TOC
Toon Boom Harmony 12.2.1 Reference Guide
Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

377

Add Column Dialog Box

7

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box

9

Add Frames Dialog Box

10Advanced Save Dialog Box

11Auto-Matte Dialog Box

15

Close Gaps Dialog Box

16

Column Types Dialog Box

17

Configure Line Art to Colour Art Dialog Box

17

Create Cycle Dialog Box

18

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection Dialog Box

19

Create Palette Dialog Box

21

Database Selector Dialog Box

21

Drawing Dialog Box

22

Edit Default Paste Preset Dialog Box

23

Edit Exposure Paste Preset Dialog Box

25

Export Soundtracks Dialog Box

26

Export to Flash Movie Dialog Box

27

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box

29

Expression Dialog Box

30

Extend Exposure Dialog Box

31

Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box

32

Fill Exposure Using Render Changes Dialog Box

33

Fill Selection Dialog Box

35

Import Images Dialog Box

36

Marker Colour Dialog Box

42

Movie Settings Dialog Box

43

New Tool Preset Dialog Box

44

Palette Browser Dialog Box

45

Palette Operations Dialog Box

46

Paste Special Dialog Box

47

Preferences Dialog Box

51

Remove Dirt Dialog Box

77

Remove Hair Dialog Box

77

Render Write Nodes Dialog Box

78

Save Dialog Box

79

Scene Settings Dialog Box

80

Scripts Manager Dialog Box

86

Select Colour Dialog Box

87

Sequence Fill Dialog Box

88

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box

89

Show Hidden Columns Dialog Box

91

Sound Settings Dialog Box

91

Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box

92

Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box

94

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box

94

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

95

Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box

103

Chapter 2: Layer Properties

105
105

Drawing Layer Properties

105

Chapter 3: Menus

119
119

Main Menus

119

Quick-access Menus

142

View Menus

143

Chapter 4: Toolbars

189

Chapter 5: Views

191
191

Coordinates and Control Points View

191

Layer Properties

193

Chapter 6: Windows

207
207

Element Manager Window

207

Manage Tool Presets Window

208

Versions Window

209

Export to Easel JS

210

Export to Sprite Sheets

212

Index

215

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TOON BOOM HARMONY 12.2.1
Reference Guide3

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Legal Notices
Toon Boom Animation Inc.
4200 Saint-Laurent, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2
Tel: +1 514 278 8666
Fax: +1 514 278 2666
toonboom.com
Disclaimer
The content of this guide is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under theapplicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for Adobe®Flash® File Format(SWF). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms and conditions.
The content of this guide is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted.
Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
Harmony is a trademark of Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Publication Date
7/6/2018
Copyright © 2016 Toon Boom Animation Inc. All rights reserved.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes
Dialog boxes contain controls such as options and lists through which you can carry out a particular command or
task. For example, in the Scene Settings dialog box, you must indicate the resolution and alignment. A typical dialog
box looks as follows:

Add Column Dialog Box
The Add Column dialog box lets you add a column in the Xsheet view.
By default, when you create a new scene, there is one drawing column in the Xsheet view and one corresponding
drawing layer in the Timeline view.
You can add an element for each drawing and it will appear as a column in the Xsheet view, a layer in the Timelineview, and a node in the Node view.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Adding New Drawing Elements on page 1.
How to access the Add Column dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Xsheet menu, select Columns > Add Columns.

‣

Click the Add Columns‣

Press Shift + C.

button.

NOTE: The Add Column dialog box contains additional parameters for working with elements which will only
display if you set advanced preferences. To do this, press Ctrl + U (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + U (Mac OS X) to open
the Preferences dialog box. Select the Advanced tab, then select the Advanced Element Mode option and click
OK.

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the new column a meaningful name.

Type

Lets you select a type of column to create. Choices include: Drawing, Timing,
Sound, 3D Path, 3D Rotation, Bezier Curve, Ease Curve, Expression andAnnotation.

Drawing Layer Options
Line Art

Creates a vector or bitmap drawing column in the Line Art layer.

Colour Art

Creates a vector or bitmap drawing column in the Colour Art layer.

Element
Create New Element

Creates an independent column with its own drawing folder.

Vector

Select this option if you want the layer to contain vector drawings.
Deselect this option if you want the layer to contain bitmap images.
Most of the time, the Vector option will be enabled.

Bitmap Format

Lets you select the type of bitmap image to insert in the column. Select SCAN
from the list if you are planning to scan drawings using the Toon Boom
Harmony Scan module.

Scan TypeIf you chose SCAN from the Bitmap Format list, select the kind of scanningyou want to achieve.

Field Chart

When importing traditional animation, lets you indicate the size of paper onwhich the animation or background was drawn. If you are not using perforated
animation paper, leave the 12 field default value as is.

Reuse Existing
Element

Links your column to an existing folder within the Element folder of your scene.

FolderLets you select the folder to which you want to link your new column.

Use Existing Element

Uses drawings from an existing column in the new column. Both columns will
be attached to the same set of drawings, but their timing will remain
independent from one another. If you modify one of the drawings, it will be

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modified in both columns. This is the same principle as the Clone column.
Name

Lets you select the column to which you want to link your new column.

Add and Close

Adds the selected type of layers to the Timeline view and corresponding
column in the Xsheet view and closes the dialog box. The names of thelayers/columns are automatically numbered incrementally.

Add

Adds the selected type of layers to the Timeline view and corresponding
column in the Xsheet view. The dialog box remains open for you to add as
many layers/columns as needed. The names of the layers/columns areautomatically numbered incrementally.

Close

Closes the dialog box.

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box
The Add Drawing Layer dialog box lets you add a drawing layer to your project.
By default, when you create a new scene, there is one drawing column in the Xsheet view and one corresponding
drawing layer in the Timeline view.
You can add an element for each drawing and it will appear as a column in the Xsheet view, a layer in the Timelineview, and a node in the Node view.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Adding New Drawing Elements on page 1.
How to access the Add Drawing Layer dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Layerbutton.

‣From the top menu, select Insert > Drawing.

‣

Press Ctrl + R (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + R (Mac OS X).

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the new layer a meaningful name.

Line Art

Creates a vector or bitmap drawing layer in the Line Art layer.

Colour Art

Creates a vector or bitmap drawing layer in the Colour Art layer.

Add and Close

Adds the selected type of layers to the Timeline view and corresponding column
in the Xsheet view and closes the dialog box. The names of the layers/columns
are automatically numbered incrementally.

Add

Adds the selected type of layers to the Timeline view and corresponding column
in the Xsheet view. The dialog box remains open for you to add as many

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

layers/columns as needed. The names of the layers/columns are automatically
numbered incrementally.
Close

Closes the dialog box.

Add Frames Dialog Box
The Add Frames dialog box lets you add frames anywhere in the middle of the scene—before or after a selection.
If you select a frame row in the Xsheet view, Harmony will add the new frames before or after the selection,
depending on your choice.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Frames on page 1.
How to access the Add Frames dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Timeline view, select the frame to which you want to add frames before or after.

‣

In the Xsheet view, select a frame row.

‣

In the Timeline view, select the frame to which you want to add frames before or after.

2. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Scene > Frame > Add Frames Before Selection or Add Frames After
Selection.

‣

In the Xsheet view, right-click and select Frames > Add Frames Before Selection or Add Frames
After Selection.

‣

In the Xsheet toolbar, click the Add Frames‣

Press Ctrl + G and Ctrl + H (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + G and Ctrl + H (Mac OS X).

button to add frame after your selection.

The Add Frames dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Number of frames to add

Lets you enter the number of frames needed in the scene.

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Advanced Save Dialog Box
The Advanced Save dialog box lets you save the scene as a new version, overwrite an existing version, set a new
current version, display a list of modified drawings, colour palettes, and modified colour palette lists.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Saving a Scene on page 1.
How to access the Advanced Save dialog Box
1. Make sure that you have the necessary rights to save the current scene version. If you do not, you canacquire the rights by selecting File > Rights to Modify Scene Version or Rights to Modify Scene.
2. From the top menu, select File > Advanced Save.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

File Tab

Parameter

Description‣ Enable this option if you want to save the modifications made to thecurrent scene.
Save‣ Deselect the Save option if you only want to save specific componentsof your scene listed in the Drawings, Palettes or Palette Lists tabs. This
will disable all option in the File tab.

This Version (number)

Saves the current version of the scene. You can rename the current version by
typing a new name into the field.

New Version (number)

Saves the current scene as a new version. You can name this new version by
typing a name into the field.

Overwrite Existing Version

Lets you select an existing version of your scene from the list to overwrite it.

Description

Use this field to add or edit an existing description for the scene version you
want to save.

Mark as Current

Lets you set this scene version as the current one. This version will be automatically selected as the default current version when the scene is selected in
the Database Selector dialog box

Drawings
The Drawings tab lists the modified drawings.

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Parameter

Description

Drawing list

Lets you select the modified drawings to save, and deselect the ones you do notwant to save.

Select All

Selects all modified drawings in list.

Deselect All

Deselects all modified drawings in the list.

Palettes
The Palette tab lists the modified colour palettes.

13Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Parameter

Description

Colour Palette list

Lets you select the colour palette to save, and deselect the ones you do notwant to save.

Show Recovered

Displays the recovered palettes in the list of modified palettes.

Select All

Selects all modified colour palettes in the palette list.

Deselect All

Deselects all modified colour palettes in the palette list.

Palette Lists
The Palette Lists tab lists all the modified colour palette lists.

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Parameter

Description

Palette Lists

Lets you select the modified palette list to save, and deselect the ones you do notwant to save.

Show Recovered

Displays the recovered palettes in the list of modified palettes.

Select All

Selects all modified palette lists in the list.

Deselect All

Deselects all modified palette lists in the list.

Auto-Matte Dialog Box
The Auto-Matte dialog box lets you generate a matte for a drawing.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Art Layers on page 1.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to access the Auto Matte dialog box
1. In the Camera or Drawing view, select the drawing you want to create a matte for.
2. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Drawing > Generate Auto-Matte.

‣

In the Camera or Drawing menu, select Drawing > Generate Auto-Matte.

Parameter

Description

Settings
Apply to all Drawings

Creates a matte for all the drawings included in layer.

RadiusLets you increase or decrease the radius value depending on the precision orroughness of your line. Use a lower value, the closer to your lines’ contours thematte will be shaped. The higher the value, the looser the matte will be shaped.

Source Art

Lets you select the layer from which you want the matte created: Line
Art,Colour Art, Underlay or Overlay.

Destination Art

Lets you select the layer on which you want the matte to be created: Line
Art,Colour Art, Underlay or Overlay.

Clear Destination Art First

Deletes existing artwork on the destination layer before adding a matte to it.

Copy Strokes in Destination

Copies the contour of your lines as invisible lines in the matte drawing. This isuseful if you need to reuse the lines later.

Close Gaps Dialog Box
The Close Gaps dialog box lets you close up drawing areas that not are closed. This may sometimes happen
when painting. You can close small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes between the two
closest points to close the colour zone. You do not need to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few
millimeters away. The two closest points automatically close the gap.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Closing Gaps on page 1.
How to access the Close Gaps dialog box
1. From the top menu, select View > Show > Show Strokes or press K to see a preview of the result.
2. If you want the strokes you draw to be flattened in your drawing instead of being on top, click the Auto-Flatten
button in the Tool Properties view.
3. From the top menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Close Gaps or press Shift + F10 (Windows/Linuxonly).
The Close Gaps dialog box opens.

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Parameter

Description

Size

Lets you set the size of the gap you want to be closed.

Apply to all drawings

Closes all gaps in the drawing of the selected layer.

Column Types Dialog Box
The Columns Types dialog box lets you show or hide columns in the exposure sheet.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Showing and Hiding Columns on page 1.
How to access the Columns Types dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view, select View > Column Types Manager.
The Column Types dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Column Types

Lets you select the types of columns to display in the Xsheet view.

Save as Default

Makes these new settings the default ones used each time you start Harmony.

Restore Default

Returns the settings to their defaults.

Configure Line Art to Colour Art Dialog Box
The Configure Line Art to Colour Art dialog box lets you modify settings for the Line Art and Colour Art layers.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to access the Configure Line Art to Colour Art dialog box
1. From the Timeline menu, select Edit > Modify Paste Presets > All or Key Frame or Exposure.
Parameter

Description

Use rendered version of thedrawing

Renders the drawing and vectorize it to calculate the position of the centrelinethat will produce the colour art stroke.

Maximum Resolution for
rendered image

The size of the rendered image.

Threshold for rendered image

The value of grey processed to create the rendered vectorized arts.

Fitting error for rendered BeziersThis value represents how precise the fitting of the colour art zone in relation to
the line art will be.

Source layer

Lets you select the layer (Line Art, Colour Art, Underlay or Overlay) you want
the colour art to be created from.

Destination layer

Lets you select the layer (Line Art, Colour Art, Underlay or Overlay) you want
the colour art to be created on.

Clear Destination Art Layer
First

Deletes the content before the colour art is added. This is useful when you
already have artwork on the destination layer.

Perform Line Art to Colour Art
Operation Immediately

Performs the Create Colour Art from Line Art command when you click OK.

Create Cycle Dialog Box
The Create Cycle dialog box lets you create cycles from a series of drawings and exposures.
When you create a drawing cycle, all the repeated drawings are linked to the same original files. When modify,
repaint, or correct a drawing named “1” for example, all drawings named “1” are updated simultaneously. In orderto modify a drawing independently from its other exposures, you must duplicate the drawing.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Creating Cycles on page 1.
How to access the Create Cycle dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the cell range to loop.

2. In the Timeline toolbar, click the Create Cycle
play it).

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The Create Cycle dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Number of Cycles

Lets you specify the number of cycles, including the current selection.

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection Dialog Box
The Create Drawing from Drawing Selection dialog box lets you break down the main body parts of a character.
There is no need to create any layers prior to this process. Make sure your model is well centered and sized in the
Camera view.
You do not need to make clean cuts around your parts; a rough one is sufficient as long as it includes all the artworkof the part you want to break down. You will clean the extra bits and pieces later.
Using the Cutter tool, you can roughly cut the main sections, and then use the Select tool to select precise lines andcolour zones.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Breaking Down the Main Parts on page 1.
How to access the Create Drawing from Drawing Selection dialog box
1. In the Timeline view, select the cell of the model that corresponds to the first view to break down.

2. In the Tools toolbar, select the Cutter

tool.

‣

If you prefer to use the Select tool, choose the Select‣In the Tool Properties view, you can switch to the Lasso

tool from the Tools toolbar or press Alt + S.
selection mode.

3. In the Camera view, create a selection around the first part to break down. If you click on a zone, the Cutter
tool will select the zone. It will end the selection at the first point of intersection that it meets.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes‣

Hold down Shift to create a new lasso selection around another zone and add it to your previous
selection.

4. From the top menu, select Edit > Create Drawing From Drawing Selection or press F9 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + F9 (Mac OS X).
The Create Drawing From Drawing Selection dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Layer Name

Lets you enter a name for the layer using the naming convention you
established.

Cut Artwork From Source

Lets you cut the selected artwork from the model.

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Create Palette Dialog Box
The Create Palette dialog box lets you create a palette in Basic mode. For simple productions, it is recommended touse the Basic mode. This setting stores the palettes automatically for you and saves them at the Scene level. Whenyou use the Advanced Palette Lists mode, you can decide at which level you want to store your palettes:
Environment, Job, Scene, or Element.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Creating a Colour Palette on page 1.
How to access the Create Palette dialog box
1. From the Colour view menu, select Palettes > New or click the New Palette‣button.

Make sure you have the rights to modify the palette list. If not, select Edit > Edit Palette List Mode.

The Create Palette dialog box opens.
2. Enter the palette name according to the model.

3. Click OK.
The palette appears in the drawing element’s palette list.

Parameter

Description

New Palette Name

Lets you enter a name for the new palette.

Database Selector Dialog Box
The Database Selector dialog box lets youWhen you connect to the database, you cannot create new scenes
directly from Harmony Premium. The available scenes will be the ones that were previously created using theControl Center. connect to your studio's central database when working on Harmony Server.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Connecting to the Database on page 1.
How to access the Database Selector dialog box
1. Start Stage.
The Database Selector dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Environments

Lets you select the scene's environment (project, movie).

Jobs

Lets you select the scene's job (episode, sequence).

ScenesLets you select the scene.

Get rights to modify the scene

Allows you to modify the selected version of the scene and access the version
manager during the opened session

Get rights to modify the scene
versionAllows you to modify the currently selected scene version, but locks access tothe version manager during the opened session.

Get rights to modify all scene
assetsAutomatically gets the rights to modify the scene and its assets. The user
locking the scene using this option is the only one that can edit and save thescene version, all the drawings in that scene, all the palettes in the palette-list,
both palette-lists, but not the library folders.

VersionIf you saved different versions of a scene, this lets you select one to open—see
Saving a Scene on page 1.

Drawing Dialog Box
The Drawing dialog box lets you add, delete or modify elements (drawing folders) in your scene.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Modifying Layers and Columns on page 1.
How to access the Drawing dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view, double-click on a column name. Do not click on the drawing folder name that the column
is linked to (this also appears in the column header just below the column name).
Parameter

Description

Name

Type in a new name in this field to create an element or to rename the selected
element.

Element
Name

Type in a new name in this field to create an element or to rename the selected
element.

Vector

Select this option if the new element is a vector drawing or if you want to enable
the parameters on the selected element in the Elements list.

Bitmap Format

Lets you select the file format of the bitmap layer.

Scan TypeIf you're planning to scan elements with the Toon Boom Harmony Scan module,
select the scan type from the list.

Field Chart

If you're importing traditional animation, select the size of the paper on which theanimation was drawn.

Edit Default Paste Preset Dialog Box
The Edit Default Paste Preset dialog box lets you modify settings for the keyframe and exposure paste presets, aswell as setting the defaults.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to access the Edit Default Paste Preset dialog box
1. From the Timeline menu, select Edit > Modify Paste Presets > All or Key Frame or Exposure.
Parameter

Description

Drawings
Never create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer,drawing files will not be created.
Only create drawing files when they do not exist: When adding exposures
Add/Remove Exposure to a drawing layer, new drawings will be created only when drawings with thesame name do not already exist in the destination.
Always create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer, newdrawings will always be created. If drawing files with the same name alreadyexist, Harmony will create a new name for the drawing.
Enforce Key Exposure

If there are key exposures that exist on copied drawings, they are preserved
when pasting. No key exposures are added. This is the default behavior when
pasting.

Fill Gap with Previous
Drawing

Fills selected area in the Xsheet or Timeline view with the previous drawing.

Fill to Next Key
Exposure

Fills selected area till the next key exposure.

Keyframes
Motion: Copies the properties of the selected motion keyframe to the newframe.

Add/Remove
Keyframes

Velocity: Copies the properties of the selected velocity keyframe to the newframe.
Rotation: Copies the properties of the selected rotation keyframe to the newframe.
Scale: Copies the properties of the selected scale keyframe to the new frame.
Skew: Copies the properties of the selected skew keyframe to the new frame.

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Force Keyframes at Function's Beginning and End: Adds a keyframe to thebeginning and end of the pasted function, reproducing the source function.

Edit Exposure Paste Preset Dialog Box
The Edit Exposure Paste Preset dialog box lets you reuse key exposures as you animate. There are different
options to paste your selected drawings when they contain key exposures:
Enforce Key Exposure: If there are key exposures that exist on copied drawings, they are preserved when pasting.
No key exposures are added. This is the default behavior when pasting.
Fill Gap with Previous Drawing: Fills selected area in the Xsheet or Timeline view with the previous drawing.
Fill to Next Key Exposure: Fills selected area till the next key exposure.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Using Paste Special on page 1.
How to access the Edit Exposure Paste Preset dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawings you want to copy and press Ctrl + C (Windows/Linux) or⌘ + C (Mac OS X).
2. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the cell where you want your pasted selection to start.
3. From the Timeline view menu, select Edit > Modify Paste Presets > Exposure.
The Edit Exposure Paste Preset dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Drawings
Add/Remove Exposure Never create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer, drawing
files will not be created.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Only create drawing files when do they do not exist: When adding exposures
to a drawing layer, new drawings will be created only when drawings with thesame name do not already exist in the destination.
Always create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer, newdrawings will always be created. If drawing files with the same name alreadyexist, Harmony will create a new name for the drawing.
Enforce Key Exposure

Creates a key exposure on the same drawing.

Fill Gap with Previous
Drawing

Fills selected area in the Xsheet or Timeline view with the previous drawing.

Keyframes
Motion: Copies the properties of the selected motion keyframe to the new frame.
Velocity: Copies the properties of the selected velocity keyframe to the newframe.
Add/Remove Keyframes

Rotation: Copies the properties of the selected rotation keyframe to the newframe.
Scale: Copies the properties of the selected scale keyframe to the new frame.
Skew: Copies the properties of the selected skew keyframe to the new frame.
Force Keyframes at Function's Beginning and End: Adds a keyframe to thebeginning and end of the pasted function, reproducing the source function.

Reset to Default

Return all values to their defaults.

Export Soundtracks Dialog Box
The Export Soundtracks dialog box lets you export a sound file to use it in another application, such as an editing
software. Harmony allows you to export sound files as a merged soundtrack or as a series of individual files. The
exported soundtracks are generated as *.wav files.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a Sound File on page 1.
How to access the Export Soundtracks dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Soundtrack.
The Export Soundtracks dialog box opens.

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Parameter

Description

OutputLets you specify the location in which the file will be exported.

Export Range
All

Exports the sound over all the frames of your scene.

Frames

Sets the start and end frames in the corresponding fields on the right.

Options
Process Soundtracks
Individually

Each soundtrack from all layers is exported as individual files.

Merge All Soundtracks

One single file is created, combining all the sound files you imported in yourscene. Note that it will only use the sound files in the selected frame range set in
the Export Range section. If you selected to export all the frames, all the soundfiles will be processed.

Sound Settings
Rate

Lets you set the rate of the soundtrack.

Size

Lets you export the soundtrack at 8 or 16 bits.

Use

Lets you export the soundtrack as mono or stereo.

Export to Flash Movie Dialog Box
The Export to Flash Movie dialog box lets you export your animation as a Flash (.swf) movie.
The SWF export supports some bitmap effects (which can be previewed in Render View mode) and SWF Blend
Modes (vector effects which can be previewed in OpenGL View mode).
The following are also supported:•

Pencil line thickness: They are converted to brush strokes in the .swf file.

•

Auto Patch node for creating joint patches.

•

Burn-in information incuding time code, frame number and scene information—see Burn-In on page 1.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

If you have not already done so, you should preview the .swf by using the SWF preview
button to see what
the two types of effects look like when blended together. Once you are satisfied with the results, go ahead andexport your movie.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting an SWF Movie on page 1.
How to access the Export to Flash Movie dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > SWF.
The Export to Flash Movie (.swf) dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

OutputLets you specify the location in which the file will be exported.

Display Source

Lets you select a Display node to read from in the Export From Display Nodemenu.

Export Range
All

Exports all the frames of your movie.

FramesExport a frame range which you specify

Options

Frame Rate

Lets you enter a Frame rate (fps). By default, it will be set to match the fps ofyour Harmony project. If you choose a lower frame rate, your export playback
will be faster than your actual project. The reverse is also true for a higher
frame rate.
Lets you select a JPEG quality:

Jpeg Quality‣

100 = Full quality

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50 = Average quality at about 1/5th of the size.

‣

25 = Medium quality where loss of high image resolution starts tooccur.

‣

10 = Low quality where “macro-blocking” or large pixelation become
obvious.

‣

1 = Lowest quality where there is extreme loss of colour and detailand the image becomes nearly unrecognizable.

Prevents the movie from being imported into another application.

Convert Pencil Lines to
Retains the thickness of pencil lines.
Brush Lines
Compress Movie

Compresses the movie for a lighter format. The movie may lose some quality,
but the file will be lighter.
Lets you select the effects you do NOT want to be rendered in the SWF movie.

Do Not Export

NOTE: Certain Harmony effects are not listed in this section as they are notcompatible and therefore not available for SWF export. These effects will notappear in the SWF render.

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box
The Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box lets you export your animation as a QuickTime movie. To render a
QuickTime movie with transparency, you need to set the Depth to Millions of Colours +. You can set this this whenexporting a QuickTime movie.

If you added burn-in information to your scene, it will be included in your exported file—see Burn-In on page 1.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.

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How to access the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
Parameter

Description

OutputBrowseLets you select a folder in which to save your movie and give it a file name forthe export.

Display Source

Export from Display NodeIf there is no Display node in the scene, the drop-down list will indicate Display
All and render the scene in the same order as the Timeline view, including
nodes floating in the Node view. It is always recommended to render from the
Display node, located under the final Composite node, unless you want torender a specific section isolated by a particular Display node.

Export Range
All

Exports the entire frame range.

FramesLets you enter the frame range to export.

Resolution
Resolution list

Lets you select a resolution ratio. If you select Custom, you can enter thewidth and height.

Width and HeightLets you specify the width and height of the resolution.

Options
Movie Options

Opens the Movie Settings dialog box in which you can set the the compression
settings for the movie you will export—see Movie Settings Dialog Box.

Expression Dialog Box
In Harmony, you can use expressions to automate the calculation of effect values based on the values in anotherfunction. An expression is a mathematical formula that allows you to manipulate the value in the source function
to create new values for the destination effect.
The Expression dialog box is where you write expressions. It's a simple text editor that can handle incomplete orinvalid JS programs although they will not be evaluated. Harmony can save and load invalid JS programs.
The Expression editor evaluates the current script at the current global frame and reports any errors or returns thenumerical result of the program.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Expression Columns on page 1.
How to access the Expression dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view menu, select Columns > Add Columns or press Shift + C.
The Add Column dialog box opens.

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2. In the Name field, type a name for the column.
3. From the Type menu, select Expression and click OK.
4. Double-click on the column's header to open the Expression dialog box.

The Expression dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Name

Indicates the name of the expression column in the Xsheet. You can edit thisname.

Description field

Area in which you can type in expressions.

Extend Exposure Dialog Box
The Extend Exposure dialog box lets you extend the exposure of a selected cell in the Timeline or Xsheet.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Filling Exposure on page 1.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to access the Extend Exposure dialog box
1. Select a cell and do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Extend Exposure.

‣Press F5.

The Extend Exposure dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Extend to Frame

Lets you enter the frame up to which you want to extend the exposure.

Overwrite

Lets you expose the drawing in the frames and replace the drawings that wereorginally there.

InsertLets you expose the drawing in the frames and move the subsequent frames
forward in the Timeline view.

Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box
The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box lets you fill in random values over a selection. You can give a maximum and aminimum value and create a range for Harmony to choose the random values from. The selection can be over one
cell or a cell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Filling a Selection Randomly on page 1.
How to access the Fill Cells Randomly dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell range.

2. Do one of the following:32Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)‣

Select Animation > Cell > Fill Cells Randomly.

‣

In the Xsheet view, click the Fill Cells Randomly
display it).

button (you may have to customize the toolbar to

The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Minimum Value

The lowest acceptable value.

Maximum Value

The highest acceptable value.

Hold

The exposure holding value.

Whole Numbers

If you are applying this to a drawing column, this option lets you avoid having
decimal points.

Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure after the frame following the last cell.

Fill Exposure Using Render Changes Dialog Box
The Fill Exposure Using Render Changes dialog box lets you detect if a threshold of changes has occurred between
two consecutive images and then expose the affected textures for further processing. It can be used for example tochange the texture on a characters shirt only when the shape of the shirt is changed significantly from the previous
frame. This avoids unnecessary repetitive texture changes on every frame.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exposure Fill Using Render Change on page 1.

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How to access the Fill Exposure Using Render Changes dialog box
1. In the Timeline view, select the textures or live-action sequence.

2. From the top menu, select Scene > Default Display > desired Display node .
3. From the top menu, select Animation > Exposure Fill > Using Render Change.
Wait while Harmony creates a low resolution render of the images to preview.

4. In the Fill Exposure Using Render Changes window, use the Frame slider to view the motion change
analysis.
5. Based on your style preference, adjust the parameters to assign when the texture exposure changes will
occur. You can adjust the type of filter to use for the motion detection, as well as threshold values toindicate what will be considered a big enough motion variation for an exposure change.
Parameter

Description
Frame: Use the slider to see when a change is necessary. A red edge
indicates there is a large enough motion for the texture to change.

Changes Detection Settings

Use: Lets you use either the Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha channel, orLuminance difference between frames to analyze the motion changes. The
Alpha channel is selected by default as it is the most commonly usedparameter.
Pixel Value Change Threshold: The percentage of change in a pixel to beconsidered different from one frame to another. The higher the value, the morechange is required when comparing two images in order for a new texture to be
used.

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Area Change Threshold: The percentage of non-empty pixels that mustchange from one frame to another to be considered different.
These settings let you change the exposure. You can also decide on how
many images you want to cycle.
First/Last Frame: Lets you set the first and last frame for the exposurechange. You can set this for the entire scene or for part of the scene (frames 20
to 32 for example).

Fill Settings

Number of Drawings in Cycle: Lets you set of the number of drawings toinclude in the cycle.
First Drawing Used in Cycle: Lets you set the first drawing used in the cycle.
Your drawings must be named using numeric values only, or number values
with a prefix or suffix. It cannot only be letters.
Drawing Name Prefix: Adds a prefix before the number. For example,
texture_01, texture_02 and so on.
Drawing Name Suffix: Adds a suffix after the number. For example, 01_
texture, 02_texture and so on.

Fill Selection Dialog Box
The Fill Selection dialog box lets you fill the same value over an entire selection. The selection can be over one cell,a cell range in one column, a cell range over many columns, an entire column, or many columns. You can use
numbers, words, letters, or any alphanumeric value.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Filling a Selection with a Single Exposure on page 1.
How to access the Fill Selection dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell range.

1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Fill Selection.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes‣

In the Xsheet toolbar, click the Fill Selection
display it).

button (you may have to customize the toolbar to‣

Press Ctrl + T (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + T (Mac OS X)).

The Fill Selection dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Value
Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure after the frame following the last cell.

Import Images Dialog Box
The Import Images dialog box lets you import bitmap images and vectorize them, making the images editable.
Then you can use a variety of drawing tools to edit the image. Or you can always keep the original bitmap image
as is.
Also, you can choose to import bitmap images on bitmap or vector layers depending on your project..
For tasks related to this dialog box, see How to Import Bitmap Images on page 1 and Importing Bitmap Images
on page 1.
How to open the Import Images dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select File > Import > Images.

‣

In the File toolbar, click the Import Images‣

In the Xsheet view, right-click anywhere in the frame area and select Import > Images.

The Import Images dialog box opens.

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Parameter

Description

Files
BrowseLets you find and select images on your computer.

Create Layers(s)Lets you create layers for imported images.

Create Single Layer
Named

Creates a layer you can name.

Create Layer(s) Basedon Filenames

Creates a layer based on each unique filename prefix. For example, the filenames
a-1.tga, a-2.tga and b-1.tga will create layers name "a" and "b", where "a" has two
drawings and "b" has one. When creating a single layer from these threefilenames, all three drawings will be inserted in the new layers.

Add to Existing Layer

Lets you select an existing layer to which imported images will be added.

Create Symbol for
Import Items

Encapsulates imported item in a symbol.

Layer

Import Options

Depending on how you choose to import images, the Alignment section offers
different options.

Keep as Original
BitmapRetains an imported image as a bitmap. In the Alignment section, decide on thesize and placement of your image within the camera frame. Depending on the
Scene Settings (the height and width in pixels that you chose for your project), an
image that you import may get scaled to the point where all its individual pixels
become visible.

Import as Toon Boom
Bitmap Drawing

Imports a drawing into a vector layer where you can edit the image using thedrawing tools.

Convert to Toon Boom
Vector Drawing

Imports a drawing and converts it to a Toon Boom vector drawing.

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Alignment
Horizontal Fit:
Enlarges or shrinks (but not distorts) the image height to match the full height ofthe scene grid.

Vertical Fit:

Rules

If the image orientation is landscape, this will enlarge or shrink (but not distort) theimage width to match that of the scene grid.

Note that the Fit alignment rule equals the Center Fit rule in the layer properties.
Actual Size: Scales the image in proportion to the scene's resolution. The
system looks at the resolution of the bitmap image, for example 4000 x 2000, thencompares it to the scene's resolution, for example 1920 x 1080, and adjusts thescale factor in proportion. So, in this example, the bitmap would appear at 208%
(4000/1920). If you import a bitmap that is 960 x 540, it will be displayed at 50%(960/1920) of the size of the project resolution.
Fit:
Enlarges or shrinks (but not distorts) the image height to match the full height ofthe scene grid.

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Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)If the image orientation is landscape, this will enlarge or shrink (but not distort) theimage width to match that of the scene grid.

Note that the Fit alignment rule equals the Center Fit rule in the layer properties.
Pan:
This is the opposite of the Fit parameter. If the image orientation is portrait, its
width will be made to match the width of the scene grid. As a result, part of theimage’s height will extend beyond the height of the frame. This can be useful if
you want to make your background move up and down, or from left to right tomake it appear as if the camera is panning or to actually perform a camera pan.

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The opposite will apply to a landscape image. Its height will be fit to the scene
grid, therefore it is possible that the image will extend beyond the scene grid's
boundaries.

Note that the Pan alignment rule equals the Center First Page rule in the layer
properties.
This is the opposite of the Fit parameter. If the image orientation is portrait, its
width will be made to match the width of the scene grid. As a result, part of theimage’s height will extend beyond the height of the frame. This can be useful if
you want to make your background move up and down, or from left to right tomake it appear as if the camera is panning or to actually perform a camera pan.

