# Step 2: Building the Clipping Element

After you have created the vector drawings that will act as your mask, or in this case, have seen the vector drawings that will act as the mask, you are ready to add the Clipping Effect element.

Clipping Effect elements consist of two parts: the clip element and the mask parameter.

- To the clip layer, you attach the elements that you want to show through the mask.
- To the mask parameter, you attach the vector drawing element that you want to use as a mask.

You will notice in our setup, that we have attached the wave_mask vector element to a peg, that moves the wave in the scene.

To build the mask element:

3. Click the Show/Hide checkbox next to the wave_mask element so that you can see it.

4. Click the Add button at the top of the Timeline window. The New Elements dialog box opens.

5. From the Type drop-list, select Clipping Effect, type waveEffect in the name field and click OK.

The Timeline window will look like this:

6. Drag and drop the Peg element on top of the Mask parameter. When you drag the Peg element, the vector element attached to it will move with it as well. You have now created the mask!

7. Drag the wave.swf Media element on top of the Clipping-waveEffect layer. The clip layers appear below the mask layers, but are indented out from the mask layers.