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Removing and Adding Tangents
You can also use the Break option to remove tangents from vertices by clicking the vertex while in Break
mode. When you remove a tangent, the curve defined by the tangent is removed.
The shape of the border line differs depending on whether adjacent vertices are broken:
■ If adjacent vertices are unbroken, the border line curves as it approaches the vertices.
■ If adjacent vertices are broken, the border line is straight as it approaches the vertices.
You can create a garbage mask composed entirely of straight edges by removing the tangents from all the
vertices:
■ To remove the tangent of a vertex, select Break and click the vertex.
■ To add a tangent back to a vertex, select Auto and click the vertex. Alternatively, using the Break option,
click the vertex and “drag” the tangent out again.
Automatically Adjusting Tangent Handles of Adjacent Vertices
When you move vertices, the tangent handles of the two adjacent vertices remain fixed in their current
position. You can make them automatically adjust to create smooth curves between the vertices by pressing
the G keyboard shortcut as you move vertices.
You can reverse the behaviour so that dragging vertices automatically adjusts tangents without using the
keyboard shortcut. You reverse the behaviour by setting the following environment variable:
DL_GMASK_AUTO_MOVE_MODE
To reverse functionality of the G keyboard shortcut:
1 From the home directory of the application, open the .cshrc file in a text editor.
2 Add the following line to the end of the .cshrc file:
setenv DL_GMASK_AUTO_MOVE_MODE
3 Save and close the .cshrc file.
4 In the home directory, type:
source .cshrc
5 Launch or restart the application.
When you click or move a vertex on a garbage mask, the tangents are automatically repositioned.
When you press G and click or move a vertex, the tangents are not repositioned.
TIP Alternatively, you can set the environment variable in the shell pointing to the home directory of the
application. When you set an environment variable in the shell, the environment variable is enabled for the
current session only.
Creating Right-Angled Vertices
You can create right-angled vertices using the following technique.
To:Press:
Break apart tangents.B
754 | Chapter 18 Masking and Rotoscoping