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The opposite will apply to a landscape image. Its height will be fit to the scene
grid, therefore it is possible that the image will extend beyond the scene grid's
boundaries.

Note that the Pan alignment rule equals the Center First Page rule in the layer
properties.
Project Resolution: Scales the image in proportion to the scene's resolution. The
system looks at the resolution of the bitmap image, for example 4000 x 2000, thencompares it to the scene's resolution, for example 1920 x 1080, and adjusts thescale factor in proportion. So, in this example, the bitmap would appear at 208%
(4000/1920). If you import a bitmap that is 960 x 540, it will be displayed at 50%(960/1920) of the size of the project resolution.
Transparency
Premultiplied with White: Individual pixels at the edge of an image are blended
with white.
Premultiplied with Black:Pixels at the edge of an image are blended with black.
Straight: Pixels at the edge of an image are blended with black, white and greys.
Alpha

Clamp to Colour to Alpha:Premultiplies the colour value with the alpha value.
When the colour is clamped to the alpha, the colour value cannot be higher than
the alpha value. It calculates the real colour value faster. When the RGB values
are multiplied with the alpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel of value
R=247, G=188, B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50% transparency,
then the actual RGB values that are output would be half of the amounts listed
above.

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Vectorization
Black and White

Vectorizes drawings as a solid black line; creates a 100% vector-based drawing.

Grey

Vectorizes the image as a mix of vector contour and greyscale bitmap filling.
Lines keep the texture from the scan, and the white of the paper becomestransparent.

Marker Colour Dialog Box
The Marker Colour dialog box lets you set the colour of scene markers that are displayed at the top of the Timelineview (in the frame counter area). Using colours for scene markers helps to differentiate them visually, making
them easy to identify in the Timeline view.
You can select a colour by choosing from a basic set of colours, using the colour wheel or by specifying the HSV
or RGB values. Once you have selected a colour, you can adjust its intensity and save it as a custom colour thatyou can reuse.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Setting Scene Markers on page 1.
How to access the Marker Colour dialog box

1. In the frame counter area of the Timeline view, select a frame range to mark.

2. Right-click and select Create Scene Marker.
The Timeline Scene Marker dialog box opens. The Colour box displays a black colour swatch, or thecolour of the last scene marker you created.

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3. Click the colour swatch.
The Marker Colour dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Basic colours

The basic set of colours in the system?

Custom colours

Displays the custom colours you created.

Add to custom colours

Lets you add the selected colour to the Custom colours list above.

Colour wheel

Lets you select a colour by dragging the T-shaped pointer.

Value slider

Once you select a colour, you can drag the slider to change the intensity and see
it previewed in the Colour Preview window below..

Colour Preview

Displays the colour you are currently selecting. To apply the colour, click OK.

Hue, Saturation, Value

Lets you set the hue (colour), saturation (amount of colour) and brightness (value)of the colour.

Red, Green, Blue

Lets you set the red, green and blue values.

Movie Settings Dialog Box
The Movie Settings dialog box lets you set the compression settings for the movie you will export.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.
How to access the Movie Settings dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
Parameter

Description

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Video
Settings

Opens the Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box. This is where you
can set the video compression settings for the movie you will export—see
Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box on page 92.

FilterOpens the Choose Video Filter dialog box, where you can select from a range offilters to apply to your video export.

Size

Opens the Export Size Settings dialog box. The size settings are overridden by
the Harmony's scene settings.

Settings

Opens the Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box. This is where you
can you set the sound compression settings for the movie you will export—see
Sound Settings Dialog Box on page 91.

Sound

New Tool Preset Dialog Box
The New Tool Preset dialog box lets you create new tool presets and manage them.
Tool presets let you save a variety of settings and are very handy and efficient for accessing the tools you use
most often. That way, the tool is already set with the desired properties, such as colour, line thickness, whether
to enable Draw Behind or Auto Flatten mode, and so on. You can create presets for these tools and many more:
Brush, Pencil, Eraser, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Line. First, select a tool, adjust the properties, and then create atool preset for it. Once you have created a tool preset, you can always make adjustments to fine-tune it, as wellas create a keyboard shortcut for it.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Working with Tool Presets on page 1.
How to access the New Tool Preset dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Tool Presets.

‣

Right-click an empty area below the top menu and select Tool Presets.

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2. In the Tool Presets toolbar, click the New Tool Preset button.
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the preset a meaningful name.

Icon list

Lets you select an icon for the preset.

Folder icon

Lets you select an image for the preset.

ShortcutLets you assign a keyboard shortcut to the preset.

ColourSaves the current colour into the tool preset.

Tool

If you disable this option, only the colour will be associated. You could, forexample, set three different colours with shortcuts not associated with any tool.
The colour preset would then work on any selected tool. Selecting the brush tool
was only a vehicle to get into the New Tool Preset dialog box.

Palette Browser Dialog Box
When you start Toon Boom Harmony connected to the database, you can access the Palette Browser dialog box
from the Palette Operations dialog box when you want to clone palettes.
In Harmony, palettes are individual *.plt files that can be copied, transferred and stored. When a palette is createdfrom Harmony, it needs to be stored somewhere. By default, the palette file is stored in the scene directory in apalette-library folder unless you specify a different location.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Palettes on page 1 and Palette Operations on page 1.
How to access the Palette Browser dialog box
1. Start Harmony and log in.
2. Close the Database Selector dialog box.
3. From the top menu, select Tools > Palette Operations.

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1. In the Palette Operations dialog box that opens, select the palette you want to clone at the location andlevel in which it was stored.
2. Click Clone.
Parameter

Description

Palette Location
Environment

The production, project, feature film or series—see Environments and Their
Structure on page 1.

Job

The episode and sequence from each environment.

Scene

The scenes from each job.

Element

The layers and columns in each scene.

PaletteThe scene palettes.

New Palette Name

Lets you enter a name for the new palette. There is no need to add the suffix"palette" to the name as it is always recognized as a palette file.

Palette List
The Scene Palette List is mainly used with cut-out animation. A cut-out
character will often be divided in twenty to thirty different drawing elementsthat use the character's master palette.
Scene Palette List

Element Palette List

The palette list is stored at the scene level instead of the Element directory.
This way, all palettes linked to this list will appear in every drawing element
created in the scene. There is no need to manually load the palette in eachelement.
The Element Palette List is mainly used with traditional and paperlessanimation. Unlike cut-out animation, all columns (drawing elements) containdifferent characters, props, backgrounds and effects. The Element Palette List
is used because you do not necessarily want all of the palettes for all of yourelements linked in every column.
The palette list is stored in the drawing element's directory instead of directly in
the Scene level. This ensures that the links to the palettes appear only in theappropriate element. If you prefer to access a global palette list, link yourpalettes to the Scene Palette List.

Palette Operations Dialog Box
When you start Toon Boom Harmony connected to the database, you can access the Palette Operations dialog
box which lets you clone, rename, or delete palettes.
In Harmony, palettes are individual *.plt files that can be copied, transferred and stored. When a palette is
created from Harmony, it needs to be stored somewhere. By default, the palette file is stored in the scene
directory in a palette-library folder unless you specify a different location.
There are four locations where you can find palette-library folders: Element, Scene, Job and Environment.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Palettes on page 1 and Palette Operations on page 1.
How to access the Palette Operations dialog box
1. Start Harmony and log in.
2. Close the Database Selector dialog box.
3. From the top menu, select Tools > Palette Operations.
Parameter

Description

Environment

The production, project, feature film or series—see Environments and Their
Structure on page 1.

Job

The episode and sequence from each environment.

Scene

The scenes from each job.

Element

The layers and columns in each scene.

PaletteThe scene palettes.

Description

Notes, if any, of the project.

Clone

Opens the Palette Browser dialog box from which you can select the level inwhich to store the palette file—see Palette Browser Dialog Box on page 45.

RenameLets you rename a palette.
Lets you delete a palette.

DeleteClose

IMPORTANT: It is not recommended to disable the warning message thatappears when you are attempting to delete a palette as this operation cannot be
undone.

Closes the Palette Operations dialog box.

Paste Special Dialog Box
The Paste Special dialog box lets you determine how templates and symbols are imported in the Timeline view.
When you import a template in the Timeline view, all layers are created as well as drawings and keyframes. You canchoose to import only the keyframes without the drawings or import only the drawings that are not already in yourlayers. You can adjust the behaviour using the Paste Special dialog box.When you import a symbol in your scene,
its full length is exposed by default. If you import a symbol in the Timeline view’s left side, all the frames will be
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exposed. However, if you import it into an existing layer, you can use the Paste Special dialog box to adjust theimport behaviour to fit your requirements.Once you set the parameters, Harmony will reuse them each time you
import a symbol in the Timeline view’s right side until you set new parameters.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Using Paste Special on page 1.
How to access the Paste Special dialog box
1. In the Library view, select the symbol or template to import.
2. Press Ctrl + B (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + B (Mac OS X) and drag the selection to the Timeline view.

NOTE: Drop the selection in the Timeline view before releasing the keyboard shortcut key.

The Paste Special dialog box opens.
Basic Tab

Parameter

Description

Drawings
Only create drawing
files when they do not
exist

When adding exposures to a drawing layer, new drawings will be created only
when drawings with the same name do not already exist in the destination.

Always create drawing
files

When adding exposures to a drawing layer, new drawings will always be created. If drawing files with the same name already exist, Harmony will create a
new name for the drawing.

Paste all Frames of the
Symbols (full movie)

When enabled, the Paste Special command exposes all the symbol's frames
instead of only the first one.

Enforce Key Drawings

Creates a key exposure on the same drawing.

Number of Cycles

Lets you set the number of cycles.

Cycle Type

Normal (forward): Pastes your selection as is, starting with the first cell and

Cycle

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ending with the last.
Reverse: Pastes your selection in reverse, starting with the last cell andending with the first.
Forward > Reverse: Pastes your selection as a yo-yo, starting with the firstcell, going to the last one and ending with the first cell.
Reverse > Forward: Pastes your selection as a reverse yo-yo, starting withthe last cell, going to the first one and ending with the last cell.

Advanced Tab

Parameter

Description

Drawings
Do Nothing

Does not create or overwrite drawings.

Update Drawing Pivot

Revises the drawing pivot in the destination to use the same drawing pivot as thefirst drawing in the template. If you have a range of drawings selected in thedestination, the pivot points of all selected drawings will be updated.

Add/Remove Exposure

Never create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer, drawing
files will not be created.

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Only create drawing files when they do not exist: When adding exposures to a
drawing layer, new drawings will be created only when drawings with the same
name do not already exist in the destination.
Replace existing drawings. Create drawing files when they do not exist:
Replace drawings with the same names to update a scene with new modified
drawings and preserve the animation.
Tip: If you don't want to lose the existing animation when pasting atemplate, such as when placing new drawings after the animation,then delete the template's animation. It will still have updated thedrawings but not override the existing animation.
Always create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer, newdrawings will always be created. If drawing files with the same name alreadyexist, Harmony will create a new name for the drawing.
Paste all frames of the symbol (full movie): When enabled, the Paste Special
command exposes all the symbol's frames instead of only the first one.
Enforce Key Exposure: If there are key exposures that exist on copied drawings, they are preserved when pasting. No key exposures are added. This is thedefault behavior when pasting.
Fill Gap with Previous Drawing: Fills selected area in the Xsheet or Timelineview with the previous drawing.
Fill to Next Key Exposure: Fills selected area till the next key exposure.
Add Remove/Keyframes
MotionCopies the properties of the selected motion keyframe to the new frame.

Velocity

Copies the properties of the selected velocity keyframe to the new frame.

Rotation

Copies the properties of the selected rotation keyframe to the new frame.

Scale

Copies the properties of the selected scale keyframe to the new frame.

Skew

Copies the properties of the selected skew keyframe to the new frame.

Force Keyframes at
Function's Beginningand EndAdds a keyframe to the beginning and end of the pasted function, reproducing thesource function.

Offset Keyframes

When pasting functions, offsets keyframes from the function's last frame value
by the values in the pasted function. This will continue the progression of a function instead of repeating the values.

Options
Do nothing: Does not create, overwrite, merge or link palettes.
Reuse palettes. Copy palettes if they do not exist: Palettes in the destination
drawings are left as they are.
Palettes

Copy and overwrite existing palettes: Overwrites destination palettes with thepalettes from the source drawings.
Copy and create new palette files: Creates new palette files, placing them atthe same relative environment and scene level as the source. If the palettes in the50Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

templates were stored at the environment level of the source scene, the paste
operation will place the palettes in the environment level of the destination scene.
Copy and create new palette files in element folder: Creates new palette files
in the element folders of the destination scene, rather than in the same relative job
or environment.
Copy palette and merge colours. Add new colours only: Adds new colours to
the destination palettes and ignores colours that are the same in the two palettes.
Copy palettes and update existing colours: Adds new colours to thedestination palette and updates duplicate colours in the destination with colour
values from the source.
Link to original palettes (colour model): Links the colour palettes in thedestination scene to the palettes in the source. Use this to link drawings to thepalettes in a colour model.
Copy scene palettes and merge colours. Add new colours only: Adds newcolours to the destination scene palettes and ignores colours that are the same in
the two palettes.
Copy scene palettes and update existing colours: Adds new colours to thedestination scene palette and updates duplicate colours in the destination with thecolour values from the source.
Copy symbols if they do not exist: This is the default setting for this operation
and will prevent Symbols in an Action template from being copied.
Symbols
Duplicate symbols: Creates a duplicate of the symbol instead of linking the Symbol instance to the original one. The new Symbol is created in the Library.
Normal (forward):Pastes your selection as is, starting with the first cell and ending with the last.
Reverse: Pastes your selection in reverse, starting with the last cell and ending
with the first.
CyclesForward > Reverse:Pastes your selection as a yo-yo, starting with the first cell,going to the last one and ending with the first cell.
Reverse > Forward: Pastes your selection as a reverse yo-yo, starting with thelast cell, going to the first one and ending with the last cell.
Nodes

Create New Columns: A new column is created when you copy and paste
nodes from the Node view or layer in the Timeline view. If the layers are linked tofunction curves, the function curves, drawings and timing will be duplicated.

Elements

Reuse existing elements: Lets you paste existing elements without creating
new ones. This should be used only when pasting within versions of the same
scene.

Preferences Dialog Box
The Preferences dialog box lets you adjust preferences to suit your work style, allowing you to work more efficiently.

NOTE: Some preferences require you to exit and restart the application, or close a view and reopen it.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

How to access the Preferences dialog box
Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage > Preferences (Mac OS
X).

‣

Press Ctrl + U (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + U (Mac OS X).

Shortcuts Tab
To speed up your work, all of the keyboard shortcuts can be customized. You can even choose other software
keyboard shortcut sets.
In Toon Boom Harmony, you can choose a set of default keyboard shortcuts you are familiar with. You canchoose between the following:•

Adobe Flash•Toon Boom Harmony•

Toon Boom Studio

You can also customize most of the shortcuts and use the search feature to find particular shortcuts.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Shortcut Preferences on page 1.
Parameter

Description

Keyboard Shortcut List

Lets you choose a set of keyboard shortcuts to use, including Toon Boom
Harmony, Adobe Flash and Toon Boom Studio.

Keyboard Shortcut Categories

Each category lists all the keyboard shortcuts. Some commands may not have akeyboard shortcut assigned to it. Selecting a shortcut displays its description on
the right.

Restore All Defaults

Restores all the default keyboard shortcuts. This erases any custom shortcuts
you made.

Press Shortcut Key

Displays the keyboard shortcut assigned to a command.

Clear

Lets you remove the keyboard shortcut assigned to a command.

Default

Lets you return a keyboard shortcut to its default.

SearchLets you search for a command. The result is highlighted in the Keyboard
Shortcut Categories on the left.

Search by Name/Shortcut

Lets you search for a command by its name or keyboard shortcut keys.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

General Tab

Parameter

Description
Open in Read Only mode if plugin syntax errors are detected:
Opens scenes that contain plugin node errors in read-only mode toprevent you from losing plugin information on subsequent saves.
Auto-Save:•

Interval (minutes): This is the frequency at which the auto-savetakes place.

•

Inactivity Interval (seconds): When Auto-save is about to takeplace, it verify if you are drawing or doing anything in theapplication. If so, Auto-save waits this number of seconds before
attempting another save.

•

Ask Before Saving: Before performing an auto-save, the system
will prompt you with a message to confirm if you want to save ornot. You can choose to turn off this option.

•

Enabled: This enables the Auto-save feature. If you do not want
the system to automatically save your work, deselect this option.
The auto-save is off by default.

Save

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Automatically Save Workspace: This option is enabled by default.
Every time you add a view to your workspace, remove a toolbar orchange a view’s width, these modifications are saved when you quit theapplication. If you do not want the system to save these modifications,disable the preference. This preference does not require you to restart theapplication.
Default to Element Palette Lists: When this option is enabled the new,cloned, duplicated, imported and linked palettes will be stored in the
Element Palette list instead of the Scene Palette List.
Interactive Colour Recovery: If a colour palette for your scene isdeleted or cannot be found, you will be asked if you want to recover
colours from the program’s memory. If this option is unchecked, theprogram recovers missing colours without displaying a dialog box for yourinput.

Colour Management

Colour Recovery: If this option is unchecked, colour recovery will notoccur.
Replacement Colours: If certain colours are no longer available, they
are automatically replaced with the ones indicated by the Replacement
Colour swatch. The default colour is red, as it acts as a missing colour
warning device.
The Colours option allows you to modify the colours of the different userinterface views and elements. For example, you can change the Camera
view’s background colour from grey to white.
Altering these preferences requires you to restart the application or toclose a view and reopen it for the modifications to be applied.

Colours

Current View Border: Sets the colour of the frame around theworkspace view you are currently using, also known as focus. By default,
the colour is red. Click on the red colour swatch to select a new colour in
the Colour Picker window.
Current View Border in Template Edit: Sets the colour of the frame
around the workspace view you are currently using when editing atemplate from your library view. By default, the colour is green. Click on
the green colour swatch to select a new colour in the Colour Picker
window.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Edit Colours: Click on the Edit Colours button to open the Colours
window.
Auto Apply: When enabled, values entered or options selected in node
editors are automatically applied to elements in your scene. The Apply
and OK buttons are hidden in the Layer Properties when this feature isenabled.
Snap Keyframe: If two keyframes have the same value, they will both
update to the same new position when the first of the two keyframes is
modified. The previous keyframe has to be a Stop-Motion keyframe.
Editors Always on Top: When enabled, the Layers and Function Editors
are on top of the main window.
Close Previous Editors: Closes previously opened editors.
Focus on Mouse Enter:
Disabled by default. In Toon Boom Harmony, for the operations or
keyboard shortcuts to work in the view in which you are working, thefocus must be in that view. When the focus is on a particular view, a redrectangle appears around its frame. You must click in the view or on theview’s header for the focus to be done.
If you enable the Focus on Mouse Enter preference, you will not need toclick in the view to get the focus. It will be done as soon as your mouseenters the view.
Options
NOTE: If you enable the Focus On Mouse Enter preference, certain
operations from the top menu may not be available since the view focus
may change as you make your way to the top menu. In this case use
keyboard shortcuts and quick access menus (right-click menus).

Shortcut Zooms on Mouse: When enabled, shortcut zooming will centre
on the cursor location.
Auto Render: Automatically enables the Auto-Render option.
Cycle Exposure: Make navigation in the Xsheet View wrap-around fromthe last frame or the last column to the first.
Display Cardinal Coordinates: Display coordinates through application
either scalar (ex:+1 -1) or cardinal (1N1S).
Flat Tool Toolbar (Requires Relaunch):
Lets you expand the toolbar so there are no nested toolsets in the toolbar.
You will need to close Harmony and relaunch it for the new interface to be
displayed. A default set of tools will appear in the toolbar. However, you
can customize which tool icons appear in the toolbar to fit your own work
pattern.
Once you have enabled the Flat Tool Toolbar preference, you can56Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

customize the tools that appear in the toolbar. This means you canchange the default set of tools and replace the tools which you use lessfrequently with ones which are used more often. This customizing is done
through the Toolbar Manager—see Managing the Toolbars on page 1.
Use Dark StyleSheet (Requires Relaunch): Application loads a darkskin for the User Interface.
Stop-Motion Keyframes: New keyframes are created as stop-motion
keyframes.
Default Separate Position for Pegs: New pegs are created withseparate position functions.
Default Separate Scale for Pegs: New pegs are created with separate
scale functions.
Default Separate Position for Elements: New elements are createdwith separate position functions.
Default Separate Scale for Elements: New elements are created withseparate scale functions.
Default Bezier: New functions curves are created as Bezier Curves.
Default Bezier Velocity: New velocity curves are created as Bezier
Curves.
Settings

Field Chart:•

X: Default value for the number of units in the X axis (east-west) of
the field chart used for new scenes. This value should be half thetotal number of units in the X axis of the field chart. This value willappear by default in the Alignment dialog box.

•

Y: Default value for the number of units in the Y axis (north-south)of the field chart used for new scenes. This value should be half
the total number of units in the Y axis of the field chart. This value
will appear by default in the Alignment dialog box.

•

Z: Default value for the number of units in the Z axis (front-back) of
the field chart used for new scenes. This value will appear bydefault in the Alignment dialog box.

Levels of Undo: Determines the number of actions retained by the Undo
list. By default, 50 actions are stored in the list. You can alter the number
if you want to.
Support Gestures: Enable the gestural touch interface for the OpenGL
views. On Mac OS X, this determines whether a two-finger drag gestureis interpreted as a zoom or a pan.
Touch Interface

Invert Scroll Direction: Inverts the scroll direction.
Touch Sensitivity: Control touch sensitivity. On Windows, higher
numbers favour scale/rotates over pans. On Mac OS X, higher numbers
give a slower response to pans.

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Camera Tab

Parameter

Description
Initial Animation Mode: Determines which animation mode is enabled when
the scene is opened.
Show Locked Drawings As Outlines: In the Camera view, locked elements
are displayed as outlines only.
Bounding Box Selection Style: In the Camera view, selected elements are
not highlighted in colour but displayed with the bounding box only.
Nudging Factor: The nudging increment value.

Tools

Set Keyframe on All Functions with the Transform Tool: When this option
is selected, the Transform tool will create a keyframe for all functions of theselected pegs, including the functions that normally would not be affected by
the transformation.
Set Keyframe At Frame One With First Application of the Transform Tool:
When this option is selected, wherever you set a keyframe on a layer, a
keyframe is added on your frame 1. If this options is deselected, a keyframe is
only added to the current frame. If later on, you add a keyframe on your frame
1, it may modify the first keyframe you added.

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Paste/Drag&Drop Adds Keyframes at Beginning and End: Select thisoption to copy and paste a set of frames that includes an interpolatedsequence between two keyframes, but only extracts a partial section. Under
normal circumstances, cutting and pasting a function without either the start orend keyframe would render the function null. This option caps the partial
function with a new keyframe when you perform the paste.
Select Tool Works on Single Drawing: By default, when you draw aselection box in the Camera view, the Select tool will select all the drawing
strokes and symbols in its path. If you prefer the Select tool to only select thecurrent drawing and not the other visible drawings, select the Select Tool
Works on Single Drawing option.
Use Rotation Lever with Transformation Tools: Lets you see the rotation
lever when using the transformation tools. When this option is deselected,
hovering your cursor over the corner of an element’s bounding box is sufficient
to rotate it.
Camera View Default Zoom: The default zoom value for the Camera view.
Zoom Settings

Top/Side View Default Zoom: The default zoom value for the Top/Side
views.
Thumbnail Size: The thumbnail size, in pixels, that appears in the Top andSide views.
Small Bitmap Resolution: The size, in pixels, of the smaller bitmap version ofyour image. When you import a bitmap image into a scene, a smaller version of
it is created in order to accelerate the compositing and playback processes.

Settings

Override Small Bitmap Files: Enable this option if you want the system togenerate new versions of the existing smaller bitmap files, every time you
modify the Small Bitmap Resolution value. When the option is disabled, theexisting smaller bitmap versions will not be regenerated and will keep the same
resolution as when they were created.
TV Safety: The ratio value for the TV Safety frame in proportion to the regularcamera frame.
Enable in Camera: Dulls background bitmaps in the Camera view. This
allows you to see other elements clearly, such as the ones that have not yet
been painted.

Wash Background

Enable in Camera Drawing Mode: Dulls background bitmaps in Camera
view while using the drawing tools. This allows you to see other elements
clearly, such as the ones that have not yet been painted.
Wash Background Percentage: The Wash Percentage value.
Show Control Points On Selected Layers: By default, when you select anelement with the Transform tool, the motion path related to the object isdisplayed.

Control Points

Control Point Tension: The default Tension value for new keyframes andcontrol points.
Control Point Continuity: The default Continuity value for new keyframes and59

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

control points.
Control Point Bias: The default Bias value for new keyframes and control
points.

Preview Wash

Enable For Out of Date Previews: When you disable the automatic renderpreview, you need to click on the Update Preview button in the Rendering
toolbar or the Camera view bottom toolbar in order to recalculate and update
the preview. When this option is enabled, if the current render preview is out ofdate and requires you to press the Update Preview button, the Camera view
will display the current preview as washed out colours.
Wash Background Percentage: This is the value, in percentage, by which
the outdated preview will be washed out.

Inverse Kinematics

Min/Max Angle Constraint Weight: This value acts similar to the Stiffness
setting in the Inverse Kinematics Properties panel. This option only affects theminimum and maximum angle values set using the Min/Max Angle Mode. The
higher the value, the stronger your need to move the body part to approach theminimum and maximum values set. Although the maximum value goes up to
1.0, in a production setting, the most practical value to use would be closer to
0.1.

Node View Tab

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Parameter

Description
Show Navigator: Shows or hides the display of the Navigator in the Node view
when starting Toon Boom Harmony.

Navigator
Navigator Starting Corner: Indicates which corner is the default Navigator
position.
Width Multiple: Sets the width of the magnifier in tenths of the Node view width.
Values range from 0.1–10.
MagnifierAspect Ratio: Sets the width to height ratio of the magnifier. Values range from
0.1–10.
Opacity: Sets the transparency of the magnifier. Values range from 0–100. A
value of 100 makes the magnifier completely transparent. A value of 0 makes themagnifier completely opaque.
Cable Type: Displays node connections as Line (straight) or Bezier (curves).
Middle Mouse Button Pans the View: Lets you use the middle mouse button to
pan the Node view.

Options

Double Click on a Node Opens the Editor: Lets you open a node's property
editor by double-clicking.
Port Output Ordering: Orders the Output Port Right to Left or Left to Right.
Port Input Ordering: Orders the Input Port Right to Left or Left to Right.
Antialiasing Quality: Smoothness setting applied to colour art. The higher thesetting, the more antialiasing is applied. Higher quality images require more time
to render and more system memory. Choose a lower quality if you are rendering apencil test.

Line Drawing Options•

Low: No antialiasing•

Medium Low: Some antialiasing•

Medium: Medium antialiasing•

High: Extensive antialiasing

Antialiasing Exponent: Controls the amount of area around the Line and Colour
Art edges used in the antialiasing process. A higher value uses less area,
resulting in sharper edges, while a lower value uses more area, resulting in softeredges. If the Antialiasing Quality value is set to Low (no antialiasing), this value isignored.
Read Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images.
If this node reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether thecolour should be read or ignored. If this node reads 1-channel bitmaps, thisselection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When thisoption is selected with 1-channel images, the result will be a greyscale image.
Read Transparency: Controls the production of alpha information from bitmap
images. If this node reads a 1 or 3-channel image, this option will create a mattefrom the colour values in the image. If the node reads a 4-channel image and thisoption is not selected, the alpha information in the image will be ignored.

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Alignment Rule: The Alignment position for the element node. The new element
node will be created following this default rule of alignment.
Transparency Type:•

Premultiplied with Black: Pixels at the edge of an image are blended withblack.

•

Straight: Pixels at the edge of an image are blended with black, white andgreys.

•

Premultiplied with White: Pixels at the edge of an image are blended withwhite.

•

Clamp Colour to Alpha: Select this option when you want to premultiply
the colour value with the alpha value. When the colour is clamped to thealpha, the colour value cannot be higher than the alpha value. It calculates
the real colour value faster. When the RGB values are multiplied with thealpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel of value R=247, G=188,
B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50% transparency, then theactual RGB values output would be half of the amounts listed above.

Art Layer Options, Line Art/Colour Art:•

Vector/Bitmap: Determines if a newly created element will be a vector or
bitmap layer.

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Exposure Sheet Tab

Parameter

Description
These preferences are used to display or hide certain layer types in the Xsheet
view.
Show Drawing Columns: Displays the Drawing layers in the Xsheet view.
Show Sound Columns: Displays the Sound columns in the Xsheet view.
Show Annotation Columns: Displays the Annotation columns in the Xsheet
view.

Filtering

Show 3D Path Columns: Displays the 3D Path columns in the Xsheet view.
Show Function Columns: Displays the Function columns layers in the Xsheet
view.
Show Selection: Sets the Show Selection option On or Off by default in the
Xsheet view.
Centre on Current Frame: Turns auto-centering on or off when playing back ascene. Auto-centering is used during sound breakdown with the ShuttleXpress
device.

Options

Default Add Columns: The default position where the new column will be added.

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Default Column Width: The default width value for the new column being
created.
Use Current Frame as Drawing Name: Automatically names the drawing
corresponding to the frame position. This avoids numbering conflicts while
animating.

Drawing Creation

For example, using the default preferences, you start with the first drawing onframe 1, this drawing is called 1. You then draw the extreme position drawing onframe 10, this drawing is called 2. Next, the in-between pose is drawn on frame 5,
this drawing is called 3 and so on.
At the end, you have a sequence like this: 1-9-4-6-3-8-5-7-10-2.

Instead, using the Use Current Frame as Drawing Name option, each drawing is
automatically named by its frame number and the sequence looks like: 1-2-3-4-56-7-8-9-10.
Extend Exposure of Previous Drawing: When drawing on a blank frame, a new
drawing is created and the timing is extended from the previous exposed drawing.
You can set the minimum and maximum zoom levels to view the Xsheet,depending on the number of columns and rows in the project. Once you set alevel, close and reopen the Xsheet so the new values take effect.
Minimum Zoom Level: Lets you set the lowest level of zoom. Choose a value
between 1 and 6.
Zoom Levels

Maximum Zoom Level: Lets you set the highest level of zoom. Choose a value
between 14 and 20.

NOTE: You can set a keyboard shortcut to view the entire Xsheet.

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Show Grid: When selected, the grid is displayed by default when opening the
Function Editor.
Use Constant Z By Default: When selected, the Constant Z option will beenabled by default in the Function Editor.
Function Editors

Constant Z means that even when creating Motion keyframes, the Z function will
use Stop-Motion keyframes and will not be interpolated, this can be very usefulfor cut-out animation. The Constant Z feature only works with 3Dpaths.
You can also enable the Constant Z option directly in the Function Editor or
Function view for specific functions.

Gestural Drag

Default Setting for Gestural Drag: This is the default value enabling gestural
dragging of cells in the Xsheet view.
From Left to Right: When clicking the Apply/Next button in the Xsheet view
Column Properties, the next column to be displayed in the Column Properties willbe the one on the right.

Apply/Next
From Right to Left: When clicking the Apply/Next button in the Xsheet view
Column Properties, the next column to be displayed in the Column Properties willbe the one on the left.
New Element

Bitmap Format: By default, when you create a new empty bitmap column, it will
use the file format indicated in the field as the new column format. The default
value is SCAN, which means that it is set for scanned-in drawings.

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Drawing Tab

Parameter

Description
Light Table: Opacity (0,0-1,0):The maximum opacity value for the light tabledisplay (0 = transparent).
Light Table: Wash (0,0-1,0): The washed-out value for the light table display(0 = transparent).

Light Table

Light Table: Enable Shade: When enabled, the drawings appearing on theLight Table are displayed in washed out colours in the Drawing view. When
this option is disabled, the drawings appearing in the Light Table are displayedusing normal colours. This option is for the Drawing view only.
Light Table: Shade in Camera View: When enabled, the drawings appearing
on other layers are displayed in washed-out colours in the Camera view. When
this option is disabled, the drawings appearing on other layers are displayedusing normal colours. This option is for the Camera view only.
Enable Onion Skin for Other Elements: When both the Onion Skin and Light
Table options are enabled, the drawings appearing in the Light Table also
display their previous and next onion skinned drawings. This option is for the
Drawing view only.

66Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)Onion Skin Render Style:•

Normal: The onion skinned drawings are displayed in washed out
colours.

•

Enable Shade: The previous onion skinned drawings are displayed in
washed out red shades and the next onion skinned drawings are
displayed in washed out green shades.

•

Outlines Only: The onion skinned drawings are displayed as outlines
only.

