Toon Boom Harmony 11.1
Fundamentals Guide (Network)1

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

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 the applicable 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.
Credits
Art Development: Shabana Ali, Marie-Ève Chartrand, Tania Gray, Annie Rodrigue, Anouk Whissell
Technical Editor: Peter Cawthorne, Pamela Grimaud, Liven Tam
Technical Reviewer: Joel Baril, Marc-André Bouvier-Pelletier, Lindsay Brown, Elke Starck, Lilly
Vogelesang
Technical Writer: Shabana Ali, Marie-Ève Chartrand, Christopher Diaz, Annie Rodrigue, Liven Tam,
Tamu Townsend, Phoebe Wang-Chao, Anouk Whissell
Publication Date
2014-11-28
Copyright © 2014 Toon Boom Animation Inc. All rights reserved.

2
2

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Contents
Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)
Legal Notices

1
2

Contents

3

Chapter 2: Toon Boom Harmony - About this Help System

1

Help Structure2

Tutorials and Other Help Tools

4

System Requirements

5

Harmony Network

5

Harmony57Chapter 3: About Toon Boom Harmony
Top Features

7

Toon Boom Pipeline

7

Modules713

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow
Pre-production

14

Production

18

Post-production

19

About the Animation Types

21

Traditional Animation

21

Paperless Animation

22

Cut-out Animation

23

Production Steps25

Traditional Animation Workflow

25

Paperless Animation Workflow

28

Cut-out Animation Workflow

30

Chapter 5: Animation Principles

33

Chapter 6: Concepts

39

Bitmap and Vector Graphics

40

Bitmap Image Types

40

Vector Image Types

40

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bitmap and Vector Images

40

Line and Colour Layers

42Colour Palettes

4333

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network) Contents

Advantages of Using a Master Palette

43

Exposure Sheet, Timeline and Timing

45

Broadcast Standards

45

Exposure Sheet

46

Timeline

46

Xsheet and Timeline Usage

47

Pegs

48

Multiplane

49

Network

50

Frame Rate and Format

51

Scenes52

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure
Database Structure

53
54

Environments and Their Structure

55

File Structure

56

Harmony Network Database Files56

usa_db Structure

56

Scene File Structure

57

Root Directory and Content Building Scenes

58

Drawings and Layers

62

Palettes

64

Element Level

64

Scene Level

65

Where to Save the Palette File65

What happens when you export a palette file?

65

Palette Backup

66

Libraries and Templates

67

Library Structure Tips

67

Personal Libraries

68

Naming Convention

69

Scene Naming Convention

69

Layer Naming Convention

69

Renaming a Series of Modules

70

Puppet Drawing Naming Convention

70

4
4

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

73

Network Connection and Centralized Database

74

What is the Network Connection?

74

Working with Harmony Stage Via Harmony Network

74

Starting Stage75

Connecting to the Database

76

Global Lock78

Acquiring Rights to a Scene Once it is Loaded

79

Welcome Screen

80

Accessing the Documentation

81

Saving a Scene

82

Setting the Scene Length

91

New Scene Startup Script91

Adding a Drawing Layer

92

Locking Drawings

93

Scene Settings

95

Verifying the Project Integrity

103

Check Files103

Check Colours

103

Basic Commands

105

Preferences

109
111

Chapter 9: Interface
Menus

113

Managing the Views

115

Managing the Toolbars

119Managing the Workspace

124

View References

129

Camera View

129

Colour View

135

Coordinates and Control Points View

140

Drawing View

142

Function View

144

Integrated Help View

146

Layer Properties Editor

147

5
5

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network) Contents

Library View

148

Message Log View

150

Model View

150

Module Library View

151

Module Library View Toolbar

152

Module Tabs

152

Network View

153

Modules

155

Perspective View

158

Script Editor View

159

Side View

161

Timeline View

162

Tool Properties View

170

Top View

171

Xsheet View

172

Toolbar References

180

Top Toolbars

180

View Toolbars

185Interface Navigation

186

Using the Play Menu to Navigate

187

Zoom Tool

188

Navigating between Frames and Columns

188

Glossary

191

Index

202

Glossary231

66

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 2: Toon Boom Harmony - About this Help System
Toon Boom Harmony is an animation and digital content creation tool that offers you a wide array offeatures and options. Harmony is packaged in several different modules and allows you to create
animation using the technique of your choice—see About Toon Boom Harmony on page 7.
This help system is built to guide you through the different workflows possible and explains which tooland module to use in a production context.
•

Help Structure on the next page•

Tutorials and Other Help Tools on page 4

1
7

Chapter 2: Toon Boom Harmony - About this Help System Help Structure

Help Structure

The fundamental concepts of animation and Harmony are explained in this guide. It covers theessentials of various animation workflows, basic animation principles, as well as Harmony's interface.
Depending on what you want to do, you can either start with this Fundamentals Guide to get
immersed into the world of Harmony and animation or go right to the Getting Started Guide, which
covers the main functions and tasks. All conceptual and reference topics are omitted to get you up andrunning in a very short amount of time.
If your work revolves more around system administration or coordination tasks, you will probably
want to move over to the Installation Guide followed by the Control Center and Server Guide to learn
how to install and configure Harmony.
The core of this help system revolves around the main animation techniques you can use in Harmony tocreate animation:•

Traditional Animation•

Paperless Animation•

Cut-out Animation

If you use one of the animation technique listed above to produce games, you can complete yourlearning process using the Gaming Guide.

2
8

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

All workflows join in the compositing step of the process. All the information on compositing inHarmony can be found in the Compositing Guide. Finally, you can watch the rendered animations in
the Play module. To learn how to use the Play module, refer to the Play guide.
If you are focusing on a single part of the workflow such as ink and paint or digital Xsheet creation, you
can simply read the Fundamentals Guide and one of the corresponding module guides:•

Paint Guide•

Xsheet Guide•

Scan Guide•

Draw Guide•

Sketch Guide

Other satellite guides are also available to learn about additional information such as the preferences
and keyboard shortcuts.
•

Keyboard Shortcuts Guide•

Preferences Guide•

Scripting Guide•

Utilities Guide

If you are already a Harmony user and want to know more about the new features that were added tothis latest version, refer to:•

Release Notes

39Chapter 2: Toon Boom Harmony - About this Help System Tutorials and Other Help Tools

Tutorials and Other Help Tools
Aside from the main product documentation, you can find supplementary material to learn more
about Harmony. The Toon Boom website's online resources section offers a variety of videos andsamples that can further your knowledge of Harmony.
•Video Tutorials: toonboom.com/resources/video-tutorials/harmony-network•

Templates and Sample Scenes: toonboom.com/resources/templates/harmony-network•

Tips and Tricks: toonboom.com/resources/tips-and-tricks/harmony-network•

White Papers: toonboom.com/solutions/white-papers

410

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

System Requirements
Here are the technical specifications for Toon Boom Harmony 11.1.

Harmony Network
Toon Boom Harmony Network is a server-client configuration. The server stores all the assets, andholds the database. The client machines simply run the software and allow the members of your team
to work on Harmony and access the assets directly from the database.

Note that an Internet connection is required to activate the animation software.

Before installing Harmony, refer to the Harmony and Your IT Department white paper to learn about
the network prerequisites for a Toon Boom Harmony installation. This document should be taken as a
guide to help you understand the preliminary steps before performing a typical Harmony installation.
There are multiple ways of installing Harmony, as well as numerous types of hardware that can workwith Harmony. To perform a custom installation which fits the studio’s requirements, a proper analysisof the studio is required, such as: the type of project, the productivity expected, and the delivery date,etc. If you are not yet familiar with Harmony, you should get in touch with your sales contact at Toon
Boom to organize a needs analysis of your studio and production in order to make the best ofHarmony and optimize your production pipeline.
The person who performs the installation should have the knowledge and expertise required forsetting up and configuring networks, computers, and operating systems. If you do not have an IT
department or someone who knows the network technology thoroughly, contact your sales
representative at Toon Boom to organize an installation with our consulting department.
•

White Paper: Harmony and Your IT Department

Harmony
Here are the specifications to install Harmony on client machines. Note that this does not encompass
the network and server specifications for Harmony Network.
Requirements

Windows

Mac OS X
Mac OS X 10.7.5
Mac OS X 10.8.5
Mac OS X 10.9.3 or later

Operating System

Windows 7 64-bit
Windows 8 64-bit

Processor

Intel Core i7, 3.4 GHz
Intel Core i5, 3 GHzIntel Core 2 DuoMonitorMemoryOptimized for 1920 x 1080 or higher
Minimum requirement is 1280 x 800
16 GB
8 GB
5
11

Chapter 2: Toon Boom Harmony - About this Help System System Requirements

4 GB
Fast

‣ NVIDIA GeForce GTX

Fast‣ NVIDIA Geforce GTX 780

MediumMedium‣ NVIDIA Geforce GTX 560
Video Card

775M

‣ NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650‣ AMD Radeon HD 6770
‣ NVIDIA GeForce 750M
Slow

Slow

‣ Intel HD Graphics 4000,
5000‣ Intel Iris GraphicsNVIDIA
GeForce GT 520, 620, 720‣ Intel HD Graphics 4000,
5000‣ Intel Iris Graphics‣ NVIDIA GeForce 320M
‣ Radeon HD 4670

Best

‣ Wacom Intuos Pro
Drawing Tablet‣ Wacom Cintiq
Basic‣ Wacom Bamboo‣ Wacom Intuos
Media Player

Apple QuickTime Player (free)6
12

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 3: About Toon Boom Harmony
Toon Boom Harmony is the most advanced professional animation software on the market. Bringing
together an impressive 2D drawing toolset with the ability to work in a real 3D space, and import 3Dmodels,Harmony Network combines the animation toolset of Harmony with an impressive database forcollaborative workflow. Share assets, batch vectorize and render, and increase production efficiency.

Top Features•

Advanced Drawing Tools: Texture brushes, and thick and thin pencil lines•

Smart Colour Palettes: Colour you can adjust on the fly•

Character Rigging: Hierarchy, deform, and effects for creating sophisticated rigs•

Special Effects: An array of effects including highlights and shadows, glows, blurs, and a fullparticle effects engine•

Real 3D Camera: A camera you can reposition in a full 3D space•

3D Integration: Allowing you to import 3D models, position and animate them in 3D space•

Batch Vectorizing and Rendering: Quickly process images for import and export through a single
workstation or a render farm•

Database File Sharing: Share libraries, colour palettes, animation, and more across the wholeteam•

Production Pipeline Integration: Seamlessly integrate content from pre-production via
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro

Toon Boom Pipeline
Toon Boom Harmony has been recognized for its excellence by winning many awards, including a
Primetime Emmy® Engineering Award and the prestigious Ub Iwerks Annie Award for the integrated
pipeline with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro.
Harmony works perfectly with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro for all pre-production phases. Therefore,
animatics created in Toon Boom Storyboard Pro can be imported seamlessly in Harmony foranimation and scene setup guidance.

Modules

Harmony Network is composed of the following modules:

713

Chapter 3: About Toon Boom Harmony•

Control Center below•

Stage on the facing page•

Draw on the facing page•

Sketch on page 10•

Scan on page 10•

Xsheet on page 11•

Paint on page 11•Play on page 11•

Cloud on page 12

These modules are all accessible from:•

Windows: Start > Programs > Toon Boom Harmony 11.1•

Mac OS X: Applications > Toon Boom Harmony 11.1•

Linux: /usr/local/ToonBoomAnimation/harmony_11.1/lnx86_64/bin•

Controlcenter

•

Stage

•

Draw

•

Sketch•Scan

•Stage -xsheet•

Stage -paint

•

Play

•

ServerActivation•

ClientActivation•

LicenseWizard

Control Center

The Control Center module controls the database and organizes the production. The Control
Center module is used to create the environments, jobs and scenes, as well as importing andexporting scene packages. The technical director or system administrator also uses the Control
Center to create the login information for users to access the database.
Control Center is also available in a cloud form where users can access scenes via the Internet.
To learn more about Control Center, refer to the following guides:

814Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

Fundamentals Guide•

Installation Guide•

Control Center and Server Guide

Stage

The Stage module is the core of Harmony. It comprises all the major drawing, animation andcompositing features. It is used to work in the scene: design, character breakdown, cut-out
animation, traditional animation, ink and paint, exposure sheet, timeline, effects, compositing,camera moves, colour styling, and so on.

You cannot create scenes in Stage Harmony Network, you require Control Center. You create them
directly in Stage with Harmony Stand Alone.

To learn more about Stage, refer to the following guides:•

Fundamentals Guide•

Getting Started Guide•

Traditional Animation Guide•

Paperless Animation Guide•

Cut-out Animation Guide•

Gaming Guide•

Compositing Guide•

Play Guide•

Preferences Guide•

Keyboard Shortcuts Guide•

Scripting Guide•

Utilities Guide

Draw

9
15

Chapter 3: About Toon Boom Harmony

The Draw module is a component of the Stage module. It contains all the tools necessary to create apaperless frame-by-frame animation project. There is no node system in this module, only the basic
essential effects. Contrary to the Stage module, instead of creating effects in the Network view, you
simply create them in the Timeline view. The Draw module also includes all the scene setup andcamera features for you to do the compositing for your project.
•

Fundamentals Guide•

Draw Guide•

Preferences Guide

SketchThe Sketch module is a component of the Stage module. It contains the essential tools to animate
frame-by-frame drawings and paint them. It allows you to add layers and animation, and paint andadjust the timing. There are no effects, camera or other compositing tools included in this module.
The Sketch module allows you to focus on the paperless animation tasks at hand without being
distracted by other features that are not necessary to your work.
To learn more about the Sketch module, refer to the following guides:•

Fundamentals Guide•

Sketch Guide•

Preferences Guide

Scan

The Scan module is used to scan drawings in batch. It creates a drawing list from the timing andexposure previously created in the exposure sheet (via Stage or Xsheet module).

