transparent gradient usercontrol

[DPrometheus]

Heyey

 

I'm trying to get a menu button as in

http://www.mscui.net/PatientJourneyDemonstrator/PrimaryCare.htm

but within windows forms as a user control instead of SilverLight 2

(patient record -> menu button on the top left)

 

It is like a rounded button, and when clicked a set of buttons move around that button, with a gradient background to indicate the control is on top of the others. I want such background effect within a panel of mine

but a gradient from black to transparent just won't work within the usercontrol

 

After several hours of searching I came across a few threads as

http://www.xtremedotnettalk.com/showthread.php?t=70106

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/winforms/thread/f7c12155-a4d6-4c50-a258-2ddbe5f4df81/

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winforms/thread/24f64b45-dfcb-471a-b8eb-1e983d04e003/

 

but none of these has a working solution

 

anyone has a suggestion on how to pull off the transparency?

 

thnx

 

~DP