Onion Skin: Maximum Wash Value (0,0-1,0): The maximum washed-out
value for onion skinned drawings.
Onion Skin: Minimum Wash Value (0,0-1,0): The minimum washed-out
value for onion skinned drawings.
Onion Skin: Maximum Opacity (0,0-1,0): The maximum opacity value foronion skinned drawings. (0 = transparent).
Onion Skin: Minimum Opacity (0,0-1,0): The minimum opacity value foronion skinned drawings. (0 = transparent).
Grid On By Default: When opening the Drawing view, the grid displays
automatically.
Select Tool is Lasso: When this option is enabled, the Select tool behaves asa lasso selector. When this option is disabled, the Select tool behaves as arectangle selector.
Brush Size Cursor: When this option is enabled, the brush tool displays thebrush size as a circle around the cursor.
Auto Gap Closing in Pixel Units: Disabling this option will cause your gap tobe zoom dependent. Zoom dependent means that the more you zoom in, thesmaller the gap you can close with the Close Gap tools. By enabling thisoption, you choose to make the gap display available in pixel units, which is
not zoom dependent.
Options

Default Multiwheel Colour Picker: Displays the Multiwheel Colour Picker
window instead of the regular Colour Picker.
Auto Save Pencil Styles: When this option is enabled, new pens and pen
styles are automatically saved.
Sticky Eye Dropper: Keeps the Colour Picker’s Dropper tool active until it isreleased by clicking on the Dropper icon again.
Desk Location: Defines the location of the Desk panel in the Drawing view.
Default Pencil Line Tip: Sets the default pencil line tip to either Round, Flat,
or Bevel.
Morphing Quality: Sets the default quality value for the morphing sequences.
If you change this value, it will not affect the morphing sequence which was
created previously. After a morphing sequence has been created using thisdefault quality value, its quality can be changed manually by using the67

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Morphing Tool Properties.
Auto Gap Closing on Startup: The values for automatic gap closing while
painting drawings are: 0 = Disabled, 1=Small, 2=Medium, 3=Big.

Settings

Create New Colour Pots Using Default Colour: Set the default colour for
creating a new colour swatch. Enable the option so that this default colour isused each time you add a new colour in your palettes. This option is useful forwhen you create new colour pots so that a more recognizable colour is createdand not just a duplicate of the currently selected colour. Choosing a colour thatis the opposite of your intended colour palette is recommended, such as grey ifyour palette will be filled with bright, primary colours.
Enable Paper Zoom: Enabling this option allows you to set the 100% Zoom
level onscreen, in order to physically match the measurements of your paper
drawing.

Zoom

Number of Pixels per Inch: Enter the PPI for your monitor. To obtain the PPI
of your screen, divide the height or width of your monitor's resolution setting by
the corresponding physical height or width of your monitor screen (resolution
height divided by physical height, or resolution width divided by physical width)
in inches.
Quick Close Up Zoom Factor: Sets the zoom level for the Quick Close up
Zoom keyboard shortcut.
Maximum Zoom Factor: Sets the maximum zoom level for the paper zoom.

Default Canvas for Bitmap
Layers

Sets the default values for the resolution, width and height of the canvas whenworking with bitmap layers in a new scene. This prevents you from creating
unusually large bitmap canvases.

Template Tab

Parameter

Description

Paste/Drag & Drop

Always Create New Drawings: By default, when you import timeline
templates in the right section of the Timeline view, to stack them, the system
will analyze and create only the non-existing drawings and only expose theexisting ones. When enabled, this option automatically creates new drawings
for every one of them that is exposed.
Palettes:•

Ask User: When dropping a template into a scene, the system will ask

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if you want to link the palette to the original or create a local copy in thescene.

Editing Template•

Use Original Palette: The system will automatically link drawing
elements to the original palette file. If the original palette is notencountered a local copy will be created.

•

Use Copy of Palettes: The system will automatically create a local
copy of the palette in the scene.

Generate Thumbnails Automatically: Automatically create thumbnails forthe template when you want to see the thumbnails in the Library or when saving a template modification.

Timeline Tab

Parameter

Description
Show Groups: Displays the Group layers in the Timeline.
Show Effects: Displays the Effect layers in the Timeline.
Show Sound: Displays the Sound layers in the Timeline.
Show Sound Waveforms: Displays the imported sounds waveform in theTimeline.

Defaults

NOTE: You can always toggle the visibility of the waveform in the Timeline viewby adding the Show Sound Waveform button from the Toolbar Manager. Thisbutton will work whether you have the Show Sound Waveform option enabled or
disabled in the Preferences panel.

Show End of Scene Marker: Displays the red bracket that delineates the end ofyour scene in the Timeline view. If you know that many different hands will beworking on your scene, you may want to deselect this option so the scene lengthis not increased or decreased by accident.

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Reduce Indentation: When this option is enabled, the horizontal indentation forparented nodes in the Timeline is reduced to optimize the amount of space takenin the Timeline. When you have a cut-out character and there is a long cascade ofparented nodes, you can enable this option so the Timeline (left side) does nothave expand too wide to see all your nodes.
Always Display Unconnected Nodes: Enable this preference if you prefer tosee elements in the Timeline that have not yet been connected to a particular
Display, even when in Normal View mode. This preference is not on by default.

Paste/Drag & Drop

Add Keyframes at Beginning and End: Copies and pastes a set of frames that
includes an interpolated sequence between two keyframes, but only extracts apartial section. Under normal circumstances, cutting and pasting a function
without either the start or end keyframe would render the function null. This option
caps the partial function with a new keyframe when you perform the paste.
Overwrite exposures and keyframes during drag and drop: If the area on
which you are dropping a selection contains exposures and/or keyframes, they
are overwritten by the content you are selected by dragging.

Sound Tab

Parameter

Description
Analog Sound Scrubbing: Switches from digital to analog sound scrubbing.

Settings

Analog Jog Speed: Lets you control the sensitivity of the jog slider or dial.
Choose a value between 1 and 20. The higher the jog speed value, the slower
you can scrub to have the sound play at an average pace.
Analog Jog Dampening: Lets you choose a value between 1 and 100 for the
Analog Jog Dampening. The higher the value, the less precise Harmony is at
responding to the jog's changes in speed. However, the more smooth the playback is using the jog slider or dial.

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OpenGL Tab

Parameter

Description
Conservative Texture Management: Turns on and off conservative memory
management for bitmap texture files. Performance will improve when this isenabled. If disabled, you will have a better on-screen rendering of bitmap files atthe expense of slower performance.
Smooth Textures: Smooths out the pixels of bitmap images when zooming in;this improves bitmap image quality.

Settings

Alternate Gradient and Cutter: This is an alternative way to disable write in the
OpenGL Backbuffer, required for some video cards (i.e. GeForce FX5200). Do notenable this option unless you are experiencing problems with gradients andcutters in OpenGL.
Use PBuffer for Picking: This will use an off-screen buffer for picking, resulting
in a quicker response. This option should not be enabled if using a small capacity
video card (32MB).
Support Triple Buffer: Enable this option for a better compatibility with Windows
Vista if your video card driver does not allow to disable the triple buffering option.
Not enabling this option may result in a dashing line when drawing a brush stroke.
Support Desktop Effects: Enable this option for better compatibility with71

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Windows 7, Windows Vista and Mac OS X desktop effects. This will prevent
graphic compositing problems from happening when the full-scene anti-aliasing
option is enabled.
Enable Mipmapping on Bitmap Layers: Generate anti-aliased mipmap
textures. Disable this option for increased performance when working on Bitmap
layers with non-standard graphic cards.
Maximum Texture Size: The size that the bitmap file will be reduced to whenusing the Conservative Texture Management.
Texture Memory: The amount of temporary memory used to store bitmap texture
files.
Vector Drawing Maximum Texture Size: This is the size that the .tvg file will be
reduced to for better performance when in OpenGL render mode.
The Full Scene Antialiasing is generated by your computer’s graphic card. It
provides a smooth line display in OpenGL. This antialiasing will not only antialias
your drawings but all the different views in the interface.
This option lets you see smooth lines as you draw as well as an antialiased
drawing area. You can change the value of the Full Scene Antialiasing using thePreferences dialog box to fit the current level used in the Camera or Drawing
view.
Enable (Requires Relaunch): By default, this option is off. Select to turn on the
Full Scene Antialiasing option. You'll need to restart Toon Boom Harmony.

Full Scene Antialiasing

Number of samples (For Mac OS): Enter the number of samples you want to be
used for the antialiasing process. The number of samples is basically equivalent
to the amount of time a pixel will be enlarged to calculate the antialiasing. This
technique is called supersampling. The higher the number of samples, the betterthe antialiasing quality will be, but the longer it will take to calculate. The
recommended value is 4.

NOTE: If you are using Windows or Linux, you must enable your graphic card’s
antialiasing parameter. Refer to user guide of your graphics card. For example,
the parameters for an NVIDIA GeForce card may look like this:Enable Playback Caching: Enable image caching for OpenGL playback.
Playback Images
Playback Cache Size (in Mb): Cache size in for playback images in Mb.

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Enable Textures in Pencil Lines: Disabling this will produce a drawing
performance improvement in OpenGL views.
Drawings
Enable Variable Line Thickness: Turns on and off the rendering of the variable
line thickness option of the Element Node.
Enable Tone and Highlight: Turns the Tone and Highlight effects on and off in
the Camera, Top and Side views.
Enable Cutter: Turns the rendering of Cutter effects on and off in the Camera,
Top and Side views.

Effects

Enable Composite Passthrough for All Effects: Controls the behaviour ofcomposite passthrough in conjunction with effects that require a matte. Thispreference can be used in specific cases where certain nodes interfere with the
OpenGL display of elements in the Camera view. This preference is off bydefault.
Enable Colour Override: Turns the rendering of the Colour-Override effects on
and off in the Camera, Top and Side views.
Enable Glue Node: Turns the rendering of the Glue effects on and off in the
Camera, Top and Side views.

Render Tab

Parameter

Description
Enable Blur: Renders blur effects derived from the Blur-Directional, Blur-Radial,and Blur-Variable in the Render View window.

Preview Options

Enable Line Texture: Renders line texture in the Render view.
Enable Focus: Renders focus effects from the Focus-Apply and Focus-Set
nodes.

Preview Images

Cache Size in RAM (in Mb): Cache size in RAM for intermediate preview
images (Mb).
Cache Path and Capacity on Disk (in MB): If this field is left empty, Harmony's

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temporary directory will be used to offload intermediate images. There is no disk
usage limit for the temporary directory.
When you specify a folder, you must type in the capacity (in MB) inside thepath. Use the following method: path;capacity in MB;
example: C:\user\tmp_image_folder;2000;

NOTE: The specified folder must already exist. If there is an error in the path,
Harmony’s temporary directory will be used. You can also specify a RAM drivein the path.

This lets you specify the level of parallel processing done during the final image
calculation (soft-rendering). Allowing parallel processing speeds up the softrender process.
Multi ThreadingGPU

Number of Rendering Threads: Lets you specify the number of parallel
processes during the soft-render process. A value of 1 disables the multithreading process because it specifies that only one rendering thread will be usedduring the process. The maximum number of threads is 64. The recommended
starting value is 2 threads per CPU core, meaning that if you are using a 2 QuadCore CPU, the preferences should initially be set to 16 threads.
Enable Graphic Card Acceleration: Optimizes the rendering blurs by using the
GPU's acceleration capabilities. This option is on by default. Not all cards support
this acceleration.

Advanced Tab

Parameter

Description

Advanced Options

Support Overlay and Underlay Arts: When enabled, options to manipulate

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overlay and underlay arts are available.
Advanced Display: Enable or disable the Advanced Display mode.
Advanced Palette Lists: Lets you switch your palette list to Advanced Palette
Lists mode for creating and storing palettes in the Scene or Element Palette
List.
Restore Current Selected Drawing on Undo: If a drawing other than thecurrent one is being affected by an Undo command, the affected drawing isdisplayed.
Advanced Element Mode: Displays more options in the Add Column dialog
box and the Column Properties dialog box.
•

Auto-rename Elements: Controls whether to rename the element
whenever the corresponding node name in the Node view or layer namein the Timeline view is changed.

Support CMYK in PDF/Illustrator Import: Lets you import .pdf and .ai files
that were created or exported in CMYK mode. The colours of the resulting
imported image may still not look 100% faithful to its CMYK original due to the
RGB conversion. It is recommended that you convert these files to RGB
images before importing them into Toon Boom Harmony. Disabling this option
will cause all the colours of the imported image to be displayed as red toindicate that the file was not converted to RBG before import.
PDF/Illustrator Import as Separate Layers: Imports the different
groups/elements of the .pdf or .ai file as separate layers. For Illustrator files,
the import will use the top level group as separate layer names. Deselect thisoption to import pdf or .ai files as a single layer.
Element Node "Animate Using Animation Tools" Default Value: If you
know that you prefer to work in the style of version 7.3 or earlier, or if you intend
to substitute many drawings throughout your animation, you might wish todeselect this option. This way, you won't have to do it every time (through theLayer Properties) for each new drawing layer that you create.
Compress Saved Keyframes: Compresses keyframe values when there are
no changes between adjacent keyframes. The resulting project is notcompatible with versions of Harmony prior to version 11.
Tablet Support

Use Qt Wintab Tablet Support (Requires Relaunch): If you are using atablet other than Wacom, deselect this option (and relaunch) if you are having
issues with offset or pressure sensitivity.

UnicodeAllow Unicode Names: Lets you use up to 120 ASCII characters for names ofenvironments, jobs and scenes. This means you can use characters forlanguages, such as Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, and others,
characters for names in your database setup—see Advanced Tips andGuidelines on page 1.

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Deformation Tab

Parameter

Description

Scale Controls

The Scale controls let you customize the appearance of the Deformation-Scaleand Deformation-Uniform-Scale controls by setting the distance from thedeformer axis.
Display Scaling Node in Pixel Size: This option is disabled by default. The
distance between the controls and the deformer axis is calculated using fields
as a value. Select this option to change the value to pixels.
Scaling Pixel Size: The default value is 64 pixels, meaning the distance
between the controls and the deformer axis is 64 pixels. You can enter any
pixel value.
Scaling Field Size: The default value is 2 fields, meaning the distance
between the controls and the deformer axis is 2 fields. You can enter any fieldvalue.

Deformation Convert
Deformed Drawings

Texture Resolution when Converting Gradient and Textures: Sets thesize of the bitmap texture used during the conversion of deformed drawings to
drawings. The maximum value accepted is 2048 pixels.

Particle Tab

Parameter

Description
Always Show Particles as Dots: Displays the particles as dots in the
OpenGL preview mode. This makes the playback speed faster for a heavy
scene.

OpenGL
Horizontal Resolution of Image Fracture Input: This is the size, in pixels, ofthe proxy bitmap image rendered in OpenGL when using the Image Fracture
particle. A smaller image size increases the playback speed in heavy scenes.

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Remove Dirt Dialog Box
The Remove Dirt dialog box lets you select small dots and hairs on a drawing for removal.
When paper drawings are passed through a scanner, there can be some hair and dirt scattered across them. Theselines and dots need to be cleaned. Harmony provides different tools to help get rid of them quickly.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Dirt Clean Up on page 1.
How to access the Remove Dirt dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Dirt.

‣

From the Camera or Drawing View menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Dirt.

‣

Press Shift + D.

Parameter

Description
Lets you adjust the amount of detail removed from the layer.

SliderRaising the Remove Dirt level will select bigger dots. When selecting larger dots,
be careful not to lose small details like pupils and nostrils. Once you have chosen
the level, you can apply it to the current drawing or the entire animation sequence.
This is a quick way to get rid of most dirt and dust.
During this process, the dirt that will be removed is highlighted in red.

Apply to all drawings

Applies the operation to all drawings in the layer.

Remove Hair Dialog Box
The Remove Hair dialog box lets you remove any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines
or filled zones. Increasing the Remove Hair level value will select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.
When paper drawings are passed through a scanner, there can be some hair and dirt scattered across them. Theselines and dots need to be cleaned. Harmony provides different tools to help get rid of them quickly.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Dirt Clean Up on page 1.
How to access the Remove Hair dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawing containing the drawing to clean.
2. From the top menu, select View > Show > Show Strokes to display the invisible lines or press K.
3. In the top menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Hair.

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Parameter

Description

SliderLets you adjust the number of length of hairs selected.

Apply to all drawings

Applies the operation to all drawings in the layer.

Render Write Nodes Dialog Box
The Render Write Nodes dialog box lets you configure your scene to render locally or sent it to a render farm soother computers can render your scenes while you continue working on your station.
The Harmony Server rendering processes are named:•

Local Rendering is done directly on the user machine using its CPU. To perform local rendering you mustuse Stage.

•

Batch Rendering lets you send a scene to render while you continue working in Stage. This way, you do
not have to wait for the application to complete the render process.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Batch Rendering on page 1.
How to access the Render Write Nodes dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select File > Export > Render Write Nodes.

‣

Press Ctrl + Shift + Y (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + Y (Mac OS X).

The Render Write Nodes dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

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All Frames (1-60)

Sends all the frames in the scene to be rendered.

Selected Frames

Sends a range of frames to be rendered.

Batch Composite Options
Debug
Chunk

Splits the frames into sets of frames or QuickTime movie into small chunks.
Note that when the render farm (server) is done rendering all the small movie
chunks, it will put them all back together to create one single movie file.

Size (Frames)

Lets you enter the number of frames for each chunk in the Size (Frames) field.
For example, if your scene is 100 frames long and you enter a value of 20,
there would be five entries in the queue of 20 frames each.
Lets you select the camera for rendering the scene's images.

CameraThese are the Camera nodes you created in your scene.
Resolution

By Name:By Value:

Field Composite Options
Add Pulldown

Uses the 3:2 pull-down technique.

Automatic Combine

Combines even and odd fields on a scene's images.

Second Field First

Always starts with the second field before combining with the first.

Preview

Save Dialog Box
The Save dialog box lets you save a scene for the first time in Harmony Server.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Saving a Scene on page 1.
How to access the Save dialog Box
1. Make sure you have the necessary rights to save the current scene version. If you do not, you can acquire
the rights by selecting File > Rights to Modify Scene Version or Rights to Modify Scene.
2. From the top menu, select File > Save or press Ctrl + S (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + S (Mac OS X).
When saving the scene for the first time, the Save dialog box opens, prompting you to name the version.
Parameter

Description

This Version

Lets you enter a relevant name for the current version.

New Version
Overwrite Existing Version
Description

Enter a short description of the current version.

Mark as Current

Scene Settings Dialog Box
The Scene Settings dialog box lets you parameters for your scene.
When you created your new scene, you set up the resolution and the alignment. However, if you want to changethese initial settings later, you can do it using the Scene Settings dialog box. The different Scene Settings options
are separated into four tabs.

How to access the Scene Settings dialog box
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Scene Settings.
The Scene Settings dialog box opens.

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Resolution Tab
Parameter

Description
You can select your project’s resolution (camera frame size) from this preset list.

‣ HDTV: High definition television delivers a higher quality image thanstandard television (4:3) does, because it has a greater number of lines ofresolution. To take advantage of the superior quality your output device
must be compatible with HDTV technology to make this resolution setting
useful.

‣ HDTV_Vertical: The "vertical resolution" of HDTV_Vertical refers to how
the images will be aligned in relation to the actual scene frame (default 4:3
grid). Note that the camera resolution and the scene frame are not thesame. When working with 12 or 16 field drawing grids, the grid is a different
aspect ratio from the camera frame. When you fit vertically, you fit theimages with the top and bottom of the scene grid.

‣ film-1.33: Use this resolution setting for the academy film format that
conforms to the standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

‣ film-1.66: Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that
Resolution Presets

conforms to the 16:9 aspect ratio.

‣ film-1.66_Vertical: This is essentially the same as film-1.66. Refers to
how the drawing is fit into the scene frame. When working with 12 or 16
field drawing grids, the grid is a different aspect ratio from the camera
frame. When you fit vertically, you fit the images with the top and bottom of
the scene frame.

‣ NTSC: This is the standard analogue television broadcasting system usedin North America and conforms to the North American standards on how
rectangular pixels are displayed for computer and television screens.

‣ PAL: This resolution works best with the European format for televisionand computer screens, as the rectangular pixels are displayed at adifferent orientation.

‣ Low: This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where size andfast download of a video file might take precedence over quality.

‣ Cloud Preview: This is the resolution used by Web Control Center tocreate its preview.
Selected Resolution Preset

Displays the selected resolution preset.
Click the Save Resolution button after you define your new resolution to save it asa preset.

Save Resolution Setting

If you are working in Harmony Server, you will be prompter a dialog box asking
you to name the new resolution as well as the level at which you want to save theresolution,conf file.

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Displays the pixel dimensions for your project resolution.
Pixel Dimensions

If you decide to type in the pixel dimensions, or use the up and down arrows tochange the pixel increments, you will have to save your custom selection in orderto save it as a new preset. It will then appear in the resolution selection list. It
doesn't modify the current resolution preset.

Aspect Ratio

Displays the ratio between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the camera
framing. Each resolution setting has a preset aspect ratio that cannot be changed.

Frame per second

Sets the frame rate for your project. The higher the frame rate, for example 30 fps,
the faster the animation will pla. The lower the frame rate, for example 12 fps, theslower your animation will play. Avoid going under 12 frames per second as youranimation will have a choppy playback. The human eye requires a minimum of 12
frames per second to perceive a fluid animation.
Use these options to define the FOV (field of view) of the camera (angle of thecamera cone) and how the drawing elements (and drawing grid) align to the scene
grid. The drawing grid is always scaled proportionally to a 4:3 ratio (unless youchange the scene alignment), therefore changing the Field of View setting may
not show a visible difference if your project resolution is also 4:3, such as NTSC.

‣ Horizontal Fit: The camera resolution is set to fit the left and right edges ofthe scene grid.

Field of View

‣ Vertical Fit: The camera resolution is set to fit the top and bottom edges ofthe scene grid.

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Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)‣ Custom Fov: After selecting this option, use the now-active field to theright to enter in a value, in degrees, of the angle that you want the camera
cone to be. Increasing this value will make the camera cone wider (theangle is more obtuse), widening the FOV and making the grid and allelements appear farther away. Decreasing the default value will create theopposite effect.
The Projection settings allows you to modify the type of camera your scene isusing. You can either use a perspective camera (regular camera) or orthographic
camera (no perspective).

‣ Perspective: The Perspective option is the default and most common
option. Objects placed closer to the camera will be displayed bigger andobjects placed further away will be displayed smaller.

‣ Orthographic: The Orthographic option is specific to the gaming pipeline.

Projection

It changes the camera from Perspective to Orthographic, meaning that
there is no more perspective in the Camera view. Objects, when moved in
depth will not change size. There is more information available about thisoption in the Gaming user guide. In order to create scenes with theOrthographic camera by default, you need to create a new custom scene
resolution.

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Alignment Tab
Parameter

Description
The Alignment presets give you two preset options:‣ 4:3 12 Fields: Defines the units of your project to have a 4:3 ratio andAlignment

sets up 12 of these units to run both vertically and horizontally in four
cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment preset is visible in
the FOV and drawing grids.

‣ Square 12 Fields: Defines the units of your project to have a 1:1 orsquare ratio and sets up 12 units to run both vertically and horizontally infour cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment preset is
NOT visible in the FOV and drawing grids.
In the Units Aspect Ratio fields, enter the aspect ratio of the grid you will use.
The aspect ratio describes the shape of the grid unit. A square grid unit would
have the ratio 1:1, whereas a grid unit of aspect ratio 4:3 is a unit with one side
1.33 times as big as the other side.

Units Aspect Ratio

If the aspect ratio you want to use is 1:1, enter 1 in the Left/Right field (X-axis)
and 1 in the Up/Down field (Y-axis). The default Aspect Ratio is set to 4:3 as it

84Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)is the one used by traditional animators, who are accustomed to working withthe grid system described above.
In the Number of Units fields, enter the number of horizontal, vertical and depth
units for your scene’s grid.

Number of Units

Animators who prefer to work traditionally will understand the default setting of
24 units horizontal by 24 units vertical as it, once again, corresponds to the grid
above. Twelve is a common setting for the field depth.
Those who prefer to work in pixels should enter the pixel dimensions (3) of theirproject. This way if you want to move something over 600 pixels you just needto type in 600 units.
In the Coordinates at Centre, you can enter a new coordinate for the centre ofyour scene.

Coordinates at Centre

Save

By default, the (0,0) centre is set in the middle of the grid as shown in the grid
above. If you want to change the centre of your grid, for example to the upper
left corner, you would enter (-12, 12), -12 units across and 12 units up. That isof course unless you changed the number of units to match the pixel
dimensions of your scene. Then you would enter negative half the width andpositive half the height.
Saves your current Alignment settings and be able to select them later from thelist.

NOTE: If you change your scene‘s alignment from 4:3 12 Fields to Square 12 Fields part way though your project,
you may find that the animation grid becomes offset. To correct this, choose the following setting from the Layer
Properties panel‘s Advanced tab: Alignment > Alignment Rule > Centre First Page.

Bitmap Resolution Tab
Parameter

Description

Scene Resolution

This is the scene resolution preset name and size in pixels.

Width

This is the width of the resolution for the bitmap that will be created. This is not
the actual size of the bitmap. TVG drawings (Toon Boom drawing native format)
have an infinite size. Bitmap TVGs are composed of small tiles. Therefore it does
not mean that because you have artwork at the four corners of your camera frameor even quite far outside of your drawing that your bitmap image will be very large
and heavy. By default, it is set to the same width as the scene resolution.

HeightThis is the height of the resolution for the bitmap that will be created. By default, it
is set to the same height as the scene resolution.

Resolution Factor

This is the size of the bitmap resolution in relation to the scene resolution. If you
increase the percentage, the width and height fields will increase accordingly. If
you plan to animate the camera and zoom into your background, you will need to
set a higher resolution so that the smaller area in which you will zoom will be
100% of the scene resolution.

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Advanced Tab
The Advanced tab contains an option for Toon Boom Digital Pro release 7.3 and Harmony release 7.3.
Since version 7.8, the method in which Z-Ordering is calculated has been optimized. Enable this option if you
want to use the version 7.3 system.
Toon Boom Digital Pro and Toon Boom Harmony 7.3 allowed smaller values on the Z-axis such as 0.0001. Sinceversion 7.8, the Z-ordering calculation is now optimized and allows only larger values such as 0.001.

Scripts Manager Dialog Box
The Scripts Manager dialog box lets you link a script to a toolbar button for quick and easy access. Once you
select a script, you can add it to the toolbar, load a custom icon and add a tooltip.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Linking a Script to a Toolbar Button on page 1.
How to access the Scripts Manager Dialog Box
1. In the Scripting toolbar, click the Manage Scripts

button.

The Scripts Manager dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Files

A list of the available JavaScript files.

Functions

A list of the available functions for the selected script.

In Toolbar

Adds the selected script to the toolbar.

ExecuteRuns the script you selected. Press Esc to interrupt the execution of the script.

Customize Icon

Lets you load a custom icon for the function. You can browse for a *.png,*.jpg or *.xpm file.

Customize Tooltip

Lets you type in a tooltip for the function. When you hover over the button in the
toolbar, your tooltip will appear.

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Select Colour Dialog Box
The Select Colour dialog box lets you set the colour of layers and columns. Using colours for layers and columns
helps to differentiate them visually, making them easy to identify. The colours you choose will be reflected in the
Node view.
You can select a colour by choosing from a basic set of colours, using the colour wheel or by specifying the HSV or
RGB values. Once you have selected a colour, you can adjust its intensity and save it as a custom colour that you
can reuse.

For tasks related to this dialog box, see Changing the Colour of a Layer or Column on page 1.
How to access the Select Colour dialog box in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view, click the Change Track Colour

button of the layer you want to modify.

The Select Colour dialog box opens.
How to access the Select Colour dialog box in the Xsheet view
1. In the Xsheet view, select one or more columns to modify.
2. Right-click on the column’s header and select Colour > Change Columns Colour.
The Select Colour dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Basic colours

The basic set of colours in the system?

Custom colours

Displays the custom colours you created.

Add to custom colours

Lets you add the selected colour to the Custom colours list above.

Colour wheel

Lets you select a colour by dragging the T-shaped pointer.

Value slider

Once you select a colour, you can drag the slider to change the intensity and see

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it previewed in the Colour Preview window below..
Colour Preview

Displays the colour you are currently selecting. To apply the colour, click OK.

Hue, Saturation, Value

Lets you set the hue (colour), saturation (amount of colour) and brightness (value)of the colour.

Red, Green, Blue

Lets you set the red, green and blue values.

Sequence Fill Dialog Box
The Sequence Fill dialog box lets you create a numbered sequence over a selection. The sequence can be
forward, backward, single, double or higher increment, as a cycle, and so on. The selection can be over one cellor a cell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Filling a Selection with a Sequence.
How to access the Sequence Fill dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell range.

2. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Sequence Fill.

‣

In the Timeline view, right-click and select Exposure > Sequence Fill.

‣

In the Xsheet toolbar, click the Sequence Fill
display it).

‣Press Ctrl + M (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + M (Mac OS X)).

The Sequence Fill dialog box opens.

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Parameter

Description

Starting Value

The first number in the sequence.

Increment

Lets you type the number by which the drawing number will increase from frame
to frame. For example, an increment of 1 gives you: 1-2-3-4; an increment of 2
gives you: 1-3-5-7; and -2 gives you this: 8-6-4-2.

Hold

The exposure holding value.

Cycle
End Frame
Padding
Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure after the frame following the last cell.

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box
The Edit Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box lets you apply ease to multiple functions and keyframes. You
can display the function curve and modify the Bezier or Ease curve—see Adjusting the Velocity on page 1.
How to access the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box
1. In the Timeline view, select a keyframe on one or more layers.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the Timeline view, right-click and select Set Ease For Multiple Parameters.

‣

In the Timeline toolbar, click the Set Ease For Multiple Parameters

The Set Ease For Multiple Parameters dialog box opens.

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Parameter

Description

Filters
Motion: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Position X, Position Y,
Position Z and 3D Path functions.
Rotation: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Angle functions.
Scale: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Scale functions.
MotionSkew: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Skew functions.
Morphing: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Morphing Velocity
functions. Note that it applies to the Morphing velocity function found in theLayer Properties window, not the basic morphing ease in the Tool Properties
view.
Other: Applies the easing parameters to all the other the selected functions,such as all functions created to animate effect parameters.

Left and Right Time Ratio

Lets you type the percentage value corresponding to the length of time youwant the easing to last. Stay between 0% and 100%. If you go beyond 100%,
your motion will overshoot.

Left and Right Value Ratio

Lets you type the percentage value of how strong you want the easing out tobe. Stay between 0% and 100%. If you go beyond 100%, your motion willovershoot.

Apply/Previous

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes and then selects theprevious keyframe in the timeline.

Apply

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes.

Apply/Next

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes and then selects thenext keyframe in the timeline.

Close

Close the dialog box. If you did not apply the modifications, they will becancelled.

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Show Hidden Columns Dialog Box
The Show Hidden Columns dialog box lets you display all the columns contained in the exposure sheet. It can beused to hide individual columns.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Showing and Hiding Columns on page 1.
How to access the Show Hidden Columns dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view, do one of the following:‣

Click the thick grey line that represents a hidden column.

‣

Right-click on the column header and select Show Hidden Columns.

‣

Press Alt + Shift + H.

The Show Hidden Columns dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Show

Lets you select the hiddens columns to display in the Xsheet view.

Name

Name of the drawing.

Type
Check

Selects all columns.

Uncheck

Deselects all selected columns.

Sound Settings Dialog Box
The Sound Settings dialog box lets you set the compression settings for the movie you will export.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.

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How to access the Sound Settings Dialog Box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
3. In the Movie Setting dialog box that opens, click Settings in the Sound section.

Parameter

Description

Compressor

Lets you select a compression type. The default setting is None. This will
preserve your original sound file without the loss of information. However, an
uncompressed sound file will inevitably add “weight” to the overall size of yourvideo export.

Rate

Lets you select a rate.
It is best to check and match the original properties of your sound file. For
example, if your file has an audio sample rate of 48 kHz and you choose a conversion rate of 22.05 kHz, the sound will play at the same speed, but withhigher frequencies missing. For a standard film sound quality, choose 44.1
kHz, or 48 kHz for DVD quality. Anything less will make the sound “dull” orless bright. For things like recorded voice, this doesn't matter so much, but formusic it can make an audible difference. If file size is a consideration, such aswith videos for the Internet, then a lower rate might be more practical.

Size and Use

Size and Use are related. It is advisable to check your original sound fileproperties. If the file was recorded in one channel (mono), there is no point inchoosing the two channel (stereo) option. Although Mono can support a 16-bit
channel, the extra information is unnecessary. Mono is generally paired with 8bit and Stereo with 16-bit.

Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box
The Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box lets you set the compression settings for the movie you will
export.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Exporting a QuickTime Movie on page 1.
How to access the Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
3. In the Movie Setting dialog box that opens, click Settings in the Video section.
Parameter

Description

Compression Type

Lets you select a codec. The availability of certain compression settings depends
on the Compression Type selected. For example, Animation is the default
compression type and as a result the Data Rate option is greyed out.

MotionFrame Rate

Lets you select a frame rate. By default, it is set to match the frames-per-second(fps) of your Harmony project. If you choose a lower frame rate, your export
playback will be faster than your actual project. The reverse is also true for ahigher frame rate.
Automatic:
Every: Inserts keyframes. This is the option is recommended by QuickTime. For
further details, refer to the QuickTime documentation.

Key Frames

All:
Frame Rendering:
Frames: Lets you set the number of keyframes to insert.

Compressor
Depth

Lets you select a depth based on your movie’s needs. For example, Millions of93

Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes

Colours+ houses an alpha channel.
Quality

Lets you choose a quality setting. The higher the quality of the export, the larger
the resulting file.

Data Rate
Automatic: Lets the system automatically select the most optimal bit rate.
Date Rate

Restrict To: Lets you enter a rate to save space and allow for faster downloading
at a cost to the quality of the export.
Optimized For: Lets you select the intended viewing method.

Preview

Displays a preview of the movie to be exported.

Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box
The Timeline Scene Marker dialog box lets you create and manage scene markers in the Timeline view. Scene
markers are visual indicators displayed at the top of the Timeline view in the frame counter area. You can use it todenote anything relevant to your work. You can indicate the frames you want to clean up, a change in action, an
impact, or where you intend to apply an effect. You can also add a note to a scene marker, which is displayedwhen you hover over the scene marker.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Setting Scene Markers on page 1.
How to access the Timeline Scene Marker dialog box
1. In the frame counter area of the Timeline view, do one of the following:‣

Drag to select the frame range to mark.

‣

Right-click and select Scene Markers > Mark Current Frame.

Parameter

Description

Colour swatch

Opens the Mark Colour dialog box where you can select a colour for the scene
marker.

Note (Tooltip)

Lets you type in a name for your scene marker. Making the name meaningful
will help you to quickly identify scene markers especially when there are manyof them in the frame counter area of the Timeline view.

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box
The Toolbar Manager dialog box lets you customize the toolbar in any of the views. You can add your favourite
tools to a toolbar for an efficient workflow.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Managing the Toolbars on page 1.

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How to access the Toolbar Manager dialog box
1. Right-click on a toolbar in any view and select Customize.

Parameter

Description

Available Tools

Displays the complete list of tools available for customizing a toolbar.

Toolbar

Displays a list of the tools currently available on the toolbar.

Default

Restores the toolbar with its default items.

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box
The Vectorization Parameters dialog box lets you vectorize pencil drawings, along with any red, blue or green pencil
marks you may have used to indicate highlights and shadows. The drawing will be vectorized into pure red, blue,
green and black (RGB values), while creating colour art zones wherever lines connect. After painting in your tones
and highlights, change your pure RGB colours to transparent (0 Alpha) in the Colour Picker window and watch theindicator colour zone lines disappear.

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For tasks related to this dialog box, see Custom Vectorization Parameters on page 1.
How to open the Vectorization Parameters dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Import > From Scanner.
You can also open it from any other import option that allows you to customize the vectorization parameters (i.e. from the scanner).
2. In the Scan Drawings window, do the following:‣

In the Layer section, decide on the layer options.

‣

In the Import Options section, select the Convert to Toon Boom Vector Drawing option‣

Click Preview.

3. In the Vectorization section, click the Vectorization Parameters

button.

Options Tab
The Options tab contains the main vectorization settings. More settings are available in the Help tab.

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Parameter

Description

Input

The input filters are applied to the bitmap image before it is vectorized.
One Pass

One threshold value is applied to both the Line and Colour Art. For drawings with
distinct vector-style lines of mattes, you only need one pass.

Two Passes

Applies a different threshold value to each layer. For greyscale drawings, you
may want to perform the vectorization process twice to apply different thresholdvalues to the Line and Colour Art layers.

Threshold

Determines which values in the scanned image are considered part of the Line or
Colour Art layer and what will be eliminated from the vectorized drawing; 0% iswhite and 100% is black. The threshold is between these two values.

Expand Bitmap

Lets you enter a value to scale the bitmap to detect small variations in the line.
Use this option if you scanned a greyscale image and want to preserve small
variations in the texture to apply to the line art.

Jag Filter

Lets you enter a value to scale back the bitmap to remove some of the line’sroughness. This is useless when you have a drawing that appears quite rough;the Jag filter will eliminate excess strokes in the final drawing.

Line Art Threshold (%)
Colour Art Threshold(%)
OutputThe output filters are applied during the vectorization process.
No Colour Art

Does not generate filling zones in the Colour Art layer.

No Texture

Does not generate texture in the Line Art layer in the final images. Select thisoption to create solid lines in the final line art.

Generate Matte in
Underlay Layer

Creates an opaque zone behind your drawing’s lines to avoid seeing through thelayers.

Colour as Texture

Converts colour values into a texture layer.

Optical Registration

The optical registration options are used to automatically align drawings based on
the position of the peg holes on the animation paper. The peg holes must appear
in the scanned drawings for the optical registration to work.

DPI

Lets you enter the dots-per-inch value of your image. You must enter the same

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value as the DPI used to scan the image.
Peg Side

Lets you select the position of the peg holes on your drawings. Identify whether
they are on the top, bottom, left or right.
Determines how exact the location of the peg holes must be for the software torecognize them. There are two values to choose from:

Strictness

Strict: The peg holes must be in a tightly defined area to be recognized.
Loose: The peg holes can be recognized somewhere in a larger area. This is therecommended setting.

Field Chart
Post Processing

Lets you indicate the size of the animation paper, 12 or 16.
The Post Processing filters are applied to the final vector images.

Remove Holes

Removes holes of a specified value that might make painting difficult.

Remove Dirt

Removes stray marks and dirt of a specified value. Try a value around 500.

Remove Hair Size

Removes small strokes that have no line art.

Remove Hair: Number
of Passes

The number of times the drawing will be analyzed to identify hair marks.

Miscellaneous
Close Gaps

Closes gaps in the Colour Art so you can paint it.

Smooth Passes for Line The number of times the smoothing operation runs before creating the triangles
Art Before Breaking
that break lines in the drawing. If unnecessary triangles are appearing in the
Triangles
drawing, increase this value.
Smooth Passes for Line The number of times the smoothing operation is performed after the triangles haveArt
been created. This further smooths the line art.
Preview
Show Strokes

Shows the strokes in the Vectorized Image panel.

Stroke Thickness

Shows the size of the strokes.

Help Tab
The Help tab contains the most advanced vectorization settings which you type in the Advanced Option fields atthe bottom of the Vectorization Parameters dialog box.

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File IO Options-file <filename (including extension)> [ options ]-infile <filename (including extension)>; same as -file-outfile <filename>; alternate output file-informat <format>; the input format. Used if reading from stdin-debug; turn on debug mode
-noforce; don't force output if image is inconsistent-version; print version information and quit
-output_version <version>; output files of this version. Valid versions can be: 0 or 604-force_unamed_palette_for_texture; will generate a texture in TVG's internal palette

Registration Options-register <dpi side strictness>; perform optical registration.
•

Side can be one of left, right, top, bottom or l, r, t, b.

•

Strictness can be either loose, strict or l, s.

-register_center_peg_holes; will use only round holes in 16 fields page-rcph; short form of register_center_peg_holes-registration_looseness_factor <factor>; registration looseness factor (default 2.000000)-rlf; short form of registration_looseness_factor-rdebug; output registration debug messages-pegpitch <inch (default 8.000000)>; distance between peg bars
-threshr < (default 0.500000)>; threshold for optical registration; range 0.0 to 1.0-rmargin <inch (default 1)>; region size where to look for peg bars
-peg_distance_from_center <inch (default 5.25)>; peg distance from centre of the image

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes-pdfc; short form of -peg_distance_from_center-out_peg_position <side (default same)>; wanted position of the peg on the drawing.
•

Can be one of right, left, top, bottom (or r, l, t, b) or same.

•

A rotation will be performed if it is different from the side passed to -register.

-output_peg_matrix; output the peg transformation matrix on standard output.
-scanner_calibrate; < (default 1.0000 1.0000) > x and y scale factors to be applied to scanner image.

Filtering Options-pixel <pixel_shape (default '4x3')>; Valid values: 4x3-gap <worldUnits (default 10)>; close gaps up to this big-pencil; generate line art only
-keep_dirt; don't filter out dirt
-thresh <threshold (default 0.2)>; range 0.0 to 1.0-rmv_hairs <worldUnits (default 1)> <passes (default 1)>•

remove hairs of size smaller than "size" in "passes" passes-rmv_holes <area (default 7)>; remove holes smaller than "area"-rmv_dirt <area (default 1)>; remove dirt smaller than "area"•

try values between 100 and 500 for rmv_holes and rmv_dirt. The area is in world units squared-rmv_triangles <worldUnits (default 30.000000)>; remove triangles at "pixels"•

distance from each other. Use -no_break to remove all triangles-no_texture; don't generate textured strokes-color_as_texture; will vectorize the alpha channel and put the RGB colour in a textured colour-noclosegap; disable all gap closing algorithms-no_break; disable the breaking of line art-jag_filter <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap-expand_bitmap <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap-fit_errorc <error (default 1.000000>; fitting error for the colour art-fit_errorl <error (default 1.000000>; fitting error for the line art-smoothl <passes (default 1>; number of smooth passes for line art-smoothc <passes (default 1>; number of smooth passes for colour art-first_smooth <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art before breaking triangles-first_smoothl <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art before breaking triangles-first_smoothc <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art in colour art pass (needs -2pass)100

Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)-2pass; specify two sets of parameters; one for line art "l", one for colour art "c"(-thresh, -rmv_holes and -rmv_dirt will be overridden by -threshl, threshc, -rmv_holesl,-rmv_holesc, -rmv_dirtl and -rmv_dirtc)-threshl <threshold for line art (default 0.5)>; range 0.0 to 1.0-threshc <threshold for color art (default 0.5)>; range 0.0 to 1.0-jag_filterl <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for line art-jag_filterc <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for colour art-expand_bitmapl <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for line art-expand_bitmapc <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for colour art-rmv_holesl <area (default 7)>; remove line art holes smaller than "area"-rmv_holesc <area (default 7)>; remove colour art holes smaller than "area"-rmv_dirtl <area (default 1)>; remove line art dirt smaller than "area"-rmv_dirtc <area (default 1)>; remove colour art dirt smaller than "area"
try values between 100 and 500 for rmv_holesl, rmv_holesc, rmv_dirtl and rmv_dirtc. The values are in world
units squared-margins <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin around bitmap-top_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at top of bitmap-bottom_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at bottom of bitmap-left_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at left of bitmap-right_margin <inch (default 0.25)>; remove margin at right of bitmap-remove_peg_bars; remove the peg bar holes-field_size <fields (default 12 or use value in scan file)>; set the drawing to this field size
-fs; short hand for -field_size-peg_bar_size <inch (default 1)>; the size of the peg bar region-noframe; do not put a frame around the colour art-frame_fields <default -1.000000>; put a frame of the specified dimension around the colour art-downscale_input <default 1>; downscale the raw input by this integer factor-downscale_texture <default 1>; downscale the output texture by this integer factor-buildmatte; generate a matte on underlay for line test
-buildmatte_colourart; generate a matte on colour art for line test

NOTE: -buildmatte and -buildmatte_colourart are mutually exclusive

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Chapter 1: Dialog Boxes-copystrokes; copy original strokes when building matte.

Options for bitmap that has no registration information-pixel_margins <inch (default 0)>; remove margin around bitmap-top_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at top of bitmap-bottom_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at bottom of bitmap-left_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at left of bitmap-right_pixel_margin <inch (default 0)>; remove margin at right of bitmap-dpi <(default -1)>; dpi information of input bitmap

RGB Keying Options-rgb; generate separate zones for red, green and blue lines-rgb_alpha <value (default 255)>; generate red, green and blue colour with alpha of this value-no_red; ignore red colour in vectorization-no_green; ignore green colour in vectorization-no_blue; ignore blue colour in vectorization-flatten; flatten the drawing after generating colours-rmv_rgb_dirt <threshold area default 0.0>; remove red, green and blue regions smaller than area
-expand_bitmap_rgb <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap for rgb-threshrgb <value> <threshold for rgb vectorization default 0.200000>;-threshsv <saturation threshold default 0.500000> <value threshold default 0.500000>; thresholds on saturationand value to consider a pixel to be grey

Colour Vectorization Options-color_vectorize; perform a colour vectorization-file2 <colour art filename>; specify the colour art bitmap-penstyle <center alpha (0.0-20.0)> <edge alpha (0.0-20.0)> <gamma (0-10)><centre pressure effect (0.0-1.0)><edge pressure effect (0.0-1.0)><texture bitmap downscaling (0.2-20)> <texture bitmap file (valid filename or "" ifno file)>; generate brush texture for the line art-pressure_variation <strategy (0, 1 or 2)> <min pressure (0.0-1.0)> <max pressure (0.0-1.0)> <max variation(0.0-1.0)>; specify a pressure strategy for the centre line.
-blur_radius <pixels (default 0)>; blur the penstyle texture generated-color_contour_smooth_passes <times (default 3)>; perform number of smooth passes on contour before
computing texture-ccsp <times (default 3)>; short for -color_contour_smooth_passes-color_rmv_holesl <world units (default 0.000000)>; remove holes of this size when computing texture102

Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)-color_fill_holesl <world units (default 0.000000)>; fill holes of this size for colour line art

Bubble Usage (implemented only for colour vectorization's line art)-create_bubbles; add bubbles into the LineArt. Implemented for colour vectorization only
-bubble_gap <value (default 3)>; max number of colour art points between 2 bubbles-bubble_length <value (default 10)>; max number of circles in a bubble-min_radius <value (default 1.5000)>; min radius of a circle in a bubble relative to the line thickness (must be >=1.0)-max_radius <value (default 3.5000)>; max radius of a circle in a bubble relative to the line thickness (must be >=1.0)-uniform_gap; the space between bubbles is constant

4 Colour Vectorization-4colours [key:value] ... [key:value] ; The key value list can be empty. The list of keys is:
rgbdiff:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
dark:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
grey:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
white:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
dirt:value ; dirt area. 200 is a good value
rt:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
gt:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]
bt:value ; between [0.0-1.0] or [0-255]

NOTE: There must be no space between the colon and the key/value. For example: -4colours rgbdiff:20 dark:20
grey:120 white:250 dirt:200 rt:240 gt:240 bt:240

Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box
The Xsheet Column Width dialog box lets modify the width of a column in the Xsheet view and use it as the default
column width.
For tasks related to this dialog box, see Modifying the Look of the Column on page 1.
How to access the Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box
1. In the Xsheet view, select a column.
2. From the Xsheet menu, select View > Set Columns Width.
The Xsheet Column Width dialog box opens.

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Parameter

Description

Columns Width (pixels)

Lets you set the width of the selected columns (in pixels).

Apply

Applies the value you entered to the selected column without closing the dialog
box.

Set As Default

Uses the value you entered as the default for all columns in the Xsheet.

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Chapter 2: Layer Properties
Intro...

Drawing Layer Properties
The Layer Properties editor or view lets you adjust the properties of a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Nodeview. The Layer Properties can be viewed as a floating window or as a view (docked).
Each layer has its own set of properties that can be modified, including effect and peg layers. Display the Layer
Properties editor or view if you want to modify some of the layer’s properties, such as the name or the antialiasing
quality.
How to access the Layer Properties editor‣

Double-click on a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view.

‣

Right-click on a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view and select Layer Properties.

‣

Select a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view and press Shift + E.

How to access the Layer Properties view
1. Do one of the following:‣

Select the view you want to add from Windows > Layer Properties.

‣

In the top-right corner of a view, click the Add View

By default, the Layer Properties view appears as a tab.

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button and select Layer Properties from the list.

Chapter 2: Layer Properties

Transformation Tab
The Transformation tab contains parameters for adjusting the position, scale, rotation, skew and pivots of anelement.
When the Enable 3D option is selected, additional parameters appear in the Rotation and Pivot sections to rotate
objects on 3 axis in the 3D space.

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Parameter

Description

Enable 3D

Displays additional parameters for working with 3D objects.
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.
Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.
Path (x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Position

Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.
Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at which107

Chapter 2: Layer Properties

Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash and stretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.
Scale(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.
Scale in Fields: Instead of using the standard scaling units, when this option isenabled, images are scaled using field units, based on the traditional animation
field chart.
Ignore Parent Scaling: When this option is enabled, any scaling value applied toa parent layer is ignored in the current layer. This can be handy in cut-out rigs
when you need to scale an arm without affecting the forearm.

RotationAngle z: Lets you type in a degree value for the rotation angle. Note that you canenter values greater than 360 and -360 degrees. If you enter 720, the object will
rotate twice.

Skew

Skew: Lets you type in a degree value between -90 to 90 for the skew angle.
(x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Pivot(y) Axis: Lets you ype in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.
Use Embedded Pivots:
Harmony has three types of pivots:•

Drawing Pivot

Permanent Pivot
This is a permanent pivot, sometime referred to as peg pivot, that is
applied to the entire drawing or peg layer. If you modify its position, it will
be changed for the entire layer, modifying the animation, scale and rotationinterpolation. The permanent pivot is set using the Rotate, Translate or
Scale tool. The Transform tool will only move that pivot temporarily for
positioning purposes, but the animation interpolation will be done from theoriginal permanent pivot's position. The Transform tool is designed tomove the pivot temporarily during the animation process. It also permits
you to select multiple pegs and apply a common temporary pivot.
To permanently move a peg pivot, use the Rotate or Scale tool. You canalso directly type the values in the Layer Properties window in the Pivot
section's (x) Axis and (y) Axis fields.
In the Layer Properties window, in the Drawing Pivot section, select the
Don't Use Embedded Pivot option to use the permanent pivot.

•

Drawing Pivot
The Drawing pivot is contained within each drawing. In one layer, eachdrawing can have its own pivot. If you have many different views of acharacter within one layer, the pivot can be different and the animation will
adjust to the pivot. The Drawing pivot can also be referred to as embedded
pivot. If you are not mixing different views within the same layers or areusing pegs to animate your layers, it is recommended to use the108Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

permanent pivot.

You can set a different pivot for each one of your drawings. For example, if
you have a series of drawings from different views, they are not likely torotate from the same location. In that case, you can set a different pivot forthese drawings by using the Drawing Pivot
tool.
In the Layer Properties window, in the Drawing Pivot section, select the
Apply Embedded Pivot on Drawing Layer option to use the drawing
pivot directly on the drawing layer. If you want to apply the drawing pivot toa parent peg to force the peg to follow the drawing pivot variations, enable
the Apply Embedded Pivot on Parent Peg option.
•

Symbol Pivot
The Symbol pivot is similar to the Drawing pivot. Each symbol cell canhave its own pivot and act the same as the Drawing pivot. The Symbol
pivot can also be referred to as embedded pivot. Inside a symbol, eachdrawing can have its own pivot. If you are not mixing different views within
the same layers or are using pegs to animate your layers, it isrecommended to use the Peg pivot.

For a simple character rig, it is recommended to set the Peg pivot (even on
drawing layers) using the Rotate
tool.

Drawing Tab
The Drawing tab contains parameters for the element and timing columns, designating art layers, and setting bitmap
options.

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Parameter

Description

Element Columns

Full Name: Select which element to connect to the node from the list ofelements that already exist in your scene.
Drawing Path: Displays the full path to the current drawing.
Name: Path to the file you want to link to.
Timing Column: Link to the column that contains the desired timing.

Timing Columns

Extension: When linking to a background file, enter its file name extension.
Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of thepaper on which the animation was drawn.
Overlay Art Enabled: Enables the Overlay Art display.
Line Art Enabled: Enables the Line Art display.
Colour Art Enabled: Enables the Colour Art display.
Underlay Art Enabled: Enables the Underlay Art display.

Art Layers

Overlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Overlay Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Line Art Type: Allows you to set the Line Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Colour Art Type: Allows you to set the Colour Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Underlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Underlay Art as Vector or Bitmap
type.

Bitmap File Options

When an image is created with an external software and that image has sometransparency, there are several formats the software can use when writing the
RBG channels. The purpose of the four import options for the transparency isfor the user to tell Harmony how to interpret the RGB channels of the imported
image. The correct option has to match the ouput format of the software that110

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was used to create the image in the first place. For instance, if the you used
Adobe Photoshop and exported an image as Straight, then it should be
imported in Harmony as Straight in order to get the correct result.
Note that if the image has no alpha channel or if it does have an alpha channel
and all the pixels are 100% opaque, it does not make any difference which
option is selected.
Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images. If
this module reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether
the colour should be read or ignored. If this module reads 1-channel bitmaps,
this selection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When
this option is selected with 1-channel images, the resulting image will be agreyscale image.
Transparency: Controls the production of alpha information from bitmap
images. If this module reads a 1 or 3-channel image, this option will create amatte from the colour values in the image. If the module reads a 4-channel
image and this option is not selected, the alpha information in the image will beignored.
Transparency Type
Premultiplied with Black: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black.
Premultiplied with White: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with white.
Straight: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are left as is(unmatted).
Clamp Colour to Alpha: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black. On import, each of the RGB channels is clamped so that acolor value never exceed the alpha value for a given pixel. When the RGB
values are multiplied with the alpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel ofvalue R=247, G=188, B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50%
transparency, then the actual RGB values output would be half of the amounts
listed above.

Drawing Tab
The Drawing tab contains parameters for the element and timing columns, designating art layers, and setting bitmap
options.

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Parameter

Description

Element Columns

Full Name: Select which element to connect to the node from the list ofelements that already exist in your scene.
Drawing Path: Displays the full path to the current drawing.
Name: Path to the file you want to link to.
Timing Column: Link to the column that contains the desired timing.

Timing Columns

Extension: When linking to a background file, enter its file name extension.
Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of thepaper on which the animation was drawn.
Overlay Art Enabled: Enables the Overlay Art display.
Line Art Enabled: Enables the Line Art display.
Colour Art Enabled: Enables the Colour Art display.
Underlay Art Enabled: Enables the Underlay Art display.

Art Layers

Overlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Overlay Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Line Art Type: Allows you to set the Line Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Colour Art Type: Allows you to set the Colour Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Underlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Underlay Art as Vector or Bitmap
type.

Bitmap File Options

When an image is created with an external software and that image has sometransparency, there are several formats the software can use when writing the
RBG channels. The purpose of the four import options for the transparency isfor the user to tell Harmony how to interpret the RGB channels of the imported
image. The correct option has to match the ouput format of the software that112Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

was used to create the image in the first place. For instance, if the you used
Adobe Photoshop and exported an image as Straight, then it should be
imported in Harmony as Straight in order to get the correct result.
Note that if the image has no alpha channel or if it does have an alpha channel
and all the pixels are 100% opaque, it does not make any difference which
option is selected.
Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images. If
this module reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether
the colour should be read or ignored. If this module reads 1-channel bitmaps,
this selection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When
this option is selected with 1-channel images, the resulting image will be agreyscale image.
Transparency: Controls the production of alpha information from bitmap
images. If this module reads a 1 or 3-channel image, this option will create amatte from the colour values in the image. If the module reads a 4-channel
image and this option is not selected, the alpha information in the image will beignored.
Transparency Type
Premultiplied with Black: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black.
Premultiplied with White: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with white.
Straight: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are left as is(unmatted).
Clamp Colour to Alpha: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black. On import, each of the RGB channels is clamped so that acolor value never exceed the alpha value for a given pixel. When the RGB
values are multiplied with the alpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel ofvalue R=247, G=188, B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50%
transparency, then the actual RGB values output would be half of the amounts
listed above.

Controls Tab

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The Controls tab contains animation control options.
Parameter

Description

Animation

Animate Using Animation Tools: By default, a drawing layer can be animatedusing the same parameters as a peg, but you can disable this feature. Being
able to switch your drawing layers so they can no longer be animated without apeg has certain advantages. In cut-out animation, it is easier to separate yourdrawing exposure and keyframes to change timing easier and rearrange
keyframe position in the Timeline view. This feature is also available forbackward compatibility when bringing in templates created in older versions of
the software, so as not to lose their offset keyframes or drawing substitution
keyframes.
Lets you set a maximum and minimum rotation angle for a drawing. This option
is used mainly for a cut-out character when you do not want an elbow to bend
too far in or out.

Angle Limit Values

Enable Min/Max Angle: Activates the minimum and maximum angle
constraints.
Min Angle: Type the minimum angle you want the drawing to rotate too.
Max Angle: Type the maximum angle you want the drawing to rotate too.

Spline Offset

In the X, Y and Z axis fields, type the coordinates of where you want to offset
the visual trajectory. By default, the trajectory is displayed at the centre
drawing, using the layer's pivot position. If you want to move it so itcorresponds better with your drawing, either type new coordinates or use theSpline Offset tool available in the Advanced Animation toolbar.
To display the trajectory in the Camera view, select your drawing and selectView > Show > Control. You can also press Shift + F11 (Windows/Linux) or⌘ + F11 (Mac OS X).

Advanced Tab
The Advanced tab contains options for setting the alignment of drawings, clipping, line thickness, vector render
options, and more.

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Parameter

Description
Alignment Rule: The alignment rule selections are intended to deal with drawings
that were created on paper of a different size or orientation from the defaultalignment rule (set up in the Scene Settings dialog box) or imported bitmap
images. The drawings are then scaled to match the Harmony alignment
rectangle. Note that alignment rules are not based on the camera frame, but on
the scene frame. Refer to the Fundamentals Guide to learn more about scenealignment and scene settings.
•

Left: The default alignment for drawings; aligns the drawings to the left
side of the scene’s alignment rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings tomatch their height to the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Right: Aligns the drawings to the right side of the alignment rectangle.
Harmony scales the drawings to match their height to the height of thealignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Top: Aligns the drawings to the top of the alignment rectangle. Harmony
scales the drawings to match their widths to the width of the alignment
rectangle of the scene.

•

Bottom: Aligns the drawings to the bottom of the alignment rectangle.
Harmony scales the drawings to match their widths to the width of thealignment rectangle of the scene.

Alignment

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Centre Fit: Centers the drawings.

•

Centre Fill: Centers the drawings and then scales them so the width orheight fills the available space.

•

Centre LR: Aligns the drawings in the left-right centre of the alignment
rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings to match their height to the heightof the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Centre TB: Aligns the drawings in the top-bottom centre of the alignment
rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings to match their widths to the widthof the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Stretch: Scales the drawings so they fit within the alignment rectangle ofthe scene. This is particularly useful for images that you will manipulate
with a Quadmap node. If the drawings in the Quadmap node do not havethe same aspect ratio as the alignment rectangle of the scene (from the
Scene Settings dialog box), the handles on the quadmap will not appear on
the corners of the image, making it difficult to manipulate the quadmap. In
this case, you would set the drawing layer of the quadmap images toStretch to make the handles appear on the corner of the image. This canhave the effect of distorting the images, but it is not an issue with images
that will be distorted through the Quadmap node anyways.

•

As Is: Leaves the drawings aligned as they are.

•Centre First Page: Aligns the centre of the first part of a standard pan celwith the centre of the field chart.

Turn Before Alignment: Rotates the drawings in the selected element 90
degrees to the left before scaling and aligning them according to the alignment
rule, and before performing any offset, rotation or scaling for the element or peg.
This and the Alignment Rule are intended for drawings that were created on paperof a different size or orientation than the other paper in the scene, and requiresalignment so they are treated accurately.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the drawing on the X-axis.
Flip Vertical: Flips the drawing on the Y-axis.
No Clipping: Select this option if you do not want to clip the images in this node
before an effect is applied to it.
Clipping

Line Thickness

Clipping Factor (X)/(Y): This is an option for rendering images that are larger
than the final frame. With this option enabled, images can be moved by an Apply
Peg Transformation node without black entering into the composite as a resultof early clipping. In addition, this option is useful for images that have a blur thatshould appear in the frame even though the image itself is not in frame—see Apply
Image Transformation and Apply Peg Transformation.
As you move the camera in your scene along the Z-axis, notice that, logically, thelines of the elements become thicker the closer the camera gets to the drawing. If
you prefer the lines to remain the same size or become thicker at a different
speed, you can use the thickness feature to adjust your brush stroke and pencil
line thickness. You can modify the size of the lines even if the camera is notanimated.

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To learn how to use this feature, see Camera Truck-ins and Line Thickness.
Adjust Pencil Lines Thickness: Lets you work with pencil lines and adjust their
thickness. You will not see any changes to lines in the Camera view OpenGL
mode. You must switch to the Render mode.
Normal Thickness: Disables all overrides on the brush stroke line thickness.
This option must be enabled in order for the pencil line thickness parameter andpencil lines to appear. If you want to modify the brush stroke thickness, deselectthis option. To enable brush strokes to work with the line thickness feature, youmust first create central strokes in the Colour Art layer. The central strokes
control the line variation of your brush strokes in the Line Art layer. SelectDrawing > Create Colour Art from Line Art.
Zoom Independent Thickness: Select this if you want your line thickness toremain constant independently from the camera move. Everything else will
increase in size, but the line thickness will stay the same.
Proportional: Enter a multiple by which you want to increase the line thickness
base on its original thickness. A value of 1 will result in no change; a value of 0
(zero) will hide the lines.
Constant: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) to
indicate the amount of pixels you want to add around the existing line.
Minimum: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) for theminimum line thickness allowed.
Maximum: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) for the
maximum line thickness allowed.
•

Antialiasing Quality: A smoothness (antialiasing) setting applied to thefinal rendered image.
•

Low: No antialiasing•

Medium Low: Basic antialiasing•

Medium: Improved antialiasing (blurs the textures)•

High: High quality antialiasing (does not blur the textures)

Higher quality images require more time to render and more systemmemory. Choose a lower quality if you are rendering a pencil test.
•

Antialiasing Exponent: Controls the size of the area around the final
image edges used in the antialiasing process. A higher value uses lessarea, resulting in sharper edges, while a lower value uses more area,
resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing Quality value is set to Low (noantialiasing) or Medium Low, this value is ignored. Values: Between 0 and
1.

•

Texture Filter: This option changes the way coloured pixels of TVG
textures are calculated when rendered for different degrees of accuracy.

Vector Render Options•

Bilinear: This option takes the four pixels around each point andmakes a bilinear interpolation between them. (Medium Quality)•

Nearest: This option chooses the colour of the closest pixel to a point.
(Lower Quality)

117Chapter 2: Layer Properties•

Nearest (Filtered): This option is an improved version of Bilinear andimproves the quality when zooming on a texture. (Best Quality)•

Depth: Overrides the order of cables in the node system to determine theforward/backward order in which this element is rendered. The Z position
value overrides the depth value.

•Morphing Velocity: Creates a velocity function curve for morphing
sequences in the layer. This function modifies the interpolation percentage
between the 2 drawings. If set, the morphing between the two drawings
will not be linear over time between the two drawings but will be modulated
according to this curve. This can be used to create a periodic morphingover a long period of time.

•

Opacity: Lets you quickly change the transparency of the selected
element. Opacity settings here will be reflected in both OpenGL preview,and full render.

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Chapter 3: Menus
There are several types of menus in Harmony: main menus, quick-access menus and view menus.
•

Main Menus on page 119•

Quick-access Menus on page 142•

View Menus on page 143

Main Menus
The main menus contain most of the commands. Depending on the view you're working in and the element, somecommands are available and others not. The main menu is always located at the very top of the interface.

On Mac OS X, there is also a Stage category that contains the following commands:•

Preferences

•

About

•

Quit

Animation Menu
The Animation menu lets you access tools, adjust animation timing, set deformation, morphing and IK parameters,
lock or unlock layers, and select elements in the Xsheet and Timeline views.
How to access the Animation menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Animation.

Command

Description

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which lets you keyframe drawing layers tocreate computer-generated animation. When working in the Animate
mode, you can animate a layer's position and then turn off the mode toreposition a layer for the entire scene. When the Animate mode isdisabled, keyframes are created on selected layers at the current
frame. Depending on what transformations were performed (rotation,translation, skew), the new keyframes are added on the corresponding
parameters (function curves).

Stop-Motion Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated
motion between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The
drawing remains still until the playback reaches the next keyframe,then the drawing pops to its new location.

Delete Keyframe

Deletes the selected keyframe.

Tools
Transform

Lets you create a global selection so you can reposition, scale, rotateand skew as one unit, which is useful for cut-out characters.

119Chapter 3: Menus

Inverse Kinematics

Lets you pull on a character's extremities, such as the hands and feet,and have the rest of the body follow. Can be used on any piece connected in a hierarchy.

TranslateLets you move the selected element along the X and Y axes.

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

Increases or decreases the size of a selected element. You can scale
an object up to make it larger or down to make it smaller. Press Shift toscale the element while maintaining its proportions.

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Maintain Size

Keeps elements the same size aspect ratio in the Camera view as you
move them towards or away from the camera.

Spline Offset

Lets you reposition the visual trajectory without offsetting or modifying
your animation. By default, the trajectory is located at 0,0,0 fields. If
your elements were drawn in a different location than the centre of thedrawing area, it will look like the trajectory is not aligned with yourdrawing. Also, if you have several elements attached to one trajectory,
you might want your trajectory to be at a different location to represent
the group's motion better.

Reposition Drawing

Lets you reposition, scale, rotate or skew all drawing strokes on every
drawing included in a layer.

Increase Exposure

Adds one more exposure to a selected cell; repeating this action adds
an extra cell each time. This is an efficient way to extend a drawing's
exposure and is always set in Insert mode. Increasing an exposure
pushes the existing exposure forward.

Decrease Exposure

Decreases exposure of a selected cell by one; repeating this action
decreases one exposure adds an extra cell each time. This is anefficient way to shorten a drawing's exposure. Decreasing an exposure
pulls in the existing exposure.

Set Exposure toLets you set the exposure to 1, 2, 3 or a custom exposure.

Extend Exposure

Lets you enter the frame up to which you want to extend the exposure.
You can expose the drawing in the frames and replace the drawings
that were originally there or move the subsequent frames forward intime.

Add Key Exposure

Adds a key exposure to the selected cell.

Remove Key Exposure

Removes only the key exposure (key frames) not all the exposures.
The existing key exposure is replaced by the preceding exposure.

Remove Duplicate Key Exposure

When working with drawings to adjust the timing of a mouth in alipsync, for example, and forcing the use of specific key exposures,
unnecessary key exposures will be created. You can delete these
duplicates without affecting the rest of the drawing. The first drawing of
the selection will be used for the range.

Cell

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NOTE: Duplicate key exposures may occur when pasting with the
Enforce Key Exposure option selected.