It is possible to scan the drawings from a TWAIN device directly in the Stage module.

To learn more about the Scan module, refer to the following guides:•

Fundamentals Guide•

Scan Guide

16

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

XsheetThe Xsheet module is a component of the Stage module. It contains the tools used to create digital
exposure sheets, columns and timing. It is mainly used in large traditional animation studios tomaintain a structure and avoid users having to learn the full product application. This way, the Xsheet
team can concentrate on their task without having to deal with the compositing and drawing tools.
To learn more about the Xsheet module, refer to the following guides:•

Fundamentals Guide•

Xsheet Guide•

Preferences Guide

Paint

Paint module is a component of the Stage module. It contains the drawing, painting and colour
styling tools. It is mainly used in large traditional animation studios to maintain a structure and avoid
users having to learn the full product application. This way, the colour styling or ink and paint teamcan concentrate on their task without having to deal with the compositing and timing tools.
To learn more about the Paint module, refer to the following guides:•

Fundamentals Guide•

Paint Guide•

Preferences GuidePlay

The Play module is used to play back the rendered image sequences enabling the user to view thefinal scenes and compositing results.
To learn more about the Play module, refer to the following guides:•

Fundamentals Guide•

Play Guide

17

Chapter 3: About Toon Boom Harmony

Cloud

Access your Database via the Cloud. When you're running a studio, you will most likely have a
database set up. This enables all the artists working on your production to share the same scenes
and assets.
What the Toon Boom Cloud enables you to do is to host this database on the Internet. When you doso, you can have freelancers log in from anywhere with an internet connection. Then they candownload a scene from the database, work on it, and upload it again.
No more need to spend time copying files to an FTP. No need to have an admin exporting andimporting files from the database. Do it all directly through the Cloud.
To learn more about the Cloud module, refer to the following guides:•

Installation Guide•

Control Center and Server Guide

18

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow
In this chapter, you will become familiar with the different animation workflows and how they end up
merging together. There is also an overview of how they work with Harmony.
To begin with, let's determine what an animation workflow is. No matter which method you choose to
create your project, it will always be divided in three segments:•

Pre-production on the next page•

Production on page 18•

Post-production on page 19

Harmony is designed to handle part of the pre-production and all of the production. Post-production
is managed in an external application. The three workflow segments are each broken down in
different steps.

19

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Pre-production

Pre-production
The first segment is the pre-production.

Pre-production almost always follows these steps:

ScriptEvery project starts with a script or a synopsis. You will also see the term screenplay. A script is thewritten version of a project done by a screenwriter. You will encounter a script in many different
types of projects such as movies, television series, video games and advertisements. It is the source
for all the upcoming steps. A script usually contains the storyline, location descriptions, actions,dialogue, sound effects, etc. It contains all the information necessary for the artists to illustrate andanimate the movie or series.

20

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

The script is needed in order to transform the project into a storyboard. This same script is used as a
dialogue for the audio recording. Finally, characters, props and locations will be designed from all of
the descriptions contained in the script.

Storyboard
The storyboard, which is created by the storyboard artist from the script, is also common to alltypes of projects. A storyboard is a visual representation of all the scenes and actions contained in
the script. The dialogue, backgrounds, action notes, and characters are included.

The storyboard is often created at the same time as the characters, props, location design andaudio recording. The first storyboard is not always exact, as the designs are subject to manychanges during the beginning of a production.
The storyboard is essential to the layout and posing, and the animatic.
This step is not done with Harmony. Traditionally, the storyboard is created on paper. This step canalso be achieved with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, software developed specifically for this use.
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro projects can be imported into Harmony.

Character, Prop and Location Design
Once the script is completed, the designer can start work. Before any animation, background or21

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Pre-production

colouration can be done, the design needs to be addressed. The artist has to decide on the
production style, the character's look, the location's complexity, and so on. Once these designs aredone and approved, the model pack is produced, containing all of the models for all these aspects.

The designs and models will be used by the colour stylist and layout artist, and finally by the
animator.

Audio Recording
The audio recording is also called voice recording. The script is needed for dialogue and extra soundeffects. The actors will read the lines from the script and record their dialogue. These voices will be
used later on for the animatic, the animation and the final production compositing.

Animatic
The animatic, also known as leica, comes directly from the storyboard. The animatic is the first movieof a project and is used to help the animators and compositors. The storyboard is scanned in andmounted with the sounds and dialogue. There is no animation yet. It is simply the storyboard frameschanging over time to help evaluate the rhythm and the look of the show. This will help avoid
mistakes that would have been found only at the end of a show.
This step is unnecessary if you are absolutely sure of your storyboard and timing, but an animatic isalways recommended.
This step is not done with Harmony. Generally, an external software is used to do the storyboard
editing to create the animatic. This step can be achieved with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro software
which was developed specifically for this purpose.

Character, Prop and Background Colour Styling
Once the black and white designs are done, they are sent to colour styling. The colour stylist
chooses the colours and ambiance for the production and balances the characters, props and effects
with the location palettes. This contributes to an even feeling or an emotional contrast where
needed in the show. When the colours are approved, colour models are produced and backgrounds
are painted. Colour models will often be added to the model pack.
The colour models will be used by the colourists and the coloured background will be sent forcompositing.

22

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Sound Breakdown
For the dialogue, a sound breakdown can be done. This means that the sound will be broken downin small pieces and written on the traditional exposure sheet for the animator to use. Each frame will
have its own bit of sound information which tells the animator what mouth phoneme to place on thecharacter on a particular image.
For digital cut-out and paperless animation, the traditional sound breakdown is not necessary as
there are different tools inside Harmony to help the animator achieve the same result.

23

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Production

Production
The production segment can vary greatly depending on the user and the technique. There are threemain techniques or animation types that you will discover on the following pages: traditional,
paperless and cut-out. For more information about production steps, see About the Animation Typeson page 21

24

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Post-production
Post-production is the final step in which video and audio editing and calibrations are done. Some
effects and colour grading can also be performed at this stage.

Final Editing
The final editing comes after the rendering of the production scene. Harmony does not handle theediting, so the renders are exported to an external application. There, the different scenes areassembled and adjusted. If need be, users can add extra filters and effects, such as transitions
between the scenes, during this step.
Once the editing is completed, the audio will be added.

Audio Editing
The audio editing is also done in an external application. It can be done directly in the editing
software or in an audio application and then transferred to the editing software. The dialogue,
sound effects and soundtracks will be adjusted and placed with the project's final editing. The tracks
will be matched to the images and volumes and effects will be added.

Dubbing
Once the final images and sounds are assembled, the project is ready for dubbing. Actors will comein and record voices over the movie. This process is called post-synchro. At this point in the process,25

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Post-production

multiple languages can be added to the soundtrack.
The project is complete, and is ready to be output to the final master copy.

Master Distribution
All of the data is transferred to the master copy and the user or studio is ready to distribute theproject to the clients, festivals, television, cinema, and other venues.

26

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

About the Animation Types
Harmony is an animation and digital content creation software. Animation can be divided into threemain categories: traditional, paperless, and cut-out animation.
These techniques can be used independently or together. Harmony is optimized to handle all three
animation types, one of the software's great benefits.
Each animation technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. Combining different techniques
allows you to incorporate the best elements while eliminating the weakness of an individual techniquethat may not be exactly what you need.
Before going any further, review each animation type:•Traditional Animation below•

Paperless Animation on the next page•Cut-out Animation on page 23

Traditional Animation

Traditional animation is the original method of animation, as well as the most popular. It is also called
cel or classical animation. It consists of drawing every image of an animation on paper, normally 12 to
30 drawings per second per character or layer. The number of drawings per second is determined by
the format (NTSC or PAL) or purpose. The human brain is able to process an animation with aminimum of 12 drawings per second. The number of drawings per second will be between 12 and 30.
The standard is 24 or 25 frames per second.

27

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

About the Animation Types

From the end of the 19th century to the late 1980s, the workflow was entirely done manually. Only with
the introduction of computers to the general public did some of the steps become automated. Now,
with all the technology available, the colouring and compositing are achieved digitally. However, thedrawing part is still done by hand on paper.

Paperless Animation
Paperless animation is the most recent 2D animation process. It consists of digitally drawing all of theimages of an animation. It is similar to the traditional animation technique.

This method is entirely digital; it does not involve any materials other than virtual tools. However, theanimator still must draw each frame individually.

28

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Paperless animation requires the user to be familiar with digital graphic applications and be able toconvert this traditional knowledge to a digital medium. This method of animation allows significant
control over the drawings, a possibility for greater quality and an infinite number of complex poses
and rotations for the animated characters and objects. It also eliminates the paper used in traditional
animation and gives you the opportunity to instantly see a line test. Paperless animation allows you toeasily cut and paste parts of a drawing, undo actions in case of mistakes, and zoom in and out ofdrawings.

Cut-out Animation

Cut-out animation consists of breaking down a puppet into pieces that are moved frame by frame toanimate the character. It can be divided into two categories: classical and digital. When working in theclassical cut-out style, the animator manually moves the parts under a camera and shoots each frame
before moving on to the next pose. When working in the digital style, the parts are moved in a similar
way as the classical cut-out style and then keyframed in the computer software, which means that it is29

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

About the Animation Types

fixed and recorded digitally. Since the characters and objects are composed of many parts, theanimator does not need to redraw them on each frame, but can just move or distort the parts tocreate the animation.

Harmony allows you to do digital cut-out animation, which has become increasingly popular in recent
years.
Cut-out animation requires you to be familiar with digital graphics applications. Cut-out animation isvery useful in cutting down the time it takes to complete a project. There is no need to redraw
characters and the computer can handle a large part of the in-betweening. It also eliminates the paper
used in traditional animation and allows you to instantly see a line test. The team for a cut-out projectis much smaller than that of a traditional production, allowing the whole production to be kept within
the same studio. This also means that you have a great deal of control over quality.

30

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Production Steps

Now that you know the differences between the traditional, paperless and cut-out animation types,
you can move on to the basic organization of their workflow. The following illustrations show theanimation pipelines that represent the most popular workflows. The tasks can be divided or the ordercan be rearranged to suit the specific needs of the studio or user.
After familiarizing yourself with the basic workflow pipelines, you should read about the various
examples of the workflows and how the individual and the studio are organized according to theirsize.
•

Traditional Animation Workflow below•

Paperless Animation Workflow on page 28•

Cut-out Animation Workflow on page 30

Traditional Animation Workflow
In a traditional workflow, many steps are done manually. Harmony is used for the digital portion. We
will focus mainly on these steps.

31

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Production Steps

The following is a list of the steps done using Harmony in a traditional animation workflow. This will
help you understand how the work is divided and give you a base to start building your own traditional
pipeline.

Layout and Posing
The layout and posing process links the storyboard artist and the animator. The layout artist uses
the storyboard and prepares an organized folder for the animator. This folder contains a field guidethat shows the proper camera move and the right size of the scene. It also includes the character's
main poses from the storyboard following the official design, and the effects, backgrounds and all
the other information necessary to the animator.
The backgrounds are done directly out of the storyboard and location design. A background is asection or an angle of a location. The background artist refers to the storyboard and draws the
background for each scene. Once the background is completed, it is added to the layout folder.
In a cut-out or paperless animation process, this step can be done digitally or traditionally. This will
depend on the user's preferences.This step is mainly applied to larger productions. An individualuser can move directly from the storyboard to the animation.

32

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

This step can be done with Harmony, but Toon Boom also has another software developed for this.
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro has optimized tools to create the layout and posing.

Animation
Traditional animation is done on paper. The animator receives the layout folder and uses thereferences to animate the scene. The animator will draw each frame of the animation or each pose of
the character. If there is dialogue in the scene, the animator will follow the breakdown and animate
the mouths and expressions.
Depending on the studio size, the animation can be divided in different ways. Sometimes theanimator will do all of the work, from the key poses to the in-betweens and then the clean up. Bigger
studios will have the animator doing only the key poses and then send the scene to the in-between
department and finally to the clean up department.
Once the animation is completed, it is sent to the digital part of the process. This applies only tomodern processes. In the traditional, old-fashioned pipeline, the animation was sent for hand-inking
and painting. The animation was traced with ink on transparent cels and the colours are painted withbrushes on the other side of the cel to fill the zones. Today, using Harmony, you can still use thistechnique by utilizing the digital Line Art and Colour Art feature.

Digital Exposure Sheet
The digital exposure sheet is the first step done in Harmony. This controls the timing of theanimation. The traditional animator creates a paper exposure sheet in order to create the timing.
The person in charge of the digital exposure sheet reads the paper version and recreates it inHarmony. Once the drawings are all in place on the exposure sheet, the scene is ready for the scan.
Note that a single user will scan the drawings first and then set the timing in the exposure sheet. The
digital exposure sheet is only created first in a larger animation studio using the advanced scanfeatures available in Harmony.

Scanning
Scanning is the second step in Harmony. The cleaned-up drawings are scanned and imported in thesoftware in a simple step that incorporates all of the drawings in the scene. When all the drawings
are scanned, they are ready to be inked and painted (coloured in).

Inking and Painting
At this point in the process, the colour models are ready and the drawings are scanned in andproperly exposed. Using Harmony's optimized tools, the colourist can clean the scanned artworkand start applying colour to the different drawings. When the drawings are cleaned, as well as inked
and painted, they are ready for compositing.

Compositing
The compositor imports the coloured background, animatic reference and sound as required.
Referring to the exposure sheet, animatic and animation, the compositor assembles all theseelements and creates the camera moves and other necessary motions. Finally, the compositor adds
any digital effects required by the scene. These can include tones, highlights and shadows. When thecompositing is completed, the final step is the rendering.

