Mask Maker
An editor tool to finish avatar texture masks inside Unity.
Masks are an input required by almost every shader feature — where to add gloss, which areas to tint a different color, where to thin out outlines. But to make them, you typically need to exit Unity, unfold UVs in an external paint tool, re-import, fix import settings, test in material slots, and repeat from the beginning if something is wrong.
Mask Maker removes that back-and-forth. You build while watching in the scene view, bake right there. Plugging masks into shader slots is an assisted feature — but that's optional, the core of this tool is making masks.
Open it via menu StudioRaming → Mask Maker.
What's included
Six tabs each create the same output (mask texture) in a different way. Some masks are more accurate when computed, others faster when painted by hand. So we don't force a single method.
| Tab | Creates | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| MatCap Gloss | Grayscale mask of matcap highlight (Gloss mode) or mesh concavity (AO/Cavity mode) | Gloss · Specular · Rim mask, metal region, AO |
| Gradient | World-direction gradient color texture | Height-based color tint (ombre dye) |
| Bridge + Region Mask | Randomly selected strands, or only clicked strands white | Bridge (highlight) dye layer, specific region isolation |
| Slot Split | Not a mask but the mesh itself separated into different material slots | Separate regions that need a completely different shader |
| Combiner | Pack multiple masks into one R/G/B/A texture · Unpack channels | Reduce texture count, auto-optimize |
| Paint | Mask/color drawn directly on the mesh in the scene view with a brush | Any arbitrary shape not auto-generated |
How it differs from other masking tools
Tab results stack and blend on one mesh. Unlike baking each tab separately and combining later, Load starts preview right there, and switching tabs leaves earlier results in the scene overlayed. Final Bake at the top saves that composite as one mask exactly as you see it. → Layer Stack and Final Bake
Plugging into shaders is optional.
Making masks is this tool's core; wiring to shader slots is an assisted feature. The Bridge + Region Mask's Auto-assign after bake is off by default, and Combiner's Pack + Reassign always shows you the plan before running — both undo with one Ctrl+Z.
→ Combiner
The scene view is your workspace. Not a list-based selection method. Hover over a strand and it previews in cyan/red; Ctrl+click to add or remove. Drag to toggle strands like painting, or box-select. Inner and backface strands are grabbed in Backface Mode without rotating the camera. → Hotkeys
Undo works everywhere.
Strand selection in the scene view, Slot Split apply, paint strokes — all revert with Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y.
Original is untouched. Preview duplicates the material and shows the result; Stop instantly restores it. Closing the window also restores it. Even if the editor crashed before it could restore, reopening the window puts the originals back automatically, and the Recover Preview button at the top of the ? help screen does the same. When saving, if a same-named file exists, you're asked: Overwrite / New Name / Cancel.
It knows four shader connection points. lilToon · Poiyomi · MingToon · NiloToon mask properties and inspector paths are in a table inside the tool, and Combiner scans by shader profile. Shaders not in the list can be added via JSON profile. → Shader connections
Guides are built into the tool. The collapsible Guide panel at the top of each tab and the ? button in the header contain the same content as this site. This site is just a searchable, link-friendly copy.
You can also jump to this site from the tool. The Docs button in the header opens the current tab's online guide; the small ? button next to each card title opens that feature's page and shows one-line help on hover; the version label v0.1.1 in the header opens that version's patch notes. Links follow whichever language you pick in the tool.
Supported environment
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Unity | 2019.4 LTS ~ 2022.3 |
| Render pipeline | Built-in RP · URP |
| Language | 한국어 · English · 日本語 (switch top right) |
| Installation location | One folder Assets/StudioRaming/MaskMaker |
The shader connection table covers lilToon · Poiyomi 9.x · MingToon · NiloToon. You can make and assign masks to other shaders too; auto-assignment just won't work for them.
Start here
- What is a mask? → What is a mask texture
- Install and make your first mask → Installation · First mask
- Combine multiple tab results into one? → Layer Stack and Final Bake
- Plug an already-made mask into a shader → Shader connections
- Mask not working? → Troubleshooting