Patch layer don't render in separate layer comp

[DarkmoonXarX]

Hello everyone - super helpful forum, long time reader, first time question asker here.

Has anyone ever experienced and solved problems with patch layers not rendering as shown in the viewport?

I am working on a project where we need to export the characters split up into different layers (so external 3D or painted background objects can be wedged into the rigs in After Effects).

I have been using Layer Comps for this, but just run into a problem with patch layers - they are not rendered in some instances as they are shown in the viewport.

Why don't they render as they appear before rendering? Here is a graphic illustrating the setup and what is missing in the render:


This is the file (some layers have been deleted as this is a project for a client): https://www.dropbox.com/s/3qp7hi3vlseby ... .moho?dl=1

I really appreciate any hints and help to get an export with the patch being properly rendered. Thank you very much!

All the best,

Ferdinand

[chucky]

Oh, that is a dilemma!

Hi Ferdinand. Welcome to the forum, that's a great rig and some fine animation.
This problem though, it's a doozie.
What I suggest is that because the Upper Arms are not visible, there's nothing to patch out.
The irony is that the display is showing you exactly what you want but only because of a display error.

The only fix ( I can think of right now) is to show the Upper arms and force a mask over the arms for this shot.
It is far from ideal and maybe warrants a feature request to render patch masks when comped out..... or something like that. Yikes

I'll alert 'the authorities' ....

[synthsin75]

Personally, I've never really liked patch layers. I usually prefer to just lay a matching fill-only shape over the top to block the underlying stroke where desired.

[DarkmoonXarX]

Thank you both so much for your reply!

Yeah... after writing the topic, I was wondering if the viewport display was doing it wrong. I guess I found the use case for patches working regardless of the layer visbility.

Yeah, I will try a fill-only patch shape. I like how quickly the patch does all the masking though.

[Greenlaw]

Yeah, Patch layers are nice when they work but their use can be limited. BTW, you can re-create the same effect with regular Masks and be able to use non-circular shapes. I don't do this often but it's useful in special situations. There's more info about this here:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=32275

Unfortunately, many of the images posted there are no longer available. I think I downloaded the images I had posted to TinyPic before they shut down, so maybe I can re-upload the missing pics this evening.

As for simply using a filled shape to cover the line segment, I do that a lot too. I like to bind the shape to a bone so I can animate its position along with the other bones in the same bone layer; also, I parent this bone to an upper body bone, not the arm bone, so it stays in place when I animate the arm. I have more control over the look of the line break this way.