33

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Production Steps

Export - Render
Once the compositing is completed, the last step is to render the scene as a movie or an image
sequence. Generally, the compositor will be the same person doing the render.

Paperless Animation Workflow

The following is a list of the steps done using Harmony in a paperless animation workflow. This will
help you understand how the work is divided and give you a base to start building your own paperless
pipeline.

Layout and Posing
The layout and posing process links the storyboard artist and the animator. The layout artist uses
the storyboard and prepares an organized folder for the animator. This folder contains a field guidethat shows the proper camera move and the right size of the scene. It also includes the character's34

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

main poses from the storyboard following the official design, and the effects, backgrounds and all
the other information necessary to the animator.
The backgrounds are done directly out of the storyboard and location design. A background is asection or an angle of a location. The background artist refers to the storyboard and draws the
background for each scene. Once the background is completed, it is added to the layout folder.
In a cut-out or paperless animation process, this step can be done digitally or traditionally. This will
depend on the user's preferences.This step is mainly applied to larger productions. An individualuser can move directly from the storyboard to the animation.
This step can be done with Harmony, but Toon Boom also has another software developed for this.
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro has optimized tools to create the layout and posing.

Animation
Paperless animation is usually one of the first steps done in Harmony. All of the drawings are createddigitally, using a pen tablet to optimize work and drawing ability. Other than the digital aspect, theanimation principles are not very different from classical animation. The animator will use the same
animation styles and methods as would be used on paper–only the medium is changed.
When all of the animation is done and the drawing timing is completed through the exposure sheetor the Timeline view, the scene can proceed to the animation clean-up process.

Animation Clean-Up
The animation clean-up consists of transforming the rough paperless animation into cleaned, tied
down and inked drawings. On a new layer, the clean-up artist will trace the animation following theofficial model pack (document containing all the official character, location/props design andcolours). This step must be done very accurately.
When the clean-up is over, the scene is passed along to the colourist for the ink and paint step.

Inking and Painting
At this point in the process, the colour models are ready and the drawings are properly exposed.
Using Harmony's optimized tools, the colourist can start applying colour to the different drawings.
When the drawings are inked and painted, they are ready for compositing.

Compositing
The compositor imports the coloured background, animatic reference and sound as required.
Referring to the exposure sheet, animatic and animation, the compositor assembles all theseelements and creates the camera moves and other necessary motions. Finally, the compositor adds
any digital effects required by the scene. These can include tones, highlights and shadows. When thecompositing is completed, the final step is the rendering.

Export - Render
Once the compositing is completed, the last step is to render the scene as a movie or an image
sequence. Generally, the compositor will be the same person doing the render.

35

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Production Steps

Cut-out Animation Workflow

The following is a list of the steps done using Harmony in a cut-out animation workflow. This will help
you understand how the work is divided and give you a base to start building your own cut-out
pipeline.

Layout and Posing
The layout and posing process links the storyboard artist and the animator. The layout artist uses
the storyboard and prepares an organized folder for the animator. This folder contains a field guidethat shows the proper camera move and the right size of the scene. It also includes the character's
main poses from the storyboard following the official design, and the effects, backgrounds and all
the other information necessary to the animator.
The backgrounds are done directly out of the storyboard and location design. A background is asection or an angle of a location. The background artist refers to the storyboard and draws the
background for each scene. Once the background is completed, it is added to the layout folder.

36

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

In a cut-out or paperless animation process, this step can be done digitally or traditionally. This will
depend on the user's preferences.This step is mainly applied to larger productions. An individualuser can move directly from the storyboard to the animation.
This step can be done with Harmony, but Toon Boom also has another software developed for this.
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro has optimized tools to create the layout and posing.

Character and Prop breakdown
The breakdown step is really important in the cut-out workflow. The person doing the breakdown
has to take the final character or prop model and start building the puppet. This means deciding
which parts will be separated and preparing all of the joints and views for the animators.
Once the parts are broken down, the character or prop must be rigged. This means attaching theparts (hierarchy) and assigning the appropriate pivot points. This step must be done with carebecause these puppets will be distributed among all the animators later and you do not want toduplicate mistakes throughout the project.
When the character and prop rigs are ready, the breakdown artist stores them in the library as
templates to be shared with the rest of the team.

Library
The library is a central element of a digital cut-out production. It contains all the assets for the
animation and scene set up.
The library is a central location where all these templates are stored, organized and made available
to the animators and scene setup team. The library should be structured so that everyone using it
can easily find the assets they require. Someone should be assigned to manage the library so that itremains well organized. This person is often the breakdown artist, but it depends on each studio's
structure.
When the library is built, the scene setup person and the animators will start using the assets.

Scene Setup
The scene setup consists of preparing the scenes for the animators and is similar to the traditionallayout and posing. Following the storyboard and the animatic, the person working on the scene
setup will import the assets needed for the scene animation, as well as import the animatic reference
and often position the camera.
When the scene setup is completed, the scene can be passed on to the animator who can start
animating without having to mount the scene.

Animation
Cut-out animation is a vast subject. There are many techniques employed by different studios andanimators. Basically, the animator moves the parts frame by frame to animate the puppet. The
animator may even start their own pre-compositing, camera moves, and trajectories. This depends
on the user's workflow. Once the animation is completed and approved, the scene goes to the final
compositing and effects.

Compositing
The compositor imports the coloured background, animatic reference and sound as required.

37

Chapter 4: Animation Workflow

Production Steps

Referring to the exposure sheet, animatic and animation, the compositor assembles all theseelements and creates the camera moves and other necessary motions. Finally, the compositor adds
any digital effects required by the scene. These can include tones, highlights and shadows. When thecompositing is completed, the final step is the rendering.

Export - Render
Once the compositing is completed, the last step is to render the scene as a movie or an image
sequence. Generally, the compositor will be the same person doing the render.

38

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 5: Animation Principles
Animation can be used for several different purposes such as movies, advertisements, video games,
corporate presentations, medical concept demonstrations and much more. Not all of these require
the same animation quality level. To illustrate a concept, simple and linear animation is often morethan sufficient to convey the message. For a feature length animation movie, the animation needs tobe convincing and carry some weight and elasticity.
You will notice when you watch different movies that the animation style will differ quite a bit from film
to film. Some have a very fluid and smooth flow in their animation while others have a very bouncy,
cartoony feel. People without animation experience may watch a movie and find the animation very
bad, unconvincing or too slow. They might not know why exactly, but they know that something isn'tright. Most of the time, it happens because the animators missed a few of the fundamental animation
principles.
If you already are an experienced animator, you can skip this topic and continue along.
Here are the main principles that create the backbone of a good animation. You will no doubt
encounter variations of these principles when reading articles online or reading different books.

Squash and Stretch

Squash and stretch is at the core of the animation principles. It is what gives some elasticity andflexibility to your animation. When an object hits the ground, the impact drawing will be reallysquashed. As it bounces off the ground, it will stretch in the opposite direction. The stronger thesquash and stretch is, the smoother and bouncier the animation will look. Also, hard objects such asa bowling ball require less squashing or stretching so that the heavy and solid illusion remains. As
you squash and stretch an object, it is really important to maintain the volume of the object. Whenyou squash something down, you need to proportionally stretch it sideways, otherwise, the object
will look like it is getting smaller.

TimingAnimation is all about the timing. The timing comprises many things in animation. It is the duration ofan action. It is the speed and velocity of an action. It is the way actions overlap and secondary objects
follow the main action. If the timing is off, too slow, too long, too fast, or too linear, the animation
will not look realistic. It will be stiff, even boring. The nature of the character, personality or weightof an object will influence the timing of the animation.

39

Chapter 5: Animation Principles

Anticipation

Anticipation is the preparation for an action such as a jump or a punch. For example, a character willsquat down before pushing his body and legs up into a jump. The stronger the anticipation motion,
the more cartoony and fluid the animation will be. The smaller the anticipation, the more stiff theanimation will be.

Straight-ahead and Pose-to-pose40

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

These are two different ways to animate an action. The straight-ahead technique means to animate
your action from drawing 1 to the end in sequence order. The pose-to-pose technique is a bit more
intricate as it means to draw the key poses first (often the beginning and end drawing of the action
and some other key moment between. Once the key poses are done, the breakdown and inbetween
drawings are added to fill the rest of the animation. Smoke, water and other fluid elements are often
animated using the straight-ahead technique. Actions that require tight timing and structure areoften animated with the pose-to-pose technique. This method helps maintain a solid structure andpreserve the volume. Sometimes, when using the straight-ahead technique, it may be difficult to
calculate where the action will end up and the final drawing may be out of proportion and not whereit should be.

Follow-Through

The Follow-Through principle is very important for increasing the quality of your animation. All thesecondary parts of your character such as hair, clothes or a cloak will continue moving after thecharacter stopped moving. Also if you observe closely, when a character walks, its body moves anddown, and its long hair or cloak follow behind on the same path but with a slight delay. Therefore,
your character might be at the lowest point in a crouching action but his cloak will be all the way up in
the air. Also, notice that when the cloak floats behind the character, it will move along an "S" curve.
The part of the cloak that is attached to the body will not always curve in the same direction as thetip of the cloak.

Arcs of Rotation

41

Chapter 5: Animation Principles

The human body moves from its articulations such as the shoulders, knees, hips and elbows.
Therefore, all limbs move by rotating on their pivot (articulation). When animating an arm going up
or down, the hand will not reach its end point on a straight trajectory. It will follow an arc until itreaches its end point.

Slow-in and Slow-out

Most characters and objects accelerate and decelerate when moving. Most movements are notlinear, therefore to reproduce the slow-in and slow-out effects, we add more drawings closer
together at the beginning of the action and same at the end of the movement. The closer thedrawings are, the slower the animation will be. The farther apart they are, the faster the animation
will be.

Secondary Actions

42

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Secondary actions add another layer of realism and quality to an animation. The secondary actions
are the other limbs or objects moving along with the main action. They are not the follow-throughactions, which are inanimate objects reacting to the main actions. They are the limbs that move, suchas the character's arms swinging rhythmically back and forth when walking. He could nod in time tomusic while taking a stroll or blink or chew gum.

Exaggeration

The principle of exaggeration is another important way of adding life in animation. Sticking exactly
to reality will make for a very stiff animation. Changing the direction of the main body curve frombackward to forward in a dramatic way, using squash and stretch, snappy timing and good slow-in
and slow out help exaggerate the movements and add life to your animation.

Solidity

In animation it is paramount for drawings to have a strong underlying structure. The animator must
understand the anatomy and skeleton of the characters and props to be animated. Without a goodstructure, the drawings will deform, bend in the wrong places, and progressively become off model.
The animator should always know what is under the skin of his character.

43

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)44

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 6: Concepts

Harmony was designed using traditional animation concepts. This lets you use familiar tools and work
practices. Whether you are new to animation or an experienced animator who wants to understandHarmony, the concepts covered in this chapter will be interesting and useful.
•

Bitmap and Vector Graphics on the next page•Line and Colour Layers on page 42•

Colour Palettes on page 43•

Exposure Sheet, Timeline and Timing on page 45•

Pegs on page 48•

Multiplane on page 49•

Network on page 50•

Frame Rate and Format on page 51•

Scenes on page 52

45

Chapter 6: Concepts Bitmap and Vector Graphics

Bitmap and Vector Graphics
There are two types of digital images: bitmap and vector. Find out about their main differences so you
can make the optimal choice for your project.
•

Bitmap Image Types below•

Vector Image Types below•

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bitmap and Vector Images below

Bitmap Image Types

A bitmap image consists of pixels and has a fixed size. A pixel, short for picture element, a single point
in a graphic image. It is a small sample of an image, a dot, a square or a very small section made out ofsmooth filtering. If you zoom in close enough on a digital image, you will see the pixels. They look likesmall squares of different colours and intensity. Since a bitmap image is composed of pixels and has asingle resolution (size), if it is enlarged too much, it will start losing definition and pixels will start toappear. This is known as pixelation.

Vector Image Types

A vector-based image is composed of points and Bezier curves. The computer reads the points andtraces the segments linking them to reproduce the image shape. There is no fixed size or resolution ina vector image. You can enlarge the graphic and distort it as much as you want, and the system will
simply recalculate the segments and rebuild the shapes. The segment's shape can be controlled with
Bezier handles to curve and smooth it. Vector images are translated and displayed in pixels once thecalculation is done.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bitmap and Vector Images
Bitmap images allow a more organic style. Since everything has a fixed size and is already made out ofpixels, more effects are possible, such as blur, texturing, shading, a painted look and so on. The
bitmap format is excellent for creating backgrounds and overlay elements. However, because of the
precise resolution, in order to zoom in on or to work in high resolution such as HDTV, the created file
must be a large size.

46

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Vector-based graphics can be very useful when creating large illustrations, as these graphics areresolution independent. The images can be significantly enlarged without losing definition. A vectorbased image is generally a smaller file size than a bitmap, as it is a set of mathematical points.
However, if there are many vectors composing the graphic, the result can be larger than a bitmap file.
A vector shape can always be modified. It also creates very crisp images.

47

Chapter 6: Concepts Line and Colour Layers

Line and Colour Layers
Before the advent of computers, animation was done manually. There was no process of scanning andpainting digitally. Once the animation was completed and cleaned on paper, the drawings were traced
with a brush or a quill onto cels. The cel transparency permitted many layers to be superimposed,
composing the scene elements together.

