How to Extract a Mesh from a Mask in Blender

Extracting a mesh from a mask in Blender is a fundamental sculpting workflow used to quickly create clothing, armor, hair, or secondary mesh details directly from an existing base model. By painting a mask on your object in Sculpt Mode, you can instantly generate a new, separate 3D object that perfectly conforms to the shape of the underlying surface. This article covers the step-by-step process of creating a mask, extracting it into a new mesh object, and configuring its extraction settings.

Step 1: Create a Mask on Your Base Mesh

  1. Select your object in Object Mode and switch to Sculpt Mode using the mode dropdown menu in the top-left corner (or press Ctrl + Tab).
  2. Select the Mask brush from the toolbar on the left (shortcut: M).
  3. Paint over the area on your mesh where you want to create the new geometry.
    • Tip: Hold Ctrl while painting to erase parts of the mask, or press A to bring up the mask radial menu for options like clearing or inverting the mask.

Step 2: Extract the Mask

  1. With the mask painted, locate the Mask menu in the top header of the 3D Viewport.
  2. Click on Mask and select Extract Face Mask (or Mask Extract depending on your Blender version).
  3. Blender will instantly generate a new object based on the masked region.

Step 3: Adjust Extraction Settings

Immediately after extracting, expand the Extract Face Mask operator box located in the bottom-left corner of the viewport to customize the results:

  • Thickness: Controls how deep or extruding the new mesh is. Set this to 0 if you want a flat, single-sided surface, or increase it to add instant volume.
  • Offset: Determines whether the extraction expands outward, inward, or remains centered on the surface.
  • Smooth Iterations: Increases boundary smoothness to remove jagged edges along the mask borders.
  • Project to Surface: Snaps the newly created mesh flush against the original base object.

Step 4: Finalize and Refine

  1. Switch back to Object Mode (Ctrl + Tab).
  2. Select the newly generated object in the Outliner.
  3. Apply modifiers like Solidify (if you need adjustable thickness later) or Subdivision Surface to clean up topology.
  4. Switch back to Sculpt Mode on the new object to refine its shape using brushes like Smooth, Grab, or Inflate.