Fill Empty Cells

Lets you fill empty cells to extend the exposure of single frame
drawings to fill the range of empty cells after each one.When creatingdrawings on cells that are not side-by-side, the exposure of the firstdrawing no longer fills automatically. You must select the frame range
where you want your drawings to hold their exposure up to the next
drawing and use the Fill Empty Cells command.

Insert Blank Cell

Adds an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure

Removes the exposure from the selected cell.

Clear Exposure and Pull

Replaces the exposure from the selected cell with exposures that
follow it.

Fill Selection

Lets you fill the same value over an entire selection. The selection canbe over one cell, a cell range in one column, a cell range over manycolumns, an entire column, or many columns. You can use numbers,
words, letters, or any alphanumeric value.

Sequence Fill

Lets you create a numbered sequence over a selection. The sequencecan be forward, backward, single, double or higher increment, as acycle, and so on. The selection can be over one cell or a cell range in
one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.

Fill Cells Randomly

Lets you fill in random values over a selection. You can give amaximum and a minimum value and create a range for Harmony tochoose the random values from. The selection can be over one cell or acell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire
columns.

Hold Exposure

Lets you expose a drawing for three, four, or five cells and so on.

Deformation
Set Curves and Offsets
Independent from Parent

When you transfer a curve's position to its parent offset, first you must
to set curves and offsets independent from parent.

Transfer Curve Values to Offset

Lets you transfer all of the information from first curve deformer to its
parent Offset node. This is useful for a legacy scene created using
Curve deformations where the Offset's position has been placed far
away from the drawing to make sure it doesn't affect the drawing's
deformation. You can bring back the offset and give it the first curve's
position. The Envelope deformation lets you animate the offset of eachcurve separately. The offset no longer needs to be placed far away.

Convert Elliptic Deformation ROI
to Shape

After you have created a deformation chain using Elliptic as the Zone ofInfluence type, you can select your deformer and click on this button toconvert it to a Shaped type. Control points will appear around the shapemaking it easy to customize.

NOTE: You can also convert the Elliptic zone of influence to a shape.
From the top menu, select Animation > Deformation > Convert Elliptic
Deformation ROI to Shape. This will create a much smaller initial

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zone of influence than if you were to convert it directly to a shape.

Convert Deformed Drawing toDrawings

Converts deformation animation to a drawing sequence so you canadjust it using the drawing tools to perfect something or add detail. You
may also want to change the timing and set it on double frame insteadof single frame.

Convert to New Drawing and Add
Deformation Chain

Takes the pose/drawing and the deformer of the selected frame andconverts it to a new pose/drawing with the corresponding deformer.

Exposure Fill

Using Render Change

Modifies the timing (exposure) of the selected layer, lets you adjust theparameters to assign when the texture exposure changes will occur.
You can adjust the type of filter to use for the motion detection, as wellas threshold values to indicate what will be considered a big enoughmotion variation for an exposure change—see Exposure Fill Using
Render Change on page 1.

Morphing
Create MorphingLets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types ofhints to help Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.

Insert Morphing Key Drawing

Creates a morphing keyframe from a selected morphing frame.

Delete Morphing

Once a cell is selected in a morphing sequence, deletes the entire
sequence between the two keyframes.

Convert Morphing to Drawing

Lets you convert your morphing inbetweens to real drawings you can
edit. This is useful when manually editing a morphing sequence or if
you prefer to have animation timing in double frame (on twos) instead of
single frame (on ones).

Contour Hint

The Contour Hint
point is used on the colour fill zone and brushlines; in other words, on Contour vectors. It allows you to control theline thickness and contour position. Also, if a contour is not animatedcorrectly, you can use hints to correct the animation. For example, if aflag is not waving properly.
When adding a Contour Hint point, make sure to place it far enoughaway from the contour so you can see it snap to the contour.
Contour Hint points are yellow.

Zone Hint

The Zone Hint
point is used on a colour zone to control theproximity rule. The Zone Hint is placed in the centre of the colour zone.
Sometimes a colour zone is not associated with the corresponding one
by default. For example, in a splash animation there are many water
droplets that are the same colour. Harmony automatically morphs thedroplet to the nearest one. This is not always the one you may havepredicted. A Zone Hint will force a colour zone to morph with anotherone.
Zone Hint points are cyan in colour.

Pencil Hint

A Pencil Hint
point is used to control a pencil line, also known ascentral vector. It can be used on drawings that were done using the122Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

Pencil, Polyline, Ellipse, Line and Rectangle tools. Like the Contour
Hint, the Pencil Hint snaps to the central vector. Make sure to place it
far enough away from the line so you will see it snap when you move it.
Pencil Hint points are magenta in colour.

Appearing Point Hint

An Appearing Point Hint
is used to control the trajectory of an
appearing shape. A shape will appear in the destination drawing when
there is no corresponding shape in the source drawing. If you do notplace an Appearing Point Hint to control the point of appearance, theshape will appear from its centre and expand outwards.
Appearing Point Hint points are violet in colour.

Vanishing Point Hint

A Vanishing Point Hint
is used to control the trajectory of avanishing shape. A shape will vanish from the source drawing when
there is no corresponding shape in the destination drawing. If you do
not place a Vanishing Point Hint to control the point of disappearance,
the shape will vanish into its centre.
Vanishing Point Hint points are green in colour.

Switch Between Morphing Key
Drawings

Toggles between the two key drawings in your morphing sequence.
This option is useful while setting hints. You can use the default
keyboard shortcut F4 to toggle between your drawings.

Go to First Frame

Goes to the first frame of your morphing sequence.

Go to Previous Frame

Goes to the previous frame of the selected frame in the morphing
sequence.

Go to Next Frame

Goes to the next frame of the selected frame in the morphing
sequence.

Go to Last Frame

Goes to the last frame of your morphing sequence.

Suggest Hints

Automatically sets hint points on key drawings as a help tool. If you're
not sure where to set hints, you can use this option. It will set the main
hints which you can then fine tune.

Hide Hints

Temporarily hides the hint points from the key drawings. Use thisoption when you have a series of hint points hiding some lines you
would like to see.

IK Constraints
Set IK Nail

Blocks the X, Y and Z positions.

Set IK Hold Orientation

Blocks the angle.

Set IK Hold X

Blocks only the X position.

Set IK Hold Y

Blocks only the Y position.

Remove All Constraints

Removes all nails except the minimum and maximum angles.

Lip-Sync
Change Mouth Shape toLets you change the mouth shape to one of the following: A, B, C, D, E,
F, G, X.

Auto Lip-Sync Detection

Generates a sound detection for lip-sync.

Map Lip-Sync

Automatically maps drawings in an element to the mouth chart you123Chapter 3: Menus

have generated for a sound. This can save time when you are lipsynching a voice track.
Flip
Flip Horizontal
Flips the selection horizontally or vertically.
Flip Vertical

Flip Scale X

Once your drawing layer is rotated, the original horizontal and verticalaxes change. The Flip Scale X and Flip Scale Y will perform a flip on
your drawing layer following its original axis.Remembers the original Xaxis of the layer and flips the element following it.

Flip Scale Y

Remembers the original Y-axis of the layer and flips the element following it.

Linear Motion

Switches between a linear and curved corner.

Lock in Time

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only
locked to a specific position and the curve can flow through it freely asother points are being added, moved, or adjusted (control point).

No Z Dragging

Keeps the Z value when you drag a character using the Transform orTranslate tool.

Substitute Drawing Previous
Substitute Drawing Next
Go to Previous Keyframe
Go to Next Keyframe
Select Previous Keyframe /Point
Select Next Keyframe /Point

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or next drawing.
Go to the previous or next keyframe.

Select the previous or next keyframe/point.

Select Child Skipping Effects

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg elementin the Timeline view skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg elementin the Timeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in
the Timeline view.

Select Group Content

Selects all of the contents of the group.

Select Parent Skipping Effects

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view
skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in theTimeline view.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in theTimeline view.

Lock
Lock

Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.

UnlockUnlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

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Lock All

Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.

Unlock All

Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.

Lock All Others

Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

Returns the value of the selected element to the initial value of theactive tool. For example, if the Rotate
tool is active, thetransformation angle will be reset to 0 and if the Transform
tool isactive, all the transformation values will be reset.

Reset All

Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer.
Your keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the default
position. All transformations are reset regardless of the tool you'reusing.

Reset All Except Z

Resets all transformations on the current frame except the Z position.
This is useful when doing cut-out animation. Cut-out puppets often
have a particular Z ordering for the different views of a character. Youmight want to reset the transformation, but not necessarily the Z
position.

Drawing Menu
The Drawing menu lets you access many tools related to drawing, painting, dirt removal, optimizing strokes, andmore.
How to access the Drawing menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Drawing.

Command

Description
Activates a drawing tool including:Drawing Tools

Select, Contour Editor, Pencil Editor, Cutter, Smooth Editor,
Perspective, Envelope, Reposition All Drawings, Drawing Pivot,
Brush, Pencil, Text, Eraser, Dropper, Morphing, Line, Rectangle,
Ellipse, Polyline, Paint, Ink, Repaint Brush, Close Gap, Stroke, Edit
Gradient/Texture, Hand, Zoom and Rotate View.
These drawing tools are available on the Tools toolbar.

Clean Up
Remove Dirt

Opens the Remove Dirt dialog box where you can specify the number
and size of dots removal from a selected drawing.

Remove Hair

Opens the Remove Hair dialog box where you can specify the number
and length of hairs for removal from a selected drawing. This removes
any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines orfilled zones. Increase the value to select larger strokes for removalfrom the drawing.

Close Gaps

Closes small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes
between the two closest points to close the colour zone. You do notneed to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few millimeters

125Chapter 3: Menus

away. The two closest points automatically close the gap.

Remove Art Inside Selection

Removes any art inside a selection. It is recommended that you clean
your Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke accumulation in the
Colour Art, it can result in large output files, especially if you work inhigh definition resolutions.

Remove Art Inside Selection on
All Drawings

Removes any art inside all drawings selected with the Permanent
Selection
option in the Select tool.

Remove Art Outside Selection

Removes any art existing outside a selection. It is recommended thatyou clean the Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke
accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files,
especially if you work in high-definition resolutions.

Remove Art Outside Selection on
All Drawings

Removes any art outside all drawings selected with the Permanent
Selection
option in the Select tool.
NOTE: The Paint commands require you to use the Permanent
Selection
option in the Select tool so you can maintain aselection over multiple drawings.

Paint

Unpaint Selection

Unpaints any art existing inside a selection.

Unpaint Selection on All Drawings

Unpaints all art contained inside a selection on all the drawings within
the same layer.

Unpaint Outside Selection

Unpaints any art existing outside a selection. If no selection have beendrawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be unpainted.

Unpaint Outside Selection on All
Drawings

Unpaints all art outside a selection on all the drawings within the samelayer.

Repaint Selection

Repaints any art inside a selection.

Repaint Selection on All Drawings

Repaints any art inside a selection on all the drawings contained within
the same layer.

Repaint Outside Selection

Repaints any art outside a selection. If no selection has been drawn
using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be repainted.

Repaint Outside Selection on All
Drawings

Repaints any art outside a selection on all the drawings contained
within the same layer.

ConvertPencil Lines to Brush Strokes

Converts the selected centreline pencil strokes into contour strokes
brush lines.

Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines

Converts selected contour strokes into centreline pencil strokes. The
brush stroke thickness will be lost.

Strokes to Pencil Lines

Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.

Break Apart Text Layers

Text is treated as a single drawing object. This separates the text soeach character becomes an individual drawing object you can selectand modify independently.

Optimize
FlattenMerges drawing objects and brush strokes into a single layer. If you

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draw new lines to fix a drawing or line with many brush strokes, it canbe useful to flatten them all into a single shape. By default, lines are
drawn one on top of each other. If you intend to repaint the lines ormodify their shape, it will be easier if they are flattened.
SmoothSmooths selected drawing strokes and removes extra points.

Create Contour Strokes

Adds a permanent invisible line around a shape that was drawn directly
in Harmony. This allows you to unpaint lines with the Paint tool but
maintain the shape of the lines, should you need to repaint later.

Remove Contour Strokes

Remove any permanently invisible lines that were created while
scanning and vectorizing drawings or manually adding contour strokes.
This is useful for removing the intersection triangles created duringvectorization.

Remove Extra Strokes

Removes strokes inside painted area. This option only works after thepainted drawing is flattened.

Optimize

Reduces the number of layers, such as overlapping brush strokes, inthe selected drawing objects. Drawing objects will only be flattened
and optimized if the selected objects do not change the appearance ofthe final image when they are merged.

Crop Brush Textures

Crops an unnecessarily large texture bitmap that lies unseen beneaththe vector contour of a textured line. This often occurs when you cut
and paste textured lines from one drawing into another. If you cut a portion from a textured line and paste it into a different drawing, Harmony
pastes the entire unseen texture bitmap from the source drawing into
the new one, even if you only took a small portion of the source drawing. Using the Crop Brush Texture command will crop away extraneous
texture that does not touch the vector area. If there are many textured
lines in your scene, this will greatly reduce the file size.

Reduce Drawing Texture
Resolution

When you import and vectorize as texture (colour) a high resolution
image, the size of your drawing can be heavy. You can reduce the size
and resolution of the textures in a drawing.
When you import and vectorize drawings using the grey or colour
preset styles, you don't have control on the size of the bitmap texture.
You can reduce that bitmap texture.

Transform
Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

Rotate 180

Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Arrange
Bring to Front

Moves the selected art to the front (on top).

Bring Forward

Moves the selected art one level forward (closer to the front).

Send Backward

Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).

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Send to Back
Create Empty Drawing

Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).
Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may
already be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meetsanother drawing, key exposure or a blank cell.
Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you
modify an existing drawing but retain the original.

Duplicate Drawings

When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new
drawing. The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current
cell is removed. The original drawing is not deleted from the project
folder or other cells in which it is exposed.

Delete Selected Drawings

Permanently removes selected drawings. Once you save your project,these drawings cannot be recovered.

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Rename Drawing with Prefix

Lets you rename a drawing sequence with a prefix, which can be quite
useful for cut-out puppet breakdown and deformation animation. Thisapplies to any deformation work done in pre-Harmony 12 versions.

Rename by Frame

Lets you rename a series of drawings relative to their frame position.
This is useful in hand-drawn animation.

Select Strokes with Current Colour

Lets you select drawing elements and painted areas with the same
colour as the currently selected colour in your colour palette.

Distribute to Layers

Every selected stroke in the Camera view is placed on separate layers;
one layer per stroke. If artwork is composed of several strokes, youmust group them to put them on the same layer.
This operation cannot be done in the Drawing view.

Create Colour Art from Line Art

Lets you use the outline you traced on one of the four embedded layers(line art, colour art, overlay, underlay) and create invisible strokes topaint your drawings on separate layers. This provides more inking andpainting flexibility.
You can also configure this option to create the invisible strokes on anyof the four embedded layers.

Create Breaking Triangles

Useful for brush strokes, creates triangular breaks at natural line
intersections. These intersections are the probable locations wherecolour line breaks may occur, such as where a sleeve meets a hand.
This makes it easier to soft trace lines in different colours when there
are flattened or unflattened clean brush strokes.

Generate Auto-Matte

Fills colour based on currently selected colour swatch on different
drawing layers (overlay, underlay) so overlapping lines are more visible
during a line test.

Adjust Line Texture Opacity

Lets you adjust the contrast and opacity of textured lines in a drawing.

Change Bitmap Drawing Resolution

Lets you change the resolution of bitmap art for individual drawings.
You can reduce the resolution of your bitmap file as well as increase it.
Be careful because enlarging the bitmap resolution on an existingdrawing will result in a loss of quality.Harmony will perform a pixel
smoothing pass (resampling) and create additional pixels to avoid

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losing too much quality, but only to a certain extent.
This feature is very useful when you need to have a full resolution of abitmap image (such as imported bitmaps as .psd or .tga for the
background) for tracing to create a matte directly in Harmony.
By default, Harmony creates small thumbnail images when imported
as bitmap in order to increase performance by using a small thumbnail
image instead of using the original large size bitmap for animation workin Harmony. This will make difficult to view details or trace due to the
low resolution (blurry). This option temporary increases the resolutionof bitmaps up to their original bitmap resolution to make tracing easier.

NOTE: Regardless of using small thumbnails in Harmony, the final
render will use the real image resolution so there is no loss of quality
in the final render.

NOTE: The small thumbnail size can be changed in Preferences(Camera tab).

Previous Drawing
Next Drawing
Previous Layer
Next Layer

Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you cannavigate between the drawings, frames, and layers.
Displays the previous drawing, next drawing, previous layer or nextlayer.

Colour Protection
Toggle Current Colour Protection

Temporarily enables/disables the Colour Protection feature so you canquickly correct wrongly inked or painted areas under protected colour
without readjusting the Current Colour Protection option.

Respect Colour Protection

In the Colour view, you can protect a colour swatch to avoid repainting
or unpainting the zones linked to that swatch. If you using the Paint tooland this option is deselected, you will repaint or unpaint the protectedcolours on your drawings until you enable the option again.

Edit Menu
The Edit menu lets you repeat and undo actions, cut/copy/paste selected objects, select and manipulate objects,
work with symbols, and access the Preferences dialog box.
How to access the Edit menu‣

From the top menu, select Edit.

Command

Description

Undo

Removes the last change made to your project. Harmony supports
multiple undo, so you can undo changes you made in the order you
made them.

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Redo

Redoes an operation you have undone. This command is active only
after you use the Undo command.

Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties to another object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a
view.
Opens the Paste Special dialog box which lets you determine howtemplates and symbols are imported in the Timeline view.

Paste Special
There are advanced paste options for drawings, timings, keyframes,
layers, as well as palettes and symbols.
Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

Paste Cycle

Cycles a portion of an animation. You can increase or decrease thenumber of cycles to paste and select a type of cycle: Normal, Reverse,
Forward-Reverse and Reverse-Forward.

Paste Reverse

Reverses the timing of drawings or keyframes in range of selection
after copying.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the
Drawing, Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple
objects as one when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items thatwere not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a
drawing, this command will deselect them and select any other lines inthe drawing that were not selected.
Not clear for me. Missing information: This however unselects thecurrently selected drawing (e.g. unselect current selected lines andselect everything else that is unselected).
Automatically applies changes you make to a property dialog box. Harmony applies the modification automatically and displays the result
immediately in the Camera view. If you do not want to immediately display every change made to your scene, turn off this default setting bydeselecting the Auto Apply option. This is useful when you are working
on a very heavy scene.

Auto-Apply
NOTE: If you want to always work in Auto-Apply mode, you candeselect the Auto-Apply option in the Preferences dialog box (Generaltab). Then, each time you start Harmony, the Auto-Apply mode will beoff. You must click the Apply button to see any modifications.

Create Symbol

Creates a symbol from selected drawing elements in the Drawing or
Camera view, nodes in the Node view, or a layer or cells in the Timeline
view.

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Open Merge Editor

Lets you bring together (merge) the layer or drawings from different
version of the same scene.
Extracts a symbol's contents and places it on the root timeline. Its
contents will be copied and inserted into the root timeline. The symbol
will not be removed from the Timeline view once it is expanded.

Expand Symbol

The symbol's layers will be parented to it in case you created motions
and transformations on the drawing layer that contain the symbol.
Breaking the hierarchy could result in the loss of any scaling andanimation you may have created.

Expand Selected Symbol in Groups

Expands a symbol within a group to avoid crowding the timeline with aseries of layers. When you expand the symbols, the layers will be contained in a group node that you can expand to see the content.

Duplicate Selected Symbol

Creates a duplicate of a selected symbol. If other symbols are nested
inside the new symbol, they are not duplicated. If you modify them, theoriginal and other instances will also be modified.

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection

Breaks a character into its main body parts. There is no need to create
any layers prior to this process. Make sure your model is well centeredand sized in the Camera view—see Breaking Down the Main Parts on
page 1.

Clone: Drawings Only

Creates a copy of the drawings in the selected layer in the Timelineview or column in the Xsheet view. The timing it not copied.

Clone: Drawings and Timing

Creates a copy of the drawings and their timings in the selected layer in
the Timeline view or column in the Xsheet view.

Duplicate

Duplicates a layer to have a copy of the drawings that are independent
from the original ones, as well as an independent timing (exposure).
When you need the drawings to be modified independently, you will
want to duplicate the layer instead of cloning it.
There are two methods of merging drawings.
•

You can merge selected drawings in adjacent elements. The
columns and layers will be left intact, and each new merged
drawing will reside in the frames of the left-most column or lower
layer.

•

You can merge elements. All drawings will be merged. Unused
columns and layers will be deleted, but the original drawing files
are still accessible.

Merge

Group
Group

Groups selected drawing objects in the Camera or Drawing view.

Ungroup

Ungroups a selected group of drawing objects in the Camera or
Drawing view.

Group Selected Layers

Groups selected layers in the Timeline view or nodes selected in the
Node view.

Ungroup Selected Layers

Ungroups a selected group in the Timeline or Node views.

Move to Parent GroupMoves selected nodes in the Node view up to the parent group level,
maintaining all connections.

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Edit Drawing Mode

When the Auto-Get Rights to Modify Drawings option is selected in the
Preferences dialog box (General tab), the system automatically getsthe rights to modify drawings when you select a drawing. Otherwise,
you must manually get the rights to modify drawings.

Edit Palette List Mode

When the Auto-Get Rights to Modify Palette option is selected in the
Preferences dialog box (General tab), the system automatically getsthe rights to modify palettes and palette lists when you select a colour
from a palette. Otherwise, you must manually get the rights to modify apalette or palette list.

Get Rights to Modify Drawing

Manually released the rights to modify a selected drawing.

Release Rights to Modify Drawing

Manually releases rights to modify a selected drawing.

This option is always available even if the Get Rights to Modify All
Force Release Rights to Modify Drawing Scene Assets option is not selected in the Database Selector dialog
box.
Preferences

Opens the Preferences dialog box where you can set your preferencesfor Harmony.

File Menu
The File menu lets you open, close, save, scan, print, and import and export files.
How to access the File menu‣

From the top menu, select File.

Command

Description

Open

Displays the Open Scene dialog box where you can browse for ascene file. You can open a new scene from the current one and theprevious scene will close.

Close

Closes the currently opened scene, but does not close the Harmony
application.

Save

Saves all changes made to the opened scene, drawings, palettes,
and palette lists.
Lets you do the following:llAdvanced Savell

Save the scene as the current version.
Save different versions representing different stages of the
production of your scene.
Save different versions representing different scene setups.
Choose specific assets that you want to save, such as drawings or palettes.

Rights to Modify Scene Version

Allows you to modify the selected version of the scene and accessthe version manager during the opened session

Rights to Modify Scene

Allows you to modify the currently selected scene version, but locks
access to the version manager during the opened session.

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Determines which drawing files have been modified on disk since
you loaded them. All updated drawings will be reloaded.
Read Changed Drawings
NOTE: Reloading a locked drawing will discard unsaved changes.

Manage Versions

Allows you to manage all the versions of the current scene.

Update Database Scene

Updates your database with only the changes you made to thescene. To do this, you must enter your host name and host port in
the Preferences dialog box, General tab.

Download Database Changes

If any changes were made to the scene you downloaded, you canperform an update by downloading these changes, which will be
integrated into your scene.

Remove Unused Files

Removes the unused palettes from the scene list.

ImportFrom Scanner

Imports drawings from a TWAIN scanner.

ImagesImports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize—see
Importing Bitmap Images on page 1.

3D ModelsOnce you have exported a model using a 3D authoring software, you
can import it and integrate it in your 2D animation scene. You havethe possibility to convert your 3D models to *.osb files upon importto Harmony and save them as such. This will allow Harmony torender 3D files with the associated textures without the need to copy
them manually (as long as the auxiliary files are linked correctly andnamed appropriately on your disk)—see Importing a 3D Object on
page 1.

Link to Images

Links to images stored on a centralizer server when working with
Harmony Server.

Movie

Lets you convert a QuickTime movie to an image sequence andaudio file.

Sound

Lets you import sound files into your project.

Colour Model

Lets you import TVG drawing file into your project. Once imported, it
is display in the Model view for use as a colour model which you canload into any Harmony scene.

SWF, Illustrator Files to LibraryLets you import SWF files into your project.

Movie

Exports animation as a QuickTime movie—see Exporting a
QuickTime Movie on page 1.

ExportRenders all the Write nodes in a node structure.
Render Write Nodes

Soundtrack

When working with Harmony Server, you can send your scene tobatch processing and to a render farm—see Batch Rendering.
Exports a sound file as a merged soundtrack or series of individual
files. The exported soundtracks are generated as *.wav files—see
Exporting a Sound File on page 1.

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Exports a Flash movie file.
SWF

The SWF export supports some bitmap effects (which can bepreviewed in Render View mode) and SWF Blend Modes (vector
effects which can be previewed in OpenGL View mode).
See Exporting an SWF Movie on page 1.

OpenGL Frames

Exports OpenGL frames (fast display mode) for a quick screen
renders of a scene that contain no transparency channel. Heavier
scenes containing 3D, multiple effects and camera moves can be
fairly long to export—see Exporting OpenGL Frames on page 1.

Layout Image

Exports all the elements in your scene to a layout .psd file.

Layout Image from Selection

Exports only the selected elements to a layout .psd file—see Exporting a Layout on page 1.

XsheetPrints the exposure sheet so you can take it to your animation table,
provide a copy to the animator, or create your Xsheet skeleton
directly in Harmony.

Node View

Print the Node view for reference purposes.

Print

Quit

Closes the application.

Help Menu
The Help menu lets you display the Harmony documentation, Welcome screen and end user license agreement,
as well as access the Toon Boom website, and identify the product name and version number.
How to access the Help menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Help.

Command

Description

Online Help

Opens the Harmony Help system, complete with instructions on
how to use the system. This requires an internet connection.

Getting Started

Opens the Harmony Getting Started Guide (in PDF format) in abrowser window. Requires Acrobat Reader.

Toon Boom on the Web

Opens the Harmony website, which features a Support andCommunity > Forum section.

Customer Experience Improvement
Program

The Customer Experience Improvement Program allows Toon
Boom to collect usage information. The data does not contain any
personally identifiable information and cannot be used to identify
you. The data will consist of a basic hardware description, a projectsummary and usage information. The information is used only forsoftware improvement purposes, as well as for sharing with third
parties for the same reason.
This program is enabled by default but is voluntary. If you prefer not
to participate, you can opt out when you first launch the software, byusing a global preference, or by a command line argument.

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About

Identifies the product name and version number.

Show End User License Agreement

Displays the End User License Agreement.

Debug Mode

Enables the Debug mode for gathering and displaying precise
information about each rendering frame, such as the nodes
encountered and action taken. You can view this information in the
Message Log view.

Command

Description

Online Help

Opens the Harmony Help system, complete with instructions on how
to use the system. This requires an internet connection.

Getting Started

Opens the Harmony Getting Started Guide (in PDF format) in a browser
window. Requires Acrobat Reader.

Toon Boom on the Web

Opens the Harmony website, which features a Support andCommunity > Forum section.

Customer Experience Improvement
Program

The Customer Experience Improvement Program allows Toon Boom tocollect usage information. The data does not contain any personallyidentifiable information and cannot be used to identify you. The data willconsist of a basic hardware description, a project summary and usage
information. The information is used only for software improvement
purposes, as well as for sharing with third parties for the same reason.
This program is enabled by default but is voluntary. If you prefer not toparticipate, you can opt out when you first launch the software, byusing a global preference, or by a command line argument.

About

Identifies the product name and version number.

Show End User License Agreement

Displays the End User License Agreement.

Debug Mode

Enables the Debug mode for gathering and displaying precise
information about each rendering frame, such as the nodes
encountered and action taken. You can view this information in the
Message Log view.

Insert Menu
The Insert menu lets you create empty symbols in the Library view, different types of layers in the Timeline view,
keyframes and control points.
How to access the Insert menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Insert.

Command

Description

Create Empty Symbol in Library

Creates an empty symbol in the Library view to which you can edit (addcontent).

Bone

Adds a new Bone layer to the Timeline view.

CameraAdds a new Camera layer to the Timeline view.

Colour-Card

Adds a new Colour-Card layer to the Timeline view.

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Drawing

Adds a new Drawing layer to the Timeline view and a column in the
Xsheet view.

Game Bone

Adds a new Game Bone layer to the Timeline and Node views.

Group

Adds a new Group layer to the Timeline and Node views.

Kinematic Output

Adds dd a new Kinematic Output layer to the Timeline and Node views.

Peg

Adds a new Peg layer to the Timeline and Node views.

Quadmap

Adds a new Quadmap layer to the Timeline and Node views.

Particle
Basic Particle System

Adds a new layer with a basic particle system in the Timeline and Nodeviews.

Basic Gravity-based System

Adds a new layer with a basic gravity-based particle system in theTimeline view.

Keyframe

Adds a keyframe to the selected cell in the Timeline view.

Keyframe and Duplicate Drawing

Adds a keyframe to the selected drawing layer cell in the Timeline viewand creates a duplicate of the drawing, which sits on top of the original
drawing.

Position Keyframe

Adds a position keyframe whereby keyframes will only be added on the
X, Y and Z parameters of the selected layer. Keyframes are not addedon the Angle, Scale and Skew parameters.

Control Point

Adds a control point to the trajectory of the selected element or peg in
the Camera view when the element or peg is in a 3D path. Note thatyou must have a 3D path in the peg portion in order to add a control
point.

Play Menu
The Play menu lets you play back animation and sound. Use it to scrub the sound to create your lip-sync, loop theplayback, navigate through frames, and change the playback range and speed.
How to access the Play menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Play.

Command

Description

Play

Plays and stops the animation.

Render and Play

Creates a render of your scene to play back the final result including
the effects.

Test SWF Movie

Creates a SWF format movie and a report to test your result before
proceeding to the final movie.

Stop

Stops playback.

Playback Speed

Opens the Set New Frame Rate dialog box where you can set theframe rate at which the playback plays.

Loop

Repeatedly plays back your animation indefinitely.

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Enable Sound

Turns on sound during playback.

Enable Sound Scrubbing

Turns on sound scrubbing during playback.

Start Frame

Opens the Set Playback Start Frame dialog box where you can set
the frame number on which to start playback.

Stop Frame

Opens the Set Playback Stop Frame dialog box where you can set
the frame number on which to stop playback.

First Frame

Moves the red playhead to the first frame.

Previous Frame

Moves the red playhead to the previous frame.

Next Frame

Moves the red playhead to the next frame.

Last Frame

Moves the red playhead to the last frame.

Go to Frame

Opens the Go to Frame dialog box where you can enter the frame
number on which the red playhead to be positioned in the Timeline
view.

Enable Playback
Top View
Side View

Plays back your animation in the Top, Side or Perspective views.

Perspective View

Scene Menu
The Scene menu lets you set the scene length, add frames to the scene, view different displays of the scene, setrender options, access the Scene Settings dialog box and Elements Manager window, and verify the drawing andpalette files in your project.
How to access the Scene menu‣

At the top of the interface, select Scene.

Command

Description

Scene Length

Lets you set the length of the scene in frames.

Frame
Add Frames at Start
Add Frames at End
Add Frames Before Selection
Add Frames After Selection
Remove Selected Frames

Adds the number of frames you specify to be added at the beginning or
end of the scene.
Adds the number of frames you specify before or after your selection.
Deletes the selected frames from your scene.

CameraDefault Camera

Lets you select a camera. If you only add one camera to your scene,
you will only see Default Camera in your list.

Default Display

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Display All
Display
Scene Settings

Shows the contents of a specific Display node, updating the contentsof the Camera, Top, Side, Perspective, and Timeline views—see
Display Concepts on page 1.
Opens the Scene Settings dialog box where you can set the resolution,alignment, bitmap resolution and many other parameters.

RenderAuto Render

Automatically recalculates the preview image whenever you modify aparameter. If your scene is heavy and you do not want the preview
rendered automatically, deselect the Auto-Render option and do the preview update manually.Note that this will slow down Harmony as it
takes resources to update every frame.
Renders a frame each time the current frame is changed.

Auto Render Write

You must have a Write node in your node structure to use thiscommand.

Recalculate All

Refreshes the node structure and rerenders the display when the Camera view is in render mode.

Recalculate Selected

Refreshes the node structure and rerenders the display of selected elements when the Camera View is in render mode.

Cancel Preview Render

Cancels a render that was started.

Element Manager

Opens the Element Manager window where you can add, delete or
modify elements (drawing folders) in your scene. If you have drawing
folders that are not linked to a column in your scene, use the Element
Manager to delete them if needed.

Check Files

Verifies the integrity of the drawing and palette files in your project.

View Menu
The View menu lets you manipulate the view by zooming, panning, or rotating. You can also display the grid andchange its size, use the onion skin feature to help with drawing, and set the preview resolution.
How to access the View menu‣

At the top of the interface, select View.

Command

Description
Enlarges the selected view to full screen which is done in threestages.

Toggle Full ScreenFirst, the selected view enlarges to the maximum width or height,
but keeps the tool views such as Colour or Tool Properties view.
Second, the view enlarges to full screen.
Third, the view returns to its original size.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animation

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table.
Rotate View CCW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise, like ananimation table.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Next Colour

Goes to the next colour in the Colour view.

Previous Colour

Goes to the previous colour in the Colour view.

Grid
Show Grid

Displays the grid.

Grid Outline Only

Displays the outline of the grid only.

Underlay

Displays the grid under the drawing elements.

Overlay

Displays the grid over the drawing elements.

Square Grid

Displays a standard square grid.

12 Field Grid

Displays a 12-field size grid.