The first step in the cel process is to ink the lines on the front side of the cel, either in black or withdifferent colours. In the late 1950s, this step was changed to photocopying the drawings on the cels,
called the Xerox process. Once the lines are inked, it is time to fill in the colours, usually painted with abrush. Painting on the same level as the lines makes it all too easy to accidentally go over the line or
not apply the colour densely enough, so light is passed through the drawing. To remedy this, colours
are painted on a second level onto the back of the cel. This protects the lines from any colour stains
and the colour filling can go under the lines covering the entire zone.
Working digitally produces a similar process. Once you have scanned drawings into the system, you
can colour the lines without ruining the colour filling, or you can paint complete zones without staining
the lines. If there is some transparency (alpha) or texture in the line, the colour filling is allowed to gounder the lines to create the correct look.

48

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Colour Palettes

In animation, precise colours are used to paint each particular character and prop. In order to maintainabsolute consistency, a colour palette is created for each character, prop and effect throughout the
production. These are referred to as master palettes.
Before computers, painters used real colour pots (often big glass jars) mixed by a colour paletteartist. The colour palette artists had to make sure to use the exact same amount of paint from eachtint every time they would mix a new batch to make sure the colours would remain consistentthroughout the entire movie. Now, using a computer process, a digital colour palette is created. This
allows absolute colour accuracy by always having the same group of colours associated with eachcharacter.
Master palettes contain a colour pot for each zone to colour with a precise RGBA colour value.
•

Red

•

Blue

•

Green

•

Alpha (contains transparency information)

Painting animation using a master palette is very similar to the paint-by-number concept.

Advantages of Using a Master PaletteUsing a master colour palette has many benefits, including:49

Chapter 6: Concepts Colour Palettes•

Each character consistently retains their dedicated colours.

•

You cannot accidentally use a colour which is not in the master palette.

•

Standardization and colour consistency throughout the production.

•

Multiple artists can use the same colour palette and produce the same results.

50

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Exposure Sheet, Timeline and Timing

Animation is about movement and in order to have the illusion of movement, you need different
drawings to progressively change over time. For your eyes to perceive a smooth motion and not just a
series of drawings changing, you need several drawings per second. To be more precise, you need aminimum of 12 drawings per second. If you have less than 12 drawings per second, the motion will bejerky and you will not see a smooth motion.
It is important to know that the number of drawings per second will be based on the final output:
television, cinema, web, DVD, etc., as those outputs have different frame per second rates. Thisparameter will influence the number of drawings per second as well as their exposure.
The exposure of a drawing is the length of time that it stays on the screen. A second can be divided asfollows: 24, 25 or 30 images depending on the format. They are also called frames, so there are 24, 25
or 30 frames per second.

Broadcast Standards
There are two main broadcast standards used; the one selected will determine the frame rate.
In North America, Japan and other parts of Asia, the NTSC (National Television System Committee)
format is used. This format is 30 images (frames) per second.
In most of Europe, PAL (Phase Alternating Line) format is the broadcast standard. This format is 25
frames per second.
Film format is 24 images per second.
The human brain is able to process an animation as slow as 12 drawings per second. Therefore, thenumber of frames per second should be between 12 and 30. The general standard is 24 or 25 frames
per second, so these 12 drawings are set on double exposure. This means that each drawing stays on
the screen for two frames. If a drawing is exposed for 24 frames, it means that it will appear to the eyefor one second.
The timing is a drawing's exposure.

51

Chapter 6: Concepts Exposure Sheet, Timeline and Timing

Exposure Sheet

The exposure sheet, also known as the Xsheet or dope sheet, is used when an animator is planning ascene. The animator enters data in the different columns (layers), the name of the drawings and their
exposure into the Xsheet.The Xsheet allows you to see the animation timing in detail.
The Xsheet is composed of columns corresponding to the different layers. Each column is split intorows representing the frames (images) in the scene. A paper Xsheet usually has 80 rows and ten
columns. This enables the animator to associate a layer with a certain element (character, prop,
mouth, etc.) and make a record of the frame at which each drawing appears.
The traditional paper Xsheet was mainly created for the animator to communicate with thecameraman regarding the scene's timing, the camera moves and element trajectories. It is still used
today to express the same information to the compositors and the person working on the digital
Xsheet.

Timeline
A traditional timeline is a horizontal and chronological representation of key events occurring within aparticular historical period.

In the digital process, the timeline is quite similar. The timeline is read from left to right to help you
understand the scene and its timing. The frames or timecodes are placed at the top and the elements
or layers on the left. There is no drawing name or value information. The timeline displays the timing
and elements in a simplified and systematic manner, making it easy to read globally. The timeline canbe considered to be a quick overview of the whole scene.

52

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Xsheet and Timeline Usage
Xsheets and timelines are used for different tasks. When a scene is done in a traditional animation
workflow, the Xsheet is useful in keeping track of the drawings' ordering, names and timing. The
Xsheet is used to reproduce the animator's work in the digital software or the camera. The colourists
can then follow the Xsheet to paint the drawing sequences. Finally, the compositors can read theinformation that is necessary to their work from the Xsheet.
For digital animation, computer generated trajectories, hierarchies and distortions, there is a lot of
extra information involved, including keyframes, velocities, function curves, and more. A keyframe is acomputer-generated key position that contains values and coordinates for the element's onscreen
positioning; keyframes can be displayed in the exposure sheet as values. If there are too many
keyframes, modifying one can be difficult due to all of the values present. This is why there are digital
timelines. Their simplified version of the timing is quite useful in these situations. The Timeline view
does not display drawing names or keyframe values, but instead represents them as symbols, making
it much easier for the eye to detect the desired element for modification. Although the name and value
information is not directly displayed, the Xsheet is still very valuable when retrieving this type of
information.

53

Chapter 6: Concepts Pegs

Pegs

Pegs have been used for a long time in the animation process, mainly for registration purposes. Peg
holes at the bottom (or top) of animation paper are used to keep all of the sheets even and at thesame registration.
There are three peg holes in regular animation paper. The centre one is circular and the left and rightones are rectangular and situated at 4 inches from the centre one.

To keep the drawings together, traditional animations use a peg bar. This bar has three pins shaped
exactly like the peg holes. Peg bars are normally found at the bottom and top of animation discs.
Before digital compositing, the peg bars were also used to move layers under the camera stand. Alllayer translations were calculated based on the distance the pegs were moved frame by frame. They
were the equivalent of the digital trajectories. Harmony makes use of these concepts to create
animation and camera moves.

54

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Multiplane

In the animation context, multiplaning is used to create a scene with many planes placed at different
distances from the camera to recreate a perspective illusion. A plane is a layer or an element. In regularflat 2D scenes, all the elements are at the same distance superposed one on top of another. So, when
the camera moves, all the elements are moving at the same speed. In real life, all objects and elements
are placed at different distances from our eyes so when we walk or drive past, the closest objects
appear to be moving away faster. The farthest ones, like mountains, are barely moving. In animation,that perspective effect has to be reproduced manually.
In 1933, the Walt Disney Company invented the multiplane camera. They got the idea from looking at
methods used in the theatre to introduce perspective into a space with limited depth. In the theatre,
cut-outs and flat pieces were placed in a variety of layers in front of a backdrop which allowed actors
to move through the various sets while giving the illusion of depth. Walt Disney's final design for themultiplane camera used this same concept. The multiplane camera which was set up vertically, much
like a photographic enlarger, would shoot down through as many as five planes attached to verticalposts that allowed four of the planes to move independently of one another. The first two planes wereused for animation, the next two were for backgrounds, and the fifth was fixed and used for sky
backgrounds. The finished result produced a depth of perspective which had not previously been seenin animated film.
Multiplane camera effects can be created digitally. There is no longer a need to use the big multiplanecamera. Multiplane shots are normally used to add depth to a scene to reproduce perspective effectmore easily. They can also be used on a smaller scale to make elements pass in front of and behindcertain objects like trees or chairs.

55

Chapter 6: Concepts Network

Network
A network can be described as an interconnected group or system of elements leading to a central
point. It is widely known as a node system.
A network can be useful in animation because many components enter the process. A visual network
can help represent many things like scenes, effects, composition and textures.
the Xsheet and timeline enhance the element display, but they may not be the most efficient for someproduction aspects. The Xsheet provides traditional animation details, displaying drawing names,
values, exposures and timing. The timeline displays all of the timing, drawing exposures, keyframes
and trajectories in a schematic view to provide a quick overview of the whole scene, enabling you toeasily detect different elements. When it is time for advanced hierarchy, compositing, effects filters,grouping, and cutters, a timeline can get overloaded and may not have the capacity to represent thereality of things.
For greater efficiency, a network is brought in to visually represent all of the parenting, hierarchy,
effects and element compositing. There is no timing representation or drawing name, but a visual setof links or cables between the elements that are represented as boxes or modules. It helps the eye
follow very quickly to what is happening in the scene. Also, because of the linking power available, a
network allows more advanced connections and parenting than a timeline.

Elements can be combined using effect modules or composite modules and turned into something
new. Elements can cut others or control other ones. In the end, all elements are brought into acomposite module to turn all drawings, layers, parameters and effects into the final animation output.

56

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Frame Rate and Format

When you create an animation, the images you animate must move fluidly to produce the correcteffect. If they don't, you will have a jumpy animation which won't look good. To get a fluid movement
between the drawings, you need several images per second. You need a minimum of 12 images per
second, any slower than that and the animation becomes jumpy. An image can also be called a frame,
therefore the frame rate is the number of frames you play per second in your animation.
The format of your project is the size of your camera frame in pixels. You may not be familiar with theterm pixel, but you have probably seen it when you magnify a digital photograph. A pixel is thesmallest element of an image displayed on a monitor or TV screen. Pixel, which is short for pictureelement, is a single point in a graphic image. It is a small sample of an image, a dot, a square or a verysmall section made out of smooth filtering. If you zoom in close enough on a digital image, you will see
the pixels; they look like small squares of different colours and intensity.
Depending on the type of project you want to create, you will need a different image size. For
example, if you want to put your project on the web, you will probably export your movie as a small
size so that it is light to play back once it is on the web. The larger the images are, the heavier the
project is, but also, the better the quality. If you want to export your project for the theatre, you will
ned to create your project in a large format so the image is of a high quality and looks good on the big
screen.
Also, some display media such as iPad, TV or theatre have an exact format requirement. For example,
one TV format that has been a standard for decades is the 4:3 size ratio, meaning that the width ofyour scene has the equivalent of 4 units compared to 3 units for the height.
In recent years, a new TV standard has been defined with the advent of Blu-ray and high-definition
technologies. It is the 16:9 format, which is often referred to as HDTV (High Definition Television). The
most common 16:9 format in pixel is 1920 x 1080.
You can find most of the formats in the presets list provided in the Harmony Welcome screen.
To recap, the format is the size of your camera frame in pixels, and it matches the width and heightrequired for the medium in which you want to show your final movie.

57

Chapter 6: Concepts Scenes

ScenesPlanning is an important step in creating an animation project. This involves listing the scenes thatneed to be animated, the characters to design and the different backgrounds to incorporate.
In animation, a scene is the action happening in front of the camera while the camera does not change
angle. As long as the camera does not stop "filming", you are in the same scene. A good example
would be two characters talking. When the camera is facing the first character, this is one scene. Whenthe camera cuts and films the second character, you have a second scene. When the camera returns to
the first character, you have a third scene, and so on.

A group of scenes occurring in the same location about the same action or event is called a sequence.
When there is a change of location or subject, it becomes a second sequence.

58

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure
When working in production, it is important to keep your work organized. It is important to create anaming convention chart and establish a file storage structure before starting the project. It is not only
extremely important that everyone follows the criteria laid out in the naming convention chart and thefile storage structure, but also that they understand the organization and where to find the files.
A well thought-out and logical naming convention will help keep your production structured and allow
it to run smoothly by preventing the loss of files due to chaotic organization.
In this chapter, you will learn how to organize and name the different components in your animation
project.
•

Database Structure on the next page•

File Structure on page 56•

Root Directory and Content Building Scenes on page 58•

Drawings and Layers on page 62•

Palettes on page 64•

Libraries and Templates on page 67•

Naming Convention on page 69

59

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

Database Structure

Database Structure
Harmony Network has a client-server configuration linked through a network. Although the user isworking on a client machine, all of the data is saved on the server.
You can compare the Harmony Network structure to a filing cabinet. Every element is structured andfollows a strictly organized hierarchy.
The following production structure hierarchy is used:•

Environment: Production, project, feature film, series—see Environments and Their Structure on
the facing page•Job: Episode and sequence from each environment•

Scene: Scene from each job•

Element: Layers and columns from each scene•

Drawing: Drawings from each element

If you imagine the environment as a filing cabinet containing all the folders and information, then thefollowing structure is used:60

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

The job is a drawer in the filing cabinet containing all the folders related to the drawer’s topic.

•

The scenes are the folders contained in that drawer•

The elements are the papers contained in the folder•

The drawings are the information contained on the paper

A Harmony Network scene can only be saved inside the structure. This maintains structuralorganization so nothing is lost. By adhering to this structure, every user working in the database
always knows where to find the scenes to work on.

Environments and Their Structure
Before you create or save any elements in your production, you should decide upon a project name.
This should reflect the content or title. Use the name to create the project’s environment, where you
will store all of your production elements.
For example, the environment could be called adventure_movie. An environment can be used formovies, series, commercials, student work database, etc.
For a series, you can create an environment with the same name as the series, such as smith_family. Then you can create a job per episode: smep_001, smep_002, and so on. Here is what theletters and numbers represent:•

sm: The first two letters of the name smith•

ep: Episode•001: The number of the episode

For commercials, which are rather short, you can create an environment, such as commercials. Then
you can create one job per commercial: toothpaste, soap, car, and so on. As commercials are shortand do not require splitting into episodes or sequences, you can group them all in the sameenvironment.
For a database of student’s work, you can create an environment and name it with the class or groupname, such as gr402a. Then you can create one job per student: smith_john, robertson_jane.
And then store the different student exercises in separate scenes under their job name.

