masking a doughnut

[hnQ_9999]

I am doing ok in making a masking layer
around an object. Wonder someone can help
explain how to place a hole inside a mask
layer ? Like you would masking a doughnut.

[hayasidist]

many ways to do this ... which one depends on exactly what you want but...

group - masking hide all
> vector - mask this layer
> vector - subtract from mask : this has the "hole"
> vector - add to mask but keep invisible : this has the donut

or
group - masking hide all
> vector - mask this layer
> vector - add to mask but keep invisible : this has one shape in it, the donut and the hole, which you make like this ...

draw the donut now delete the shape (NOT the path -- use the delete shape tool - the one that looks like an X in the tool list)
draw the hole and delete the shape
select all the points in the donut and the hole
create shape

----

in short: in the "mask": you can have as many layers as you want which you can add / subtract from the mask (You have to have added something before you can subtract it tho'); and you can have as many shapes as you want, made up in any way you can imagine in any masking layer ...

and all of those can be animated - e.g. layer visibility on/off; opacity up/down or point motion; with or without bones...

and you can have a stack of layers in the group in the general form: {<set of things to mask layers><set of masking vectors>} {<things> <masks>} {etc} {etc}... that build just like any other stack of vectors

[slowtiger]

If your shape has a hole, the mask will have that hole. No matter whether you create 1 shape with a hole or stack several shapes to form something with a hole, or even put stuff on different layers and add all of them to the mask. You can even use an image or video with transparency to act as mask.

[hnQ_9999]

Thank you guys.

[funksmaname]

Confucius say "there is more than one way to hole a doughnut"