[Feature] Layer Masks ?

[GeeJay]

Hi!

I've recently started painting the first complete project in 3D-Coat and I really miss having per-layer masks. I've tried the masking function in the Blending panel but it is not only well hidden and cumbersome but most importantly it doesn't work as expected.

It masks where there is transparency and is opaque where there is paint. Any paint. As the textures I want to use for masking are grayscale images this is not really an ideal workflow. Of course I could paint grayscale, then freeze and delete but that is really not the way to get something done in time.

When I do textures I don't only need diffuse/spec/bump but also a lot of grayscale masks to blend shaders and influence other aspects of the material. It would be nice to be able to lay down a solid layer of paint, and then mask those, say, with some scratches without painting in the color layer. I also don't always want to use a mask directly in the brush and "bake" the scratches in the color map, so to say.

Is there a workflow making this possible? Do others think this is needed?

[polyxo]

I was thinking of the same already.

These Layer-Masks however - in contrast to their implementation in Image-Editors

had to be 3D-Objects which had to be visible in the Layer-Stack as a Snapshot.

If something like this existed though, many of us were directly familiar with that

functionality though... I threw a MockUp-together using Photoshops Layer-Editor.

[polyxo]

The Zbrush implementation is good too.

[GeeJay]

Thanks for taking the time to do the mock-ups. What I don't understand is, why do they have to be 3D Objects? I am only talking about the paint mode. On second tought, dynamically masking voxels would be cool too.. But I think for a start adding this functionality to the painting room is a rather low hanging but essential fruit.

[polyxo]

Thanks for taking the time to do the mock-ups. What I don't understand is, why do they have to be 3D Objects? I am only talking about the paint mode.

Well - you are masking on a 3D-Object - aren't you

[GeeJay]

That's true but what I want is to paint a 2D grayscale layer and use that as a mask for another 2D layer. Painting in 3D-Coat is still painting a 2D image, only that the brush and the object is in a 3D space and the strokes get transformed to 2D. For example an occlusion layer in the paint room is a simple 2D image, nothing 3D about it.

[polyxo]

That's true but what I want is to paint a 2D grayscale layer and use that as a mask for another 2D layer. Painting in 3D-Coat is still painting a 2D image, only that the brush and the object is in a 3D space and the strokes get transformed to 2D. For example an occlusion layer in the paint room is a simple 2D image, nothing 3D about it.

Well- that might be the sober theory behind it.

Every 3D-Painting-Software however however does a lot to not make you feel 2D-ish at all.

If Layer-Masks got established I'd at least imagine them as white hulls which control the visibilty

of the Layer it is attached to.

[LASooner]

Lots of requests in our studio for a layer mask feature. The more features of the PSD format, that can make it into 3D Coat from photoshop, the better. Right now, most people here are using it to generate new layers that get added into Photoshop.

But that and multi-monitor support are our biggest requests.

[simmsimaging]

Lots of requests in our studio for a layer mask feature. The more features of the PSD format, that can make it into 3D Coat from photoshop, the better. Right now, most people here are using it to generate new layers that get added into Photoshop.

But that and multi-monitor support are our biggest requests.

+1

Straightforward 2D layer masking would be huge. Once that is in place support for existing layer masks in PSD files would be helpful too. It is annoying to always have to save off copies in Photoshop to maintain masks when going back and forth between 3DC and PS.

I'm not convinced that 3D masks are needed, but it would certainly be cool if we could have 3D objects that act as friskets - something we could move around relative to the object and that "block" paint. It would really make texture painting in 3D feel more like "real" painting/airbrushing. Could be cool, but not sure how useful it would really be

[simmsimaging]

Lots of requests in our studio for a layer mask feature. The more features of the PSD format, that can make it into 3D Coat from photoshop, the better. Right now, most people here are using it to generate new layers that get added into Photoshop.

But that and multi-monitor support are our biggest requests.

+1

Straightforward 2D layer masking would be huge. Once that is in place support for existing layer masks in PSD files would be helpful too. It is annoying to always have to save off copies in Photoshop to maintain masks when going back and forth between 3DC and PS.

I'm not convinced that 3D masks are needed, but it would certainly be cool if we could have 3D objects that act as friskets - something we could move around relative to the object and that "block" paint. It would really make texture painting in 3D feel more like "real" painting/airbrushing. Could be cool, but not sure how useful it would really be