Mask#
This page details the mask related shortcut operators and menu operators in sculpt mode. Other related information to masks can also be found at the bottom of the page.
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
- Shortcut:
A
Masks can be edited across all visible faces. Using A opens a pie menu to choose the most common operations.
Invert Mask#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
- Shortcut:
A, Ctrl-I
Inverts the visible mask. This is often useful when the masked vertices are the surfaces you want to sculpt/paint. In that case create a mask and then invert it.
Fill Mask#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
Fully masks the visible geometry. Alternatively it is common to clear and then invert a mask via A to achieve the same effect.
Clear Mask#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
- Shortcut:
A, Alt-M
Removes the mask on all visible vertices. To completely remove the mask data, see Clear Sculpt-Mask Data.
Box Mask#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
- Shortcut:
B
Works like the Box Mask tool, it creates a rectangular mask region. Hold Shift or press MMB to clear the mask of the selected region.
Lasso Mask#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
- Shortcut:
Shift-Ctrl-LMB
Can be used to create a free-form mask, similar to the Lasso Mask tool. This is very commonly used.
Tip
To clear the mask of areas with the Lasso Mask, first invert the mask, use Lasso Mask, and then invert the mask back.
Mask Filters#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
- Shortcut:
A
Similarly to other Filter Tools, mask filters are operations that are applied to the whole mask.
- Type
- Smooth/Sharpen Mask
Changes the sharpness of the mask edge. Using this can be faster and more consistent than smoothing the mask with the Mask brush.
- Grow/Shrink Mask
Further grow or shrink the mask along the surface of the mesh.
- Increase/Decrease Contrast
Changes the contrast of the mask.
In the Adjust Last Operation panel there are further options to add iterations for a stronger effect.
- Iterations
The number of times the filter is applied.
- Auto Iteration Count
Use an automatic number of iterations based on the number of vertices of the sculpt. Disable this option to set the Iterations manually.
Tip
An alternative to Iterations is to use Repeat Last via the shortcut Shift-R.
Expand Mask#
Note
More info on Mask Expand along Topology at the Expand page.
Mask Extract#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
Creates a duplicate mesh object based on masked geometry. The extracted geometry is also further processed by default for a cleaner result.
- Threshold
Minimum mask value to consider the vertex valid to extract a face from the original mesh.
- Add Boundary Loop
Creates and extra boundary loop on the edges of the geometry, making it easier smooth the boundaries and apply additional modifiers.
- Smooth Iterations
Smooth iterations applied to the extracted mesh.
- Project to Sculpt
Project the extracted mesh on to the original sculpt object.
- Extract as Solid
Adds a Solidify Modifier to the newly created mesh object.
Mask Slice#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
Removes the masked vertices from the mesh.
- Threshold
Minimum mask value to consider the vertex valid to extract a face from the original mesh.
- Fill Holes
Fills concave holes with geometry that might have resulted from the Mask Slice operation.
Tip
If nothing is masked, this operation can be used to just fill all holes. Especially when using Trim Tools tools and the Voxel Remesher
- Slice to New Object
Create a new object from the masked geometry.
Mask From Cavity#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
Generates a mask based on the cavity of the surface. The settings of the operation can be changed in the Adjust Last Operation panel.
- Mode
Choose how the newly created mask is mixed with the existing one. By default it will replace the old mask via “Mix”.
- Mix Factor
The factor of the mix effect. Choose how strong the new mask is applied on the existing one.
- Automask Settings
The same settings as the Auto-Masking settings are applied.
- Factor
Same as Auto-Masking.
- Blur
Same as Auto-Masking.
- Invert
Same as Auto-Masking.
- Custom Curve
Same as Auto-Masking.
Random Mask#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Menu:
Generates a mask with random values for the entire object based on different mesh data.
- Per Vertex
Assigns a random mask value for each vertex.
- Per Face Set
Assigns a random mask value for each Face Set.
- Per Loose Mask
Assigns a random mask value for each disjoint part of the mesh.
Display Settings#
Reference
- Mode:
Sculpt Mode
- Popover:
The mask display can be toggled as a viewport overlay. In the overlay popover, the opacity of the mask overlay can be adjusted to make it more or less visible on the mesh.
Clear Sculpt-Mask Data#
Reference
- Mode:
Object/Edit Mode
- Menu:
Completely frees the mask data layer from the mesh. While not a huge benefit, this can speed-up sculpting if the mask is no longer being used.