16 Field Grid

Displays a 16-field size grid.

Onion Skin

Show Onion Skin

Lets you preview the previous and next drawings. By default, the previous drawings appear in a shade of red and the next drawings are
displayed with a shade of green. You can change these colours in
the Preferences dialog box.

Add to Onion Skin

Adds a series of selected elements to the onion skin preview.

Remove from Onion Skin

Removes a series of selected elements from the onion skin preview.

Remove Unselected from Onion
Skin

Removes all elements except the ones selected from the onion skinpreview.

Add All to Onion Skin

Adds all of the scene's elements to the onion skin preview.

Remove All from Onion Skin

Removes all of the scene's elements from the onion skin preview.

Onion Skinning by Drawing

In Camera view, the onion skin by default is per frame, this option
lets you set it by drawing so you don't see any exposure's onion skinfrom the same drawing.

No Previous Drawing

Removes the previous drawing's onion skin and displays only thenext drawing.

Previous Drawing

Displays the previous drawing.

Previous Two Drawings

Displays the previous two drawings.

Previous Three Drawings

Displays the previous three drawings.

No Next Drawing

Do not show the onion skin for all of the next drawings.

Next Drawing

Show the onion skin for the next drawing.

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Next Two Drawings

Show the onion skin for the next two drawings.

Next Three Drawings

Show the onion skin for the next three drawings.

Reduce One Previous Drawing

Reduces the number of previous visible drawings by one.

Add One Previous Drawing

Adds one drawing to the number of previous visible drawings.

Reduce One Next Drawing

Reduces the number of next visible drawings by one.

Add One Next Drawing

Adds one drawing to the number of next visible drawings.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see the previous and subsequent
active layers in washed-out colours. It is useful for seeing the otherlayers when designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Backlight

Produces a silhouette effect by changing the drawing’s coloured
areas into a single dark, solid colour. Use this to verify the completeness of the ink and paint process. Any unpainted zones can beseen as the light shows through the unpainted areas of the silhouetted drawing.

Show

Symbol Pivot

Displays a symbol's pivot. The Symbol pivot is similar to the Drawing pivot. Each symbol cell can have its own pivot and act the sameas the Drawing pivot. The Symbol pivot can also be referred to asembedded pivot. Inside a symbol, each drawing can have its own
pivot.

Safe Area

Displays the TV safety zone and the centre of the camera frame.
The safe area adapts to the scene resolution, as well as the safetyzone and frame’s centre.

Camera Mask

Displays a black mask around the scene’s frame to avoid seeing theunnecessary artwork. This option is handy when you're animating
and setting up the scene. It allows you to see your scene’s composition better.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Current Drawing on Top

Displays the selected drawing on top of everything while you draw.
By enabling this option, each time you select a drawing tool, theselected drawing is displayed in front of everything in the Camera
view. The Timeline and Node view ordering remain unchanged.
You only need to enable this option once, it is not necessary to do iteach time you select a drawing tool.

Outline Locked Drawings

Displays drawing that are locked in the Timeline view (cannot be
selected in the Camera view) as wireframes.

Show Strokes

Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines
stand out.

Show Strokes with Colour Wash

Displays strokes with washed-out colours.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Deformation
Show Current Deformers andHide All Others

Shows all current deformers and hides all other manipulators displayed in the Camera view.

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ParticleShow Particles as Dots in
OpenGL
Preview Manager

Displays the particles as dots in the OpenGL preview mode. This
makes the playback speed faster for a heavy scene.
Opens the Preview Manager where you can set options for the quality of previews, and clearing and updating the cache.

Preview Resolution
Same as Scene Resolution
3/4 of Scene Resolution
1/2 of Scene Resolution

Lets you choose a resolution for previewing a scene.

1/3 of Scene Resolution
1/4 of Scene Resolution
CustomBitmap File Quality

Lets you select a resolution from a list of presets or enter X and Y values for a custom preview resolution.
Lets you change the quality of the preview of the bitmap file in the
Camera view. It will not affect the final render.

Windows Menu
The Windows menu lets you customize your workspace to suit your working style, save it as a new workspace, andload it from the Workspace toolbar. You can also show or hide the different toolbars and views in Harmony.
How to access the Windows menu‣

From the top menu, select Windows.

Command

Description

Restore Default Workspace

Returns modified workspaces to their original default layout if you do
not like the current modifications or inadvertently closed some
windows.

Workspace
Workspace Manager

Opens the Workspace Manager where you can modify, create, delete,rename and reorder your workspaces.

Save Workspace

Saves the current workspace along with any modifications you made.

Save Workspace As...

Saves the workspace as a new version to avoid overwriting the current
one.

Workspace

Lets you open workspaces designed specifically for animating, compositing, hand drawing, scripting and the default workspace.

Toolbars

Lets you show or hide these toolbars: Tool Presets, Art Layer, Playback, File, Edit, Advanced Animation, Scripting, Coordinate, Control
Point, Display, Tools, Flip, Onion Skin, Mark Drawing, Easy Flipping,Workspace, Deformation, Drawing View, Camera View, Xsheet View
and Timeline View—see Toolbars on page 1.

CameraShows or hides the Camera view.

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ColourShows or hides the Colour view.

Coord. and Control Points

Shows or hides the Coordinates and Control Points view.

Drawing

Shows or hides the Drawing view.

FunctionShows or hides the Function view.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Library

Shows or hides the Library view.

Message Log

Shows or hides the Message Log view.

Model

Shows or hides the Model view.

Node LibraryShows or hides the Library view.

Node View

Shows or hides the Node view.

Perspective

Shows or hides the Perspective view.

Side

Shows or hides the Side view.

Timeline

Shows or hides the Timeline view.

Tool Properties

Shows or hides the Tool Properties view.

Top

Shows or hides the Top view.

XsheetShows or hides the Xsheet view.

Script Editor

Shows or hides the Script Editor view.

Quick-access Menus
A quick-access menu lets you open a list of the commands you will use most often.
How to access a quick-access menu
1. Right-click anywhere in a view.

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View Menus
A view menu contains commands specifically related to that view.
How to access a view menu
In the top-left corner of a view, click the Menu

button.

Camera Menu
The Camera menu lets you do many things in the Camera view, including selecting and editing objects in different
views, changing the display, setting morphing parameters, accessing tools and many more.

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How to access the Camera menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Camera view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Select Stroke With
Current Colour

Select the strokes that contain the currently selected colour.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were
not selected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Parent Skipping Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view skipping
Effects
effects in the hierarchy.
Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in the Timelineview.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.
Group: Groups selected drawing objects in the Camera or Drawing view.

Group

Ungroup: Ungroups a selected group of drawing objects in the Camera or
Drawing view.

View
Zoom In: Zooms in the view.
Zoom Out: Zooms out the view.
Navigation

Reset Zoom: Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.
Rotate View CW: Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like ananimation table.

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Rotate View CCW: Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise,
like an animation table.
Reset Rotation: Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.
Reset Pan: Resets the view’s pan to its default position.
Reset View: Resets the view to its default position.
Switch to Colour Art

Displays the Colour Art layer. When switching art layers, you can edit the
selected layer without affecting the other one.

Preview Line Art andColour Art@@

Open GL View

Switches the Camera view to fast display, letting you see your animation playin real time. The OpenGL display requires less memory. The final look of youreffects is not shown in the OpenGL View Mode. You must switch to the RenderView Mode to see your effects.

Render View

Switches the Camera view to a fully rendered display showing the final imageof the current frame. If a modification is done to your current frame or if you
move to a different frame, click the Update Preview button to update thedisplay if your preview does not update automatically.The Render View Modedisplay lets you see the final look of your frames including effects andantialiasing. You cannot play back your scene in Render View Mode. To see
your scene fully rendered and to play it back, you must press the Render andPlaybutton in the Playback toolbar.

Matte View

Switches the Camera view to a matte display showing the alpha channel of theelements in your scene. The transparency level ranges from 0 to 100 percent.
Zero percent is completely transparent and represented by black and 100 percent is completely opaque and represented by white. Everything in between
these extremes has a transparency level somewhere between 1 and 99 percent
and is represented in various shades of grey.
Show Grid: Displays the grid.
Grid Outline Only: Displays the outline of the grid only.
Underlay: Displays the grid under the drawing elements.

Grid

Overlay: Displays the grid over the drawing elements.
Square Grid: Displays a standard square grid.
12 Field Grid: Displays a 12-field size grid.
16 Field Grid: Displays a 16-field size grid.
Show Onion Skin: Lets you preview the previous and next drawings. By
default, the previous drawings appear in a shade of red and the next drawings
are displayed with a shade of green. You can change these colours in the
Preferences dialog box.

Onion Skin

Add to Onion Skin: Adds a series of selected elements to the onion skinpreview.
Remove from Onion Skin: Removes a series of selected elements from theonion skin preview.
Remove Unselected from Onion Skin: Removes all elements except theones selected from the onion skin preview.
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Add All to Onion Skin: Adds all of the scene's elements to the onion skinpreview.
Remove All from Onion Skin: Removes all of the scene's elements from theonion skin preview.
Onion Skinning by Drawing:
No Previous Drawing:
Previous Drawing: Displays the previous drawing.
Previous Two Drawings: Displays the previous two drawings.
Previous Three Drawings: Displays the previous three drawings.
No Next Drawing: Displays no next drawing.
Next Drawing: Displays the next drawing.
Next Two Drawings: Displays the next two drawings.
Next Three Drawings: Displays the next three drawings.
Reduce One Previous Drawing: Reduces the number of previous visible
drawings by one.
Add One Previous Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of previous
visible drawings.
Reduce One Next Drawing: Reduces the number of next visible drawings byone.
Add One Next Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of next visible
drawings.
Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see the previous and subsequent active
layers in washed-out colours. It is useful for seeing the other layers when
designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Backlight

Produces a silhouette effect by changing the drawing’s coloured areas into asingle dark, solid colour. Use this to verify the completeness of the ink andpaint process. Any unpainted zones can be seen as the light shows through theunpainted areas of the silhouetted drawing.
Symbol Pivot: Displays a symbol's pivot. The Symbol pivot is similar to the
Drawing pivot. Each symbol cell can have its own pivot and act the same as
the Drawing pivot. The Symbol pivot can also be referred to as embedded pivot.
Inside a symbol, each drawing can have its own pivot.
Safe Area: Displays the TV safety zone and the centre of the camera frame.
The safe area adapts to the scene resolution, as well as the safety zone andframe’s centre.

Show

Camera Mask: Displays a black mask around the scene’s frame to avoid seeing the unnecessary artwork. This option is handy when you're animating andsetting up the scene. It allows you to see your scene’s composition better.
Control: Displays the controls of the selected element.
BBox Selection Style: Lets you change the display style of selected elements
to a bounding box style. This removes the default overlay highlight and leaves
only the bounding box around the selected element.

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Outline Locked Drawings: Drawings that are locked in the Timeline view(cannot be selected in the Camera view) are displayed as wireframes.
Show Current Drawing on Top: Displays the selected drawing on top of
everything while you draw. By enabling this option, each time you select adrawing tool, the selected drawing is displayed in front of everything in the
Camera view. The Timeline and Node view ordering remain unchanged.
Show Strokes: Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines
stand out.
Show Strokes with Colour Wash: Displays strokes with washed-out colours.
Highlight Selected Colour:
Show Scan Information: Displays a status bar showing the scanning information at the bottom of the Drawing and Camera view.
Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Render Current Frame

Renders only the current frame.

Auto Render

Automatically recalculates the preview image whenever you modify a parameter. If your scene is heavy and you do not want the preview rendered automatically, deselect the Auto-Render option and do the preview update
manually.Note that this will slow down Harmony as it takes resources to
update every frame.

Layer Properties

Displays the Layer Properties window of the selected layer in the Timelineview.

Preview Manager

Opens the Preview Manager where you can set options for the quality of previews, and clearing and updating the cache.

Bitmap File Quality

Lets you change the quality of the preview of the bitmap file in the Camera
view. It will not affect the final render.

Drawing
Remove Dirt: Opens the Remove Dirt dialog box where you can specify the
number and size of dots removal from a selected drawing.
Remove Hair: Opens the Remove Hair dialog box where you can specify the
number and length of hairs for removal from a selected drawing. This removes
any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines or filledzones. Increase the value to select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.

Clean Up

Close Gaps: Closes small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible
strokes between the two closest points to close the colour zone. You do notneed to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few millimeters away. The
two closest points automatically close the gap.
Remove Art Inside Selection: Removes any art inside a selection. It is
recommended that you clean your Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke
accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files, especially if
you work in high definition resolutions.
Remove Art Inside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art inside all
drawings selected with the Permanent Selection
option in the Select tool.
Remove Art Outside Selection: Removes any art existing outside aselection. It is recommended that you clean the Colour Art level as well. If you

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have a stroke accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files,
especially if you work in high-definition resolutions.
Remove Art Outside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art outside
all drawings selected with the Permanent Selection
option in the Selecttool.
Unpaint Selection: Unpaints any art existing inside a selection.
Unpaint Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art contained inside aselection on all the drawings within the same layer.
Unpaint Outside Selection: Unpaints any art existing outside a selection. If
no selection have been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
unpainted.

Paint

Unpaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art outside aselection on all the drawings within the same layer.
Repaint Selection: Repaints any art inside a selection.
Repaint Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art inside a selection on all
the drawings contained within the same layer.
Repaint Outside Selection: Repaints any art outside a selection. If noselection has been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
repainted.
Repaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art outside aselection on all the drawings contained within the same layer.
Pencil Lines to Brush Strokes: Converts the selected centreline pencil
strokes into contour strokes brush lines.

ConvertBrush Strokes to Pencil Lines: Converts selected contour strokes into
centreline pencil strokes. The brush stroke thickness will be lost.
Strokes to Pencil Lines: Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.
Brush Apart Text Layers: Text is treated as a single drawing object. This
separates the text so each character becomes an individual drawing object you
can select and modify independently.
Flatten: Merges drawing objects and brush strokes into a single layer. If you
draw new lines to fix a drawing or line with many brush strokes, it can be useful
to flatten them all into a single shape. By default, lines are drawn one on top ofeach other. If you intend to repaint the lines or modify their shape, it will beeasier if they are flattened.
Smooth: Smooths selected drawing strokes and removes extra points.

Optimize

Create Contour Strokes: Adds a permanent invisible line around a shape thatwas drawn directly in Harmony. This allows you to unpaint lines with the Paint
tool but maintain the shape of the lines, should you need to repaint later.
Remove Contour Strokes: Remove any permanently invisible lines that werecreated while scanning and vectorizing drawings or manually adding contour
strokes. This is useful for removing the intersection triangles created during vectorization.
Remove Extra Strokes: Removes strokes inside painted area. This option
only works after the painted drawing is flattened.

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Optimize: Reduces the number of layers, such as overlapping brush strokes,
in the selected drawing objects. Drawing objects will only be flattened andoptimized if the selected objects do not change the appearance of the final
image when they are merged.
Crop Brush Textures: Crops an unnecessarily large texture bitmap that lies
unseen beneath the vector contour of a textured line. This often occurs when
you cut and paste textured lines from one drawing into another. If you cut a
portion from a textured line and paste it into a different drawing, Harmony
pastes the entire unseen texture bitmap from the source drawing into the newone, even if you only took a small portion of the source drawing. Using the Crop
Brush Texture command will crop away extraneous texture that does not touch
the vector area. If there are many textured lines in your scene, this will greatly
reduce the file size.
Reduce Drawing Texture Resolution:
When you import and vectorize as texture (colour) a high resolution image, thesize of your drawing can be heavy. You can reduce the size and resolution of
the textures in a drawing.
When you import and vectorize drawings using the grey or colour preset styles,
you don't have control on the size of the bitmap texture. You can reduce thatbitmap texture.
Bring to Front: Moves the selected art to the front (on top).
Arrange

Bring Forward: Moves the selected art one level forward (closer to the front).
Send Backward: Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).
Send to Back: Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Transform

Rotate 90 CW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.
Rotate 90 CCW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Rotate 180: Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may alreadyCreate Empty Drawing be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meets another drawing,
key exposure or a blank cell.
Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you modify anexisting drawing but retain the original.
Duplicate Drawings

When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing.
The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell is removed.
The original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or other cells in which
it is exposed.

Delete Selected
Drawings

Permanently removes selected drawings. Once you save your project, thesedrawings cannot be recovered.

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Create Colour Art From Lets you use the outline you traced on one of the four embedded layers (line art,
colour art, overlay, underlay) and create invisible strokes to paint your drawings
Line Art

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on separate layers. This provides more inking and painting flexibility.
You can also configure this option to create the invisible strokes on any of thefour embedded layers.
Automatically creates a matte from a selected drawing or all drawings on alayer.
Generate Auto-Matte

Opens the auto-Matte dialog box where you can set the radius of the lines
depending on how precise or rough your line is.
You can also select the source and destinatin layers from which the matte willbe created.

Adjust Line Texture
Opacity

Lets you adjust the contrast and opacity of textured lines in a drawing.

Change Bitmap
Drawing Resolution

Lets you change the resolution of bitmap art for individual drawings. You canreduce the resolution of your bitmap file as well as increase it. Be careful
because enlarging the bitmap resolution on an existing drawing will result in aloss of quality.Harmony will perform a pixel smoothing pass (resampling) andcreate additional pixels to avoid losing too much quality, but only to a certain
extent.

Previous Drawing
Next Drawing
Previous Layer

Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you can navigate
between the drawings, frames, and layers
Displays the previous drawing, next drawing, previous layer or next layer.

Next Layer
Toggle Current Colour Protection: Temporarily enables/disables the Colour
Protection feature so you can quickly correct wrongly inked or painted areas
under protected colour without readjusting the Current Colour Protection option.
Colour Protection

Respect Colour Protection: In the Colour view, you can protect a colour
swatch to avoid repainting or unpainting the zones linked to that swatch. If you
using the Paint tool and this option is deselected, you will repaint or unpaint theprotected colours on your drawings until you enable the option again.

Drawing Tools
SelectLets you select elements from the Camera and Drawing views.

Contour Editor

Lets you add, remove or modify points on a vector line and control them.

Pencil Editor

Lets you modify the thick and thin contour of a pencil line (basically a central
vector shape). Shape control points along the central spine allow you to adjust
the stroke curve and position.

CutterLets you cut a drawing area to move, copy, cut or delete it.

Smooth Editor

Lets you optimize contours and reduce the number of points on a line.

Perspective

Lets you deform a drawing selection and alter its perspective.

Envelope

Lets you deform and warp part of a drawing using a grid envelope and Bezier
handles.

Reposition All
Drawings

Lets you reposition, scale, rotate or skew all drawing strokes on every drawing
included in a layer.

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Drawing Pivot

Lets you set pivots on a characters, drawings and symbols.

Brush

A pressure-sensitive tool for creating a contour shape with a thick and thin line
effect, as if created with a paint brush.

PencilA pressure-sensitive tool for drawing the final images, such as character
nodes, cut-out puppet and clean animation. Creates a central vector shape.

Text

Lets you type text in your project using various fonts and text attributes.

EraserA pressure-sensitive tool for precisely erasing parts of a drawing.

Dropper

Lets you pick a colour directly from a drawing.

Morphing

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.

Line
Rectangle
EllipseLets you draw straight lines, rectangles, polylines and ellipses which you canthen edit.

Polyline
Paint

Lets you paint both empty and filled zones.

Ink

Lets you paint only the segment you clicked on between two intersections to be
painted.

Repaint Brush
Close Gap

Lets you close small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes
between the two closest points.

StrokeLets you draw stokes, connect line ends and flatten lines.

Edit Gradient/Texture

Lets you modify the position of a gradient or texture colour within a specific
zone.

Hand

Lets you pan the Drawing or Camera view.

Zoom

Lets you zoom in and out of the Drawing or Camera view.

Rotate View

Lets you rotate the Drawing or Camera view just like with a real animation disc.
Can also be used in Perspective view.

Animation
Insert Keyframe

Adds a keyframe on the selected cell in the Timeline view. If the Animate modeis enabled in the Camera view, a keyframe is automatically created on thecurrent frame.

Insert Control Point
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated motion
between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The drawing remains
still until the playback reaches the next keyframe, then the drawing pops to its
new location.

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automaticinterpolation created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will
maintain its position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point andwill then jump to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolationand get the layer to progressively move to the next position.

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Flip
Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Lets you set the ease in and ease out on multiple functions and keyframes.
This opens the Set Ease For Multiple Parameters where you can modify the
Bezier or Ease curve. You can apply easing parameters to a certain type offunction only, such as rotation or scale.

Linear Motion
Lock in Time

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only locked to a
specific position and the curve can flow through it freely as other points arebeing added, moved, or adjusted (control point).

No Z Dragging
Substitute Drawing
Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or
next drawing.

Select Previous
Keyframe/Point
Select the previous or next keyframe/point.
Select Next
Keyframe/Point
Lock

Reset

Returns the value of the selected element to the initial value of the active tool.
For example, if the Rotate
tool is active, the transformation angle will bereset to 0 and if the Transform
tool is active, all the transformation values
will be reset.

Reset All

Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer. Your
keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the default position. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

Resets all transformations on the current frame except the Z position. This isuseful when doing cut-out animation. Cut-out puppets often have a particular Zordering for the different views of a character. You might want to reset thetransformation, but not necessarily the Z position.

Animation Tools
Transform

Lets you create a global selection so you can reposition, scale, rotate and skew
as one unit, which is useful for cut-out characters.

TranslateLets you move the selected element along the X and Y axes.

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

Increases or decreases the size of a selected element. You can scale an object
up to make it larger or down to make it smaller. Press Shift to scale the element
while maintaining its proportions.

Maintain Size

Keeps elements the same size aspect ratio in the Camera view as you movethem towards or away from the camera.

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Reposition Drawing

Lets you reposition, scale, rotate or skew all drawing strokes on every drawing
included in a layer.

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Spline Offset

Lets you reposition the visual trajectory without offsetting or modifying youranimation. By default, the trajectory is located at 0,0,0 fields. If your elements
were drawn in a different location than the centre of the drawing area, it will look
like the trajectory is not aligned with your drawing. Also, if you have several
elements attached to one trajectory, you might want your trajectory to be at adifferent location to represent the group's motion better.

Lets you pull on a character's extremities, such as the hands and feet, andInverse Kinematic Tool have the rest of the body follow. Can be used on any piece connected in ahierarchy.
IK Constraints
Set IK Nail

Blocks the X, Y and Z positions.

Set IK Hold Orientation Blocks the angle.
Set IK Hold X

Blocks only the X position.

Set IK Hold Y

Blocks only the Y position.

Set IK Min Angle

Sets limitations on the angle parameter to prevent the puppet from bending too
far.

Set IK Max Angle
Remove All
Constraints

Removes all nails except the minimum and maximum angles.

Morphing
Morphing

Contour Hint

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.
The Contour Hint
point is used on the colour fill zone and brush lines; inother words, on Contour vectors. It allows you to control the line thickness andcontour position. Also, if a contour is not animated correctly, you can use hints
to correct the animation. For example, if a flag is not waving properly.
When adding a Contour Hint point, make sure to place it far enough away fromthe contour so you can see it snap to the contour.
Contour Hint points are yellow.

Zone Hint

The Zone Hint
point is used on a colour zone to control the proximity rule.
The Zone Hint is placed in the centre of the colour zone. Sometimes a colour
zone is not associated with the corresponding one by default. For example, in asplash animation there are many water droplets that are the same colour.
Harmony automatically morphs the droplet to the nearest one. This is notalways the one you may have predicted. A Zone Hint will force a colour zone tomorph with another one.
Zone Hint points are cyan in colour.

Pencil Hint

A Pencil Hint
point is used to control a pencil line, also known as central
vector. It can be used on drawings that were done using the Pencil, Polyline,
Ellipse, Line and Rectangle tools. Like the Contour Hint, the Pencil Hint snaps
to the central vector. Make sure to place it far enough away from the line so you
will see it snap when you move it.
Pencil Hint points are magenta in colour.

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Vanishing Point Hint

A Vanishing Point Hint
is used to control the trajectory of a vanishing
shape. A shape will vanish from the source drawing when there is nocorresponding shape in the destination drawing. If you do not place a Vanishing
Point Hint to control the point of disappearance, the shape will vanish into its
centre.
Vanishing Point Hint points are green in colour.

Appearing Point Hint

An Appearing Point Hint
is used to control the trajectory of an appearing
shape. A shape will appear in the destination drawing when there is nocorresponding shape in the source drawing. If you do not place an Appearing
Point Hint to control the point of appearance, the shape will appear from its
centre and expand outwards.
Appearing Point Hint points are violet in colour.

Switch Between
Morphing Key
Drawings

Toggles between the two key drawings in your morphing sequence. This option
is useful while setting hints. You can use the default keyboard shortcut F4 totoggle between your drawings.

Suggest HInts

Automatically sets hint points on key drawings as a help tool. If you're not sure
where to set hints, you can use this option. It will set the main hints which you
can then fine tune.

Hide Hints

Temporarily hides the hint points from the key drawings. Use this option when
you have a series of hint points hiding some lines you would like to see.

Colour Menu
The Colour menu lets you access commands related to the Colour view such as creating new palettes, adding
new colour swatches, and displaying the Tint panel.
How to access the Colour menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Colour view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Palettes
Creates a new colour palette.

New

By default, Toon Boom Harmony is set to the Basic mode. For simple
productions, it is recommended to use the Basic mode. This setting stores thepalettes automatically for you and saves them at the Scene level. When you
use the Advanced Palette Lists mode, you can decide at which level you want
to store your palettes: Environment, Job, Scene, or Element.

Link

Lets you access other palettes created in the project and link them to yourscene—see Importing and Linking Palettes on page 1.

Link to External

Lets you you link an external palette to your scene without copying it in yourproject.

ImportImports a colour palette located on your hard drive.

RemoveDeletes the selected colour palette.

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RenameLets you five the selected colour palette a new name.

Duplicate

Creates a copy of the original palette, using the same names and colour
values, but has a different ID and is independent from the original palette. This
ensures that both the duplicate and original palettes are completely
independent.

Clone

Creates a copy of the master palette. The colours in each palette have thesame properties. The colours have the same identification number pointing to
the same colour zones, but they can have different names and RGBA values.

Pencil Texture PaletteMove Up

Moves the selected colour palette up one level.

Move Down

Moves the selected colour palette down one level.

Colour Editor

Opens the Colour Editor where you can

Tint Panel

Opens the Tint panel where you can modify a series of colours to blend a tint inthem or offset their RGBA values.

Current PaletteOverrides
Display Colour Values

Display the colour values beside their colour swatches in the palette list.

Colours
Cut

Cuts the selected colour swatch from the palette.

Copy

Copies the selected colour swatch which you can paste in a different palette.

Copy Colour ID

Copies a colour swatch's colour ID so you can keep a reference file of colour
IDs or use them with custom plug-ins. Example of a colour ID:
075cf5b552401130.

Paste Colour Values

Pastes the colour value of the copied swatch over an existing colour swatch.

Paste As New Colours

Creates a new colour swatch from the colour value of the copied swatch.

Paste As Clones
New

Creates a new colour swatch from the colour swatch that was last selected.

Edit

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can edit the selected colour
swatch.

DeleteDeletes the selected colour swatch from the palette.

New Texture

Lets you add a bitmap colour swatch to your palette. You can load photos andtextures and paint your drawings with it. The bitmap image must be a .tga or.psd file format.

Edit Texture
Scale Down Texture

Lets you set a new maximum texture size or scaling factor.

New Default Colour
Protect Colour

Locks a selected colour, so if you ever paint over it accidentally, the work
already done will not be affected. You can also block the filling colours if you
painted all of the animation in Line Art and plan to repaint the lines.

Swatch Mode

Displays the colour swatches with its corresponding name inside the swatch.
When this option is not selected, the names of the colour swatches are

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displayed beside the swatch.
Independent Bitmap
ColourBitmap Colour Sliders
RGB
HSV

Drawing Menu
The Drawing menu lets you access tools, set morphing parameters, lock or unlock layers, and select elements inthe Drawing view.
How to access the Drawing menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Drawing view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Select Stroke With
Current Colour

Select the strokes that contain the currently selected colour.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were
not selected.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animation table.

Rotate View CCW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise, like an animationtable.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

View

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Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Switch to Colour Art

Displays the Colour Art layer. When switching art layers, you can edit the
selected layer without affecting the other one.

Preview Line Art andColour Art
Show Grid: Displays the grid.
Grid Outline Only: Displays the outline of the grid only.
Underlay: Displays the grid under the drawing elements.
Grid

Overlay: Displays the grid over the drawing elements.
Square Grid: Displays a standard square grid.
12 Field Grid: Displays a 12-field size grid.
16 Field Grid: Displays a 16-field size grid.
Show Onion Skin: Lets you preview the previous and next drawings. By
default, the previous drawings appear in a shade of red and the next drawings
are displayed with a shade of green. You can change these colours in the
Preferences dialog box.
Show Centre Line:No Previous Drawing:
Previous Drawing: Displays the previous drawing.
Previous Two Drawings: Displays the previous two drawings.
Previous Three Drawings: Displays the previous three drawings.
No Next Drawing: Displays no next drawing.

Onion Skin

Next Drawing: Displays the next drawing.
Next Two Drawings: Displays the next two drawings.
Next Three Drawings: Displays the next three drawings.
Reduce One Previous Drawing: Reduces the number of previous visible
drawings by one.
Add One Previous Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of previous
visible drawings.
Reduce One Next Drawing: Reduces the number of next visible drawings byone.
Add One Next Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of next visible
drawings.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see the previous and subsequent active
layers in washed-out colours. It is useful for seeing the other layers when
designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Backlight

Produces a silhouette effect by changing the drawing’s coloured areas into asingle dark, solid colour. Use this to verify the completeness of the ink andpaint process. Any unpainted zones can be seen as the light shows through theunpainted areas of the silhouetted drawing.

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Show
Show Strokes

Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines stand out.

Show Strokes with
Colour Wash

Displays strokes with washed-out colours.

Highlight Selected
ColourIdentify a selected colour swatch used in a drawing.

Show Morphing Key
Drawing Thumbnail
Show Scan Information

Displays a status bar showing the scanning information at the bottom of the
Drawing and Camera view.

Desk
No Thumbnail
Small Thumbnail
Changes the size of the drawing desk thumbnails.
Medium Thumbnail
Large Thumbnail
Remove Selected
Drawing

Clears selected drawing from drawing desk.

Remove All Drawings

Clears all drawing from drawing desk.

Drawing
Remove Dirt: Opens the Remove Dirt dialog box where you can specify the
number and size of dots removal from a selected drawing.
Remove Hair: Opens the Remove Hair dialog box where you can specify the
number and length of hairs for removal from a selected drawing. This removes
any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines or filledzones. Increase the value to select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.
Close Gaps: Closes small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible
strokes between the two closest points to close the colour zone. You do notneed to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few millimeters away. The
two closest points automatically close the gap.
Clean Up

Remove Art Inside Selection: Removes any art inside a selection. It is
recommended that you clean your Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke
accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files, especially if
you work in high definition resolutions.
Remove Art Inside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art inside all
drawings selected with the Permanent Selection
option in the Select tool.
Remove Art Outside Selection: Removes any art existing outside aselection. It is recommended that you clean the Colour Art level as well. If you
have a stroke accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files,
especially if you work in high-definition resolutions.
Remove Art Outside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art outside
all drawings selected with the Permanent Selection
option in the Select
tool.

Paint

Unpaint Selection: Unpaints any art existing inside a selection.

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Unpaint Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art contained inside aselection on all the drawings within the same layer.
Unpaint Outside Selection: Unpaints any art existing outside a selection. If
no selection have been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
unpainted.
Unpaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art outside aselection on all the drawings within the same layer.
Repaint Selection: Repaints any art inside a selection.
Repaint Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art inside a selection on all
the drawings contained within the same layer.
Repaint Outside Selection: Repaints any art outside a selection. If noselection has been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
repainted.
Repaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art outside aselection on all the drawings contained within the same layer.
Pencil Lines to Brush Strokes: Converts the selected centreline pencil
strokes into contour strokes brush lines.
Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines: Converts selected contour strokes into
centreline pencil strokes. The brush stroke thickness will be lost.
ConvertStrokes to Pencil Lines: Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.
Brush Apart Text Layers: Text is treated as a single drawing object. This
separates the text so each character becomes an individual drawing object you
can select and modify independently.
Flatten: Merges drawing objects and brush strokes into a single layer. If you
draw new lines to fix a drawing or line with many brush strokes, it can be useful
to flatten them all into a single shape. By default, lines are drawn one on top ofeach other. If you intend to repaint the lines or modify their shape, it will beeasier if they are flattened.
Smooth: Smooths selected drawing strokes and removes extra points.
Create Contour Strokes: Adds a permanent invisible line around a shape thatwas drawn directly in Harmony. This allows you to unpaint lines with the Paint
tool but maintain the shape of the lines, should you need to repaint later.
Optimize

Remove Contour Strokes: Remove any permanently invisible lines that werecreated while scanning and vectorizing drawings or manually adding contour
strokes. This is useful for removing the intersection triangles created during vectorization.
Remove Extra Strokes: Removes strokes inside painted area. This option
only works after the painted drawing is flattened.
Optimize: Reduces the number of layers, such as overlapping brush strokes,
in the selected drawing objects. Drawing objects will only be flattened andoptimized if the selected objects do not change the appearance of the final
image when they are merged.
Crop Brush Textures: Crops an unnecessarily large texture bitmap that lies
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you cut and paste textured lines from one drawing into another. If you cut a
portion from a textured line and paste it into a different drawing, Harmony
pastes the entire unseen texture bitmap from the source drawing into the newone, even if you only took a small portion of the source drawing. Using the Crop
Brush Texture command will crop away extraneous texture that does not touch
the vector area. If there are many textured lines in your scene, this will greatly
reduce the file size.
Reduce Drawing Texture Resolution:
When you import and vectorize as texture (colour) a high resolution image, thesize of your drawing can be heavy. You can reduce the size and resolution of
the textures in a drawing.
When you import and vectorize drawings using the grey or colour preset styles,
you don't have control on the size of the bitmap texture. You can reduce thatbitmap texture.
Bring to Front: Moves the selected art to the front (on top).
Bring Forward: Moves the selected art one level forward (closer to the front).
Arrange
Send Backward: Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).
Send to Back: Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.
Transform

Rotate 90 CW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.
Rotate 90 CCW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Rotate 180: Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may alreadyCreate Empty Drawing be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meets another drawing,
key exposure or a blank cell.
Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you modify anexisting drawing but retain the original.
Duplicate Drawings

When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing.
The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell is removed.
The original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or other cells in which
it is exposed.

