Texture Masks

Texture masks let you control modifier strength spatially using painted or procedural textures. Paint directly in Blender or use image textures to define where modifiers apply.

What It Does

Texture masks provide:

  • Spatial control - Different strength in different areas
  • Texture painting - Paint mask directly in Blender
  • Image textures - Use existing textures
  • Invert option - Flip black and white
  • Per-modifier - Each modifier has its own mask

Think of masks as stencils that control where and how strongly a modifier applies.

How Masks Work

White = Full Effect

  • White areas (1.0) = modifier at 100% strength
  • Black areas (0.0) = modifier at 0% strength
  • Gray areas (0.5) = modifier at 50% strength

Mask Evaluation:

  1. Sample texture at strand root UV coordinate
  2. Multiply modifier strength by mask value
  3. Apply modified strength to strand

Example:

  • Clumping Amount: 0.8
  • Mask value at strand: 0.5
  • Actual clumping: 0.8 × 0.5 = 0.4

Creating Masks

Method 1: Texture Painting

  1. Select Scalp Mesh
  • Click on your character's head mesh
  • Ensure it has UV coordinates
  1. Switch to Texture Paint Mode
  • Change mode dropdown to "Texture Paint"
  • Or press Tab, then switch mode
  1. Create New Texture
  • In Texture Paint mode, click "+" to add texture
  • Name it (e.g., "clump_mask")
  • Set size (1024 or 2048 recommended)
  • Choose "Blank" and set to white or black
  1. Paint the Mask
  • Use brush tools to paint
  • White = full effect
  • Black = no effect
  • Adjust brush strength for gradients
  1. Save Texture
  • Image menu > Save As
  • Save to your project folder
  • Use PNG or TIFF format
  1. Load in Modifier
  • In modifier UI, click folder icon
  • Select your saved texture
  • Mask applies immediately

Method 2: Image Texture

  1. Prepare Image
  • Create mask in Photoshop, Substance, etc.
  • White = full effect, black = no effect
  • Match your UV layout
  • Save as PNG or TIFF
  1. Load in Blender
  • In modifier UI, click folder icon
  • Browse to your image file
  • Select and open
  1. Verify
  • Check mask preview in modifier
  • Regenerate hair to see effect
  • Adjust if needed

Method 3: Procedural Texture

  1. Create Texture in Blender
  • Add texture to scalp mesh material
  • Use noise, gradient, or other procedural
  • Ensure it's in UV space
  1. Bake to Image
  • Create new image texture
  • Bake procedural to image
  • Save baked image
  1. Load as Mask
  • Use baked image as mask
  • Follows same process as image texture

Mask Controls

Mask Selector

Folder Icon

  • Click to browse for texture
  • Supports PNG, TIFF, JPEG, EXR
  • Shows current texture name

Clear Button (X)

  • Remove current mask
  • Modifier applies uniformly
  • Quick way to disable mask

Invert Checkbox

When to Invert:

  • You painted opposite of what you wanted
  • Easier to paint black than white
  • Reusing mask for opposite effect

Example:

  • Painted white where you want NO clumping
  • Enable Invert
  • Now white areas = no clumping

Paint Button

Quick Access:

  • Switches to Texture Paint mode
  • Selects scalp mesh
  • Ready to paint immediately

Workflow:

  1. Click Paint button
  2. Paint your mask
  3. Save texture
  4. Return to FollicleFX
  5. Regenerate to see changes

Save/Load Buttons

Save:

  • Saves current mask to file
  • Useful for backups
  • Share masks between projects

Load:

  • Load previously saved mask
  • Browse to mask file
  • Replaces current mask

Per-Modifier Usage

Clumping Modifier

Common Uses:

  • More clumping on top of head
  • Less clumping at hairline
  • Clump-free areas (bangs, sideburns)

Example Mask:

  • White on crown (full clumping)
  • Gray on sides (moderate clumping)
  • Black at hairline (no clumping)

Frizz Modifier

Common Uses:

  • More frizz at tips/edges
  • Smooth areas (part line, front)
  • Flyaway zones

Example Mask:

  • White at edges (full frizz)
  • Gray in middle (moderate frizz)
  • Black at part line (no frizz)

Coil Modifier

Common Uses:

  • Coiled areas vs straight areas
  • Varying coil intensity
  • Styled sections

Example Mask:

  • White where you want curls
  • Black where you want straight
  • Gray for loose waves

Cut Modifier

Common Uses:

  • Shaped cuts (bob, layers)
  • Length variation by region
  • Trim specific areas

Example Mask:

  • White where you want full cut
  • Black where you want no cut
  • Gradient for smooth transitions

