How To Make An Object See Through In Blender

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If you’re working on a 3D scene and need to make an object see through in Blender, you’ve come to the right place. This is a fundamental skill for creating glass, windows, ghosts, or any transparent material. The process is straightforward once you understand the key settings in Blender’s shader editor.

Transparency in Blender is controlled primarily by materials. It’s not about deleting faces, but about telling the render engine how light should pass through an object’s surface. We’ll cover the two main methods: using the Principled BSDF shader for quick results and the Transparent BSDF shader for more control. By the end, you’ll be able to make any object from a solid to a see-through one with confidence.

How To Make An Object See Through In Blender

This heading marks the core of our guide. Making an object transparent involves adjusting its material properties. The steps are largely the same whether you’re using Eevee or Cycles, Blender’s two render engines, though there are some important differences we’ll highlight.

Understanding the Basics: Alpha and Transmission

Before we start clicking, let’s clarify two key terms. Alpha refers to the overall opacity of a surface. An alpha of 1.0 is fully opaque, while 0.0 is completely invisible. Transmission, on the other hand, is what makes materials like glass see-through. It allows light to pass through and bend, creating realistic refractions. For a simple fade-out effect, you adjust alpha. For a physical material like water or glass, you enable transmission.

Method 1: Using the Principled BSDF Shader (Recommended)

The Principled BSDF is Blender’s all-in-one material node. It’s the easiest way to make a realistic see-through object.

  1. Select your object in the 3D viewport.
  2. Go to the Material Properties tab (the red sphere icon).
  3. If your object doesn’t have a material, click “New.” If it does, you’re ready to edit.
  4. Click on the material name to open the Shader Editor, or find the “Surface” section right there in the properties panel.
  5. Locate the “Transmission” slider. Drag it from 0 to 1. You’ll notice the material preview start to become clear.
  6. For more realism, increase the “Roughness” slightly to make it frosted, or leave it at 0 for perfectly clear glass.
  7. Adjust the “IOR” (Index of Refraction) to match your material. Air is 1.0, water is about 1.33, and typical glass is around 1.45 to 1.52.

That’s the basic setup. For a simple transparent material, transmission set to 1 is often enough. But what if you want the object to also have a tint? Simply change the base color of the Principled BSDF node. A light green color, for instance, will give you classic tinted glass.

Important Settings for Eevee vs. Cycles

Blender’s Eevee renderer is real-time but requires extra steps for accurate transparency.

  • In Eevee, you must go to the Material Properties tab and, under “Settings,” set the “Blend Mode” to “Alpha Hashed” or “Alpha Blend.” “Alpha Clip” is for cut-outs.
  • Also in Eevee, go to the Render Properties tab and in the “Screen Space Reflections” section, check “Refraction.” This allows transmission effects to show.
  • Cycles, being a ray-traced engine, handles this more physically accurate by default. The Principled BSDF settings alone usually suffice.

Method 2: Using the Transparent BSDF Shader

For non-physical transparency (like a ghost, a fade effect, or a simple decal), the Transparent BSDF shader is better. It makes an object see-through without simulating light bending.

  1. In the Shader Editor, delete the connection to the Principled BSDF node (or disconnect it).
  2. Press Shift+A, go to “Shader,” and add a “Transparent BSDF” node.
  3. Add a “Mix Shader” node as well.
  4. Connect the “Transparent BSDF” and your original “Principled BSDF” (or any other shader) into the two shader sockets of the Mix Shader node.
  5. Connect the Mix Shader’s output to the “Surface” input of the Material Output node.
  6. The “Fac” (Factor) input on the Mix Shader controls the blend. A value of 1.0 gives full transparency, 0.0 gives the full base shader. You can drive this with a texture or a simple value for uniform transparency.

This method gives you precise control. For example, you could use a black-and-white texture in the Fac input to make parts of an object transparent and other parts opaque, which is great for creating leaves or chain-link fences.

Controlling Transparency with the Alpha Channel

Sometimes, you want transparency based on an image texture, like a sticker. This uses the image’s alpha channel.