Delete Selected
Drawings

Permanently removes selected drawings. Once you save your project, thesedrawings cannot be recovered.

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Lets you use the outline you traced on one of the four embedded layers (line art,
colour art, overlay, underlay) and create invisible strokes to paint your drawings
Create Colour Art From on separate layers. This provides more inking and painting flexibility.
Line Art
You can also configure this option to create the invisible strokes on any of thefour embedded layers.
Generate Auto-Matte

Automatically creates a matte from a selected drawing or all drawings on alayer.

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Opens the auto-Matte dialog box where you can set the radius of the lines
depending on how precise or rough your line is.
You can also select the source and destinatin layers from which the matte willbe created.
Adjust Line Texture
Opacity

Lets you adjust the contrast and opacity of textured lines in a drawing.

Change Bitmap
Drawing Resolution

Lets you change the resolution of bitmap art for individual drawings. You canreduce the resolution of your bitmap file as well as increase it. Be careful
because enlarging the bitmap resolution on an existing drawing will result in aloss of quality.Harmony will perform a pixel smoothing pass (resampling) andcreate additional pixels to avoid losing too much quality, but only to a certain
extent.

Previous Drawing
Next Drawing
Previous Layer

Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you can navigate
between the drawings, frames, and layers
Displays the previous drawing, next drawing, previous layer or next layer.

Next Layer
Toggle Current Colour Protection: Temporarily enables/disables the Colour
Protection feature so you can quickly correct wrongly inked or painted areas
under protected colour without readjusting the Current Colour Protection option.
Colour Protection

Respect Colour Protection: In the Colour view, you can protect a colour
swatch to avoid repainting or unpainting the zones linked to that swatch. If you
using the Paint tool and this option is deselected, you will repaint or unpaint theprotected colours on your drawings until you enable the option again.

Drawing Tools
SelectLets you select elements from the Camera and Drawing views.

Contour Editor

Lets you add, remove or modify points on a vector line and control them.

Pencil Editor

Lets you modify the thick and thin contour of a pencil line (basically a central
vector shape). Shape control points along the central spine allow you to adjust
the stroke curve and position.

CutterLets you cut a drawing area to move, copy, cut or delete it.

Smooth Editor

Lets you optimize contours and reduce the number of points on a line.

Perspective

Lets you deform a drawing selection and alter its perspective.

Envelope

Lets you deform and warp part of a drawing using a grid envelope and Bezier
handles.

Reposition All
Drawings

Lets you reposition, scale, rotate or skew all drawing strokes on every drawing
included in a layer.

Drawing Pivot

Lets you set pivots on a characters, drawings and symbols.

Brush

A pressure-sensitive tool for creating a contour shape with a thick and thin line
effect, as if created with a paint brush.

PencilA pressure-sensitive tool for drawing the final images, such as character
nodes, cut-out puppet and clean animation. Creates a central vector shape.

Text

Lets you type text in your project using various fonts and text attributes.

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EraserA pressure-sensitive tool for precisely erasing parts of a drawing.

Dropper

Lets you pick a colour directly from a drawing.

Morphing

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.

Line
Rectangle
EllipseLets you draw straight lines, rectangles, polylines and ellipses which you canthen edit.

Polyline
Paint

Lets you paint both empty and filled zones.

Ink

Lets you paint only the segment you clicked on between two intersections to be
painted.

Repaint Brush
Close Gap

Lets you close small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes
between the two closest points.

StrokeLets you draw stokes, connect line ends and flatten lines.

Edit Gradient/Texture

Lets you modify the position of a gradient or texture colour within a specific
zone.

Hand

Lets you pan the Drawing or Camera view.

Zoom

Lets you zoom in and out of the Drawing or Camera view.

Rotate View

Lets you rotate the Drawing or Camera view just like with a real animation disc.
Can also be used in Perspective view.

Morphing
Morphing

Contour Hint

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.
The Contour Hint
point is used on the colour fill zone and brush lines; inother words, on Contour vectors. It allows you to control the line thickness andcontour position. Also, if a contour is not animated correctly, you can use hints
to correct the animation. For example, if a flag is not waving properly.
When adding a Contour Hint point, make sure to place it far enough away fromthe contour so you can see it snap to the contour.
Contour Hint points are yellow.

Zone Hint

The Zone Hint
point is used on a colour zone to control the proximity rule.
The Zone Hint is placed in the centre of the colour zone. Sometimes a colour
zone is not associated with the corresponding one by default. For example, in asplash animation there are many water droplets that are the same colour.
Harmony automatically morphs the droplet to the nearest one. This is notalways the one you may have predicted. A Zone Hint will force a colour zone tomorph with another one.
Zone Hint points are cyan in colour.

Pencil Hint

A Pencil Hint
point is used to control a pencil line, also known as central
vector. It can be used on drawings that were done using the Pencil, Polyline,

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Ellipse, Line and Rectangle tools. Like the Contour Hint, the Pencil Hint snaps
to the central vector. Make sure to place it far enough away from the line so you
will see it snap when you move it.
Pencil Hint points are magenta in colour.

Vanishing Point Hint

A Vanishing Point Hint
is used to control the trajectory of a vanishing
shape. A shape will vanish from the source drawing when there is nocorresponding shape in the destination drawing. If you do not place a Vanishing
Point Hint to control the point of disappearance, the shape will vanish into its
centre.
Vanishing Point Hint points are green in colour.

Appearing Point Hint

An Appearing Point Hint
is used to control the trajectory of an appearing
shape. A shape will appear in the destination drawing when there is nocorresponding shape in the source drawing. If you do not place an Appearing
Point Hint to control the point of appearance, the shape will appear from its
centre and expand outwards.
Appearing Point Hint points are violet in colour.

Switch Between
Morphing Key
Drawings

Toggles between the two key drawings in your morphing sequence. This option
is useful while setting hints. You can use the default keyboard shortcut F4 totoggle between your drawings.

Go to First Frame

Goes to the first frame of your morphing sequence.

Go to Previous Frame

Goes to the previous frame of the selected frame in the morphing sequence.

Go to Next Frame
Go to Last Frame

Goes to the last frame of your morphing sequence.

Suggest HInts

Automatically sets hint points on key drawings as a help tool. If you're not sure
where to set hints, you can use this option. It will set the main hints which you
can then fine tune.

Hide Hints

Temporarily hides the hint points from the key drawings. Use this option when
you have a series of hint points hiding some lines you would like to see.

Function Menu
The Functions menu lets you do many things in the Camera view, including selecting and editing objects in different
views, changing the display, setting morphing parameters, accessing tools and many more.
How to access the Function menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Function view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

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Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select Next Keyframe

Selects the next keyframe.

Select Previous
Keyframe

Selects the previous keyframe.

Select Left Handle

Selects the left handle of the selected keyframe.

Select Right Handle

Selects the right handle of the selected keyframe.

Select All

Selects all objects in the Function view. This helps you manage multiple objects
as one.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Function view.

Show Current Frame

Displays the current frame

Toggle Grid

Enables the display of the grid.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

View

Function List
Auto Load Selection
Clear
Load Selection
Add Selection
Remove Selection
Show Motion:Show Rotation:
Show

Show Scale:Show Skew:
Show Other:

Library Menu
The Library menu lets you access commands specific to the Library view, such as opening a Library or getting therights to modify a library folder.
How to access the Library menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Library view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

View
List

Displays the contents of the selected folder as a list.

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Thumbnails

Displays the contents of the selected folder as a thumbnails.

Details

Displays the details of the selected file.

Generate Thumbnails

Creates a thumbnail to display in the preview window.

Edit
Creates a new symbol from a drawing or part of a drawing in the
Drawing or Camera view, a layer in the Timeline view, or a node in the Nodeview.
New Symbol

If your selection is in the Timeline or Node view, the new symbol appears in
the Symbol folder. The current selection is not replaced by the new symbol.
The new symbol only appears in the library. You must drag it into your scene touse it.
If your selection is in the Drawing or Camera view, the new symbol appears in
the Symbol folder and in the Timeline view as a new layer.

Cut

Cuts the selected file in the Library view.

Copy

Copies the selected file in the Library view.

Paste

Pastes the selected file in the Library view.

DeleteDeletes the selected file in the Library view.

Delete Thumbnails

Deletes any thumbnails that were generated for display in the preview window.
Places you inside the symbol where you can edit it.

Edit Symbol

To return to the project's timeline, click the Top
button in the Camera
view's top-left corner, press Ctrl + Shift + E (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + E(Mac OS X).

Remove Unused Files

Removes any files not in use in the

Rename Template

Lets you rename a selected template.

Import Files

Opens theFolders
New Folder

Creates a new folder in the Library view. Before you can create a new folder,
you must have the right to modify the folder in which you are creating the newfolder.

RefreshUpdates the view and its contents.

Open LibraryLets you open a library on your computer.

Close Library

Model Menu
The Model menu lets you load models and view them in different ways, as well as access some drawing tools.
How to access the Model menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Model view, click the menu

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Command

Description

Previous Model
Next Model
Import Model
Use Current Drawing as Model
Load Default Models
Clear Model
Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animation table.

Rotate View CCW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise, like an animationtable.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

SelectActivates the Select tool. This tools is also available on the Tools toolbar.

Cutter Selection@@need help

Dropper

Activates the Dropper tool. This tools is also available on the Tools toolbar.

Zoom

Activates the Zoom tool. This tools is also available on the Tools toolbar.

Node Menu
The Node menu lets you organize the nodes according to how you like to work and the nodes you use most often.
You can easily add categories and subcategories, remove categories you don't use, and rename categories.
How to access the Node menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Node view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

File
Print

Lets you print the contents of the Node view. You must be connected to a
printer.

Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Paste Special

Lets you copy and paste selected drawings into a different layer or paste theselection in the same layer to duplicate the drawings.

Edit

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Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing thatwere not selected.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Recalculate Selected

Refreshes the node structure and rerenders the display of selected elements
when the Camera View is in render mode.

Recalculate All

Refreshes the node structure and rerenders the display when the Camera viewis in render mode.

Tag

You can tag elements in the Timeline or Node views to view only thoseelements. When you tag elements, an asterisk appears beside the item in theTimeline view. Once your elements are tagged and you have switched over toView Tagged Layers mode, the Timeline view will display only tagged
elements. The red bar on the left of the layers indicates you are in this viewmode. See Timeline View Modes on page 1.
Timeline Tag: Tags selected elements in the Timeline or Node views.
Timeline Untag: Untags selected layer in the Timeline view.
Timeline Untag All: Untags all tagged elements.
Timeline Untag All Others: Untags all elements except the selected one.
Renders a frame each time the current frame is changed.

Auto Render Write
You must have a Write node in your node structure to use this command.
Select Child Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Group Content

Select contents within the group node.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view
skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in the Timelineview.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.

View

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Zoom In Node View

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out Node View

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Centre on Selection

Centre the display of the Node view on the selected node. This is useful when
you have many nodes in the Node view, you may find it hard to locate which
one is selected.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Show All Nodes

Display all nodes.

Editor

Display the Layer Properties editor of the selected node.

Publish Attribute NodeTo quickly access parameters for nodes that are grouped, you can select yourmost common parameters to modify and make them appear in the group Layer
Properties editor. This way, you can access them directly without having toenter the group every time.

Show Selected
Thumbnails

Displays the thumbnails of selected nodes.

Hide All Thumbnails

Hides all the thumbnails of selected nodes.
Hide Navigator: Hides the navigator.
Top Right: Places the navigator in the top-right corner of the Node view.

Navigator

Top Left: Places the navigator in the top-left corner of the Node view.
Bottom Right: Places the navigator in the bottom-right corner of the Nodeview.
Bottom Left: Places the navigator in the top-left corner of the Node view.

Cable Style

Line: Use straight lines to show the connections between nodes.
Bezier: Use curved (Bezier) lines to show the connections between nodes.

Nodes
EnableActivate the selected node.

DisableDeactivate the selected node.

Enable All

Activate all nodes.

Disable All Others

Deactivates all nodes except for those those selected. This operation only
affects the current level layers. It does not affect the nested nodes within agroup. Deactivated nodes appear in red.

Clone Selected Nodes:
Drawings and Timing

Clone Selected Nodes:
Drawings Only
Duplicate Selected

Creates a copy of the selected element that is linked to the original. If adrawing is modified in the original or cloned layer, both will be updated.
However, cloned layers can have different timings.
When you clone a node, it does not automatically connect itself to theComposite node of your scene.
You can clone the drawings only or both the drawings and timing—see Cloning
and Duplicating Layers on page 1.
Creates an independent copy of the selected element. This useful when you

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Nodes

need to modify the element independently, including the timing (exposure).
Changes to the original element do not propagate to the duplicate.

Group Selection

Creates a simple group from your selection. The resulting group displays thesame number of connections as elements in the group.

Group Selection with
Composite

Group a selection.

Ungroup

Ungroups the selected group of nodes.

Move to Parent GroupMoves selected nodes up to the parent group level.

Exit Group

Exits the group.

Clear Published
Attributes

Removes the most common parameters you selected for quick access in theLayer Properties editor of a group.

Composite

Adds a Composite node to the Node view.

Display

Adds a Display node to the Node view.

Drawing

Opens the Add Drawing Layer dialog box where you can specify the type oflayer to add.

Group

Adds a Group node to the Node view.

Parent Peg

Adds a new peg to the timeline as a parent of the selected layer.

Peg

Adds a Peg node to the Node view.

Effects

Lets you add effects from these categories: 3D, Combine, Deformation,
Favourites, Filter, Generator, Group, Misc, Move, Output, Particle, Sapphire,
Shading and Plugins.

Backdrop

Adds a backdrop to the Node view. Backdrops are a way to work with complex
node systems that let you associate a selected set of nodes by colour. See
Working with Backdrops on page 1.

InsertNode Library Menu
The Node Library menu lets you organize the nodes according to how you like to work and the nodes you use mostoften. You can easily add categories and subcategories, remove categories you don't use, and rename categories.
How to access the Node Library menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Node Library view, click the menu

button.

Command

Description

New Category

Adds a new category to the list of categories to which you can organize nodes
according to how you like to work and the nodes you use most often.

Rename Category

Renames an existing category.

Remove Category

Remove a category you no longer need.

Remove Node

Removes a node from a category.

RefreshUpdates the view and its contents.

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Perspective Menu
The Perspective menu lets you select and edit elements, manipulate the view during scene setup, set parameters
for animation and access animation tools.
How to access the Perspective menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Perspective view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing thatwere not selected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view
skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in the Timelineview.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

View

Move Forward
Move Backward
Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

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Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Look At Selected
Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see the previous and subsequent active
layers in washed-out colours. It is useful for seeing the other layers when
designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Camera Cone

Displays the camera cone.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Top, Side or Perspective views.

Animation

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which lets you keyframe drawing layers to createcomputer-generated animation. When working in the Animate mode, you cananimate a layer's position and then turn off the mode to reposition a layer forthe entire scene. When the Animate mode is disabled, keyframes are createdon selected layers at the current frame. Depending on what transformations
were performed (rotation, translation, skew), the new keyframes are added on
the corresponding parameters (function curves).

Insert Keyframe

Adds a keyframe to the selected cell in the Timeline view.

Insert Control Point
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated motion
between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The drawing remains
still until the playback reaches the next keyframe, then the drawing pops to its
new location.

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automaticinterpolation created between the selected point and the next one. The layer
will maintain its position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point
and will then jump to the new position. Deselect this option to generateinterpolation and get the layer to progressively move to the next position.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip

Flip Scale X: Once your drawing layer is rotated, the original horizontal andvertical axes change. The Flip Scale X and Flip Scale Y will perform a flip on
your drawing layer following its original axis.Remembers the original X-axis of
the layer and flips the element following it.
Flip Scale Y: Remembers the original Y-axis of the layer and flips the element
following it.

Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Opens the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box where you can change
the velocity of selection functions.

Linear Motion
Lock in Time

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only locked to a
specific position and the curve can flow through it freely as other points are

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being added, moved, or adjusted (control point).
No Z Dragging
Substitute Drawing
Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or
next drawing.

Select Previous
Keyframe /Point

Select the previous or next keyframe/point.

Select Next Keyframe/PointSelect Next Keyframe /Point
Lock: Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

Returns the value of the selected element to the initial value of the active tool.
For example, if the Rotate
tool is active, the transformation angle will bereset to 0 and if the Transform
tool is active, all the transformation values
will be reset.

Reset All

Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer. Your
keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the default position. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

Resets all transformations on the current frame except the Z position. This isuseful when doing cut-out animation. Cut-out puppets often have a particular Zordering for the different views of a character. You might want to reset thetransformation, but not necessarily the Z position.

Animation Tools
Transform

Lets you create a global selection so you can reposition, scale, rotate andskew as one unit, which is useful for cut-out characters.

TranslateLets you move the selected element along the X and Y axes.

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

Increases or decreases the size of a selected element. You can scale an
object up to make it larger or down to make it smaller. Press Shift to scale theelement while maintaining its proportions.

Maintain Size

Keeps elements the same size aspect ratio in the Camera view as you movethem towards or away from the camera.

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Reposition Drawing

Lets you reposition, scale, rotate or skew all drawing strokes on every drawing
included in a layer.

Spline Offset

Lets you reposition the visual trajectory without offsetting or modifying youranimation. By default, the trajectory is located at 0,0,0 fields. If your elements
were drawn in a different location than the centre of the drawing area, it will

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look like the trajectory is not aligned with your drawing. Also, if you have several elements attached to one trajectory, you might want your trajectory to be
at a different location to represent the group's motion better.

Side Menu
The Side menu lets you position elements in 3D space, set parameters for animation and access animation tools—
see Side View on page 1.
How to access the Side menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Side view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were notselected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, this command will
deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were not selected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in the Timelineview.

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view skipping
effects in the hierarchy.

Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in the Timelineview.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

View

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Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Camera Cone

Displays the camera cone.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Top, Side or Perspective views.

Animation

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which lets you keyframe drawing layers to createcomputer-generated animation. When working in the Animate mode, you cananimate a layer's position and then turn off the mode to reposition a layer for theentire scene. When the Animate mode is disabled, keyframes are created on
selected layers at the current frame. Depending on what transformations were
performed (rotation, translation, skew), the new keyframes are added on thecorresponding parameters (function curves).

Insert Keyframe

Adds a keyframe to the selected cell in the Timeline view.

Insert Control Point
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated motion
between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The drawing remains
still until the playback reaches the next keyframe, then the drawing pops to its
new location.

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automatic interpolation
created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will maintain its
position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point and will then jump
to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolation and get thelayer to progressively move to the next position.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip

Flip Scale X: Once your drawing layer is rotated, the original horizontal andvertical axes change. The Flip Scale X and Flip Scale Y will perform a flip on yourdrawing layer following its original axis.Remembers the original X-axis of the layer
and flips the element following it.
Flip Scale Y: Remembers the original Y-axis of the layer and flips the element
following it.

Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Opens the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box where you can change thevelocity of selection functions.

Linear Motion
Lock in Time

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only locked to a
specific position and the curve can flow through it freely as other points are being
added, moved, or adjusted (control point).

No Z Dragging
Substitute Drawing
Previous

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or
next drawing.

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Substitute Drawing
Next
Select Previous
Keyframe /Point

Select the previous or next keyframe/point.

Select Next Keyframe/PointSelect Next Keyframe /Point
Lock: Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

Returns the value of the selected element to the initial value of the active tool. For
example, if the Rotate
tool is active, the transformation angle will be reset to
0 and if the Transform
tool is active, all the transformation values will bereset.

Reset All

Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer. Your
keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the default position. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

Resets all transformations on the current frame except the Z position. This isuseful when doing cut-out animation. Cut-out puppets often have a particular Zordering for the different views of a character. You might want to reset thetransformation, but not necessarily the Z position.

Animation Tools
Transform

Lets you create a global selection so you can reposition, scale, rotate and skew
as one unit, which is useful for cut-out characters.

TranslateLets you move the selected element along the X and Y axes.

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

Increases or decreases the size of a selected element. You can scale an object
up to make it larger or down to make it smaller. Press Shift to scale the element
while maintaining its proportions.

Maintain Size

Keeps elements the same size aspect ratio in the Camera view as you movethem towards or away from the camera.

Reposition Drawing

Lets you reposition, scale, rotate or skew all drawing strokes on every drawing
included in a layer.

Spline Offset

Lets you reposition the visual trajectory without offsetting or modifying your animation. By default, the trajectory is located at 0,0,0 fields. If your elements weredrawn in a different location than the centre of the drawing area, it will look like thetrajectory is not aligned with your drawing. Also, if you have several elements
attached to one trajectory, you might want your trajectory to be at a different location to represent the group's motion better.

Timeline Menu
The Timeline menu lets you...
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select and edit elements, manipulate the view during scene setup, set parameters for animation and accessanimation tools.
How to access the Timeline menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Timeline view, click the menu

Parameter

button.

Description

ImportFrom Scanner

Imports drawings from a TWAIN scanner.

ImagesImports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize—see Importing
Bitmap Images on page 1.

SoundsLets you import sound files into your project.

Cut cells from Xsheet

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Edit

Copy cells from Xsheet Copies selected objects and properties.
Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Paste Special

Lets you copy and paste selected drawings into a different layer or paste theselection in the same layer to duplicate the drawings.

Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

Paste Cycle

Cycles a portion of an animation. You can increase or decrease the number ofcycles to paste and select a type of cycle: Normal, Reverse, Forward-Reverse
and Reverse-Forward.

Paste Reverse

Reverses the timing of drawings or keyframes in range of selection after
copying.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Modify Paste Presets

Lets you modify existing presets when pasting keyframes and exposures.
There are three presets you can modify: the default presets for both key frames
and exposures, key frames only and exposures only. See Modifying Paste
Presets on page 1.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing thatwere not selected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in the176Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

Timeline view.
Select Parent Skipping
Effects

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view
skipping effects in the hierarchy.

Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in the Timelineview.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.
Lock: Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Tag

Timeline Tag: You can tag elements in the Timeline or Node views to view
only those elements. When you tag elements, an asterisk appears beside theitem in the Timeline view. Once your elements are tagged and you haveswitched over to View Tagged Layers mode, the Timeline view will display
only tagged elements. The red bar on the left of the layers indicates you are inthis view mode. See Timeline View Modes on page 1.
Timeline Untag: Untags selected layer in the Timeline view.
Timeline Untag All: Untags all tagged elements.
Timeline Untag All Others: Untags all elements except the selected one.
Mark Current Frame: Places a scene marker on the current frame on which
the playhead is parked. The marker appears in the frame counter area of theTimeline view. You can customize the colour of the scene marker and add text
to display as a tooltip when you hover over the marker—see Setting Scene
Markers on page 1.

Scene Markers

Create Scene Marker: Creates a scene marker from a selected frame range
in the frame counter area of the Timeline view.
Edit Scene Marker: Lets you edit an existing scene marker.
NOTE: It's important to select the entire length of the scene marker, otherwise
the Timeline Scene Marker dialog box will not open for editing.
Delete Scene Marker: Removes an existing scene marker.

Share Functions

Lets you share an existing function curve. By default, all function curves canonly be used and modified using their original parameter. If you want anotherlayer or parameter to use the same function curve, you must share it. See
Function Curves on page 1.

Cycle to Next View
Mode

Displays the new view mode.

Normal View Mode

Displays the Normal view mode, the default in the Timeline view. It shows
everything connected to the chosen display. In this mode, anything notconnected to the currently set default display will not be shown in the Timeline

View

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view. This also means that you cannot add certain elements to the Timelineview, as by default, when added they are not connected to any display orcomposite node. An example of such an element is a peg.
Selection Only Mode

Displays only elements currently selected in the Camera or Node view. This
makes it easier to concentrate on one or a few elements at a time.
Lets you see only elements which have been assigned a Tagged status. An
item that has been tagged will appear in the Timeline view with a small asterisk
beside its name.

View Tagged Layers

Once your elements are tagged and you have switched over to View Tagged
Layers mode, the Timeline view will display only tagged elements. The red baron the left of the layers indicates you are in this view mode. While in this mode,
the asterisks are not displayed beside the tagged elements.

Show Functions
Centre on Selection

Centers the Timeline view on the selected layer. This useful when you haveseveral layers in the Timeline view, you may find it hard to locate which one isselected.
Show Manager:
Show Sounds:
Show Effects:

Show
Show Groups:
Show Composites:
Show Sound Waveform:
Change Track Colour
Default Track Colour
Collapse/Expand
Collapse All
Expand All

Set Tempo Marker

Lets you set a marker that synchronizes your animation with a musical score.
This lets you reproduce the FPB (Frames Per Beat) and use the tempo
signature as tempo markers. The Xsheet view lets you pace your animationaccording to the tempo or beat of the soundtrack music or to any rhythmic
sound, such as the ticking of a clock or water leaking from a spout. See Setting
Tempo Markers on page 1.

Top Menu
The Top menu lets you position elements in 3D space, set parameters for animation and access animation tools—
see Top View on page 1.
How to access the Top menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Top view, click the menu178button.

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Command

Description

Edit
Cut Drawing Object

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties toanother object.

Copy Drawing Object

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Delete Drawing Object

Removes selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selected all other items that were notselected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, this command will
deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were not selected.

Select Child

Lets you select the first element parented to the selected peg element in theTimeline view.

Select Children

Lets you select all elements parented to the selected peg element in the Timelineview.

Select Parent

Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view.

Select Previous Sibling

Lets you select the previous element (above current element) in the Timelineview.

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Camera Cone

Displays the camera cone.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Top, Side or Perspective views.

View

Animation

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which lets you keyframe drawing layers to createcomputer-generated animation. When working in the Animate mode, you cananimate a layer's position and then turn off the mode to reposition a layer for theentire scene. When the Animate mode is disabled, keyframes are created on
selected layers at the current frame. Depending on what transformations were
performed (rotation, translation, skew), the new keyframes are added on thecorresponding parameters (function curves).
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Insert Keyframe

Adds a keyframe to the selected cell in the Timeline view.

Insert Control Point
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated motion
between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The drawing remains
still until the playback reaches the next keyframe, then the drawing pops to its
new location.

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automatic interpolation
created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will maintain its
position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point and will then jump
to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolation and get thelayer to progressively move to the next position.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip

Flip Scale X: Once your drawing layer is rotated, the original horizontal andvertical axes change. The Flip Scale X and Flip Scale Y will perform a flip on yourdrawing layer following its original axis.Remembers the original X-axis of the layer
and flips the element following it.
Flip Scale Y: Remembers the original Y-axis of the layer and flips the element
following it.

Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Opens the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box where you can change thevelocity of selection functions.

Linear Motion
Lock in Time

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only locked to a
specific position and the curve can flow through it freely as other points are being
added, moved, or adjusted (control point).

No Z Dragging
Substitute Drawing
Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or
next drawing.

Select Previous
Keyframe /Point

Select the previous or next keyframe/point.

Select Next Keyframe/PointSelect Next Keyframe /Point
Lock: Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

Returns the value of the selected element to the initial value of the active tool. For
example, if the Rotate
tool is active, the transformation angle will be reset to
0 and if the Transform
tool is active, all the transformation values will be

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reset.
Reset All

Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer. Your
keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the default position. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

Resets all transformations on the current frame except the Z position. This isuseful when doing cut-out animation. Cut-out puppets often have a particular Zordering for the different views of a character. You might want to reset thetransformation, but not necessarily the Z position.

Animation Tools
Transform

Lets you create a global selection so you can reposition, scale, rotate and skew
as one unit, which is useful for cut-out characters.

TranslateLets you move the selected element along the X and Y axes.

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

Increases or decreases the size of a selected element. You can scale an object
up to make it larger or down to make it smaller. Press Shift to scale the element
while maintaining its proportions.

Maintain Size

Keeps elements the same size aspect ratio in the Camera view as you movethem towards or away from the camera.

Spline Offset

Lets you reposition the visual trajectory without offsetting or modifying your animation. By default, the trajectory is located at 0,0,0 fields. If your elements weredrawn in a different location than the centre of the drawing area, it will look like thetrajectory is not aligned with your drawing. Also, if you have several elements
attached to one trajectory, you might want your trajectory to be at a different location to represent the group's motion better.

Xsheet Menu
The Xsheet menu lets you—see Timing on page 1 on page 1.
How to access the Xsheet menu‣

In the upper-left corner of the Xsheet view, click the menu

Parameter

button.

Description

File
Images: Imports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize—see
Importing Bitmap Images on page 1.
ImportFrom Scanner: Imports drawings from a TWAIN scanner.
Sounds: Lets you import sound files into your project.

Print

Prints the exposure sheet so you can take it to your animation table, provide a
copy to the animator, or create your Xsheet skeleton directly in Harmony.

Cut cells from Xsheet

Removes selected objects. You can then paste the object or its properties to

Edit

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another object.
Copy cells from Xsheet Copies selected objects and properties.
Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Paste Special

Lets you copy and paste selected drawings into a different layer or paste theselection in the same layer to duplicate the drawings.

Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

Paste Cycle

Cycles a portion of an animation. You can increase or decrease the number ofcycles to paste and select a type of cycle: Normal, Reverse, Forward-Reverse
and Reverse-Forward.

Paste Reverse

Reverses the timing of drawings or keyframes in range of selection after copying.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

Selects all drawing objects in the current drawing window in the Drawing,
Timeline and Camera views. This helps you manage multiple objects as one
when moving them.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Insert Mode

Adds a new value or a new value sequence over existing ones, the new values
are inserted between the old ones. The existing timing sequence is pushed down
the column. The Insert mode opposite of the Overwrite mode, which is the Xsheet
default mode.
Lets you drag a cell to any other frame in the same column or into another column.

Gestural Drag Mode
This feature does not apply to Annotation columns.
Send to Function View

Sends selected objects to the Function view where you can edit and adjust its
function curve and parameters.

Zoom In Xsheet

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out Xsheet

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

View

Set Tempo Marker
Collapse Selection:
Expand Selection:
Expand/Collapse
Collapse All:
Expand All:

Column Properties

Lets you rename a column, and enable or disable a column. To view additional
properties, select Edit > Preferences from the top menu. In the Preferences
dialog box, select the Advanced tab, then select the Advanced Element Mode
option.

Show Column List
Column Types Manager Lets you add advanced column types to create particular animation paths. When

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you create these columns, they are not linked automatically to any particulardrawing layer. You can create a motion path using these columns and then link or
unlink several drawing or peg layers to it.
Show Thumbnails

Displays column thumbnails making it easier to identify a particular column. This
option displays a small thumbnail picture of the current frame below the column
header.

Show Selection
Set Columns Width

Lets you change the column width (in pixels) and set it as the default.

All Columns to Default
Width

Returns all columns to their default width of 100 pixels.

Change Columns
ColourLets you customize the colour of the column by selecting one from the SelectColour dialog box. The colour you select is also reflected in the correspondng
layer in the Timeline view.

Default Column Colour

Removes the colour you assigned to a column (if any).

Hide Selected Columns Hides selected columns.
Unhide All Columns

Displays all columns.

Show Hidden Columns

Displays columns that were previously hidden.

Empty Cells
Row Units
Held Exposures
Preview Selected
Drawings
Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Top, Side or Perspective views.

Columns
Add Columns

Lets you add a column. You can specify the column name, type, and set drawing
layer options in the Add Column dialog box that opens.

Delete Columns

Removes the selected column. You have the option to delete the associateddrawing files and element folders.

Clone Selected
Columns: Drawings
Only

Creates a copy of the selected column that is linked to the original. If a drawing is
modified in the original or cloned column, both will be updated. However, cloned
columns can have different timings.

Clone Selected
Columns: Drawings
and Timing

You can clone the drawings only or both the drawings and timing—see Cloning
Layers and Columns on page 1.

Duplicate Selected
Columns

Creates an independent copy of the selected column. This useful when you needto modify the element independently, including the timing (exposure). Changes tothe original element do not propagate to the duplicate.
There are two methods of merging drawings.

Merge Selected
Columns•

You can merge selected drawings in adjacent elements. The columns andlayers will be left intact, and each new merged drawing will reside in theframes of the left-most column or lower layer.

•

You can merge elements. All drawings will be merged. Unused columns
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and layers will be deleted, but the original drawing files are still accessible.
See Merging Drawings on page 1.
RenameConvertFramesAdd Frames At Start
Add Frames At End

Adds the number of frames you specify to be added at the beginning or end of thescene.

Add Frames Before
Selection
Adds the number of frames you specify before or after your selection.
Add Frames After
Selection
Remove Selected
FramesDeletes the selected frames from your scene.

