topic Re: 2D Transparent Images in Modeling

2D Transparent Images

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 16:04:04 GMT

Can Archicad show a color image with degrees of transparency? When uploading a PNG or TIFF file, clicking "Transparent background" allows the white pixels to disappear (step one), but the color pixels stay fully opaque. Is there a way to adjust the transparency of the color pixels (step two)?

For example, in the attached screenshot, I want to see the color of the green tree behind the grey scale tree, which I'd like to put at 50% opacity. Seems like an easy thing for Archicad to be able to do. Not sure why it wouldn't be an option for presentation drawings and illustrative elevations. Exporting to Illustrator or photoshop for this is a pain because the vector work is hard to manipulate in those programs, so keeping everything in Archicad would be the best.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Re: 2D Transparent Images

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 00:34:41 GMT

Aaron
There is a way you may be able to achieve this but it will require a bit of work in an image editor such as Photoshop,
You will need to edit the alpha map of the image and change the visible portion of the image to alternating solid black and white pixels, the relative proportions of black and white pixels will determine the transparency of the image.

Regards
Scott

Re: 2D Transparent Images

Jeff Galbraith — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 17:26:45 GMT

So this essentially means that Archicad can only render a pixel as either 100% opaque or 100% transparent, is that correct? The suggested work-around seems like a non-starter as it is labor intensive and will not produce very good results.

Does this limitation still persist in version 25?

Re: 2D Transparent Images

Alskaro — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 00:26:51 GMT

Hello ! You can do it by creating a new worksheets in the right column and drag-and-drop your png image, next you go back to your main document and use the worksheet as a trace (in trace and comparison options), you slide down the opacity en you're good ! Enjoy

Bonus : https://architectsworkshop.in/webtools/highres/

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Re: 2D Transparent Images

Jeff Galbraith — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 02:10:14 GMT

Hi Alskaro. Your suggestion works for creating transparency in your working view, but I don't believe it can be printed. Is that correct?

Re: 2D Transparent Images

Alskaro — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:16:14 GMT

Hello! I don’t know how to do it if it’s possible, some people says it is something to do with the views but I don’t know how because other peoples says trace can’t we printed in lower opacity because the pdf can’t handle it… I neither know how to print construct grid, maybe something missing in Archicad too ..

Re: 2D Transparent Images

Eric Milberger — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 13:55:35 GMT

Graphisoft - will you please chip in here. I know this can be done. Can you provide a tutorial or a link to one?

Re: 2D Transparent Images

Dieter — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 22:07:11 GMT

You just need to put a white fill with gradation like 50% between for your pixeld drawing and your vector drawing on the layout. Pixeld drawig is to arrange to the back and the vector drawing to the front with transparancy settings. For the real magic it just still need some little bit of fine tuning in your view settings and in my opninion is this the fastest work around.