A mask in a Texture Mapping Scene tells the software where the design needs to sit, which the grid distorts the design to look as if it is warped around the product. The mask is also referred to as a Trimming Area and can be created using selection tools, vectors or mask layers. The order in which you mask and grid a scene does not matter.  

Creating accurate masks is the key to creating a very realistic scene. The method you use to create your mask may be dependent on the software modules you have. For example, Stand Alone Texture Mapping does not include any masking tools, therefore all masks must be created using selection tools such as the Lasso Tool, Magnetic Lasso Tool or Magic Wand Tool. 

A mask should always be within the area of a grid and should not go outside of it. If there is an overlap between the selection and the outside of the grid, it usually means that either the grid or the selection is not accurate. In this situation, the incorrect item will have to be redrawn. 

How to create masks for a Texture Mapping Scene

Trimming Areas can be created using layers and the Brush Tool. With this method, the Trimming Area is painted by hand first, and is then turned into a selection. 

1. Add a 1 bit layer to your scene and colour it. It does not matter what colour you choose, but it is recommended not to use black as you cannot see through black layers easily.
2. Adjust the transparency so that you can see the image through the layer when you paint on it.
3. There are a number of tools you can use to create your mask. The Brush Tool, Filled Freedrawn Shape Tool and the Three Points Tool are just a few suggestions.
4. Start painting carefully over the object to be mapped by the first grid. Try to make the edges of the mask fit exactly to the shape you are masking.
5. When your mask is complete, drag the layer from the Layers Palette to the Selections Palette. Doing this will convert the mask to a selection, which we marry to the grid later on. 

Masking adjacent objects

When masking several objects in the scene, it is important to differentiate between them with different coloured masks. If you use the same layer to mask two adjacent objects, you will not be able to tell where the join should be, therefore, the Trimming Area for both grids may not be correct. Follow the previous method and continue with the steps below for adjacent areas: 

1. Drag the selections saved in step 5 above into your scene.
2. Go to Edit Menu > Select > Inverse. Everything except the existing masked areas will not be selected. This enables you to draw masks onto adjacent objects which fit perfectly against the existing masks without any gaps or overlaps.
   
   
   

   
   

3. Once complete, drag this new mask into the Selections Palette and name it appropriately.
4. Continue masking until all the objects in the scene are masked.

How to create a soft mask

To achieve a more realistic look on the final design it sometimes helps to set a feather on the selection before setting it as a Trimming Area.

When creating the mask with the Lasso Tool you can set up the Lasso Tool or Rectangular Selection Tool not to trace completely around a given area, but to expand slightly. Using a feather, this extra expanded area will make your design fade out around the edges of that selection, giving a softer edge to the transferred design.

1. Create a grid and select the area to be trimmed with one of the selection tools.
2. Go to Edit Menu > Select > Feather.
3. Enter the number of pixels needed for the faded edge in the window. The selected area will expand by the amount specified. Make sure the expanded selection stays inside the grid.
4. Go to Grid Menu > Set Trimming Area.
   
   

How to create masks using vectors

This method is only available if you have AVA Create and Repeat. Trimming areas can be created using vectors. With this method, the Trimming Area is plotted initially with a vector tool and is then turned into a selection.

1. Open your scene file and add a vector layer to it.
   
   
   
   
2. Select one of the Spline Tools to use from the Tools Palette and trace the outline of the object you are masking.
3. Use the Select Vector Tool to make any necessary adjustments to the vector shape. Individual nodes or node handles can be moved to improve the shape.
4. With your vector selected, go to the Vector Menu and choose Select Area. The vector line will turn into a selection.
5. Add the selection to the Selections Palette.
6. Once you have completed all of your selections, set them as Trimming Areas on the relevant grids in the same way as the other methods covered.

Converting a mask into a Trimming Area

1. Continue painting on the mask until the whole shape is covered by it.  As shown in the movie above, it can be quicker to mask around the edges first, then use the Bucket Tool to fill in the centre of the object.
2. Once the mask is complete, open the Selections Palette and drag the mask layer to it. A selections called ‘Layer’ will be added the to palette. Double click on the word ‘Layer’ and rename it appropriately.
   
   

Assigning a Trimming Area to a grid

Trimming areas define where in the scene your design will be placed when transferred to a grid. Each grid must have a Trimming Area otherwise the design will fill the area of the grid when transferred like in the picture below, instead of only filling the object, like a pillow for example.

1. Activate the first grid and drag the relevant selection back into the scene from the Selections Palette.
2. Go to Grid Menu > Set Trimming Area. The selection will now become attached to the grid and is known as its Trimming Area, and the words ‘Trimming is set’ will appear in the top left of the grid.
   
   

Restoring trimming areas

The words ‘Trimming is set’ appear in the top left of of a grid once a trimming area has been applied to a grid.  Once it is set, you can remove the select (command D), because the software remembers where the selection is, and only transfers the design into that area.  If you make the selections and set them as Trimming Areas, forgetting to add them to the Selections Palette as you go, this is not a problem, as Trimming Areas can be restored.

Simply go to Grid Menu > Restore Trimming to make the selection visible again. If Restore Trimming is not available in the Grid Menu, this means a Trimming Area has not been set on the active grid.

Once a trimming area has been restored, you can make changes to it. You may need to edit the selected area or add to it. Make any changes needed and set the Trimming Area again to update the stored selection.