Alpha blending
The Alpha Blending is a graphic technique consisting in adding Transparence to generally three-dimensional objects.
An object 3D given consists of surfaces characterized either by a texture or by a color. The technique of Blending Alpha consists in adding to each surface a byte (number from 0 to 255) defining the translucent character of surface.
In the case of monochromic surfaces, they are thus defined by the coordinates 3D of the 3 points (one uses generally of the three triangles to represent any object) + 3 bytes to express color RGB (Red Blue Green: color " vraie" 24 bits) + a byte of Alpha Blending.
It should be noted that an object is completely opaque if the value of Alpha blending is to 255 (to the maximum). On the contrary, it is invisible if this value is to 0.
This technique requires a strong computing power generally assumed by the processors of the modern graphics cards (when they can it). The plays have intensively used it for a few years (for example Caesar IV…).
Microsoft Windows integrated Blending Alpha for the drawing of windows (GDI) since Windows XP, but the integrated softwares into Windows XP do not employ it, contrary to those of Windows Vista.
See too
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