Problems with glow effect in 3DsMax 4

[Mattache]

Hi folks !
I just encounter 2 small but annoyng problems in 3dSmax 4.

1.I assigned a glow effect to an object behind a transparent sphere.In render the object appears but the glow does not.
if I hide the sphere the glow appears in render. Why ???

2.I want the glow to affect a specific distance from the object but if I move the camera forward or backward the glow appears modified (It affects a shorter or longer rande from object). Why ???

Maybe you can help me because my computer sits near the window and it may just learn to fly soon... ( HELP PLS ).

Thanks!

[kuman]

the answer to both your questions it he same pretty much

glowing is a post render effect. don't think of it like a 3d object think of it as a pixel effect done after you render. the reason for the first question is because that part of the sphere is occluded by the transparent sphere so for all practical purposes that area is not rendered and therefore does not get post render effect of glow.

the answer to your second question is that since the effect is by pixel radius value, no matter how far it is, the pixel radius is still the same. the simple max glows are not distant dependant.

the solutions to your problems are basically better tools overall. i once read there was a glow effect that did work through transparency. i can't remember what it was but a place to start looking is here www.maxplugins.de

the answer to your second problem is to either find a glow that is distance dependant, like a plugin or to animate the glow effect changing by hand as your shot is changing, this can be a real pain.

anyhow good luck

-k