GMask Improvements

New Softness options, simpler methods to add and delete Softness points, new keyframe option, and more.

Indicates a feature suggested and voted up by users on the Flame Feedback portal.

In Flame Family 2022, some GMask options change name:

Old Name	New Name
Softness	Smoothing
Gradient	Softness
Distance (in the Animation channels)	Offset

Softness Improvements

Softness Modes

You now have three modes to modify the softness of a GMask: Free, Global, and Vertices.

To set the default Softness mode:

• Preferences > Action > GMask Softness

To set the Softness mode for a GMask:

• Display the GMask or the Vertices menu.
• Select the Softness mode.
  

Softness Mode	Description	GMask
Free	The same workflow as before: you can add and delete as many Softness control points as you need.
Global	This new mode offers a single softness point automatically added between the first and second vertices of the GMask. That point cannot be moved or deleted, and no new point can be added to the GMask spline.
Vertices	This new mode offers control points at each GMask vertex, with a point for each of the inner and the outer softness.

Adding and Deleting Softness Points

Adding and deleting a Softness control point in Free mode is now simpler.

Adding a Softness point:

1. Select the GMask.
2. In Free Softness, click Add to insert a control point.
   
   Tip: First select vertices to insert a control point between each pair of vertices.

You can also use the GMask: Add Softness Point(s) keyboard shortcut.

• Flame and Lustre profiles: Shift+A
• Smoke Classic and Smoke FCP profiles: Shift+Space+A

Deleting a Softness point:

1. Select the GMask.
2. Select one or more points.
3. In Free Softness, click Delete.
   
Tip: You can also use the GMask: Delete Selected Softness Point(s) keyboard shortcut.
• Flame and Lustre profiles: Shift+D
• Smoke Classic and Smoke FCP profiles: Shift+Space+D

You can still add and delete Softness points with the Add tools .

Key changes compared to previous versions:

• You can now click on the Softness Spline to add a new Softness point.
• You no longer have to hold down Shift to delete a Softness point: simply click a control point on the Softness spline to delete it.

Auto Key Changes

The GMask Auto Key button is now located in the Mask submenu, and renamed Spline Keyframing.

Enable Spline Keyframing to create key frames for the GMask spline even when Auto Key is disabled.

Edit Box Improvements

Partial selection:You can now enable the Edit Box even if you select only one vertex.

More stable Edit box. To rotate the Edit Box, you must now actually drag the rotation handle. Simply clicking the handle no longer moves the Edit Box.

GMask in Selectives View

The Selective Input view(F8) now displays GMasks.

To stop GMasks from appearing in the Selective Input view:

1. Disable Node Prefs/Setup > Display > Selective > Show GMasks.

   This preference is available in Action, Image, and GMask Tracer.

To set the global GMask preference:

1. Disable Preferences > Action > Selective > Show GMasks.

Other Improvements

Move with Add and Draw: You can now move any GMask control point even when you're using the Add Points or Draw Shape tools.

Colour a locked GMask: You can now change the spline colour of a locked GMask. Use the GMask > Display menu.

Preview next vertex: You now see where the next vertex will be when you draw a GMask.

Global Show All Vertices: The default status of the Show All Vertices setting (Node Prefs > Display > Widgets) can now be set in Preferences > Action > Widgets.

Moved options: Shape > Vertex and Linear > Cardinal are now located in the Vertices menu.