ShapeSync

Chapter 8: Advanced Outfit Registration and Figure Mask (Hiding Base Mesh and Correcting Poke)

← Back to Tutorial Index ｜ ← Chapter 7: Advanced Outfit Registration and Collection (Shoe Deformation and Alignment)

This chapter explains the procedure for eliminating the protrusion (Poke) of the base body remaining at the toes and soles of shoes (Shoes1) identified at the end of Chapter 7, using the dedicated outfit masking feature Figure Mask.

First Half (VRoid Studio): Using 3D Paint, create a mask image (Shoes1Mask.png) painted black only in the areas corresponding to the toes and soles hidden inside the shoes, and save it to Assets/Texture/Shoes1Mask.png in the Unity project.
Second Half (Unity / ShapeSync): In ShapeSync Editor under Shoes1 > Figure Mask, register and save the mask texture for the Body material, and verify in Play Mode after re-Generate that Poke has been completely resolved (Before / After).

1. Introduction (Chapter 7 Poke Issue and Mechanism of Figure Mask)

In Chapter 7, the Collection feature was used to fit the shoe position and ankle angles cleanly, but during walking animation playback, a slight protrusion of the base body skin was observed at the tip of the shoe toes (Poke).

Toe Poke identified in Chapter 7 (Before) ▲Figure 8-1: Base body poking through the tip of the shoe toes identified at the end of Chapter 7 (Before)

Figure Mask Mechanism and Polarity Rules

What is Figure Mask: A feature that uses texture masks to erase (make transparent) base body skin mesh that should be completely hidden inside clothes or shoes when wearing an outfit, fundamentally preventing protrusion.
Mask Polarity (Black and White Rules):
- Black (#000000): Parts to be hidden (erased) from the Figure’s Body
- White (#FFFFFF): Parts to continue being displayed on the Figure’s Body
Visual Criteria for Black Painted Area:
- Paint black only the area corresponding to the toes and soles protruding from the shoes.
- Take care not to paint black other body parts exposed outside the shoes, such as ankles and legs.

2. Creating and Saving Mask with 3D Paint in VRoid Studio

Create the mask image in the texture editing screen of VRoid Studio.

2.1 Opening the Texture Editing Screen

Launch VRoid Studio and open the base body model BasicFemale.vroid.
Select the Body tab in the top menu, and click the Edit Texture button on the right panel.

Opening texture editing for Body in VRoid Studio ▲Figure 8-2: Clicking Body tab > Edit Texture to enter texture editing

2.2 Creating Mask Layer and Painting

Select Skin from the categories on the left.
In the layer panel, create a New Layer (+ button).
Select the Bucket Tool (Fill) from the toolbar, set the color to White (#FFFFFF), and fill the entire layer with white.
Select the Brush Tool from the toolbar, set the brush color to Black (#000000), opacity to 100, and brush size to a suitable thickness (e.g. 37).
In the 3D View on the right, paint black while visually checking only the toes and soles hidden inside the shoes.

Painting toes and soles black from 3D view ▲Figure 8-3: On the white-filled layer, painting toes and soles hidden inside shoes black (#000000) from 3D View side

2.3 Exporting the Mask Image

Right-click the painted mask layer and select Export from the context menu.
In the save dialog, specify Assets/Texture/Shoes1Mask.png inside the Unity project and save as PNG format.

Exporting the mask layer ▲Figure 8-4: Right-clicking created layer, selecting Export, and saving as Assets/Texture/Shoes1Mask.png

2.4 Verifying Texture in Unity

Return to the Unity Editor and select Assets > Texture > Shoes1Mask in the Project window.
In the Inspector Preview, verify that the texture image has only the toes and soles painted black on a white background (Import Settings can remain Texture Type: Default and Alpha Is Transparency: OFF).

