In the Tool | Masking subpalette, we can find another masking option, Mask Ambient Occlusion. The next screenshot shows how Ambient Occlusion and Cavity Mask differ. To put it simply, the Ambient Occlusion masking gives more of a global masking, taking into consideration which parts of the mesh occlude others, whereas the Cavity Masking shows the contrasts between peaks and valleys on our surface, ignoring the overall mesh structure.
Note that both calculations are independent from any lighting, as their calculation depends on the mesh only.
As we can see, the cavity masking highlights the smaller surface details, whereas the Ambient Occlusion masking enhances the shading by clarifying the overall mesh structure for the viewer.
We already used the Cavity Masking for the small structures, so let's add some final shading with Ambient Occlusion masking:
1. Masking Ambient Occlusion can take quite a long time, so you may want to step...