Hello all- first time poster.

I'm attempting to create a few different appearances from scratch. Along the lines of this:  http://i00.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/500/925/251/1275459519423_hz-fileserver3_1460703.jpg

Modeling such a thing would create undue drag on my system. I need it to behave in such a way as to be see-through where it should be. I was hoping to simply apply a transparency from an external file (jpeg or png) and then apply that to whichever existing material (steel, brushed zinc, etc).

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Chris