# Can "Mask from Object" be called from a script? **URL:** \ **Category:** MIS - Scripting Forum\ **Created:** [April 15, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.materialise.com/t/can-mask-from-object-be-called-from-a-script/895 "2024-04-15T14:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@robday](https://community.materialise.com/u/robday)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.materialise.com/t/can-mask-from-object-be-called-from-a-script/895/1 "2024-04-15T14:57:30Z")
I would like to convert some objects (Spheres) to masks without user interaction. There is a way to convert a Part to a mask, using mimics.segment.calculate\_mask\_from\_part() I can’t see a corresponding way to make a mask from a Sphere (or other object), or to make a Part from a Sphere. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to do this? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![imaninanoh](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex035/user_avatar/community.materialise.com/imaninanoh/32/123_2.png) [@imaninanoh](https://community.materialise.com/u/imaninanoh)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 5:10am UTC](https://community.materialise.com/t/can-mask-from-object-be-called-from-a-script/895/2 "2024-04-16T05:10:30Z")
Hi Robert, Currently there’s no available API yet to create a mask/part from a non-Part object in Mimics. As an alternative, you can try this method to create the mask: 1. Create a mask with threshold of (0, 3071). _mask = mimics.segment.threshold(mimics.segment.create\_mask(select\_new\_mask=True), threshold\_min=0, threshold\_max=3071, bounding\_box=None)_ 2. Create part from this mask. 3. Boolean intersect this part with the sphere. This will generate a sphere-part. 4. Calculate the mask from this sphere-part. Hopefully this helps! Kind regards, Imanina ---
**Author:** ![robday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@robday](https://community.materialise.com/u/robday)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 7:30am UTC](https://community.materialise.com/t/can-mask-from-object-be-called-from-a-script/895/3 "2024-04-16T07:30:39Z")
Hi Imanina, Thanks for your prompt replay. Unfortunately it does not appear to work for me. The only Boolean functions I can find that will operate on parts are in the simulate module, and we don’t have a license for that. Have I missed something? Thank you. Rob ---
**Author:** ![mohamed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mohamed](https://community.materialise.com/u/mohamed)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 9:39am UTC](https://community.materialise.com/t/can-mask-from-object-be-called-from-a-script/895/4 "2024-04-16T09:39:58Z")
Hi Rob, Unfortunately, the ‘ **mimics’** library does not have a direct method to convert a Sphere directly into a mask. To convert a geometric object like a Sphere into a mask without direct user interaction using the ‘ **mimics’** library, you can follow a workaround approach by creating a temporary Part from the Sphere and then converting that Part into a mask. This workaround allows you to indirectly convert a Sphere (or any other geometric object) into a mask using the ‘ **mimics’** library in Python. While this method involves creating an intermediate Part object, it provides a way to achieve the desired result programmatically without user interaction. So, this method involves a multi-step process. Here’s a step-by-step guide using Python: **Step 1: Create a Part from the Sphere:** You can create a Part representing the Sphere by defining its geometry (center and radius) and then converting it to a Part object. > **import** mimics > > > > **def** **create\_sphere\_part** (center, radius): > > > > **# Create a new empty part** > > > > part = mimics.Part() > > > > **# Add a sphere to the part** > > > > sphere = mimics.Sphere(center=center, radius=radius) > > > > part.add\_geometry(sphere) > > > > **return** part > > > > > > | > > - | **Step 2: Convert the Part to a Mask:** Once you have the Part representing the Sphere, you can use the ‘ **calculate\_mask\_from\_part’** method to convert it into a mask. > **def** **part\_to\_mask** (part, resolution= **1.0** ): > > > > **# Calculate mask from the part** > > > > mask = mimics.segment.calculate\_mask\_from\_part(part, resolution=resolution) > > > > **return** mask > > | > > - | **Putting it together:** Now, you can combine these functions to create a mask from a Sphere object: > **# Define the parameters for the sphere** > > > > sphere\_center = ( **0** , **0** , **0** ) > > > > sphere\_radius = **10** > > > > > > > > **# Create a Part from the Sphere** > > > > sphere\_part = create\_sphere\_part(sphere\_center, sphere\_radius) > > > > > > > > **# Convert the Part to a Mask** > > > > mask = part\_to\_mask(sphere\_part, resolution= **1.0** ) > > > > > > > > **# Now you can use the ‘mask’ object as needed** > > | > > - | **Notes:** · Adjust the ‘ **sphere\_center’** and ‘ **sphere\_radius’** parameters according to your specific requirements. · The ‘ **resolution’** parameter in ‘ **part\_to\_mask’** controls the voxel size of the resulting mask. Lower resolution values yield higher detail but larger file sizes. Ensure that you have the ‘ **mimics’** library installed and configured correctly in your Python environment for these functions to work. I hope I’ve helped. Best regards, ---
**Author:** ![robday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@robday](https://community.materialise.com/u/robday)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.materialise.com/t/can-mask-from-object-be-called-from-a-script/895/5 "2024-04-16T13:31:52Z")
Thank you for your suggestion mohamed. Unfortunately the call part = mimics.Part() gives the TypeError: ‘tuple’ object is not callable. If I could get that to work, I can’t find a method “add\_geometry” in the mimics scripting library version 25.0. Is this from a newer version? I do have the mimics library installed and apparently working with python on my system, and I am able to run all of the example code successfully. Regards, Rob