Smart Mask Node

Access: Nodes > Misc > Smart Mask

The Smart Mask node allows you to create textures within the node, which can be exported as a procedural texture and added to the Shelf for use in other projects, the node graph, or layer stack. The node can be exported as a Color Procedural, a Scalar Procedural, or a Procedural Mask.


A color procedural in the Shelf.	A scalar procedural in the Shelf.	A procedural mask in the Shelf.

The strength of the Smart Mask node compared to other Group nodes is that it exports all the images used inside the node. This means when the procedural is shared with other artists, they have access to the images used in the textures and don't have to locate them.

There are a variety of example Smart Masks for you to use in the Smart Masks shelf. This includes basic masks which utilize maps such as Ambient Occlusion, and a variety of grunge maps in order to easily achieve looks such as dirt, dust and damage. These can be helpful as a starting point, which you can then adjust to work for you. In the Smart Mask shelf you’ll also find a set of utilities, such as warp and spot stainer, which can help with refining your textures. For a full overview of the content that is available, see Ready-to-use Shelf Content.

Note: The Smart Mask node used to be called the ‘Custom Procedural’ node.

Note: You must use the Node Graph to produce Smart Masks. Smart Masks cannot be created using the Layers palette. See Adding New Smart Mask Nodes to the Node Graph.

Tip: The Smart Mask node can also be used to create procedurals that can be used in the layer stack to share with artists who prefer a layer based workflow. The layer stack is one of the most intuitive ways to create your textures, see Layers for more information.

Smart Mask Node Properties

The Smart Mask Node Properties panel.

Export Tab

Export Path	Specify a file path where the Smart Mask is saved on export.
Thumbnail Path	Pick a thumbnail image from disk to use with the Smart Mask. This thumbnail represents the procedural in the Shelf. If no thumbnail is chosen at export time, a thumbnail is generated automatically using the Thumbnail settings in the Preferences. See Thumbnail Tab for more information.
Tags	Add metadata tags to your material if required. These tags can be used to display information about the procedural, or for filtering procedurals in the Shelf. Start typing a description into the field to display a list of existing tags or create your own and press Enter to add the tag. Once the procedural is exported and added to the Shelf.
Export as Smart Mask	Exports the Smart Mask to the Export Path as an .mpc file.

The Smart Mask node allows you to export three types of procedural for use in other projects:

Color Procedural	Color procedurals are treated as color data when imported into other projects, and are color managed by Mari. This means the procedural can be used in channels which are color managed, such as diffuse, albedo, or base color channels. Select this if, for example, you want to create a tiled color map.
Scalar Procedural	Scalar procedurals are treated as scalar data (non-color data) and are not color managed by Mari when used in other projects. Select this if you want the smart mask to be used in channels using scalar data such as specular, roughness, or normal channels.
Procedural Mask	Procedural masks are similar to scalar procedurals, in that they are also treated as scalar data and won't be color managed by Mari. Unlike the other procedural types, procedural masks can also be applied as a layer mask in the layer stack. Select this if you want your procedural to be used as a mask in other Mari projects.

Any Smart Masks shipped by Mari that you use from the Shelf will have two additional tabs:

Smart Mask Tab

Note: These options will adjust based on which smart mask you are using.

This tab allows you to change the quality of the driver mesh map being used, including: Axis, Debug, Input and Output settings. For example, you can control the contrast of the Ambient Occlusion map used without the need to dive into the node graph.

See more in the Smart Masks section of the Ready-to-use Shelf Content page.

Breakup Tab

Note: These options will adjust based on which smart mask you are using.

All of the Smart Masks have a noise or a grunge map assigned. You will find a Texture map file, used to provide breakup for the mesh map. In the Breakup tab, you can control the scale, size, rotation of the texture or even switch to TriPlanar projection.

See more in the Smart Masks section of the Ready-to-use Shelf Content page.

Smart Mask Workflow Overview

Smart Masks are created in the Node Graph using Smart Mask nodes. The node is a container for your own custom node network. You add a network by adding the Smart Mask node to your Node Graph and opening the node. To learn how to add Smart Mask nodes to your Node Graph, see Adding New Smart Mask Nodes to the Node Graph.