61

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

File Structure

File Structure
A Harmony project is composed of several files. The drawings and colour palettes are not embeddedin the project. They are separate linked files. Therefore, if you want to archive or share a project, you
require all the files contained in the folder structure.
For Harmony Network, the scene files as well as user and configuration files are contained within the
database structure. If you want to share or archive a project, you will need to use Control Center toexport your data from the database. If you receive a package from another user or studio, you will
also need to use Control Center to import it in your database. Refer to the Control Center Guide tolearn how.

Harmony Network Database FilesAll Harmony Network directories are located by default on Windows in C: or on Mac OS X at the rootof the main drive where the operating system is installed.
/usa/usa/nt/bin/•

Program directory (.exe)/usa/etc/•

Configuration files directory/usa/etc/flexlm/•

License directory•Centralized database containing the structure of all thedata that Harmony uses, except for the drawings and final
images•Link to the databases (file systems)•

User profiles•

All the data is stored here•

All the files including drawings, final frames, and sounds areplaced in the different usadata folders•

There can be more than one usadata000 file systemcreated, such as usadata001, depending on the disks andthe computer’s organization/usa_db/usadata

usa_db Structure
The usa_db folder contains the configuration files, database and project structure, as well as shortcuts
to scene data. If you browse through usa_db to get to a scene, you will navigate directly to the jobs
folder. Even though the root of the project structure is the environment, you will go to jobs. The
environment folder contains only the environment list, global environment libraries and configuration
files. This means that for different projects, even though jobs are contained in different environments
in Control Center, jobs must have unique names as they are physically contained in the same jobs
folder.
Within the jobs folder, you will find a directory for each individual job. Within each job folder, you willfind the folder for the global job library, job palettes, as well as a shortcut for each scene contained in
the job. These shortcuts go to the scene data location. Depending on the parameters set uponcreating the scene in the Control Center, different scenes may be located on different file systemss on
different servers, based on storage space and other structure organization.

62

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Scene File Structure
Here is an example of the file structure contained in a scene. As you work and use more features,
different folders may appear in your structure.

The Harmony scene folder contains the following folders: frames, audio, elements, etc.
FolderContents

annotation

Contains the images and thumbnails created while drawing in an Annotation column in the Xsheet view.

audio

Contains all imported audio files.

database

This is no longer used for new projects; it remains for projects
created with older versions of the software.

elements

Contains all the drawing files. The drawings are organized byfolders named like the layers they are associated with.

framesContains the final frames after a render if you are using thedefault settings of the Write module in the Network view.

palette-library

Contains scene palettes and scene palette list files.

stage

Contains multiple versions of a scene. This is useful if you areexperimenting with different ways to do a scene. Note that all
versions of a scene use the same drawing and palette files.

timings

This folder is used when a user links external images to a scene
and wants to store a backup copy in case the link breaks.

63

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

Root Directory and Content Building Scenes

Root Directory and Content Building Scenes
A production is not only composed of the series or movie’s scenes, there are also animatics,
backgrounds, character builds, colour models, references, storyboards, and so on. These elements
must be stored somewhere.
Most of these elements can be stored in the Harmony Network database.
There are two main elements that is recommended to store in the production’s environment:•

Colour models•

Character builds

Generally, a studio will create a special Job for the models. In the Environment, you will find Jobs forthe episodes: ep001, ep002, ep003, and so on.
You will also find a special Job model where you will find three colour model scenes:•

Characters

•

Props

•

Effects

Each of these scenes contain the colour models related to them. For example, the character scene will
have one layer per character containing all of the colour model drawings belonging to it. If a movie has
50 characters, the character colour model scenes will contain 50 layers, each with a different character.
If the character has five different models such as raincoat, regular clothes or pyjamas, the character’slayer will have five drawings.
In the same model job, you will find the cut-out character builds scene. Unlike the colour model scenes,
the build scenes only contain one character. As a character build is composed of many layers andfunctions, it is not recommended that you build more than one character per scene. So, if a movie has
50 cut-out characters, the Job model will contain 50 character builds scenes.
Even if you have a structure integrated in Harmony, it is recommended that a root directory becreated for your external elements such as audio clips, bitmap backgrounds, references, and so on.
This directory should be stored on the server or be regularily backed up if you are a single user
working on a standalone machine.
The Root directory contains subdirectories which hold such elements as animatics, backgrounds andaudio files. You must create these subdirectories and name them accordingly. For example, store thebackgrounds used in your production in a subdirectory called backgrounds or adventure_
backgrounds.
Keeping an organized work structure will give you greater control and ease. You can further improve
the organization by grouping similar elements into categories.

64

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Here is a list of typical subdirectories:

Animatic
Animatic project and movie files can be stored and organized in this folder.

Backgrounds
Backgrounds can be stored by sequence or episode in the same way that animation scenes are.
Create a subdirectory named Backgrounds and then place a sequence or episode subdirectory
inside it. Categorize each background by episode or sequence.

Designs
Create a Designs subdirectory and split the designs into three categories:•

Characters

•

Props

•

Effects

Categories for locations and backgrounds can also be added if you are creating the designs using
Harmony.

Final Editing
Final Editing projects and renders can be stored and organized in this folder.

Library
The items contained in the library require a high level of organizational structure. The morestructured the library, the faster you will be able to retrieve the items. Categorize the elements using
subdirectories, which can be further subdivided. Categories could include:

65

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure•

Characters

•

Props

•

Effects

•

Audio

•

ModelsRoot Directory and Content Building Scenes

The Library folder should always be stored on the server, even if it is not included in the root
directory. A library is generally shared between all the users working on the production as they willlink this library to their Template Library and reuse its contents.

ModelsCreate a Models subdirectory and divide it into three categories:•

Characters

•

Props

•

Effects

You may also need to add categories for the backgrounds and model pack. Note that you only needto create a Models subdirectory if you are not designing the models in Harmony.

References
Create a References subdirectory and then categorize according to type:•

Images: These may be any subject from which you can gain ideas and inspiration to help develop
your project, For example, if you are producing an 18th-century adventure series, you may haveimages of period costumes, buildings, and sailing ships.

•

Pictures: You can also use photographs of items which may help you produce an accurate
account of the time period in which your production is set.

RenderCreate a Render subdirectory and categorize the exported image sequences or clips by scene. For
example, you would have a subdirectory named Render and categories named Scene_001,
Scene_002 and so on.
It is also possible to do the following:•

Create a subdirectory called Render and store your scene’s render in a subdirectory named
sequence.

•

Create a subdirectory called Render and store your scene’s render in a subdirectory named
episode.

Storyboard
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro projects or storyboard scans can be stored and organized in this folder.

66

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Textures
You can create a bitmap texture bank for pen styles and colour palettes and store all of the files inthis folder.

67

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

Drawings and Layers

Drawings and Layers
A very important concept to understand in Harmony are drawings, drawing elements, and layers.
Layers are also referred to as columns in traditional animation. A drawing element is a directory
containing multiple drawings and is linked to a column in the Xsheet view and a layer in the Timeline
view. The layer and column are generally named the same way as the drawing element (folder). Notethat there is a slight variation between a drawing element and a layer. A layer may also be an effectlayer, a peg (motion) layer, etc. It is not always a drawing layer. A drawing element is the directory
containing the drawings that the corresponding layer is linking to. Many layers can be linked to thesame drawing element (folder) so that the same drawings are reused. A layer will be represented as amodule (node) in the Network view.
In traditional and paperless animation, a drawing element or layer can be a character, for example,
level B. In cut-out animation, a drawing element can be the hand layer.

When you add a column to your scene, a module and a folder (element folder) are also added. By
default, the element folder and layer (module) are named the same way as the column. As explained
above, the element folder's purpose is to contain all the drawings related to this column. For example,
in cut-out animation, a character can have many mouths available. All these mouth drawings will becontained in this folder, even if they are not currently exposed in the scene. In other words, there isalways a drawing container hooked to a layer or column, unless that layer is linked to another drawing
element (clone).
You can find the drawing element folders in your scene's subdirectory called elements.

68Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

You can add drawing elements from the Timeline view, Xsheet view and the top menu .
In order to understand what happens when you duplicate a drawing, extend an exposure, create
cycles or delete a drawing, it is important to know how a layer works.
Each layer is linked to a column and that column is linked to a directory in which all of its drawings are
saved. This directory has the same name as the layer and column. When a value or drawing name is
typed in a layer’s cell, Harmony looks in the layer’s directory for the corresponding drawing to display.
If there is no corresponding drawing, a new one is created.
New vector drawings are created as *.tvg (Toon Boom Vector Graphic) files.
The layer’s cells are not used for storage, but are linked to the drawings contained in the layer’s
directory. If you remove a drawing from the layer exposure, it is not deleted; it is simply not displayed.

When you create a drawing cycle, all of the repeated drawings are linked to the same original files.
This means that when you modify, repaint or correct a drawing named “1”, all drawings named “1”are updated simultaneously. In order to modify a drawing independently from its other exposures, youmust duplicate the drawing.

69

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

Palettes

Palettes
In Harmony, palettes are individual *.plt files that can be copied, transferred and stored. When apalette is created from Harmony, it needs to be stored somewhere. By default, the palette file isstored 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
The Palette Library folder is stored directly in the drawing Element folder.

•

Scene
The Palette Library folder is stored directly in the Scene folder.

•

Job
The Palette Library folder is stored in a Job folder contained in the Scene folder.

•

Environment
The Palette Library folder is stored in an Environment folder contained in the Scene folder.

By default, the palette is stored at the scene level. For simple projects and standalone projects, it isrecommended to keep it as is. If you work with a larger studio, it is recommended to verify with themon the file structure.
This existing structure is compatible with Toon Boom Harmony Server. Toon Boom Harmony’s
database has a leveled structure starting from the Environment down to the Element. Its client-server
configuration allows all data, such as palettes and scenes, to be shared between a series of clientmachines.

Element Level
Working with Harmony as a stand alone, the Element level is very useful when there are a lot ofdifferent palettes. When a colour model drawing is created, it is stored in its element folder. By
storing the corresponding palette file with the colour model, the colourist can load them both fromthe same location. This also creates a more organized structure.

70

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Scene Level
Working with Toon Boom Harmony as a stand alone, a palette file can also be saved at the scene level,
so that all of the palettes from the scene are stored together. The palette naming must be structured
so the colourist or character builders can find the correct one. Saving the palettes at the scene levelmakes it very easy to back up the palettes and retrieve their location.
The scene level can also be useful for cut-out animation. Instead of creating a colour model scene that
includes all of the characters, props, effects, and location, the colour palette or model will often be
directly imported to, or created in, the character building scene. Just as with a cut-out characterbuilding scene, each element uses the same palette so it would not be efficient to save the palette
inside one element. Instead, it is saved at the scene level. This prevents a palette overload because allof the models are in different scenes. It also allows each scene to have its own set of palettes
corresponding to its model.
When working on a cut-out animation production, it is highly recommended that you work with the
Scene level.

Where to Save the Palette File
The palette storage location depends on the type of production and the backup plan being used.
Some studios like to store their palettes at the Element level and others at the Environment level as
this will not create a problem so long as the scene is in the Harmony structure. In fact, as long as the
Harmony structure is maintained it can be stored at any level. However, difficulties may occur when thescene is backed up or transferred to another studio or database and removed from the structure.

What happens when you export a palette file?
It is important to understand what is happening to a palette file when the scene is exported.
Because of the Harmony client-server configuration, all of the data can be shared through all of thescenes in the database. This also includes the palette files, even if they are stored at the Element,
Scene, Job, Drawing or Environment level. The palette files can be accessed from any scene of any
project.
When you export scenes from Harmony to either archive or send them to other users or studios, thepalettes stored in external scenes, jobs or environment will NOT be exported.
An exported scene will carry palettes stored in its own Element’s Palette Library, scene’s palette
library, the Job and the Environment where it is stored. Any other palette from other Environments,
Jobs, Elements or Scenes (even from the same job) will NOT follow. Instead a recovery palette will becreated when the scene is reopened in another Harmony system. A recovery palette is a local palettecreated by the system when palettes and colours are missing. This palette is no longer shared with therest of the project.
For example, in the following chart, if you export Scene 2 from Job 1, the package will carry the
palettes from Scene 2, Job 1 and Environment. It WILL NOT carry the palettes from Element 3 in
Scene 1, Scene 1 and Job 2. If Scene 2 was linked to any of these, the system will create a recovery
palette the next time Scene 2 is opened in another Harmony system.

71

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

Palettes

The best place to store your palette is:•Environment level for a movie or series•

Job level for a publicity or small project•

Scene level for a student exercise

To store your palette with their colour models, you can use the Element level, however, it will require
more structure when exporting the scenes. The scene will have to be exported along with its colour
model scene. The other studio you are working with must recreate an identical structure to yours, thenimport the received scenes into the same location as you have them in order to maintain the links.

Palette Backup
When sharing palettes between scenes, some users may accidentally modify the colours, even though
the palettes are locked by default. That is why it is a good idea to copy and back up your palette
libraries and master palette directories.
When a palette file is copied, it automatically becomes a clone palette, so there will not be any trouble
replacing an altered file. Harmony automatically updates all of the files and drawings linked to it.

72

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Libraries and Templates
Harmony allows you to use a library to store and reuse elements such as animation cycles, network
effects and filters, trajectories, cut-out puppets, etc. We call these elements assets or templates.
These libraries can be placed and used on different levels.
Harmony provides some library folders, to which you can add your own libraries. Harmony’s library
can be accessed from any scene opened on the machine.
To store your assets somewhere other than the default location, you can create your own folder on
your hard drive. If you are connected to a network, you can create a folder on the server to be sharedwith other network users.
We recommend that you name your library with a relevant project name, such as adventure_library.
The library folders and their templates are completely external to Harmony and can be archived andmoved independently from the production. They can also be sent to other Harmony users.
It is always a good idea to be descriptive when naming your templates (assets). Although notmandatory, it is highly recommended to use alphanumeric characters:•

a to z, 0 to 9 and underscore ( _ )This will avoid technical issues when working on different platforms such as Mac OS X or Linux.

