How to make a masking layer which would hide objects instead of revealing in Animate CC?

[arturs73452037]

Hey! For now I only know how to have a masking layer which reveals with its shape the layer bellow. Is there any way to have it in an opposite way? So that objects on the masking layer would hide areas of the layer bellow? Thank you for your replies!

[Colin Holgate]

I can't see a way to do it. The normal way would be to a stage sized shape and then delete parts of that to hide things.

[arturs73452037]

And how would you delete a perfect circle from the middle of a stage-sized rectangle?

[Colin Holgate]

Have a stage sized shape of a different color.In another layer draw a circle shape, and use the Align panel to make it exactly in the middle

In another layer draw a circle shape in a different color, and use the Align panel to make it exactly in the middle.

Select the circle and do a Cut.

Select the stage sized shape layer and do a Paste in Place.

Click elsewhere to deselect the circle.

Click on the circle and press delete.

[ClayUUID]

Specifically, you have to draw the above with shapes that are NOT drawing objects. If you start with a drawing object, you can use Ctrl-B to break it apart into a raw shape.

You can also just draw your circle off to the side of the stage then drag it onto the stage mask wherever you like.

The important thing to realize is that whenever raw shape and line objects overlap in Flash/Animate (within the same layer), it will aggressively merge them. So if you merge a shape within the bounds of a differently-colored shape, you can then "cut it out" by selecting and deleting it.

[Colin Holgate]

By the way, you could make the background shape be a lot bigger. That way after you have the circle cut out you could tween the background shape around the place to get a moving circle that hides things.

[robdillon]

There is a method sometimes called an x-ray or magnifier that uses a normal version of the image and then a masked version of the same image on top. You can either animate the mask or have an animation run on the lower image. Does that sound like what you had in mind?

[arturs73452037]

I'm sorry Rob, I'm not sure if I get your idea

[robdillon]

Here's a very simple example: http://www.ddg-designs.com/downloads/mask.zip

[arturs73452037]

Thank you! That's interesting, but a little bit different from what I wanted, sorry.

[robdillon]

Hope you get it sorted out.

[arturs73452037]

And another decision I've found is that. It allows to just draw the shapes in drawing mode on one layer and than choose one of these features.