Adding a Mask

A Mask is an area that prevents objects in front of it from obscuring what is behind it. For example, suppose you have a fence in your background picture and want to add trees behind it. By adding a mask over the fence, you can prevent the trees from appearing on top of the fence.

To add a mask:

1. Click Add Mask.

2. Draw the mask’s outline by clicking to add points. Press Backspace to remove the last point. Press Esc to cancel.

3. Click the starting point to close the outline. Or right-click to automatically join the last point to the first.

In picture A, shown below, a tree was added to the landscape design. Notice how it is appears over the fence, which is part of the background picture. In B, a Mask was added over the fence. This prevents the tree from appearing over the fence, as shown in C. (The mask is not actually visible. We are showing it in red in this example so you can see where it was placed.)

Note: Masks are not visible unless they are selected, and then you only see their outline.

Controlling the Render Order

Masks only prevent objects that are behind them from rendering over the background picture, not objects in front. You can use the Bring to Front and Send to Back commands to change the order that objects are rendered. See Controlling the Render Order for more information.

Changing the Shape

Once a mask has been added, it can be easily changed. This includes moving points, adding & deleting points, and so forth. See Editing Points for more information.

Tips:

• You can draw masks that extend outside of the background picture and onto the gray workspace. This is easier than trying to draw them exactly on the edge of your picture. When you print your landscape design, only the rectangular area over the background picture will be printed.

• For more control over the shape of your mask, you can easily add more points. See Inserting & Deleting Points for more information.