Library Structure Tips

The following recommendations may be useful as you structure your work. The main library can bedivided into categories to match different template types:•

Character•

Background

•

Audio

•

Prop

•

Effect

The character section is often altered the most. It is recommended that you divide this folder between:

73Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure•

Main Characters•

Episode Characters

Libraries and Templates

Within the Main Characters folder, you can create a folder for each individual character. Episodecharacters are generally less numerous and can be stored in folders corresponding to their episode.
Each character’s folder can be further divided into subfolders, such as:
•

Model

•

Animation•

Keyposes•

Reuse Parts

The Animation section can be organized by actions, such as:•

Run Cycle•

Walk Cycle

•

Jumps

•

MiscellaneousSome users may divide their animation folder by angle or view:
•

Front

•

Three-quarter

•

Side

•

Three-quarter back

•

Back

Personal Libraries
During the animation process, an animator will often reuse certain templates. Some animators havetheir own personal libraries to store their favourite templates. If a template has been updated in themaster library, the Library manager should send a note to the animators and the scene setup team toensure that they update their personal libraries.

74

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Naming Convention
When working on large or even small projects, it is best practice to create a naming convention foreveryone to follow. This will help keep the work organized and consistent.

Scene Naming Convention
For improved consistency and ease of use, incorporate naming conventions for your scenes and otherproject elements.
•

We recommend that you name your scene using alphanumeric characters: a to z, 0 to 9 andunderscore ( _ ).

•Avoid capital letters or spaces in the file names.

•

Try to provide the maximum amount of information for future identification, which helps ensurethat you do not mix up elements and lose information.

For example, you could name a scene adventure_sc001, adventure_scene_01, adventure_
character_models or adventure_seq01_sc002.
If your scene is contained within a Job in the Harmony Network centralized database (accessible via
Control Center), you can name your scene as follows: sc001, sc_001, 001, seq001_sc001, etc.
If you are working with the Harmony Network centralized database, you can give an indication of theenvironment (project) and job in the scene name like:•Environment = Lippyland•

Job = li_02

The jobs usually are not just named 01, 02, 03, etc., because they all reside in the same folder ( USA_
DB/jobs/ and USADATA000/ ), therefore some prefixes such as “li_” must be added.
In this case the scenes would be named:•

LIP_li_02_sc001•

LIP_li_02_sc002•

LIP_li_02_sc003•

LIP_li_02_sc004

Layer Naming Convention
When you create drawing layers, it is recommended to name them instead of keeping the default
name. This way, your work will be organized and it will be easier for another person to work with yourdata later on.
It is always a good idea to be descriptive when naming a layer. Although not mandatory, it is highly
recommended to use alphanumeric characters:•

a to z, 0 to 9 and underscore ( _ )This will avoid technical issues when working on different platforms such as Mac OS Xor Linux.
It is highly recommended that you incorporate a naming convention for the layers when building cutout puppets. This will be very useful later on.

75

Chapter 7: Project Organization and File Structure

Naming Convention

We suggest that you:•

Add one or two letters for the character/prop name before the part name and an “r” for right oran “l” for left to identify the corresponding character/prop:
Character Abby’s right arm = ab_r_arm•

If you plan to work with different angles for your characters (front, side, three-quarter, back), you
can add one or two letters to identify the angle:
Character Abby’s right arm, front view = ab_r_arm_f•

Instead of using the “r” and “l” markers for the different right and left body pieces, you can use“1” to indicate if a limb is closer to or farther away from the character. For example instead of r_
arm and l_arm, you could have arm and arm1. The reasoning is that when the character is flipped, it
is less confusing to have “1’ as an indicator for a close limb instead of right or left:
Character Abby’s closer arm = ab_arm
Character Abby’s farthest arm = ab_arm_1

Renaming a Series of Modules
When you use a blank rigging template, all of the modules’ names are generic. You will need to add
naming information, such as the character’s name and the angle.
Harmony provides you with a script called Add Prefix or Suffix that allows you to add a prefix or asuffix to a series of selected modules at the same time.

How to add a prefix to a series of modules
1. In the Network or Timeline view, select all of the modules or press Ctrl + A (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+ A (Mac OS X).
2. In the Scripting toolbar, click the Add Prefix or Suffix script button.
The Add Prefix or Suffix dialog box opens.
3. Select the Prefix or Suffix option, depending on what you want to add to the element’s name.
4. Type the prefix or suffix information to be added to the module name.

Puppet Drawing Naming Convention
We recommend that you use a naming convention for your drawings. If you combine all of the angles
of a character in the same breakdown scene, it is a good idea to identify each angle used.
Before drawing the parts in the drawing elements (layers), we recommend that you create a drawing
name that represents the angle used. This will be quite useful during animation and drawing
substitution. For example, use “f” for front, “s” for side, “q” for three-quarter so that the drawing
name looks like this:76

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

f1, f2, f3, s1, s2, etc.

In the facial feature drawings’ name, you can also add “h” for happy, “s” for sad or any other letter
symbolizing an expression to help regroup the same theme of drawings. For example:•

Happy Mouths:•

f_h_a,•

f_h_b,•

f_h_c,•

f_h_d,•

f_h_e,•

f_h_f,•

f_h_g,

•

f_h_x

•

Sad Mouths:•

f_s_a,•

f_s_b,•

f_s_c,•

f_s_d,•

f_s_e,•

f_s_f,•

f_s_g,

•

f_s_x

77

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)78

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony
Once Harmony is installed, you are ready to start the application and animate! In this chapter, you willlearn about starting the application, setting the resolution and opening the scenes.
•

Network Connection and Centralized Database on the next page•

Starting Stage on page 75•

Welcome Screen on page 80•

Saving a Scene on page 82•

Setting the Scene Length on page 91•

Adding a Drawing Layer on page 92•

Scene Settings on page 95•

Verifying the Project Integrity on page 103•

Basic Commands on page 105•

Preferences on page 109

79

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Network Connection and Centralized Database

Network Connection and Centralized Database

The Harmony solution is a revolutionary team-based infrastructure for animation production and 2D
games. Its array of features increases productivity and encourages creativity. Developed in conjunction
with leading studios worldwide, Harmony is specifically designed for long-term episodic and feature
length projects, providing a true animation pipeline. Several animators can work simultaneously on thesame project while the asset library provides users with easy access to up-to-date media assets.
Harmony is truly scalable; more than 100 staging clients can share animation just as easily as a few can.
Note that Harmony can be used in Database mode via the Network connection or as a standalone
application.

What is the Network Connection?
Harmony Network is the link between the client machines and the server. It lets you work on the
different projects stored in the central Harmony database.
At the heart of the Harmony solution is the server, which centralizes all the production assets in a
repository. Loaded with production proven tools to manage administration tasks, the server iscompletely flexible and will fit in your existing infrastructure, whether you are on Windows, Linux or
Mac OS X. To learn more, refer to the Control Center Guide.

Working with Harmony Stage Via Harmony Network
When you start Harmony Stage, you can opt to either work offline in the application as a standalone
software, or connect to the database to work on projects via Harmony Network.
When working with Harmony Network, the scenes and their data are stored directly on the server. No
data is saved or stored on the client machine. The client machines access the database and load thescenes and drawings directly from the server. Each time the user saves his scene, the data is updated
directly on the server. There are no upload or download operations (check-in, check-out) done
between the server and the clients.

If you have a standalone license, you will not have access to the database. You will automatically start theapplication in standalone mode.

80

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Starting StageYou can run the Harmony on the Linux, Mac OS X or Windows operating systems.

How to start Harmony Stage
1. Do one of the following:‣

Mac OS X: Double-click on the Harmony Stage icon or select Applications > Toon Boom
Harmony 11.1 > Stage.

‣

Windows: Double-click on the Harmony Stage icon or select Start > Programs/All
Programs > Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 > Stage‣

Linux: Select Applications > Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 > Stage

Toon Boom Harmony opens.

If you have a standalone license, Toon Boom Harmony will open directly with the Welcome screen.

2. In the User Name field, enter your username. It is generally provided by the supervisor, systemadministrator or team lead.
3. Select the Connect to Database or Work Offline option.
‣

Connect to Database: (Your database must first be set up.) Lets you work on Harmony
connected to the database so you can access scenes stored in the central database of theToon Boom Server; certain options become available in the different menus. However, youwill not be able to create new scenes directly from Harmony Stage and the available scenes
will be the ones that were previously created using the Control Center.

‣

Work Offline: Enabled by default when you start Harmony for the first time. Using thismode lets you create new scenes and work locally on your machine on independent projects
as you would with any local software. However, the following limitations apply:•

Options exclusive to Harmony Network will not be available in the different
menus.

•

You will not have access to any projects stored in the central database of theToon Boom Server.

4. Click OK.
In Offline mode, the Welcome Screen opens—see Welcome Screen on page 80.
In Database mode, the Database Selector opens—see Connecting to the Database on the next
page.

81

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Starting Stage

Connecting to the Database

Before you can work in Stage via Harmony Network, you must be connected to the Harmony
Database. When you connect to the database, you cannot create new scenes directly from Harmony
Stage. The available scenes will be the ones that were previously created using the Control Center.

How to connect to the Harmony database
1. Start Stage—see Starting Stage on the previous page.
2. In the Toon Boom Stage window, select the Connect to Database option.

3. In the User Name field, type in your Harmony username which is provided by your project lead orsystem administrator.

4. Click OK.
The Database Selector dialog box opens, displaying the environments available in Harmony
database.

82

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

5. In the Environments column, select the scene's environment (project, movie).

6. In the Jobs column, select the scene's job (episode, sequence).
7. In the Scenes column, select the scene.
8. Get the permissions needed for this session by selecting one of the following options:

A Harmony project can be locked at various levels. Its timing, drawings, version and palettes can belocked. Locking means to get the rights to modify a scene or its assets. Other users cannot modify
locked items. They will be prompted with an error message saying that the scene has been locked byanother user. At that moment the scene will be displayed as read-only.
See the table below to understand the different lock possibilities.
Lock

Description

Scene or Version LockControls the Xsheet timing, layers, Network modules but not the drawing, palettes, palette-lists or templates.

Drawing Lock

Only one user can edit and save a locked drawing.

Palette Lock

Only one user can edit and save a locked palette.

Palette-list Lock

Only one user can edit and save a locked palette-list.

Library Folder lock

Only one user can edit and save into that folder in the Library.

‣

Get rights to modify the scene: Allows the user to modify the selected version of the scene
and access the version manager during the opened session.

‣

Get rights to modify the scene version: Allows the user to modify the currently selectedscene version, but locks access to the version manager during the opened session.

‣

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

9. Choose the version you want to open from the Version menu—see Saving a Scene on page 82.

83

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony‣

Starting StageThe Saved By and Saved Date fields display the user who last saved the selected scene andthe date of the last save.

10. Click Open.

Global Lock
Harmony Network has a lock system, referred to as Global Lock, for the different scenes and scene
assets. As all the data on the server can be accessed directly and modified from any client machine bydefault, the scenes are locked. Users must obtain the rights to modify scenes in order to save theirwork on the server.
Only one user at a time can modify a scene. Once a scene is opened on a client machine, other users
can only open the scene in read-only mode; they will not be able to save any modifications.
If you work in standalone mode, you automatically have the rights to modify all drawings and palettes.
The Global Lock has three levels:
A Harmony project can be locked at various levels. Its timing, drawings, version and palettes can belocked. Locking means to get the rights to modify a scene or its assets. Other users cannot modify
locked items. They will be prompted with an error message saying that the scene has been locked byanother user. At that moment the scene will be displayed as read-only.
See the table below to understand the different lock possibilities.
Lock

Description

Scene or Version LockControls the Xsheet timing, layers, Network modules but not the drawing, palettes, palette-lists or templates.

Drawing Lock

Only one user can edit and save a locked drawing.

Palette Lock

Only one user can edit and save a locked palette.

Palette-list Lock

Only one user can edit and save a locked palette-list.

Library Folder lock

Only one user can edit and save into that folder in the Library.

‣

Get rights to modify the scene: Allows the user to modify the selected version of the scene
and access the version manager during the opened session.

‣

Get rights to modify the scene version: Allows the user to modify the currently selectedscene version, but locks access to the version manager during the opened session.

‣

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

These three levels of locking are available from the Database Selector when the user logs into
Harmony. From there you can select a scene and obtain the rights to modify it by selecting the desired
lock option.

84

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

There are several different ways to obtain the rights to modify the scenes. It can be done when theuser loads a scene from Harmony, inside the application once the scene is loaded, or when an
environment, job or scene is created using the Control Center module.

Acquiring Rights to a Scene Once it is Loaded
If you opened a scene in read-only mode, but realize that you need to modify it, you can easily acquire
the necessary rights without closing and reloading the scene.
Note that it is not possible to acquire the rights to modify the scene assets once the scene is loaded.
This process is done during the initial loading of the scene. To learn more about enabling the rights tomodify while creating environments, jobs and scenes, refer to the Control Center guide.

How to set the scene's rights after the scene is loaded‣ In the top menu, select File > Rights to Modify Scene or Rights to Modify Scene Version.

85

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Welcome Screen

Welcome Screen
When you start Toon Boom Harmony, the Welcome Screen appears. If a scene is already open, you
can display the Welcome screen by selecting Help > Show Welcome Screen.

Note that Harmony Network does not display a Welcome Screen. It displays the Database Selector window.

