ZBrush Tip: Mask Lasso Quick Guide for Sculpting and Extraction

Mask Lasso is the fastest way to draw organic, camera-space masks for sculpting, posing, extraction, and grouping. Here’s how to get clean, art-directed selections in seconds.

Quick setup and use:

• Hold Ctrl to enter masking mode, then pick Mask Lasso from the Brush palette.
• Drag a freeform shape around the area you want masked; release to commit.
• Use Alt while dragging to subtract from the current mask (carve windows or trim the selection).
• Ctrl+Click on empty canvas to invert the mask. This is essential when you want to transform the unmasked region with Gizmo 3D.
• Ctrl+Click on the masked surface to blur the mask; Ctrl+Alt+Click to sharpen it. Repeat for stronger effect.
• Enable Brush > Auto Masking > BackfaceMask for the Mask Lasso brush to avoid painting through thin geometry.
• Turn on Symmetry (X) to mirror Mask Lasso across the model for perfectly balanced selections.

Precision controls you’ll use often:

• Tool > Masking > Grow/Shrink: Expand or contract your mask incrementally to fine-tune borders.
• Tool > Masking > Clear/Inverse/Blur/Sharpen: One-click management without relying on stroke shortcuts.
• Tool > PolyGroups > Group Masked / Group Visible: Convert a successful mask into Polygroups for persistent, reusable isolation.
• Mask + Gizmo 3D: Mask the area to protect, invert, then move/rotate/scale the unmasked region with precise falloff.

Production workflows where Mask Lasso shines:

• Concept blocking: Rough in muscles, panels, seams, and creature plate breaks by sketching soft masks, inflating inside the mask, and sharpening edges afterward.
• Cloth and armor extraction: Paint a mask for garments or plates and use SubTool > Extract (set Thickness and Smoothing) to generate clean, wearable parts.
• Hard-surface cut lines: Combine Mask Lasso with Polish by Features to establish crisp, design-driven boundaries without topology constraints.
• Detail protection: When using Trim, HPolish, or Planar brushes, lock critical areas with Mask Lasso so planarization doesn’t flatten them.

Advanced tips for cleaner results:

• Work at a slightly lower subdivision level when defining large masks; step up only to refine borders. It’s faster and reduces aliasing on edges.
• For organic transitions, alternate Blur and Shrink to keep a soft falloff while nudging the edge inward for better form control.
• Combine with Mask By Cavity or Mask By Ambient Occlusion (then refine with Lasso) to isolate high-frequency detail without hand-painting everything.
• Don’t confuse Mask Lasso (Ctrl) with visibility lasso (Ctrl+Shift > SelectLasso). Use visibility for hiding/showing geometry; use masking for sculpting protection and extraction.
• If projection artifacts appear after retopology, use Mask Lasso to isolate problem zones and re-project in passes at lower strength.

Consistency and speed:

• Create a custom UI button for Mask Lasso and enable BackfaceMask on that brush. Save your UI so the behavior is always ready.
• Save incremental files when committing major extractions or polygroups derived from masks to preserve reversible steps.

Need ZBrush or add-ons for your pipeline? Explore options at NOVEDGE. For more workflow insights and pro bundles, check NOVEDGE and keep your toolset sharp.

You can find all the ZBrush products on the NOVEDGE web site at this page.