  • Add an “Image Texture” node to your shader and load your image (like a PNG with a transparent background).
  • Connect the “Color” output to your base color.
  • Connect the “Alpha” output to the “Alpha” input on the Principled BSDF shader.
  • Crucially, in the Material Properties under “Settings,” set “Blend Mode” to “Alpha Hashed” (for Eevee) and ensure “Shadow Mode” is set to “Hashed” or “None” for proper look.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Things don’t always look right on the first try. Here are solutions to frequent issues.

Transparency Looks Black or Solid in Renders

This is almost always an Eevee-specific issue. Double-check that you’ve enabled “Refraction” in the Render Properties and set the material’s “Blend Mode” correctly. Also, ensure your light sources are strong enough; a dark scene will make glass look black.

Seeing Through Multiple Layers is Wrong

Transparent surfaces can be tricky for renderers to sort. In Cycles, increase the “Transparent Max Bounces” in the Render Properties > Light Paths. In Eevee, you might need to adjust the render order of objects or use a different blend mode like “Alpha Hashed” which handles overlapping transparencies better than “Alpha Blend.”

Shadows Are Too Dark

A fully transparent object should cast little to no shadow. In your material, find the “Settings” section in Material Properties. Set “Shadow Mode” to “None” for no shadow, or “Hashed” for a transparent shadow. You can also adjust the “Alpha” value in the “Transparent BSDF” node to affect the shadow’s strength if your using that setup.

Advanced Technique: Animated Transparency

You can animate an object becoming see-through over time. This is great for magical effects or UI elements.

  1. Set up your transparent material using either Method 1 or 2.
  2. If using the Principled BSDF, you’ll animate the “Transmission” or “Alpha” value.
  3. If using a Mix Shader with a Transparent BSDF, animate the “Fac” value.
  4. Move to frame 1, set the value to 0 (opaque). Hover over the value and press I to insert a keyframe.
  5. Move to a later frame, set the value to 1 (transparent), and insert another keyframe.
  6. Scrub through the timeline to see your object fade out. You can also use a noise texture to drive the Fac for a dissipating, wispy effect.

Practical Example: Creating a Simple Glass Cup

Let’s put it all together in a quick project.

  1. Create a glass cup shape (a cylinder with some scaling will work).
  2. Assign a new material. Name it “Glass.”
  3. In the Principled BSDF, set Transmission to 1, Roughness to 0, IOR to 1.45.
  4. Set the Base Color to a very light grey or white (pure white can look odd).
  5. In Eevee: Set Blend Mode to “Alpha Hashed” and enable Screen Space Refractions.
  6. Add a strong light behind the cup and a HDRI for reflections. Render. You should have a realistic-looking glass cup.

FAQ Section

How do I make an object transparent in Blender?
The core method is to increase the “Transmission” slider to 1 in the Principled BSDF shader for glass-like transparency, or use the “Transparent BSDF” shader mixed with your base shader for non-physical fade effects.

Why is my transparent material not working in Blender Eevee?
Eevee requires two extra steps: In the Material Properties, set “Blend Mode” to Alpha Hashed or Blend. Then, in Render Properties, under “Screen Space Reflections,” check the “Refraction” box. Also, make sure your object has enough light on it.

What’s the difference between Alpha and Transmission in Blender?
Alpha controls the overall visibility/opacity of a surface, like a fade. Transmission is a physical property that simulates light passing through a volume, causing realistic refraction (bending) like real glass or water. Use alpha for ghosts or fading UI; use transmission for physical materials.

How can I make only part of an object see through?
Use a texture to control the transparency. Connect a black-and-white image or procedural texture to the “Alpha” input of the Principled BSDF or the “Fac” input of a Mix Shader node. White areas will be opaque, black areas will be transparent, and greys will be semi-transparent.

Final Tips for Success

Remember that lighting is half the battle when working with transparent materials. A well-lit scene with backlighting will make your glass or water look much more convincing. Don’t be afraid to use HDRI environments for natural reflections and light.

Always consider your render engine. If you’re aiming for speed and a stylized look, Eevee with the correct settings is great. For photorealistic glass and caustics, Cycles or the new Cycles GPU rendering is the way to go. Experiment with the IOR values—small changes can have a big impact on realism.

Finally, making an object see through in Blender is just the start. Combine transparency with other effects like subsurface scattering (for wax or skin) or volume absorption (for colored glass) to create even more complex and beautiful materials. The node system is powerful, so take your time to play with connections and see what you can create.