Density Modifier

Common Uses:

  • Thinning areas (temples, crown)
  • Dense areas (back, sides)
  • Bald spots or patches

Example Mask:

  • White for full density
  • Gray for thinning
  • Black for bald areas

Flow Direction Modifier

Common Uses:

  • Flow strength by region
  • Directional styling areas
  • Blend zones

Example Mask:

  • White where flow is strong
  • Gray for subtle flow
  • Black for no flow influence

Painting Tips

Brush Settings

Strength:

  • 100% for hard edges
  • 30-50% for soft gradients
  • Build up gradually

Radius:

  • Large brush for broad areas
  • Small brush for details
  • Adjust with [ and ] keys

Falloff:

  • Smooth falloff for gradients
  • Sharp falloff for hard edges
  • Adjust in brush settings

Painting Techniques

Base Layer:

  1. Fill entire mask with base color
  2. Usually white (full effect) or black (no effect)
  3. Paint opposite color for variations

Gradients:

  1. Use soft brush
  2. Low strength (20-30%)
  3. Multiple passes
  4. Build up smoothly

Hard Edges:

  1. Use hard brush (no falloff)
  2. 100% strength
  3. Single pass
  4. Clean boundaries

Blending:

  1. Use soft brush
  2. Medium strength (50%)
  3. Paint over edges
  4. Smooth transitions

Common Workflows

Clumping Mask for Natural Hair

  1. Base: Fill with white (full clumping)
  2. Hairline: Paint black at edges (no clumping)
  3. Gradient: Soft brush from black to white
  4. Result: Natural transition from smooth to clumped

Frizz Mask for Flyaways

  1. Base: Fill with gray (moderate frizz)
  2. Edges: Paint white at perimeter (high frizz)
  3. Part: Paint black along part line (no frizz)
  4. Result: Flyaways at edges, smooth at part

Density Mask for Thinning

  1. Base: Fill with white (full density)
  2. Temples: Paint gray (thinning)
  3. Crown: Paint light gray (slight thinning)
  4. Result: Natural thinning pattern

Cut Mask for Bob

  1. Base: Fill with white (full cut)
  2. Top: Paint black (no cut, keep length)
  3. Gradient: Soft transition from black to white
  4. Result: Bob shape with smooth transition

Mask Resolution

Recommended Sizes:

  • 512×512 - Low detail, fast
  • 1024×1024 - Medium detail (recommended)
  • 2048×2048 - High detail
  • 4096×4096 - Ultra detail (slow)

Considerations:

  • Higher resolution = more detail
  • Higher resolution = more memory
  • Match to UV density
  • 1024 is usually sufficient

Troubleshooting

Mask Not Applying

Check:

  • Texture is loaded (shows name)
  • Scalp mesh has UVs
  • UV coordinates are valid (0-1 range)
  • Regenerate hair after loading mask

Fix:

  • Reload texture
  • Check UV layout in UV Editor
  • Verify texture format (PNG, TIFF)
  • Try different texture

Mask Looks Wrong

Check:

  • Invert checkbox state
  • Texture orientation
  • UV layout matches texture
  • Texture is grayscale (not color)

Fix:

  • Toggle Invert
  • Rotate/flip texture in image editor
  • Repaint mask
  • Convert to grayscale

Mask Too Harsh

Check:

  • Brush falloff settings
  • Texture has gradients
  • Not using 100% black/white everywhere

Fix:

  • Use soft brush
  • Paint gradients
  • Add gray values
  • Blur texture in image editor

Mask Too Subtle

Check:

  • Mask values (might be all gray)
  • Modifier strength (might be low)
  • Texture contrast

Fix:

  • Increase contrast in image editor
  • Use more white/black, less gray
  • Increase modifier base strength
  • Repaint with stronger values

Advanced Techniques

Layered Masks

  1. Create multiple masks
  2. Combine in image editor
  3. Use for complex patterns
  4. More control than single mask

Animated Masks

  1. Create texture sequence
  2. Animate texture offset
  3. Mask changes over time
  4. Advanced effect

Procedural Masks

  1. Use Blender's texture nodes
  2. Bake to image
  3. Use as mask
  4. Repeatable, tweakable

Mask from Vertex Colors

  1. Paint vertex colors on mesh
  2. Bake to texture
  3. Use as mask
  4. Quick and intuitive

Technical Notes

  • Masks are sampled at strand root UV
  • Bilinear filtering for smooth values
  • Supports all standard image formats
  • Masks are saved with Blender file (if packed)
  • GPU-accelerated sampling
  • No performance cost for using masks

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