You can create any texture you like inside the Smart Mask node, since all Node Graph functions and nodes are available to you. As an example, f you would like to learn how to create an example grunge mask using geo-channels inside a Smart Mask node, see Creating a Smart Mask Grunge Mask with Geo-Channels.

Once you have created a Smart Mask using the Smart Mask node, you can export the procedural using the Node Properties. The procedural can then be used in other projects and by other artists when imported to the Shelf. See Exporting Smart Masks and Importing Smart Masks to the Shelf.

To use the Smart Mask in other projects, add the Smart Mask from the Shelf to any node graph or layer stack. See Adding Smart Masks to the Node Graph and Adding Smart Masks to the Layer Stack.

Adding New Smart Mask Nodes to the Node Graph

Right-click anywhere in the Node Graph and select Nodes > Misc > Smart Mask.

A Smart Mask node is added to the Node Graph.

The Smart Mask node on the Node Graph.

With the Smart Mask node selected, press 1.

The node is assigned to the Viewer, so you can see the node in the viewport on your model.

Hold Ctrl and double-click the Smart Mask node,

press Ctrl + Enter with the Smart Mask node selected.

A new tab opens in the Node Graph and the contents of the Smart Mask node are displayed. The Smart Mask is authored in this tab.

Inside the Smart Mask node in the Node Graph.

Exporting Smart Masks

Once you have authored a smart mask using the Smart Mask node, you can export it as an .mpc file to be used in other projects through the Shelf.

To export your Smart Mask:

Double-click the Smart Mask node containing the node network you'd like to export.

The Node Properties open.

The Smart Mask Node Properties.

Next to Export Path, click the export

button to choose an export location for your Smart Mask.

Click the choose thumbnail

button next to Thumbnail Path to choose a thumbnail image from disk.

If you don't specify a Thumbnail Path, Mari creates one for you before the Smart Mask is exported.

If required, add metadata tags to your Smart Mask into the Tags field. Start typing a description into the field to display a list of existing tags or create your own and press Enter to add the tag. See Tags for more information.

Once the Smart Mask is exported and added to the Shelf, these tags can be used to display information about the procedural, or for filtering procedurals in the Shelf.

Select Color Procedural, Scalar Procedural, or Procedural Mask to specify a type for your Smart Mask.

The type determines how your Smart Mask is color managed in the project. See Smart Mask Node Properties for more information.

Click Export as Smart Mask.

Your Smart Mask is exported as an .mpc file to the specified Export Path.

Importing Smart Masks to the Shelf

Once your Smart Masks are exported, you can import them to the Mari Shelf for use in other projects, node graphs, and layer stacks.

To import your Smart Mask:

Click Shelf on the palette toolbar.

This opens the Shelf.

In the left panel of the Shelf, select a folder where you would like to add your procedural. Note: The Smart Masks shelf is locked, so you will need to use the Personal, Project or a custom shelf.

Drag the .mpc file from your file browser into the Shelf,

Select the Import Items button:

Select the .mpc file from the Import Items dialog and click Open.

The Smart Mask is imported to the specified folder in the Shelf.

Imported procedural in the Shelf palette.

Note: If your Smart Mask shows a geo-channels icon on the thumbnail, it means the Smart Mask contains geo-channel nodes.

Tip: Hover over the thumbnail in the Shelf to see more information about the Smart Mask.

Adding Smart Masks to the Node Graph

Once a Smart Mask has been added to the Shelf, you can add it to your Node Graph.

Click Shelf on the palette toolbar.

Click the Smart Masks folder to find Smart Masks shipped by Mari

select your own procedural from another shelf, eg. Project.

Imported Smart Mask in the Shelf.

Hover over Smart Masks to see more information.

The information displayed when hovering over an item in the Shelf.

Drag the chosen Smart Mask from the Shelf onto your Node Graph.

The procedural is inserted into the Node Graph.

Tip: Hold Ctrl and double-click the Smart Mask to view the its node network.

Adding Smart Masks to the Layer Stack

Once a Smart Mask has been added to the Shelf, you can add it to your layer stack.

To open the Shelf, click Shelf on the palette toolbar.

Click the Smart Masks folder to find Smart Masks shipped by Mari

select your own procedural from another shelf, eg. Project.

Imported Smart Mask in the Shelf.

Hover over Smart Mask to see more information.

