Unable to get transparency working on VCockpit texture

Hoping someone can help, I’ve created a prototype radial menu that I would eventually like to tailor to specific aircraft in the sim. Because it’s aircraft contextual, I’d like to render it as a VCockpit panel element but I am running into the following problems.

I I render it to the screen or as a HUD, it’s background is transparent just like I want but I lose all ability to interact with it.

[VCockpit01]
size_mm = 420,420
pixel_size = 420,420
texture = NO_TEXTURE
htmlgauge00 = demo/demo_display.html, 0,0,420,420
render_on_screen = 0.41, 0.15, 0.25, 0.25, 0, 0, 3, 1

If I render it to a texture, it is fully interactive BUT the background is black and not transparent like the sdk seems to indicate it should be. in the Coherent debugger, all html elements are in fact transparent so the black color is coming from elsewhere (but not my texture as I’ve confirmed it transparent).

[VCockpit01]
size_mm = 420,420
pixel_size = 420,420
texture = DEMO_Display
htmlgauge00 = demo/demo_display.html, 0,0,420,420
render_on_screen = 0.41, 0.15, 0.25, 0.25, 0, 0, 3, 1
background_color = 0,0,0
What are my options?

Previous topic on this Transparent Vcockpit Background Color Issue in the Panel.cfg

thanks, I’ve been following that topic as well in the hopes Asobo respond with a planned fix.
In the meantime, I ended up creating a mask (of sorts) by creating a unique mesh shape that the material is mapped to. It’s not ideal but it gives the desired effect in sim.