Polystroke Line not working

Hi,

Having serious frustrations with this simple tool not working.

Im trying to use MaskPaint to create a polystroke line, then use "Write-On" to animate along the path. BUT everytime I click the Polystroke Line Tool, it creates a new polystroke line modifier but changes the cursor type from "draw path" back to "select" which means I can't actually draw a path.


Is this a glitch or am I missing something? What do I do? This has put a dead halt to my work, could really use a solution please! Thanks!

I can draw using a Polyline Stroke and use the Write-On to animate it. Can you elaborate on what you are trying to accomplish and maybe post a screenshot or two of the issue you are having?

Screenshot wouldn't really demonstrate it unfortunately. My screen looks like yours. When I click the PolyLine tool, it creates a new PolyLineStroke on the right, but when I actually goto draw a line, I can only draw a box to select things, as if the tool has switched back to the Pointer.

When you click on the Polyline Stroke tool and hold you cursor over the viewer without clicking, do you see a crosshair or an arrow? If you see the arrow, what happens if you then click on the PolyLineStroke1 header in the Modifiers?

After selecting the Polyline Stroke my cursors becomes a crosshair. But as soon as I click it becomes a mouse pointer. What is up with this?

Are you clicking once and releasing? You are supposed to be clicking and making points, not clicking and holding the mouse button to draw. If that isn't what you are doing, without some screenshots of you having the issue, I am at a loss.

Okay here's a screen recording, hopefully this explains it or reveals what I'm doing wrong!

I have a Background tool created.
I make new MaskPaint tool (or just paint tool, same issue) and connect to background tool.
Put MaskPaint up in Viewer 1
Click PolyLine stroke. Mouse becomes crosshair.
Move mouse to place where I want to drop point.
Click mouse.
Crosshair changes to mouse pointer. No stroke points added.
I click PolyLine stroke again.
Under modifiers, an additional PolyLine stroke has been added but no paths or points made.
Repeat process.....

Screen recording:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JhfV_ ... IDUrcUSJU9

FIGURED IT OUT.

I was doing everything right it turns out. BUT, the way I use Fusion, I like to have "Active Tool Only" selected to keep my Spline graph clear. THIS WAS THE ISSUE. It must be on "Show All Controls" for it the PolyLine stroke tool to work in the viewer.

I'm sure this problem can be recreated by simply selecting "Active Tool Only" and trying to use the PolyLine stroke.

I believe this is a bug and should be fixed because, even with the tool selected, it doesn't allow it to be active for use.

That is very strange. I do notice that your crosshair is black while it should be white, but I have never seen it act that way. Have you tried making a new project and just trying to add one Background node and attempt to use the MaskPaint?

Do the other Paint node brushes work?

Can you try copying and pasting these nodes with a simple MaskPaint into a new comp and seeing if it works for you?

Code: Select all

{
   Tools = ordered() {
      MaskPaint1 = PaintMask {
         CtrlWZoom = false,
         Inputs = {
            Filter = Input { Value = FuID { "Fast Gaussian" }, },
            PaintMode = Input { Value = FuID { "None" }, },
            MaskWidth = Input { Value = 1920, },
            MaskHeight = Input { Value = 1080, },
            PixelAspect = Input { Value = { 1, 1 }, },
            ClippingMode = Input { Value = FuID { "None" }, },
            Paint = Input {
               SourceOp = "PolylineStroke1",
               Source = "Out",
            },
         },
         ViewInfo = OperatorInfo { Pos = { -124.667, -112.909 } },
      },
      PolylineStroke1 = PolylineStroke {
         Points = {
         },
         IsThreaded = false,
         Brushes = { "SoftBrush" },
         ApplyModes = { "PaintApplyColor" },
         CtrlWZoom = false,
         Inputs = {
            Polyline = Input {
               Value = Polyline {
                  Closed = true,
                  Points = {
                     { Linear = true, X = -0.412801474332809, Y = -0.0346534661948681, LX = 0.134817560203373, LY = 0.105610563109318, RX = 0.129870126571048, RY = -0.124312430960347 },
                     { Linear = true, X = -0.0231910943984985, Y = -0.407590746879578, LX = -0.129870126571048, LY = 0.124312430960347, RX = 0.126777983847119, RY = 0.110010997034667 },
                     { Linear = true, X = 0.357142865657806, Y = -0.0775577574968338, LX = -0.126777983847119, LY = -0.110010997034667, RX = -0.121830553240295, RY = 0.119911991772872 },
                     { Linear = true, X = -0.00834879372268915, Y = 0.282178223133087, LX = 0.121830553240295, LY = -0.119911991772872, RX = -0.134817560203373, RY = -0.105610563109318 }
                  }
               },
            },
         },
      },
      Background4 = Background {
         Inputs = {
            GlobalOut = Input { Value = 948, },
            Width = Input { Value = 1920, },
            Height = Input { Value = 1080, },
            UseFrameFormatSettings = Input { Value = 1, },
            ["Gamut.SLogVersion"] = Input { Value = FuID { "SLog2" }, },
            EffectMask = Input {
               SourceOp = "MaskPaint1",
               Source = "Mask",
            }
         },
         ViewInfo = OperatorInfo { Pos = { -127.333, -50.2122 } },
      }
   }
}

Glad you figured it out, I doubt I would have thought of that since I have never set it to Active Tool Only. Do you always have your Spline Editor open?

That is not a bug. The tool you have selected in that case is the MaskPaint, but the control you're trying to manipulate is actually a separate Modifier tool connected to it. It's counter-intuitive given the way you were trying to work, I'll give you that.

I'm not sure if there's a way to get Fusion to behave in the way you'd like or not. It depends on whether it's possible to access pinned controls with a script somehow. If so, it should be possible to create a little palette window that lists all of the stroke modifiers on the node and lets you pin one or more of them in the Viewer. And a button to toggle Pinned Controls Only. I'll poke around a little and see if I can uncover any methods that would make that possible.

Well, I unfortunately don't see a way of getting the information we'd want to make what I proposed a reality. That doesn't mean it isn't in there, of course. There are far cleverer people than me who might still turn something up.