Drawings
Create Empty Drawing

Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may already be
exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meets another drawing, key
exposure or a blank cell.
Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you modify anexisting drawing but retain the original.

Duplicate Drawings

When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing.
The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell is removed. The
original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or other cells in which it is
exposed.

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Rename Drawing with
PrefixRename by Frame
Delected Selected
Drawings
Merge Selected
Drawings
Vectorize Line Art in
Selected Drawings
Marks selected drawings as one of the following: Key, Breakdown, In-between,
RetakeKey, RetakeBD or RetakeIB.
This helps to keep the Xsheet well organized while animating.
Mark Drawing As

When working with several animators, directors or even other studios, thenecessity for retakes will often arise. Harmony gives you the possibility to marknew drawings as either Retake Key, Retake Breakdown, or Retake In-betweens.
See Drawing Identification on page 1.

Substitute Drawing

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the previous or

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Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next

next drawing.

Send Drawings to Desk
Add Drawings to Desk
Exposure

Increase

Adds one more exposure to a selected cell; repeating this action adds an extra
cell each time. This is an efficient way to extend a drawing's exposure and isalways set in Insert mode. Increasing an exposure pushes the existing exposure
forward.

Decrease

Decreases exposure of a selected cell by one; repeating this action decreases
one exposure adds an extra cell each time. This is an efficient way to shorten adrawing's exposure. Decreasing an exposure pulls in the existing exposure.

Set Exposure toLets you set the exposure to 1, 2, 3 or a custom exposure.

Extend Exposure

Lets you extend the length of a selected cell.

Add Key Exposure

Adds a key exposure to the selected cell.

Remove Key Exposure

Removes only the key exposure (key frames) not all the exposures. The existing
key exposure is replaced by the preceding exposure.

Remove Duplicate Key
Exposure

When working with drawings to adjust the timing of a mouth in a lipsync, forexample, and forcing the use of specific key exposures, unnecessary key
exposures will be created. You can delete these duplicates without affecting therest of the drawing. The first drawing of the selection will be used for the range.

NOTE: Duplicate key exposures may occur when pasting with the Enforce Key
Exposure option selected.

Fill Empty Cells

Lets you fill empty cells to extend the exposure of single frame drawings to fill therange of empty cells after each one.When creating drawings on cells that are notside-by-side, the exposure of the first drawing no longer fills automatically. You
must select the frame range where you want your drawings to hold their exposure
up to the next drawing and use the Fill Empty Cells command.

Insert Blank Cell

Adds an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure

Removes the exposure from the selected cell.

Clear Exposure andPull

Replaces the exposure from the selected cell with exposures that follow it.

Create Cycle

Fill Selection

Lets you fill the same value over an entire selection. The selection can be over
one cell, a cell range in one column, a cell range over many columns, an entire
column, or many columns. You can use numbers, words, letters, or any
alphanumeric value.

Sequence Fill

Lets you create a numbered sequence over a selection. The sequence can be
forward, backward, single, double or higher increment, as a cycle, and so on. The
selection can be over one cell or a cell range in one column or more or an entire

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column or many entire columns.

Fill Cells Randomly

Lets you fill in random values over a selection. You can give a maximum and aminimum value and create a range for Harmony to choose the random values
from. The selection can be over one cell or a cell range in one column or more oran entire column or many entire columns.

Hold Exposure

Lets you expose a drawing for three, four, or five cells and so on.

MotionInsert Keyframe
Insert Keyframe andDuplicate Drawing
Delete Keyframes

Deletes the selected keyframe.

Go to Previous
Keyframe
Go to Next Keyframe
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

Sets a stop-motion keyframe which there is no computer-generated motion
between two keyframes. The segment is constant or flat. The drawing remains
still until the playback reaches the next keyframe, then the drawing pops to its
new location.

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automatic interpolation
created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will maintain its
position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point and will then jump
to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolation and get thelayer to progressively move to the next position.

Morphing
Create MorphingLets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.

Delete Morphing

Once a cell is selected in a morphing sequence, deletes the entire sequence
between the two keyframes.

Insert Morphing Key
Drawing

Creates a morphing keyframe from a selected morphing frame.

Convert Morphing toDrawing

Lets you convert your morphing inbetweens to real drawings you can edit. This isuseful when manually editing a morphing sequence or if you prefer to haveanimation timing in double frame (on twos) instead of single frame (on ones).

Lip-Sync
Change Mouth Shapeto

Lets you change the mouth shape to one of the following: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, X.

Auto Lip-Sync
Detection

Generates a sound detection for lip-sync.

Map Lip-Sync

Automatically maps drawings in an element to the mouth chart you havegenerated for a sound. This can save time when you are lip-synching a voice
track.

Sound Display
Sound Name

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vertically through the column frames between the same file name indicates acontinuity of the same sound file in these frames.

Mouth Shapes

Shows the letter (or name depending on the way you named your character's
different mouth positions) in the column's frames. There is only one mouth
position allotted per frame and this position should correspond to the sound fileafter performing a lip-sync.

Waveform

Shows a vertical display of the sound file's actual waveform. In the column
header, in the field under the column name, you can type in a percentage to zoom
in or zoom out on the waveform, or pass the scroll cursor
over the Zoom
Waveformicon.

Sound Edit
Insert Blank Cell

Places an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure andPull

Replaces the exposure from the selected cell with exposures that follow it.

Annotation
Import FileLets you import an image file in an Annotation column.

Change Pen Colour

Lets you change the pen colour by selecting one from the Select Colour dialog
box.

Pen Width

Lets you select a pen preset or change the pen width (in pixels).

Eraser Width

Lets you modify the width of the Eraser tool.

Erase All

Removes all text and drawn annotations. Annotations that you type in cannot be
erased using this method.

Erase Selected Images Removes images you select in the Annotation column.
Erase Selected Texts

Removes text you select in the Annotation column.

Enable Drawing

Lets you draw in the Annotation column using your mouse or pen tablet.

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Chapter 4: Toolbars
Harmony contains toolbars which, by default, are located at the top of the interface. Some views also have a toolbar
which you can reposition to suit your work style. You can show or hide toolbars, as well as customize it with thetools you use most often and hide the ones you don't.
Main Toolbars
View Toolbars

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Chapter 5: Views
Intro...

Coordinates and Control Points View
The Coordinates and Control Points view displays the parameters of keyframes or control points selected in the
Camera, Timeline or Xsheet view. You can also see the same information in the Coordinate and Control Point
toolbars.
In this view, you can edit keyframes and control point parameters, such as the position, continuity, bias, tension andlock-in-time.

Parameter

Description

Name

The name of the function curve to which the select point is linked.

Position
Separate

Modifies modify the X, Y and Z coordinates independently. When this option isdeselected, all three parameters are linked. If one is deleted, all others will also bedeleted.

Cumulative Z

When a layer is parented to other layers that are moved forward or backward on
the Z-axis, the currently selected layer's Z position value may not be accurate
since its parent will also have an offset on the Z-axis. The Cumulative Z value is acompilation of all the Z-axis offsets to give the real Z-axis offset value related tothe (0,0) centre.

Separate Scale

Modifies the width and height values independently. When this option is selected,

Scale

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the width and height are locked to the same value, forcing the scale to be on a 1:1
ratio. If the option is deselected, you have the ability to squash and stretch yourlayer at will.
Rotation
Angle

The rotation angle value from the permanent pivot of the element.

Skew

This is the skewing value.

Skew

Control Point and Keyframe
Frame

The frame at which the select point is set.

Locked in Time

Indicates if the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only locked to a
specific position and the curve can flow through it freely as other points are being
added, moved, or adjusted (control point).

Stop-Motion Keyframe

When this option is selected, the keyframe is set as a stop-motion point. Thismeans that there is no automatic interpolation created between the selected point
and the next one. The layer will maintain its position until the animation reaches
the frame of the next point and will then jump to the new position. Deselect thisoption to generate interpolation and get the layer to progressively move to the next
position.

TensionControls how sharply the path bends as it passes through a control point or
keyframe.

Continuity

Controls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by a point.

Bias

Controls the slope of the path so it flows towards one side of the motion point or
the other.

TensionContinuity

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Bias

Layer Properties
The Layer Properties editor or view lets you adjust the properties of a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Nodeview. The Layer Properties can be viewed as a floating window or as a view (docked).
Each layer has its own set of properties that can be modified, including effect and peg layers. Display the Layer
Properties editor or view if you want to modify some of the layer’s properties, such as the name or the antialiasing
quality.
How to access the Layer Properties editor‣

Double-click on a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view.

‣

Right-click on a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view and select Layer Properties.

‣

Select a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view and press Shift + E.

How to access the Layer Properties view
1. Do one of the following:‣

Select the view you want to add from Windows > Layer Properties.

‣

In the top-right corner of a view, click the Add View

By default, the Layer Properties view appears as a tab.

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Chapter 5: Views

Transformation Tab
The Transformation tab contains parameters for adjusting the position, scale, rotation, skew and pivots of anelement.
When the Enable 3D option is selected, additional parameters appear in the Rotation and Pivot sections to rotate
objects on 3 axis in the 3D space.

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Parameter

Description

Enable 3D

Displays additional parameters for working with 3D objects.
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.
Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.
Path (x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Position

Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.
Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at which

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Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash and stretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.
Scale(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.
Scale in Fields: Instead of using the standard scaling units, when this option isenabled, images are scaled using field units, based on the traditional animation
field chart.
Ignore Parent Scaling: When this option is enabled, any scaling value applied toa parent layer is ignored in the current layer. This can be handy in cut-out rigs
when you need to scale an arm without affecting the forearm.

RotationAngle z: Lets you type in a degree value for the rotation angle. Note that you canenter values greater than 360 and -360 degrees. If you enter 720, the object will
rotate twice.

Skew

Skew: Lets you type in a degree value between -90 to 90 for the skew angle.
(x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Pivot(y) Axis: Lets you ype in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.
Use Embedded Pivots:
Harmony has three types of pivots:•

Drawing Pivot

Permanent Pivot
This is a permanent pivot, sometime referred to as peg pivot, that is
applied to the entire drawing or peg layer. If you modify its position, it will
be changed for the entire layer, modifying the animation, scale and rotationinterpolation. The permanent pivot is set using the Rotate, Translate or
Scale tool. The Transform tool will only move that pivot temporarily for
positioning purposes, but the animation interpolation will be done from theoriginal permanent pivot's position. The Transform tool is designed tomove the pivot temporarily during the animation process. It also permits
you to select multiple pegs and apply a common temporary pivot.
To permanently move a peg pivot, use the Rotate or Scale tool. You canalso directly type the values in the Layer Properties window in the Pivot
section's (x) Axis and (y) Axis fields.
In the Layer Properties window, in the Drawing Pivot section, select the
Don't Use Embedded Pivot option to use the permanent pivot.

•

Drawing Pivot
The Drawing pivot is contained within each drawing. In one layer, eachdrawing can have its own pivot. If you have many different views of acharacter within one layer, the pivot can be different and the animation will
adjust to the pivot. The Drawing pivot can also be referred to as embedded
pivot. If you are not mixing different views within the same layers or areusing pegs to animate your layers, it is recommended to use the196Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

permanent pivot.

You can set a different pivot for each one of your drawings. For example, if
you have a series of drawings from different views, they are not likely torotate from the same location. In that case, you can set a different pivot forthese drawings by using the Drawing Pivot
tool.
In the Layer Properties window, in the Drawing Pivot section, select the
Apply Embedded Pivot on Drawing Layer option to use the drawing
pivot directly on the drawing layer. If you want to apply the drawing pivot toa parent peg to force the peg to follow the drawing pivot variations, enable
the Apply Embedded Pivot on Parent Peg option.
•

Symbol Pivot
The Symbol pivot is similar to the Drawing pivot. Each symbol cell canhave its own pivot and act the same as the Drawing pivot. The Symbol
pivot can also be referred to as embedded pivot. Inside a symbol, eachdrawing can have its own pivot. If you are not mixing different views within
the same layers or are using pegs to animate your layers, it isrecommended to use the Peg pivot.

For a simple character rig, it is recommended to set the Peg pivot (even on
drawing layers) using the Rotate
tool.

Drawing Tab
The Drawing tab contains parameters for the element and timing columns, designating art layers, and setting bitmap
options.

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Parameter

Description

Element Columns

Full Name: Select which element to connect to the node from the list ofelements that already exist in your scene.
Drawing Path: Displays the full path to the current drawing.
Name: Path to the file you want to link to.
Timing Column: Link to the column that contains the desired timing.

Timing Columns

Extension: When linking to a background file, enter its file name extension.
Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of thepaper on which the animation was drawn.
Overlay Art Enabled: Enables the Overlay Art display.
Line Art Enabled: Enables the Line Art display.
Colour Art Enabled: Enables the Colour Art display.
Underlay Art Enabled: Enables the Underlay Art display.

Art Layers

Overlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Overlay Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Line Art Type: Allows you to set the Line Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Colour Art Type: Allows you to set the Colour Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Underlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Underlay Art as Vector or Bitmap
type.

Bitmap File Options

When an image is created with an external software and that image has sometransparency, there are several formats the software can use when writing the
RBG channels. The purpose of the four import options for the transparency isfor the user to tell Harmony how to interpret the RGB channels of the imported
image. The correct option has to match the ouput format of the software that198Harmony 12.2 Premium - Paperless Animation Guide (Server)

was used to create the image in the first place. For instance, if the you used
Adobe Photoshop and exported an image as Straight, then it should be
imported in Harmony as Straight in order to get the correct result.
Note that if the image has no alpha channel or if it does have an alpha channel
and all the pixels are 100% opaque, it does not make any difference which
option is selected.
Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images. If
this module reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether
the colour should be read or ignored. If this module reads 1-channel bitmaps,
this selection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When
this option is selected with 1-channel images, the resulting image will be agreyscale image.
Transparency: Controls the production of alpha information from bitmap
images. If this module reads a 1 or 3-channel image, this option will create amatte from the colour values in the image. If the module reads a 4-channel
image and this option is not selected, the alpha information in the image will beignored.
Transparency Type
Premultiplied with Black: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black.
Premultiplied with White: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with white.
Straight: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are left as is(unmatted).
Clamp Colour to Alpha: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black. On import, each of the RGB channels is clamped so that acolor value never exceed the alpha value for a given pixel. When the RGB
values are multiplied with the alpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel ofvalue R=247, G=188, B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50%
transparency, then the actual RGB values output would be half of the amounts
listed above.

Drawing Tab
The Drawing tab contains parameters for the element and timing columns, designating art layers, and setting bitmap
options.

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Parameter

Description

Element Columns

Full Name: Select which element to connect to the node from the list ofelements that already exist in your scene.
Drawing Path: Displays the full path to the current drawing.
Name: Path to the file you want to link to.
Timing Column: Link to the column that contains the desired timing.

Timing Columns

Extension: When linking to a background file, enter its file name extension.
Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of thepaper on which the animation was drawn.
Overlay Art Enabled: Enables the Overlay Art display.
Line Art Enabled: Enables the Line Art display.
Colour Art Enabled: Enables the Colour Art display.
Underlay Art Enabled: Enables the Underlay Art display.

Art Layers

Overlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Overlay Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Line Art Type: Allows you to set the Line Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Colour Art Type: Allows you to set the Colour Art as Vector or Bitmap type.
Underlay Art Type: Allows you to set the Underlay Art as Vector or Bitmap
type.

Bitmap File Options

When an image is created with an external software and that image has sometransparency, there are several formats the software can use when writing the
RBG channels. The purpose of the four import options for the transparency isfor the user to tell Harmony how to interpret the RGB channels of the imported
image. The correct option has to match the ouput format of the software that200

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was used to create the image in the first place. For instance, if the you used
Adobe Photoshop and exported an image as Straight, then it should be
imported in Harmony as Straight in order to get the correct result.
Note that if the image has no alpha channel or if it does have an alpha channel
and all the pixels are 100% opaque, it does not make any difference which
option is selected.
Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images. If
this module reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether
the colour should be read or ignored. If this module reads 1-channel bitmaps,
this selection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When
this option is selected with 1-channel images, the resulting image will be agreyscale image.
Transparency: Controls the production of alpha information from bitmap
images. If this module reads a 1 or 3-channel image, this option will create amatte from the colour values in the image. If the module reads a 4-channel
image and this option is not selected, the alpha information in the image will beignored.
Transparency Type
Premultiplied with Black: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black.
Premultiplied with White: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with white.
Straight: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are left as is(unmatted).
Clamp Colour to Alpha: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black. On import, each of the RGB channels is clamped so that acolor value never exceed the alpha value for a given pixel. When the RGB
values are multiplied with the alpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel ofvalue R=247, G=188, B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50%
transparency, then the actual RGB values output would be half of the amounts
listed above.

Controls Tab

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The Controls tab contains animation control options.
Parameter

Description

Animation

Animate Using Animation Tools: By default, a drawing layer can be animatedusing the same parameters as a peg, but you can disable this feature. Being
able to switch your drawing layers so they can no longer be animated without apeg has certain advantages. In cut-out animation, it is easier to separate yourdrawing exposure and keyframes to change timing easier and rearrange
keyframe position in the Timeline view. This feature is also available forbackward compatibility when bringing in templates created in older versions of
the software, so as not to lose their offset keyframes or drawing substitution
keyframes.
Lets you set a maximum and minimum rotation angle for a drawing. This option
is used mainly for a cut-out character when you do not want an elbow to bend
too far in or out.

Angle Limit Values

Enable Min/Max Angle: Activates the minimum and maximum angle
constraints.
Min Angle: Type the minimum angle you want the drawing to rotate too.
Max Angle: Type the maximum angle you want the drawing to rotate too.

Spline Offset

In the X, Y and Z axis fields, type the coordinates of where you want to offset
the visual trajectory. By default, the trajectory is displayed at the centre
drawing, using the layer's pivot position. If you want to move it so itcorresponds better with your drawing, either type new coordinates or use theSpline Offset tool available in the Advanced Animation toolbar.
To display the trajectory in the Camera view, select your drawing and selectView > Show > Control. You can also press Shift + F11 (Windows/Linux) or⌘ + F11 (Mac OS X).

Advanced Tab
The Advanced tab contains options for setting the alignment of drawings, clipping, line thickness, vector render
options, and more.

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Parameter

Description
Alignment Rule: The alignment rule selections are intended to deal with drawings
that were created on paper of a different size or orientation from the defaultalignment rule (set up in the Scene Settings dialog box) or imported bitmap
images. The drawings are then scaled to match the Harmony alignment
rectangle. Note that alignment rules are not based on the camera frame, but on
the scene frame. Refer to the Fundamentals Guide to learn more about scenealignment and scene settings.
•

Left: The default alignment for drawings; aligns the drawings to the left
side of the scene’s alignment rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings tomatch their height to the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Right: Aligns the drawings to the right side of the alignment rectangle.
Harmony scales the drawings to match their height to the height of thealignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Top: Aligns the drawings to the top of the alignment rectangle. Harmony
scales the drawings to match their widths to the width of the alignment
rectangle of the scene.

•

Bottom: Aligns the drawings to the bottom of the alignment rectangle.
Harmony scales the drawings to match their widths to the width of thealignment rectangle of the scene.

Alignment

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Centre Fit: Centers the drawings.

•

Centre Fill: Centers the drawings and then scales them so the width orheight fills the available space.

•

Centre LR: Aligns the drawings in the left-right centre of the alignment
rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings to match their height to the heightof the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Centre TB: Aligns the drawings in the top-bottom centre of the alignment
rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings to match their widths to the widthof the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

Stretch: Scales the drawings so they fit within the alignment rectangle ofthe scene. This is particularly useful for images that you will manipulate
with a Quadmap node. If the drawings in the Quadmap node do not havethe same aspect ratio as the alignment rectangle of the scene (from the
Scene Settings dialog box), the handles on the quadmap will not appear on
the corners of the image, making it difficult to manipulate the quadmap. In
this case, you would set the drawing layer of the quadmap images toStretch to make the handles appear on the corner of the image. This canhave the effect of distorting the images, but it is not an issue with images
that will be distorted through the Quadmap node anyways.

•

As Is: Leaves the drawings aligned as they are.

•Centre First Page: Aligns the centre of the first part of a standard pan celwith the centre of the field chart.

Turn Before Alignment: Rotates the drawings in the selected element 90
degrees to the left before scaling and aligning them according to the alignment
rule, and before performing any offset, rotation or scaling for the element or peg.
This and the Alignment Rule are intended for drawings that were created on paperof a different size or orientation than the other paper in the scene, and requiresalignment so they are treated accurately.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the drawing on the X-axis.
Flip Vertical: Flips the drawing on the Y-axis.
No Clipping: Select this option if you do not want to clip the images in this node
before an effect is applied to it.
Clipping

Line Thickness

Clipping Factor (X)/(Y): This is an option for rendering images that are larger
than the final frame. With this option enabled, images can be moved by an Apply
Peg Transformation node without black entering into the composite as a resultof early clipping. In addition, this option is useful for images that have a blur thatshould appear in the frame even though the image itself is not in frame—see Apply
Image Transformation and Apply Peg Transformation.
As you move the camera in your scene along the Z-axis, notice that, logically, thelines of the elements become thicker the closer the camera gets to the drawing. If
you prefer the lines to remain the same size or become thicker at a different
speed, you can use the thickness feature to adjust your brush stroke and pencil
line thickness. You can modify the size of the lines even if the camera is notanimated.

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To learn how to use this feature, see Camera Truck-ins and Line Thickness.
Adjust Pencil Lines Thickness: Lets you work with pencil lines and adjust their
thickness. You will not see any changes to lines in the Camera view OpenGL
mode. You must switch to the Render mode.
Normal Thickness: Disables all overrides on the brush stroke line thickness.
This option must be enabled in order for the pencil line thickness parameter andpencil lines to appear. If you want to modify the brush stroke thickness, deselectthis option. To enable brush strokes to work with the line thickness feature, youmust first create central strokes in the Colour Art layer. The central strokes
control the line variation of your brush strokes in the Line Art layer. SelectDrawing > Create Colour Art from Line Art.
Zoom Independent Thickness: Select this if you want your line thickness toremain constant independently from the camera move. Everything else will
increase in size, but the line thickness will stay the same.
Proportional: Enter a multiple by which you want to increase the line thickness
base on its original thickness. A value of 1 will result in no change; a value of 0
(zero) will hide the lines.
Constant: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) to
indicate the amount of pixels you want to add around the existing line.
Minimum: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) for theminimum line thickness allowed.
Maximum: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) for the
maximum line thickness allowed.
•

Antialiasing Quality: A smoothness (antialiasing) setting applied to thefinal rendered image.
•

Low: No antialiasing•

Medium Low: Basic antialiasing•

Medium: Improved antialiasing (blurs the textures)•

High: High quality antialiasing (does not blur the textures)

Higher quality images require more time to render and more systemmemory. Choose a lower quality if you are rendering a pencil test.
•

Antialiasing Exponent: Controls the size of the area around the final
image edges used in the antialiasing process. A higher value uses lessarea, resulting in sharper edges, while a lower value uses more area,
resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing Quality value is set to Low (noantialiasing) or Medium Low, this value is ignored. Values: Between 0 and
1.

•

Texture Filter: This option changes the way coloured pixels of TVG
textures are calculated when rendered for different degrees of accuracy.

Vector Render Options•

Bilinear: This option takes the four pixels around each point andmakes a bilinear interpolation between them. (Medium Quality)•

Nearest: This option chooses the colour of the closest pixel to a point.
(Lower Quality)

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Nearest (Filtered): This option is an improved version of Bilinear andimproves the quality when zooming on a texture. (Best Quality)•

Depth: Overrides the order of cables in the node system to determine theforward/backward order in which this element is rendered. The Z position
value overrides the depth value.

•Morphing Velocity: Creates a velocity function curve for morphing
sequences in the layer. This function modifies the interpolation percentage
between the 2 drawings. If set, the morphing between the two drawings
will not be linear over time between the two drawings but will be modulated
according to this curve. This can be used to create a periodic morphingover a long period of time.

•

Opacity: Lets you quickly change the transparency of the selected
element. Opacity settings here will be reflected in both OpenGL preview,and full render.

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Chapter 6: Windows
Intro...

Element Manager Window
The Element Manager window lets you add, delete or modify elements (drawing folders) in your scene. If you havedrawing folders that are not linked to a column in your scene, use the Element Manager to delete them if needed.

For more information on working with this window, see Modifying Layers and Columns on page 1.
How to access the Element Manager window
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Element Manager.
Parameter

Description

Elements
Delete Elements

Deletes the selected elements.

Delete Elements andDirectories

Deletes the selected layer and its directories (drawing folder).

Add/Modify Element
Name

Type in a new name in this field to create an element or to rename the selected
element.

Vector

Select this option if the new element is a vector drawing or if you want to enable
the parameters on the selected element in the Elements list.

Bitmap Format

Lets you select the file format of the bitmap layer.

Scan TypeIf you're planning to scan elements with the Toon Boom Harmony Scan module,
select the scan type from the list.

Field Chart

If you're importing traditional animation, select the size of the paper on which theanimation was drawn.

Add

Creates a new element with the current parameters entered in the Add/Modify
Element section.

ModifyApplies the parameter changes made to the selected element.
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Manage Tool Presets Window
The Tool Presets window lets you create new tool presets and manage them.

For more information on working with this window, see Working with Tool Presets on page 1.
How to access the Manage Tool Presets window
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Tool Presets.

‣

Right-click an empty area below the top menu and select Tool Presets.

2. In the Tool Presets toolbar, click the Manage Presets button.
Parameter

Description

Icon

Lets you select a preset to manage.

ImportLets you import an existing preset.

ExportLets you export a preset for use in other projects.

DeleteRemoves the preset from the list of tool presets.

Name

Lets you change the name of the preset.

Icon list

Lets you select an icon for the preset.

Folder icon

Lets you select an image for the preset.

ShortcutLets you assign a keyboard shortcut to the new preset.

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ColourSaves the current colour into the tool preset.

Tool

If you disable this option, only the colour will be associated. You could, forexample, set three different colours with shortcuts not associated with any
tool. The colour preset would then work on any selected tool. Selecting thebrush tool was only a vehicle to get into the New Tool Preset dialog box.

UpdateAfter adjusting the settings for a preset, the current properties are applied to thepresets, as well as any other changes you made in the Manage Tool Presets
window.

Versions Window
The Versions window lets you delete any unnecessary versions of scenes when working with Harmony Server.
When working with multiple versions of a scene, you may to clean up the database by deleting the ones you nolonger need.
For more information on working with this window, see Saving a Scene on page 1.
How to access the Versions window
1. Make sure you have the necessary rights. If you do not, select File > Rights to Modify Scene.
2. From the top menu, select File > Manage Versions.

Parameter

Description

Existing Versions

Displays the different versions of a scene that you can delete.

Description

Displays information about the selected version.

DeleteRemoves the selected version of a scene.

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IMPORTANT: This operation cannot be undone.

Export to Easel JS
The Export to Easel JS window lets you a flattened image sequence of your animation. Even if you have a fully
rigged puppet or a single drawing layer with your animation sequence, the outcome will still be a flattened output
of each frame, grouped together in your sprite sheet. This allows for more flexibility and freedom of work as you
have access to any tools or effect modules you want to use. However, this can result in heavier files dependingon the length, complexity and export size of your animation.

How to access the Export to Easel JS window
1. From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
The Game toolbar appears above the Camera view, to the left.

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2. Click the Export to Easel JS
Parameter

button.

Description

Select Directory
Save Path

The folder path where you want to save your export.

Save Name

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the name ofyour asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Existing Clips in Folder

Displays the clips in the folder.

Scene Options

Display

Here, you must select the Display of your character. This is the one that will be
used to render out all of the information attached to that Display node. If the
Unconnected_Display option is selected, all of the visual information in yourscene will be rendered out.

Sprite Sheet Preferences
Max Width
Max HeightThis is a value, in pixels, for the maximum width and height the exported sprite
sheet should be. By default, both values are set to 2048 pixels.

Expand Sprite Sheet

Uses the minimum size necessary up until it reaches the maximum resolution.

Fixed Sprite Sheet

Creates a texture of the specified size (Max Width and Max Height) even if it does
not fill it up completely by all the drawings in your scene.
POT: Exports to sprite sheets with sizes that are a power of 2. For example: 1024
x 1024. This is optimized for many graphics cards, but consumes more memory.

Resolution Type
NPOT: Some game engines are optimized specifically to render to non powers of
two, so that it will avoid those numbers. Example: 1000 x 1000.

Reuse FramesThis option works in tandem with the Threshold option. The export will compare
the drawings in your project to reuse a maximum of similar drawings and reduce
the amount of information found in the sprite sheet, making it lighter. The export
will omit the creation of new drawings if the difference is less than the thresholdpercentage.

ThresholdCalculates the differences between multiple drawings. A 2% threshold will
prevent the creation of a new drawing if the drawing is too similar to an existingdrawing. For instance, with a 2% threshold, and my drawing is 100 pixels big, only
2 of those pixels need to be different from my other drawing in order to create a
new one. The higher the threshold, the fewer similar drawings you will have.

Sprite Resolutions

Size of the render of the individual sprite, when it exports each drawing out.

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Export to Sprite Sheets
The Export to Sprite Sheets window export to multiple resolutions, generating multiple .xml files and one or
multiple sprites sheets depending how many sprite resolutions you defined.
This saves different animations of the same character into the same name. For example, if there's an idle, run,and jump animation, these should all share the same Save Name. You can think of it as the overall collection ofanimations. Inside are the different saved scene versions whose drawings you can reuse for all the animations inthat character set. Each scene version will be displayed as an item in the list.
When you export an animation, only the drawings used in that scene are exported. All the drawings are exported
individually first and then atlased together into a sprite sheet.
If you saved multiple animations to the same Save Name (i.e. SpaceDuck: run, idle), then it will reatlas the sprite
sheet to include all the drawings from all the animations in that folder, creating a new animation file, but reusing
the same skeleton.

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How to access the Export to Sprite Sheets window
1. From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
The Game toolbar appears above the Camera view, to the left.

2. Click the Export to Sprite Sheets
Parameter

button.

Description

Select Directory
Save Path

The folder path where you want to save your export.

Save Name

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the name ofyour asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Existing Clips in Folder
Overwrite Project

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the name ofyour asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Clear Texture Folder

Removes any information from the texture folder within the Harmony file. This
has no incidence towards the Unity export but contributes to a lighter Harmony
file.

Project Settings

Unit Scale

Lets you change the scale when exporting to Unity to accommodate the size ofthe export without it affecting the Harmony scene. This helps you resize assets
properly for Unity without having to resize them in Harmony. The basic scale is
one Animation Field for one Unity unit.

Sprite Sheet Preferences
Max Width

This is a value, in pixels, for the maximum width and height the exported sprite
sheet should be. By default, both values are set to 2048 pixels.

Max Height

Makes linear values for interpolation. This increases the amount of memory used
but frees up the calculation so it is not done on the fly.

Expand Sprite Sheet

Uses the minimum size necessary up until it reaches the maximum resolution.

Fixed Sprite Sheet

Creates a texture of the specified size (Max Width and Max Height) even if it does
not fill it up completely by all the drawings in your scene.
POT: Exports to sprite sheets with sizes that are a power of 2. For example: 1024
x 1024. This is optimized for many graphics cards, but consumes more memory.

Resolution Type
NPOT: Some game engines are optimized specifically to render to non powers of
two, so that it will avoid those numbers. Example: 1000 x 1000.
Reuse FramesThis option works in tandem with the Threshold option. The export will compare

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the drawings in your project to reuse a maximum of similar drawings and reduce
the amount of information found in the sprite sheet, making it lighter. The export
will omit the creation of new drawings if the difference is less than the thresholdpercentage.

ThresholdCalculates the differences between multiple drawings. A 2% threshold will
prevent the creation of a new drawing if the drawing is too similar to an existingdrawing. For instance, with a 2% threshold, and my drawing is 100 pixels big, only
2 of those pixels need to be different from my other drawing in order to create a
new one. The higher the threshold, the fewer similar drawings you will have.

Sprite Resolutions

Size of the render of the individual sprite, when it exports each drawing out.

Precalculate Curves

Makes linear values for interpolation. This increases the amount of memory used
but frees up the calculation so it is not done on the fly.

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Index
4
4:3
12 fields 84
Aalignment 84
4:3 12 Fields 84
Square 12 Fields 84
aspect ratio 82
grid 84
B
bitmap resolution
height 85
resolution factor 85
width 85C
center coordinates, setting 85
Ffield of view 82
custom 82
horizontal fit 82
vertical fit 82
film-1.33 81
film-1.66 81
film-1.66_Vertical 81
FOV (field of view) 82
custom 82
horizontal fit 82
vertical fit 82
fps 82frames per second 82
G
grid
aspect ratio, setting 84
centre coordinates, setting 85
number of units, setting 85

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IndexH
HDTV 81
HDTV_Vertical 81
L
low resolution 81
N
NTSC 81O
orthographic projection 83
P
PAL 81perspective projection 83
pixel
dimensions 82
projection settings 83
orthographic 83
perspective 83
projects
resolution 81
Rresolution
factor, bitmap 85
film-1.33 81
film-1.66 81
film-1.66_Vertical 81
HDTV 81
HDTV_Vertical 81
height, bitmap 85
Low 81NTSC 81
PAL 81
presets 81
scene 85width, bitmap 85
Sscene resolution 85
Scene Settings dialog box 80

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settings
projection 83
V
vectorization
parameters, custom 95
Vectorization Parameters dialog box
Help tab 98
opening 96
Options tab 96

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