How to make an object transparent in Blender

To make an object transparent in Blender, you need to change two things: the material's transparency setting and the viewport display mode. The quickest route is to select your object, switch to the Shading workspace, lower the Alpha value in the material properties, and then change the viewport shading to show transparency. Most people miss the second step and wonder why their object still looks solid.

Transparency in Blender works differently depending on whether you are viewing in the 3D viewport or rendering the final image. The viewport shows you a preview, but it will not display transparency unless you tell it to. The render engine (Cycles or Eevee) will show the real transparency when you render.

Key Takeaways

  • Select your object, go to the Shading workspace, and find the material's Alpha value — lowering this below 1.0 makes the object transparent.
  • Switch your viewport shading mode to either Material Preview or Rendered view to see transparency in the 3D viewport while you work.
  • If you are using Eevee render engine, enable Transparency in the render properties so the final image shows transparency correctly.
  • Cycles render engine shows transparency by default, but Eevee requires you to turn it on in the Render Properties panel.

Changing the Alpha value in the material

The Alpha value controls how transparent an object is. An Alpha of 1.0 means completely opaque (solid), and an Alpha of 0.0 means completely invisible. Select your object in the 3D viewport, then open the Shading workspace by clicking the Shading tab at the top of the screen.

In the Shader Editor panel at the bottom, you will see your material's nodes. Look for the Principled BSDF node — this is the main material node in most Blender materials. On the right side of this node, scroll down until you find the Alpha slider. Click on the number next to Alpha and type a lower value: 0.5 for half-transparent, 0.3 for mostly transparent, or any number between 0 and 1. As you lower the value, the object in the viewport will start to look see-through if you are in the right viewport mode.

Switching to a viewport mode that shows transparency

The 3D viewport has four shading modes in the top right corner, shown as four circles. By default, you are probably in Solid mode, which does not display transparency. To see your transparent object while you work, click the third circle from the left — this is Material Preview mode. Your object will now show transparency in real time as you adjust the Alpha value.

If Material Preview mode is too slow on your computer, you can stay in Solid mode and just check your transparency by rendering. If you want the most accurate preview, click the fourth circle — Rendered mode — which shows exactly what your final render will look like. Rendered mode is slower but gives you the truest picture of transparency, shadows, and lighting.

Making sure Eevee renders transparency correctly

If you are using the Eevee render engine (the faster, real-time engine), you must turn on transparency in the render settings or your transparent object will render as solid. Go to the Properties panel on the right side of the screen and click the camera icon to open Render Properties. Scroll down to the Transparency section and check the box next to Transparent.

Without this step, Eevee will ignore your Alpha value and render the object as if it were solid. Cycles, the other render engine, shows transparency by default, so you do not need to change anything there. If you are not sure which engine you are using, look at the top of the Render Properties panel — it will say either Eevee or Cycles next to the render engine icon.

Adjusting transparency for different effects

Lowering Alpha alone makes an object uniformly transparent, but you can create more complex effects by using a texture or a node setup. If you want only part of an object to be transparent — like a window with a frame — you can add an Image Texture node to the Shader Editor and plug it into the Alpha input of the Principled BSDF. A black-and-white image will control where the object is transparent (black areas) and opaque (white areas).

For a frosted glass effect, lower the Alpha value to around 0.7 and increase the Roughness value on the Principled BSDF to 0.5 or higher. This makes light scatter through the object instead of passing straight through. For a completely clear glass look, keep Alpha at 1.0 (fully opaque) but lower the Roughness to near 0, and increase the IOR (Index of Refraction) value to around 1.45 to simulate real glass.

Troubleshooting transparency that does not show

If you lowered the Alpha value but the object still looks solid, check three things. First, make sure you are in Material Preview or Rendered viewport mode — Solid mode will not show transparency no matter what. Second, if you are using Eevee, check that Transparent is enabled in the Render Properties. Third, make sure the Alpha value is actually below 1.0 — sometimes the slider does not update visually until you click elsewhere or press Enter.

If your object is transparent in the viewport but renders as solid, you are almost certainly using Eevee without transparency enabled. Open Render Properties, find the Transparency section, and check the box. If you are using Cycles and transparency still does not render, check that your material actually has an Alpha value below 1.0 in the Principled BSDF node.

Using transparency with multiple objects

When you have multiple transparent objects overlapping, the order they render in matters. In Eevee, you can control this by changing the Blend Mode in the material properties. Select your object, go to the material properties (the sphere icon in the Properties panel), and look for Blend Mode. The default is Mix, which works for most cases. If you need more control, try Alpha Blend or Alpha Clip depending on the effect you want.

In Cycles, transparency always renders correctly regardless of object order, so you do not need to worry about blend modes. However, if you are using Alpha Clip mode in Eevee (which makes pixels either fully transparent or fully opaque with no in-between), you may need to adjust the Alpha Threshold value to control where that cutoff happens.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my transparent object look black or dark in the viewport?

You are probably in Solid viewport mode. Click the third circle (Material Preview) in the top right of the 3D viewport to see transparency. If it still looks dark, your material may not have any light to show through it — add a light source to the scene or switch to Rendered mode to see the real lighting.

Can I make only part of an object transparent?

Yes, by using a texture. In the Shader Editor, add an Image Texture node, load a black-and-white image, and connect its Color output to the Alpha input of the Principled BSDF. Black areas will be transparent, white areas opaque, and gray areas partially transparent.

My object is transparent in the viewport but solid when I render with Eevee — what is wrong?

Eevee requires you to enable transparency in the render settings. Open the Properties panel, click the camera icon for Render Properties, scroll to Transparency, and check the Transparent box. Then render again.

What is the difference between Alpha and Roughness for transparency?

Alpha controls how see-through the object is (0 = invisible, 1 = solid). Roughness controls how light scatters through it — low roughness (0.0) is clear glass, high roughness (1.0) is frosted glass. You can use both together.

Do I need to change transparency settings differently for Cycles versus Eevee?

Cycles shows transparency automatically — just lower the Alpha value. Eevee requires you to enable Transparent in Render Properties. Both engines use the same Alpha value in the material, so your settings transfer between them.