The Welcome Screen allows you to:
1. Create scenes
2. Choose the scene resolution
3. Add or delete a custom scene resolution
4. Open recent scenes from a list
5. Open scenes by browsing
6. Open the Help documentation
7. Open Harmony directly without opening the Welcome screen first.

86

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

To display the Welcome screen later on, go to the top menu and select Help > Show Welcome
Screen.

Accessing the Documentation
How to access the Harmony documentation‣ In the Documentation section, click on the listed links to access the online documentation.

All the Harmony guides can also be opened directly in the software. From the top menu, selectHelp > Help or press F1.

87

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Saving a Scene

Saving a Scene
It is important to regularly save your scene. As you make changes to a scene, an asterisk (*) appears in
the title bar beside the scene name to indicate that the scene contains unsaved changes.
It is quite frequent, when working on a scene, to try out different timings, effects, camera motions or
parameters to see which one will work best. Harmony allows you to save a new version of your scene.
It is really important to note that the drawings and palettes are the same between ALL the scene
versions. You can modify the timing, effects, parameters and camera motion, but if you modify thedrawings, they will be changed everywhere.
You can also automatically save your work. Refer to the Preferences guide to learn more about thisfunction.
When you use Harmony Network and work in a scene on the database, there are many choices andoptions available when you save your work.
•

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.

When you open the scene from the database and select the version you want to edit, you can save thechanges you made in the current version or create a new version. The simplest way to save your work
is to update the current version.
You can delete any unnecessary versions using the Version Manager.
When working with multiple versions, you may want to merge some of the changes from one version
into another. You may have created a version with some suggestions that you submitted to thedirector while continuing to work on the official version. If the director has approved some of thechanges, you can go ahead and import them into the official version.
You might want to save some specific aspects of your scene or save a new version. The Advance Save
feature allows you to do this. Once you have chosen the components to save, you will conclude theprocedure by following the instructions in the section. All the specific components that are selected
throughout the different tabs of the Advanced Save dialog box will be saved.
Harmony allows the use of plugins. It's possible that you would receive a scene which uses a plugin
from a studio or another user. If you do not have this plugin installed on your machine, you might loose
data or get syntax errors when saving a new version. By default, there is a preference enabled
preventing you from saving a scene containing a plugin you don't have causing syntax errors. The
scene automatically opens in Read-Only mode. If this behaviour doesn't suit you, you can disable thepreference.

How to save a scene‣

From the top menu, select File > Save.

‣

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

Auto-Save
How to open the Preferences dialog box

88

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

1. Do one of the following:‣

Windows/Linux: From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Stage > Preferences.

‣

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

2. Select the General tab.
3. In the Save section, select the Auto-save option.
•

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

•

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

•

Ask Before Saving: Before performing an auto-save, you are prompted with a message toconfirm if you want to save or not. You can choose to turn off this option.

•

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

How to save the current version of a scene in Harmony Network:
1. Make sure that 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 theversion.

3. Edit the information in the current version:‣

In the This Version field, enter a relevant name for the current version.

89

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony‣

Saving a Scene

In the Description field, enter a short description of the current version.

4. Click Save.

How to delete versions
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.
The Versions dialog box opens.

3. In the Existing Versions list, select the scene version you want to delete. When a version is selected,
information about it appears in the Description list.
4. Click Delete.
The Confirm Delete Versions dialog box opens, warning you that the operation cannot be undone.

5. Click one of the following:‣

Yes: ONLY if you are absolutely certain that the version can be deleted.

90

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)‣

No: To cancel the operation and keep the version.

About 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
can acquire the rights by selecting File > Rights to Modify Scene Version or Rights to Modify
Scene.
2. From the top menu, select File > Advanced Save.
The Advanced Save dialog box opens.

File
In the File tab of the Save dialog box, you can do the following:91

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Saving a Scene•

Save the scene as a new version•

Overwrite an existing version•

Set a new current version.

Parameter

Description‣ Enable this option if you want to save the modifications
made to the current scene.
Save‣ Deselect the Save option if you only want to save specificcomponents of your scene listed in the Drawings, Palettes
or Palette Lists tabs. This will disable all option in the Filetab.

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

Mark as Current

Use this field to add or edit an existing description for thescene version you want to save.
Lets you set this scene version as the current one. This version will be
automatically selected as the default current version when the scene isselected in the Database Selector dialog box

Drawings
The Drawings tab lists the modified drawings.

92

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Parameter
Drawing list

Description
Lets you select the modified drawings to save, and deselectthe ones you do not want 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.

93Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Parameter

Saving a Scene

Description

Colour Palette list

Lets you select the colour palette to save, and deselect theones you do not want 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.

Parameter

Description

Palette Lists

Lets you select the modified palette list to save, and deselectthe ones you do not want 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.

How to save with advanced settings
1. After selecting the components to save, click Save.
All the specific components that were selected throughout the different tabs of the Advanced
Save dialog box are saved.

94

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

How to merge scene versions
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Open Merge Editor.
The Choose Scene Versions for Merge window opens.

2. In the Select Version to Merge Changes From list, select the scene version from which you want tomerge the changes from in your current open version.

‣

In the Use Another Version for Reference section, you can select a different scene version tomerge the changes into, rather than your current version.

3. Click Load.
The Merge Editor opens.

95Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Saving a Scene

4. From the right column, select the layers you want to merge the changes from into the reference
version.
5. In the Select Element Range section, set the Start Frame and End Frame fields to indicate fromwhat frame to what frame you want to take the changes from.
6. Click Merge Selected to complete the operation.

How to enable and disable the Open in Read Only mode if plugin syntax errors aredetected preference
How to open the Preferences dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

Windows/Linux: From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Stage > Preferences.

‣

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

2. Select the General tab.
3. In the Save section, enable or disable the Open in Read Only mode if plugin syntax errors aredetected option.

96

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Setting the Scene Length
Once you have opened your scene, you can set its length.

How to set the scene length
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Scene Length.
The Set Scene Length dialog box opens.

2. In the Number of Frames field, enter the number of frames needed.

New Scene Startup Script
When you create a new scene, the TB_sceneCreated script automatically sets the scene length to 60
frames and adds one of each of the following modules: drawing element, composite, display andwrite.
You can find the script in the Script Editor window.

You can customize this script to fit your current project needs. This way, you can set the default scene
length to any number of frames you want, or even decide which types of elements and modules you
want to be in your scene when you create it.
Refer to the Toon Boom Harmony Scripting Guide to learn more about using, creating andcustomizing scripts.

97Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Adding a Drawing Layer

Adding a Drawing Layer
Now that your scene is set up, you can start adding drawing layers.

How to add a drawing layer from the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Layerbutton the .

The Add Drawing Layer window opens.

2. In the Name field, name your new layer.
3. Set the Line Art and Colour Art options to Vector to get a vector layer or to Bitmap to have abitmap layer.
4. Click OK.
A new drawing layer is added to the Timeline view.

98Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Locking Drawings

The drawings are stored on the server database providing access to them from every client machine.
They are locked to avoid different users from modifying the same drawings simultaneously. Only one
person at a time can get the rights to modify them. The drawing rights are independent from thescene rights because in a production rush, two users may need to work on the same scene to finish
painting the drawings faster. One user will get the rights for one set of drawings, and the second user
the rights to another set of drawings. This prevents work from being duplicated.
When enabled, the Edit Drawings mode gives you the right to modify drawings, as well as create new
drawings by drawing directly on an empty cell. This mode is enabled by default when you open a scene
version with the rights enabled.

If you open the scene with full rights from the Welcome screen or Control Center, the Edit Drawing mode is
not available.

When you disable the Edit Drawing Mode, you can use the Get Rights to Modify Drawings option on aselection of specific drawings. This is useful when, for example, many users are working on the same
scene during the ink and paint process and they want to split the drawings to paint between them.
Also, once you got the rights to modify drawings, you can release these rights if necessary.
If your system crashes and the drawings remain locked, you can force the release of the rights. You
must use this option carefully as data loss may occur if the scene is currently open and being edited byanother person. Verify that no one else is using the scene prior to forcing the release of the drawing
rights.
Since the drawings are stored on the server, you might at times need to refresh the drawings that are
displayed in your scene.

How to enable the Edit Drawing Mode
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Edit Drawing Mode.

How to get the rights on a selection of drawings
1. Make sure that the Edit Drawing Mode is disabled.
2. In the Xsheet view, select the drawings you want to edit.

99Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Locking Drawings

3. From the top menu, select Edit > Get Rights to Modify Drawings or press Alt + L.

How to release the rights on a selection of drawings
1. In the Xsheet view, select the drawings you want to release.
2. From the top menu, select Edit > Release Rights to Modify Drawings or press Alt + Shift + L.

How to force the release of the rights of locked drawings
1. In the Xsheet view, select the drawings you want to release.
2. From the top menu, select Edit > Force Release Rights to Modify Drawings.
A Warning dialog box opens.

3. Do one of the following:‣

Click Yes to force the release.

‣

Click No to cancel the force release.

How to read changed drawings‣ From the top menu, select File > Read Changed Drawings.

100

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Scene Settings
When you created your new scene, you set up the resolution and the alignment. However, if you want
to change these 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 open the Scene Settings dialog box
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Scene Settings.
The Scene Settings dialog box opens.

101Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Scene Settings

Resolution Tab

Parameter

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

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

‣ HDTV_Vertical: The "vertical resolution" of HDTV_Vertical refers to

Resolution Presets

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 the same. 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 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 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 thecamera frame. When you fit vertically, you fit the images with the top
and bottom of the scene frame.

102

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)‣ NTSC: This is the standard analogue television broadcasting systemused in North America and conforms to the North American
standards on how rectangular pixels are displayed for computer andtelevision screens.

‣ PAL: This resolution works best with the European format for
television and computer screens, as the rectangular pixels are
displayed at a different orientation.

‣ Low: This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where sizeand fast download of a video file might take precedence overquality.
Selected Resolution
PresetDisplays the selected resolution preset.
Click the Save Resolution button after you define your new resolution
to save it as a preset.
If you are working in Harmony Network, you will be prompter a dialog
box asking you to name the new resolution as well as the level atwhich you want to save the resolution,conf file.

Save Resolution Setting

Displays the pixel dimensions for your project resolution.

Pixel Dimensions

Aspect Ratio

If you decide to type in the pixel dimensions, or use the up and downarrows to change the pixel increments, you will have to save yourcustom selection in order to save it as a new preset. It will then appear
in the resolution selection list. It doesn't modify the current resolution
preset.
Displays the ratio between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the camera
framing. Each resolution setting has a preset aspect ratio that cannot bechanged.

Frame per second

Sets the frame rate for your project. The higher the frame rate, forexample 30 fps, the faster the animation will pla. The lower the frame
rate, for example 12 fps, the slower your animation will play. Avoid
going under 12 frames per second as your animation will have achoppy playback. The human eye requires a minimum of 12 frames per
second to perceive a fluid animation.

Field of View

Use these options to define the FOV (field of view) of the camera(angle of the camera cone) and how the drawing elements (anddrawing grid) align to the scene grid. The drawing grid is always

103

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Scene Settings

scaled proportionally to a 4:3 ratio (unless you change the scenealignment), 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 rightedges of the scene grid.

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

‣ Custom Fov: After selecting this option, use the now-active field tothe right 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 (the angle is more obtuse), widening the FOV andmaking the grid and all elements appear farther away. Decreasing
the default value will create the opposite effect.
The Projection settings allows you to modify the type of camera yourscene is using. You can either use a perspective camera (regularcamera) or orthographic camera (no perspective).
Projection‣ Perspective: The Perspective option is the default and mostcommon option. Objects placed closer to the camera will be
displayed bigger and objects placed further away will be displayed104

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)smaller.

‣ Orthographic: The Orthographic option is very specific to thegaming pipeline. It changes the camera from Perspective toOrthographic, 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 this option in the Gaminguser guide. In order to create scenes with the Orthographic camera
by default, you need to create a new custom scene resolution.

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
Alignment

and sets up 12 of these units to run both vertically and horizontally infour cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment preset isvisible 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 andhorizontally in four cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This
Alignment preset is NOT visible in the FOV and drawing grids.

Units Aspect Ratio

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 aspectratio 4:3 is a unit with one side 1.33 times as big as the other side.

105

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Scene Settings

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 is the one used by traditional animators, who areaccustomed to working with the grid system described above.
In the Number of Units fields, enter the number of horizontal, verticaland 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 thefield depth.
Those who prefer to work in pixels should enter the pixel dimensions(3) of their project. This way if you want to move something over 600
pixels you just need to type in 600 units.
In the Coordinates at Centre, you can enter a new coordinate for thecentre of your scene.

Coordinat
es atCentreSave

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, forexample to the upper left corner, you would enter (-12, 12), -12 units
across and 12 units up. That is of course unless you changed thenumber of units to match the pixel dimensions of your scene. Then you
would enter negative half the width and positive half the height.
Saves your current Alignment settings and be able to select them later from the
list.

106

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

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 theLayer Properties panel‘s Advanced tab: Alignment > Alignment Rule > Centre First Page.

Bitmap Resolution Tab
The bitmap resolution settings at the scene level affects newly created bitmap art layers.

Parameter

Description

Scene Resolution

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

WidthThis 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 Boomdrawing native format) have an infinite size. Bitmap TVGs are composedof small tiles. Therefore it does not mean that because you have artwork at the four corners of your camera frame or even quite far outsideof your drawing that your bitmap image will be very large and heavy. Bydefault, 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 thesmaller area in which you will zoom will be 100% of the scene resolution.

107

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Scene Settings

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 thisoption 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. Since version 7.8, the Z-ordering calculation is now optimized and allows only larger values
such as 0.001.

108

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Verifying the Project Integrity
The Check Files command verifies the integrity of the drawing and palette files in your project.

How to open the Check Files dialog box‣ From the top menu, select Scene > Check Files.