Verifying Shoes1Mask texture in Unity ▲Figure 8-5: Selecting Shoes1Mask texture in Unity Project window and confirming toes and soles painted black on white background

3. Registering Figure Mask in ShapeSync Editor

From the top menu in Unity Editor, open Tools > zgock > ShapeSync > ShapeSync Editor.
Select Outfits > Mesh Outfits > Shoes1 > Figure Mask from the left TreeView.
In the Figure Material Entry dropdown, select Body.
In Mask Texture, drag and drop Shoes1Mask.png (Assets/Texture/) from the Project window.

Specifying Body and Mask Texture in Shoes1 > Figure Mask ▲Figure 8-6-1: Selecting Body in Figure Material Entry and specifying Shoes1Mask.png in Mask Texture

Click the Add Figure Mask button to add the registration row.
Click the Save to Database button at the bottom of the screen to save.

Figure Mask registration completed and saved ▲Figure 8-6-2: Clicking Add Figure Mask to add Body - Shoes1_Body_Mask row, then saving with Save to Database

[!NOTE] Note Regarding Material Rows: In this tutorial model structure, base body skin is integrated into the Body material, so registering 1 row is sufficient. However, for models where limbs or nails are split into separate materials, additional Figure Mask rows must be added for each material you wish to hide.

[!TIP] Registration in Textures Section: The mask image specified in Figure Mask is automatically registered as a Texture Resource owned by Shoes1. Therefore, manually registering the mask image in ShapeSync Editor’s Textures section is unnecessary.

4. Re-Executing Generate and Verifying Poke Resolution in Play Mode (Before / After)

Perform regeneration to apply the Figure Mask settings, and verify operation in Play Mode.

Select the Generation section from the left TreeView in ShapeSync Editor.
Leaving each output setting as existing, click the Generate button at the bottom of the screen.
If a folder selection dialog appears, select the existing output root folder (Assets/ShapeSync/Generated), click “Select Folder”, and execute regeneration.

Executing re-Generate in Generation section ▲Figure 8-7: Clicking Generate in Generation section, selecting output root folder (Generated), and executing regeneration

Select the Figure (BasicFemale) placed in the Scene.
Confirm that outfitShoes1.asset registered in the previous chapter remains set in the Template List of Figure’s ShapeDirector.
Press Unity’s Play button to enter Play Mode.
Zoom in on the feet during walking animation playback. Confirm that the toe protrusion (Poke) identified in Chapter 7 has been completely eliminated and the feet fit cleanly inside the shoes (After).

Confirming toe Poke resolution in Play Mode (After Front) ▲Figure 8-8-1: During walking animation playback in Play Mode, toe Poke is completely resolved and fits cleanly into shoes (After)

Confirming sole Poke resolution in Play Mode (After Sole) ▲Figure 8-8-2: Verification from beneath dress and sole side. Protrusion from sole is also cleanly resolved (After)

5. Common Issues and Solutions (Troubleshooting)

Q1. Toe protrusion (Poke) does not disappear upon entering Play Mode

Cause:
- You may not have saved via Save to Database after clicking Add Figure Mask in Shoes1 > Figure Mask.
- You may not have executed Generate (re-generation) in Generation of ShapeSync Editor after configuring Figure Mask.
Solution: Confirm that the Body row is saved in Shoes1 > Figure Mask, and always re-execute Generate in the Generation section.

Q2. Ankles or legs other than shoes disappear and become transparent

Cause: In the mask image (Shoes1Mask.png) created in VRoid Studio, the black (#000000) painted area may have extended beyond the shoe boundary up to the ankle or upper leg.
Solution: Open the mask layer in VRoid Studio, repaint the ankle and leg areas exposed outside the shoes with white (#FFFFFF), export to Assets/Texture/Shoes1Mask.png again, and re-execute Generate in ShapeSync Editor.

← Back to Tutorial Index ｜ ← Chapter 7: Advanced Outfit Registration and Collection (Shoe Deformation and Alignment)

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