. More details here.

I just got to try this. That turns a TRANMAP.DAT into a lump. I'm interested in creating a TRANMAP.DAT from a new color palette such that I can then use that program to turn it into a lump.

1 hour ago, maxmanium said:

 

I just got to try this. That turns a TRANMAP.DAT into a lump. I'm interested in creating a TRANMAP.DAT from a new color palette such that I can then use that program to turn it into a lump.

Then here is your answer. Sadly @esselfortium's template linked there is a goner but you can make your own.

Quote

1) Use PrBoom or PrBoom-Plus to do it, combined with MAKTRLMP.EXE.

2) Use an image editor that supports layers, open up the palette you're using as a 1x256 image, and stretch it out to 256x256. Make another layer that rotates it 90 degrees, and set the opacity level on it to the desired level. (I may have accidentally mixed up whether the foreground or background layer needs to be rotated. I guess you'll know it if you end up with 68% opacity ingame instead of 32%.)

Thank you for doing some sleuthing for me, @Redneckerz. I was able to easily make a custom TRANMAP just with GIMP.

Just an FYI, the wiki page says to rotate the pasted layer 90 degrees counter-clockwise, but it looks like I actually had to rotate it clockwise to get it to match the format.

Just wanted to comment here again because I noticed the TRANMAP I made in GIMP looked a little off relative to what I'm used to. I didn't realize that just running Boom with the wad generated a new TRANMAP.DAT -- I thought it was just a TRANMAP for the default doom palette that came with the Boom installation. I'm not sure exactly what the difference is, but it looks much better, and I can't seem to recreate the output of MAKTRLMP.EXE with an image editor. Regardless, I'm surprised nobody has made a bit for 64-bit operating systems.

13 minutes ago, maxmanium said:

Just wanted to comment here again because I noticed the TRANMAP I made in GIMP looked a little off relative to what I'm used to. I didn't realize that just running Boom with the wad generated a new TRANMAP.DAT -- I thought it was just a TRANMAP for the default doom palette that came with the Boom installation. I'm not sure exactly what the difference is, but it looks much better, and I can't seem to recreate the output of MAKTRLMP.EXE with an image editor. Regardless, I'm surprised nobody has made a bit for 64-bit operating systems.

Agreed, it's a pretty interesting tool. Maybe someone will? Who knows?

On 3/3/2022 at 10:51 PM, maxmanium said:

Just wanted to comment here again because I noticed the TRANMAP I made in GIMP looked a little off relative to what I'm used to. I didn't realize that just running Boom with the wad generated a new TRANMAP.DAT -- I thought it was just a TRANMAP for the default doom palette that came with the Boom installation. I'm not sure exactly what the difference is, but it looks much better, and I can't seem to recreate the output of MAKTRLMP.EXE with an image editor. Regardless, I'm surprised nobody has made a bit for 64-bit operating systems.

On 3/3/2022 at 11:04 PM, Dusty_Rhodes said:

Agreed, it's a pretty interesting tool. Maybe someone will? Who knows?

 

The source code of the Boom Editing Utilities exists.

Contains source code for:

bin2c.exe	convert a binary file to a C array for inclusion in
                INFO.C as a predefined lump

bmp2c.exe	convert a .BMP file for a patch or a graphic to a C
                array for inclusion in INFO.C as a predefined lump

trigcalc.exe    compute a generalized linedef type number based on 
                answers to questions about what it does

cmaptool.exe	generate a .BMP file containing all colors of the the
                DOOM palette, standard or custom, and after editing
                this BMP file, create a colormap lump that effects
                the corresponding colormap, based on the standard or
		a custom colormap.

keycode.exe	output the Allegro keycode when a key is pressed

mus2mid.exe	convert a .MUS file (or a list of possibly wildcarded
                .MUS files) to the corresponding .MID file(s)

maktrlmp.exe	convert a TRANMAP.DAT file output by boom to a .LMP
                file by the same name for use as a custom
                translucency lump.

swantbls.exe	convert a text file that defines the switches and
                animated textures and flats to the lumps SWITCHES.LMP
		and ANIMATED.LMP for use in a BOOM pwad.

todos.exe	convert a Unix format file to a Dos format file (in Dos)


tounix.exe      convert a Dos format file to a Unix format file (in Dos)

So i asked @Gibbon:

So i guess we can expect a modernized Boom Utilities package!

EDIT: I swear to god this Gibbon-bloke isn't normal. Within 12 minutes he cleaned up the code to standard C and ported the entire Boom Utilities to Windows x64 - and they work. Thread is coming up.

Great news! Thanks @Redneckerz and @Gibbon you guys make dooming so much nicer with the work you do. 

Wow, that's awesome. I figured if anyone was going to do it, it would be Gibbon.

3 hours ago, Dusty_Rhodes said:

Great news! Thanks @Redneckerz and @Gibbon you guys make dooming so much nicer with the work you do. 

All the creds go to Gibbon - I am just making my own life worse because now you know this has to be on the DoomWiki. :P

13 minutes ago, maxmanium said:

Wow, that's awesome. I figured if anyone was going to do it, it would be Gibbon.

When i read your comment, i thought ''Max is actually making a goddamn good point - Why are these things not modernized yet?''

I mean, i get it - A lot of what these utilities do can be replicated by things like SLADE. But a command line program is just that - Its easy to use and with a bat file, easily to manipulate aswell.

@Redneckerz Well, I got it started for you. :D