Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
-
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:28 pm
Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
I was working on an animation, I want to do a head turn for my character
So I decided to use masking....
the problem is that I don't want all the layers inside the switch layer to be masked....
You see, I put the switch layers for the eyebrows inside the head layer for easy masking......
Help?
So I decided to use masking....
the problem is that I don't want all the layers inside the switch layer to be masked....
You see, I put the switch layers for the eyebrows inside the head layer for easy masking......
Help?
Don't forget! No one is perfect!
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
I do not think it is possible with the set up you have.
Last edited by sbtamu on Thu Mar 24, 2016 6:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:28 pm
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
the problem is that I want some layers inside a switch layer to be masked not all of the layers
Don't forget! No one is perfect!
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
Yep, I reread your post and change my response. Try this, add a group layer inside the switch layer then put the vector layer in that group layer then add the mask to the group layer.sillyanimate wrote:the problem is that I want some layers inside a switch layer to be masked not all of the layers
-
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:28 pm
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
i tried that it didn't work for all of them
Don't forget! No one is perfect!
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
I agree with sbtamu: I don't think you can mask directly inside the Switch Layer itself.
However, you can use individually masked groups within the Switch Layer--I do this all the time at work, like using a mouth shape to mask teeth and tongue, or eye shapes to mask pupil layers, etc. You can also mask the Switch Layer within the group it's inside of.
But when I try to get one mask group to affect a bunch of nested masks, I find that it can get 'messy' and produce errors as far as openGL and rendering goes. It's best to avoid that situation.
What I've found most reliable is to keep mask groups simple and direct, rather than trying to get masks to affect nested masks. You will probably wind up with a lot more groups and masks in your rig this way but the result can be cleaner and more predictable for preview and rendering. Also, keep in mind that you can use Reference Layers for duplicate masks--this is handy when you need to repeat a morphing element used as a mask in several places. Just be careful that you only edit the source layer to make changes to the art--I usually color my Reference layers red and label them with a REF prefix to remind me not to touch them. (This is where Layer Locks would really come in handy. Hopefully someday.)
Hope this helps.
G.
However, you can use individually masked groups within the Switch Layer--I do this all the time at work, like using a mouth shape to mask teeth and tongue, or eye shapes to mask pupil layers, etc. You can also mask the Switch Layer within the group it's inside of.
But when I try to get one mask group to affect a bunch of nested masks, I find that it can get 'messy' and produce errors as far as openGL and rendering goes. It's best to avoid that situation.
What I've found most reliable is to keep mask groups simple and direct, rather than trying to get masks to affect nested masks. You will probably wind up with a lot more groups and masks in your rig this way but the result can be cleaner and more predictable for preview and rendering. Also, keep in mind that you can use Reference Layers for duplicate masks--this is handy when you need to repeat a morphing element used as a mask in several places. Just be careful that you only edit the source layer to make changes to the art--I usually color my Reference layers red and label them with a REF prefix to remind me not to touch them. (This is where Layer Locks would really come in handy. Hopefully someday.)
Hope this helps.
G.
Last edited by Greenlaw on Fri Mar 25, 2016 5:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
D.R. Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | Little Green Dog Channel on Vimeo | Greenlaw's Demo Reel 2020 Edtion
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | Little Green Dog Channel on Vimeo | Greenlaw's Demo Reel 2020 Edtion
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
A switch layer cannot have masking inside because inside a switch layer only one layer is active at any time. Masking needs at least 2 layers inside a group or bone layer to work: the mask, and the layer to be masked.
However, you can have a switch layer inside another group/bone layer and have it masked or be a mask. And you can have group/bone layers as the elements inside a switch layer, each with its own masking setup inside.
However, you can have a switch layer inside another group/bone layer and have it masked or be a mask. And you can have group/bone layers as the elements inside a switch layer, each with its own masking setup inside.
AS 9.5 MacPro Quadcore 3GHz 16GB OS 10.6.8 Quicktime 7.6.6
AS 11 MacPro 12core 3GHz 32GB OS 10.11 Quicktime 10.7.3
Moho 13.5 iMac Quadcore 2,9GHz 16GB OS 10.15
Moho 14.1 Mac Mini Plus OS 13.5
AS 11 MacPro 12core 3GHz 32GB OS 10.11 Quicktime 10.7.3
Moho 13.5 iMac Quadcore 2,9GHz 16GB OS 10.15
Moho 14.1 Mac Mini Plus OS 13.5
- hayasidist
- Posts: 3527
- Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:12 pm
- Location: Kent, England
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
and see the reply to your question over in the other place http://www.kelleytown.com/forum/animato ... IC_ID=3328
-
- Posts: 145
- Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:28 pm
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
Oh, I am dumb.....
I should had render things before making assumptions
Thx for your help
I should had render things before making assumptions
Thx for your help
Don't forget! No one is perfect!
Re: Masking inside Switch layers?!?!
Glad you got it working.
FYI, usually--but not always--the masks will look correct in the normal display. If your masking does not look right in the display, try disabling GPU Acceleration in the Display Options. If you still see problems, try also disabling Enable GPU in the Preferences. Obviously, Masking should be enabled in the Display Options.
However, this won't always correct the issue. I think some masking situations simply won't look correct in the display no matter what you do, but they can look correct in the render. For example, in two of the characters I had set up at work, when they turn their heads, one of the eyes is supposed to get clipped by a head shape mask. But what happens is that the 'exiting' eye will remain visible outside the head, even though the pupil will get masked by the head shape. It's really not that a big deal though--we can still animate the head and eyes properly and it will render correctly, so we just ignore the 'floating eye' error.
I know the error has to do with how I nested the eye and head masks. Now that I'm thinking about it, when I find the time, I should revisit these characters and see if it's possible to improve this.
But, anyway, so long as the error doesn't affect your ability to animate and properly render the scene, try not to obsess over it too much. It's more important to get your projects done.
G.
FYI, usually--but not always--the masks will look correct in the normal display. If your masking does not look right in the display, try disabling GPU Acceleration in the Display Options. If you still see problems, try also disabling Enable GPU in the Preferences. Obviously, Masking should be enabled in the Display Options.
However, this won't always correct the issue. I think some masking situations simply won't look correct in the display no matter what you do, but they can look correct in the render. For example, in two of the characters I had set up at work, when they turn their heads, one of the eyes is supposed to get clipped by a head shape mask. But what happens is that the 'exiting' eye will remain visible outside the head, even though the pupil will get masked by the head shape. It's really not that a big deal though--we can still animate the head and eyes properly and it will render correctly, so we just ignore the 'floating eye' error.
I know the error has to do with how I nested the eye and head masks. Now that I'm thinking about it, when I find the time, I should revisit these characters and see if it's possible to improve this.
But, anyway, so long as the error doesn't affect your ability to animate and properly render the scene, try not to obsess over it too much. It's more important to get your projects done.
G.
D.R. Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | Little Green Dog Channel on Vimeo | Greenlaw's Demo Reel 2020 Edtion
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | Little Green Dog Channel on Vimeo | Greenlaw's Demo Reel 2020 Edtion