Ways to Make Things Transparent in Blender

Deborah Schmidt

Helmholtz Imaging | MDC Berlin

Sep 25, 2026

Slides available at https://ida-mdc.github.io/workshop-visualization/2026-workshop/mesh-transparency-blender/

Introduction

Separate tutorial - click this box!

Rendering in Blender

In this section, we will cover specific Blender features to help you create beautiful renderings from scientific datasets. Blender is a powerful tool for this purpose, but it has a steep learning curve, so we’ll break it down step-by-step.

Alpha

Alpha 0.45

Ant: Antscan specimen 1031, Acromyrmex balzani, CC BY 4.0

Transmission

Transmission Weight 1.0 · Roughness 0.02 · IOR 1.45

Frog: Kleinteich & Gorb, CC0

Transparent

Alpha 0.15 · no Transmission

Satin glass

Transmission Weight 1.0 · Roughness 0.15

Glass

Transmission Weight 1.0 · Roughness 0.02 · IOR 1.45

Tinted glass

Transmission Weight 1.0 · Roughness 0.02 · IOR 1.45 · Base Color amber

Thin-walled glass

Transmission Weight 1.0 · Roughness 0.02 · IOR 1.45 · Thin Wall on

Crystal

Transmission Weight 1.0 · Roughness 0.0 · IOR 2.42

Ant: Antscan specimen 1031, Acromyrmex balzani, CC BY 4.0

Subsurface and glass

Top: Subsurface Weight 1.0, Radius (0.01, 2.2, 0.05), Scale 2.0 · Bottom: Transmission Weight 1.0, Roughness 0.02, IOR 1.45

Frog: Kleinteich & Gorb, CC0

The difference

Alpha - blends with what’s behind, nothing bends
Transmission - light actually refracts through
Subsurface - light scatters inside, exits elsewhere
Roughness, IOR, Thin Wall - shape Transmission, don’t replace it