Fading Problems

Unity Engine
1

Here is a souped up Timed Delete script I made:

var emitter = false;
var emitTimeOut = 0.500;
var deleteTimeOut = 1.000;

function Awake ()
{
	if(emitter) Invoke ("StopNow", emitTimeOut);
	Invoke ("DestroyNow", deleteTimeOut);
}

function StopNow ()
{
		particleEmitter.emit = false;
}

var detachChildren = false;

function DestroyNow ()
{
	if (detachChildren) {
		transform.DetachChildren ();
	}
	DestroyObject (gameObject);
}

var fadeOut = false;
var fadeSeconds = 0.000;
private var timer = 0.0000000000000;

function Update ()
{
	timer += Time.deltaTime;
	renderer.material.color.a = timer / fadeSeconds;
}

The fading part at the bottom is where the script is failing. It compiles ok but fails to fade anything out. When I run the game the material changes to an instance of its self but the opacity never changes. I know the object I am using it on can be faded by changing the material opacity.

2

var fadeSeconds = 0.000;

fadeseconds is set to 0 in your script and then you divide with it.
Probably not what you wanted.

3

I have fadeSeconds set to a divisable number in the inspector. The problem is the trail renderer component I was using with this was over riding my changes. Sadly there is no way to change trail renderer setting on the fly with a script. I guess I want to use the Line Renderer.

4

The trail renderer does not override material properties.
Generally renderers don’t modify material properties.

5

Then explain to me why it works on a cube with the same material as the trail renderer but the trail renderer won’t work

6

I tried attaching the script to a trail renderer and attaching a diffuse alpha material. Which worked perfectly fine.