by CGCocktail·Rendering
Images © CGCocktail. Used for product review; image policy.
Masknode earns its place in the superhive library for bundling five procedural mask types straight into the shader editor's Add menu.
Masknode is a collection of custom node groups for Blender from CGCocktail that procedurally generate black-and-white textures for adding detail to your objects. The set covers five mask types: Coverage, Damage, Edge, Ground Dirt and Leak.
Once the add-on is installed, a new 'Mask' category appears in the shader editor's Add menu, opened with Shift+A, and you select the mask you want from there. The mask nodes can be used in two methods, and applying your object's scale and rotation transformations first gives better results. Note that the custom group won't show up if you search for it by name in the Add menu.
The download includes the MaskNode add-on plus a blend file with the mask nodes marked as assets. It works with the Cycles and Eevee render engines, though the Edge Mask runs on Cycles only. Separate builds match different Blender releases: v1.0 for 2.93 through 3.6, v1.1 for 4.0 and 4.1, and v1.2 for 4.2 and above. The add-on is listed as compatible with Blender 3.0 through 5.1 and released under the GPL license.
Masknode is best for blender artists adding procedural surface detail such as dirt, damage, edge and leak masks to their objects.
Masknode is completely free to download and use.
Masknode is distributed in builds matched to your Blender release: versions 2.93 through 3.6 use v1.0, versions 4.0 and 4.1 use v1.1, and version 4.2 and above use v1.2. Overall the add-on is listed as compatible with Blender 3.0 through 5.1, and it is marked as Blender Extension compatible. Choosing the build that matches your version keeps the mask node groups working as intended, so check your Blender version before you download the right one.
Masknode's custom node group will not appear if you type its name into the Add menu search. After installing the add-on, a new 'Mask' category is added to the shader editor's Add menu, reached with Shift+A, and you pick the mask you need from there. For better results, apply your object's scale and rotation transformations before using the nodes. This is expected behaviour rather than a fault with your installation, so browse the category instead of searching.
Masknode's Edge Mask works only on the Cycles render engine, so it will not produce results in Eevee. The add-on overall is listed as using both Cycles and Eevee, so the other mask types can be used more broadly, but plan on Cycles specifically when you need edge detection. If you rely on Eevee for a project, keep this Cycles-only limitation in mind before you reach for the Edge Mask node group.
Masknode is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing and availability can change over time, so check CGCocktail's developer page for the current terms before you download it. The add-on is released under the GPL license and is marked as a Dev Fund contributor on its listing. It ships as an add-on along with a blend file that contains the mask nodes marked as assets, so both files come together.
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