Drag the chosen Smart Mask from the Shelf into your layer stack,

on the Layers palette, click the add procedural layer button > Smart Mask > select the Smart Mask you want to add to the layer stack.

The Smart Mask is added to the layer stack.

A smart mask in the layer stack.

Click the procedural

icon next to the procedural layer to view the procedural's node network.

Smart Mask Node Workflow Example

Creating a Smart Mask Grunge Mask with Geo-Channels

A procedural mask is a mask that can be authored with the Smart Mask node and then imported into projects and applied in the node graph or layer stack. It allows artists to save the time it would take to create a mask manually, and gives them the option to use a pre-generated mask instead. To learn more about masks, see Adding Layers and Masks.

You can export a procedural mask that be used by any object with geo-channels in Mari by taking advantage of Geo-Channel nodes while authoring your textures with the Smart Mask node. The exported procedural can be used in any node graph, or added as a layer mask on any layer providing you have Geo-Channels setup for your object. See Adding Geo-Channels to Objects and Geo-Channel Node for more information.

In the following example, you can create a grunge mask that could be used to show and hide grunge on a layer or node, for example if you wanted to mask off some metallic flooring to apply a rust layer around the edges.

Tip: Use the Example Material Design Project inside the Help menu to follow the below example, as this project has geo-channels already setup for you to use.

Stage 1 - Creating a Procedural Cloud Mask

Adding Cloud nodes to your node network is a quick and useful way to create grime-like textures. The Cloud node is going to be the base of this procedural texture. To create a procedural cloud mask using a Cloud node, while inside the Smart Mask node:

Press Tab and type Cloud, then select the resulting Cloud node.

A Cloud node is added to the Node Graph. The noisy cloud texture forms the basis of the grunge texture.

Drag the Cloud node's Output to the Output node's Input.

The Cloud node is output to the model.

The Cloud node displayed on the model.

Press Tab and type Color, then select the resulting Color node.

A Color node is added to the Node Graph. This Color node is going to be merged with the Cloud node and a geo-channel mask. The Cloud node shows in any areas of the geo-channel mask that are white. The Color node shows in any areas of the geo-channel mask that are black.

Double-click the Color node and set the Color in the Node Properties to black.

The Color node must be set to black so the black areas in the final mask texture are transparent and show any layers or nodes below the current layer.

Press M over the Node Graph to create a Merge node, and input the Cloud node into the Base input and the Color node into the Over input.

The Cloud and Color nodes are merged together.

Drag the Merge node Output to the Input of the Output node.

Cloud, Color, and Merge node inside the Smart Mask node.

Stage 2 - Adding Geo-Channels to your Procedural Cloud Mask

The next stage of the workflow deals with adding geo-channels to the node network. Geo-channel nodes point the texture at geo-channels on your object. In this example workflow, the geo-channel is used to drive curvature data from the model into the texture, so the grime appears on any sharp edges of your model.

Press Tab and type Geo-Channel and select the resulting Geo-Channel node.

Double-click the Geo-Channel node and pick any geo-channel to use with the node from the Channels dropdown in the Node Properties. If you're using the Example Material Design Project, select the Curvature channel.

Note: If you need to add geo-channels to your object, see Adding Geo-Channels to Objects.

The Channels dropdown of the Geo-Channel node.

Press Tab and type Brightness Lookup and select the resulting Brightness Lookup node.

The Brightness Lookup node is going to be used to tighten the black and white values from the Geo-Channel node and reduce the mid-tones. This produces a mask that is restricted to the darker areas in the geo-channel.

Double-click the Brightness Lookup node and click the curve editor

button in the Node Properties to open the Curve Editor.

The Curve Editor allows you to use the curve to edit the brightness of the input.

Drag the handles in the Curve Editor to create a curve which reduces the mid-tones of the input. Use the image below as a reference.

The Brightness Lookup Curve Editor.

Drag the Output of the Geo-Channel node into the Input of the Brightness Lookup node, then drag the Output of the Brightness Lookup node into the Mask input of the Merge node.

The Geo-Channel node is now used as a mask in the Merge node to determine where in the Merge node the Cloud node is shown, and where the Color node is shown.

A Cloud node, Color node, and Geo-Channel node input to the Base, Over, and Mask inputs of the Merge node, to create a grunge mask.

A grunge mask created with geo-channels, which can be used in other projects.