Check Files
Use the Check Files dialog box to verify that the data is consistent, correct, and accessible.

•

Click Check Colours to open the Check Colours dialog box.

Check Colours
The Check Colours dialog box checks the palette integrity and displays the colour recovery data.

109

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Verifying the Project Integrity

Related Information
ScenesFrame Rate and Format

52
51

Related Tasks
Saving a Scene
Setting the Scene Length
Adding a Drawing Layer

82
91
92

Reference Materials
Scene Settings

95

110

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Basic Commands
This table lists the most common commands used in Harmony.
CommandOpen

ActionAccess Methods

Displays the OpenScene dialog box.
Browse your file system
for a scene file.

File > Open
Press Ctrl + O(Windows/Linux) or ⌘+ O (Mac OS X).

The Open command is
not disabled when ascene is opened. You
can open a new scenefrom the current one
and the previous scene
will be closed.
Close

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

File > Close

Save

Saves all changes madeto the opened scene,drawings, palettes, andpalette lists.

File > Save

Removed Unused Files

This command removes theunused palettes from thescene list.

File > Remove Unused
Files

Quit

ClosesHarmonyHarmony
Stage.

Windows/Linux: File >QuitShow Scan
Information

Displays a status bar
showing the scanning
information at thebottom of the Drawing
and Camera view.

Drawing View Menu
> View > Show >Show Scan
Information

Cut

Removes selected
objects. You can thenpaste the object or its
properties to anotherobject.

Edit > Cut

Copies selected objects

Edit > Copy

Copy

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

Mac OS X: Stage>
Quit

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

111

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Command

Paste

DeleteSelect All

Deselect All

Undo

Redo

Select Child Skipping
Effects

Select Children

Basic Commands

ActionAccess Methods

and properties.

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

Places an object you cutor copied into thelocation you select in
the Camera, Drawing
and Timeline views.

Edit > Paste

Removes selected
objects.

Edit > Delete

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

Edit > Select All

Deselects all selected
objects in the Drawing
and Camera views.

Edit > Deselect All

Removes remove thelast change made to
your project. Harmony
supports multiple undo,
so you can undochanges you made in
the order you madethem.

Edit > Undo

Redoes and operation
you have undone thatyou later decide to
keep. This command isactive only after you use
the Undo command.

Edit > Redo

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

Animation > SelectChild Skipping Effects

Lets you select allelements parented tothe selected peg

Animation > SelectChildren

112

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

DeletePress Ctrl + A(Windows/Linux) or ⌘+ A (Mac OS X).

Esc

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

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

Press Shift + B.

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Command

ActionAccess Methods

element in the Timelineview.
Select Child

Select Parent
Skipping Effects

Select Parent

Select Previous
Brother

Select Next Brother

Auto Render Write

Lets you select the firstelement parented tothe selected peg
element in the Timeline
View.

Animation > SelectChild

Lets you select theparent of the selected
element in the Timelineview skipping effects in
the hierarchy.

Animation > SelectParent Skipping
Effects

Lets you select theparent of the selected
element in the Timelineview.

Animation > SelectParentLets you select the next
element (above current
element) in the Timelineview.

Animation > SelectPrevious BrotherLets you select the next
element (below current
element) in the Timelineview.

Animation > Select
Next Brother

Use the Auto Render
Write command to
render a frame eachtime the current frame
is changed.

Scene > Render>Auto Render Write

Press Shift + B.

Press B.

Press B.

Press /.

Press ?.

You must have a Write
module in your network
to use this command.
Debug Mode

Enable the Debug
Mode option to gather
and display precise
information about eachrendering frame such as
the modules
encountered and action
taken.

Help > Debug Mode

Help

Launches the Toon
Boom Harmony Online
Help system, complete

Help > Help

113

Chapter 8: Starting Toon Boom Harmony

Command

Basic Commands

ActionAccess Methods

with instructions on
how to use the system.
This requires aninternet connection.
Toon Boom Harmonyon the Web

Launches the Toon
Boom Harmony
website, which featuresa Support andCommunity > Forumsection.

Help > Toon Boom
Harmony on the Web

About

Use the Aboutcommand to accessgeneral information
about the software.

Windows/Linux: Help
> About

114

Mac OS X: Stage >AboutToon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Preferences
An important feature of Toon Boom Harmony is the Preferences dialog box. From here you cancustomize your interface, tool behaviour and shortcuts. Throughout this guide, you are often required
to go to the Preferences dialog box to set parameters and options.
To learn about the different preferences available, refer to the Preferences Guide.
How to open the Preferences dialog box
1. Do one of the following:‣

Windows/Linux: From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Stage > Preferences.

‣

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

115

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

116

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Chapter 9: Interface
Knowing how to manage the Toon Boom Harmony interface helps you to work efficiently and organize
your workspace conveniently. There are a series of views and toolbars you can use as you performdifferent operations. Usually, each person has a specific way of working in the interface and preferparticular views and toolbars. In this chapter, you will learn about the main elements of the interface
and how to manage them.

The Harmony interface is set to a dark theme by default. You have the option of switching to a lighttheme.

How to change the interface theme
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage > Preferences (Mac OSX) .
The Preferences dialog box opens.
2. Select the General tab.
3. In the Options section, deselect the Use Dark StyleSheet option to use the light theme.
4. Restart Harmony.

117

Chapter 9: Interface

This chapter is divided as follows:•

Menus on the facing page•

Managing the Views on page 115•

Managing the Toolbars on page 119•

Managing the Workspace on page 124•

View References on page 129•

Toolbar References on page 180•

Interface Navigation on page 186

118

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Menus
Harmony has a large number of functions and options that you can access from the following menus:

Top Menu

The top menu contains most of the commands. Depending on the view you are working in and theelement, some commands are available and others not. The top menu is always located at the very
top of the interface.
The top menu contains the following categories:
•

File

•

Edit

•

View

•

Play

•

Insert

•

Scene

•

Drawing•

Animation•

Windows•

Help

On Mac OS X, there is a Stage category containing the following commands:•

Preferences

•

About

•

Quit

View Menu

Some views have their own menu. These menus contain commands specifically related to that view.

119Chapter 9: Interface

Menus

How to access the view menu
1. In the view's top-left corner, click the Menu

button.

A list of commands is displayed.

Quick Access Menu

Each view has a quick access menu containing commands you will use most often. This menu isaccessed by right-clicking anywhere in the view.

120

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Managing the Views
The Harmony user interface is composed of different views, each one designed for a specific purpose.
You can modify the location and accessibility of the views by adding a new view as a tab or as awindow. You can also swap the view locations around.
It is important to know about the active view. When a view is active, a red rectangle appears aroundthe view. Keyboard shortcuts and top menu options are linked to the active view. If a menu option isgreyed out, it either means it does not apply to your layer, drawing or other type of selection or the
option does not apply to the active view.

Workspace modifications are automatically saved when you exit the application unless you deselected
the Automatically Save Workspace option in the Preferences dialog box.

How to add a view
1. Select the view you want to add from Windows > the desired view.
‣

You can also use the Window drop-down menu button in each view. Click the Add View
button and select a view from the list.You can open several instances of the same view
except for the Timeline, Tool Properties, Colour and Drawing views.

By default, the view appears tabbed.

121

Chapter 9: Interface

Managing the Views

How to dock a floating window in the workspace
1. Drag the window’s tab onto one of the workspace’s views. You can drop the view onto the otherexisting tabs to tab the view with the other ones. You can also drop the view onto either side of an
existing view to insert the floating one beside it. When you get close to one of the edges, a black
rectangle will appear, indicating where the view will be inserted.

How to close a view
1. Click the Close View‣

button.

If there are several tabs in the same window, hold Shift down and click the Close View
button to close all tabs together.

122

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

How to swap views around
1. Select the view's tab and drag it onto one of the view’s separators, top area or onto anotherview’s tab.
2. When a blue rectangle outline appears showing an available location for the view, release themouse button and drop the view tab into position. One of three things will happen:•

The view becomes a tabbed window.

•

The view becomes a floating window.

•

The view becomes a new docked window.

How to resize a view
1. Position your cursor on the edge of the view you want to resize.
2. When you see the Resizingor height.

cursor, click and drag the side of the window to the desired width123

Chapter 9: Interface

Managing the Views

You can also temporarily hide a view to get more working space.

How to temporarily hide a view
1. On the edge of the window you want to hide, click the Collapse/Expand button.
The view is compressed and only the Collapse/Expand button is visible.
2. Click the Collapse/Expand button again to redisplay the view.

124

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Managing the Toolbars
Harmony contains toolbars which, by default, are located at the top of the interface. Some of theworkspace’s views also have their own toolbars which you can move around. You can reposition the
toolbars to suit your work style or hide unused ones.
You can display or hide toolbars using the menus. The Toolbar menu only contains the View toolbarsof the views that are displayed in the workspace. As you show or hide views in your workspace, theToolbar menu updates.
The top toolbars can also be displayed directly in a view. Only one instance of each toolbar can bedisplayed. If a toolbar is already displayed in the top area and you decide to display it in a view, theselected toolbar will move from the top area to the view.
The View toolbars can be customized to contain your favourite tools and options. Using the Toolbar
Manager window, you can organize different toolbars to suit your working style.
If you prefer to have all your tools visible in the Tools toolbar, the Flat Tool Toolbar option allows you
to expand the toolbar so there are no nested toolsets in the toolbar. When you set this option, youwill need to close Harmony and restart 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 work pattern.

If the default toolbar does not contain the tools you require, you can customize the toolbar.
Once you are displaying the flat toolbars, you can customize the tools which appear in the toolbar.
This means that you can change the default set of tools and replace the tools you use less frequently
with ones use more often. This customizing is done through the Toolbar Manager.

How to show and hide a toolbar
1. From the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > the desired toolbar.
‣

You can right-click anywhere in the toolbar area to access Harmony toolbars. View toolbars,
however, are not available by right-clicking the toolbar area. You can access the toolbar of
any open and active view by right-clicking in the view's top area or the Windows menu.

125Chapter 9: Interface

Managing the Toolbars

How to resize a toolbar
1. Hide a portion of a toolbar by dragging another open toolbar over its tail-end.
2. Click on the arrows appearing at the end of the collapsed toolbar to expand it.

126

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

How to move a toolbar
1. Select the toolbar you want to move by clicking its anchor point and dragging it into a view toolbar
area or another position in the top or side interface toolbar area.

2. When a highlighted zone appears showing an available location for the toolbar, release the mousebutton and drop the toolbar into position.

‣

1. Dock to the top toolbar area.

‣

2. Move a toolbar down a row.

‣

3. Dock to the left toolbar area.

How to customize a view toolbar
1. In the chosen view, right-click on any button in the toolbar where you want to add or subtract a
new button. You can also reorder the buttons. Make sure the button you right-click on is active.
2. From the menu, select Customize.

127

Chapter 9: Interface

Managing the Toolbars

The Toolbar Manager window opens.
3. To add a new icon to your toolbar, select the tool or command from the Available Tools list andclick the Right Arrowbutton to switch it to the Toolbar list.

4. To remove an icon from your toolbar, select the tool or command in the Toolbar list and click theLeft Arrowbutton to switch to the Available Tools list.

128

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

5. To reorder the icons in your toolbar, select the command to be moved from the Toolbar list andclick the Up
or Down
buttons to move it to the correct location.

6. Click OK when you are finished.

How to use enable the Flat Tool Toolbar preference
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage > Preferences (Mac OS
X).
2. In the Preferences dialog box, select the General tab.
3. Select the Flat Tool Toolbar option.
4. Click OK.
5. Save your work and close Harmony.
6. Restart Harmony.
The Tools toolbar no longer contains nested tools.

129Chapter 9: Interface

Managing the Workspace

Managing the Workspace
The Harmony interface is composed of several views. You can customize your workspace to suit yourworking style, save it as a new workspace, and load it from the Workspace toolbar.
The first time you open Harmony, the default workspace is loaded. Other workspaces are available
such as the Hand-Drawn Animation and Compositing workspaces. These display different views andtoolbars. You can access these workspaces, and any others you create, from the Windows menu andthe Workspace toolbar.
By default, when you modify the look of a workspace, it is automatically saved. If you prefer to keep
your workspaces as they are and only save the modifications when you really want to, you must disable
the Automatically Save Workspace option.
The Workspace Manager allows you to modify, create, delete, rename and reorder you workspaces.
You can save your workspace as a new version to avoid over-writing the current one. If you do notwant to modify the current workspace, use the Workspace Manager to create another one and thenmodify that one.
You can also restore modified workspaces to their original default layout if you do not like the current
modifications or inadvertently closed some windows.

How to load a workspace
1. Do one of the following:‣

From the top menu, select Windows > Workspace > Workspace.

‣

Select a workspace from the Workspace toolbar.

How to open the Workspace Manager

130

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Workspace toolbar, click the‣

From the top menu, select Windows > Workspace > Workspace Manager.

button.

How to create a new workspace
1. Open the Workspace Manager.
2. In the Available Workspaces list, select an existing workspace.

3. At the bottom of the Available Workspaces list, click the Add

button to add a workspace.

4. Select the new workspace that was created. Click Rename and give it a new name.

131

Chapter 9: Interface

Managing the Workspace

5. Select the new workspace and click the Right Arrow
toolbar.

button to move it to the Workspace

6. Click OK.

How to rename a workspace
1. Open the Workspace Manager.
2. Choose the workspace to be renamed from the list.
3. Double-click on the workspace to be renamed or click the Rename button. This allows you to edit
the name.

4. Type in the new name of the workspace.
5. Press the Enter/Return key to validate the name.
6. Click OK.

How to disable the Automatically Save Workspace preference
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) orStage > Preferences (Mac OSX) to open the Preferences dialog box.
2. Select the General tab.
3. In the Options section, deselect the Automatically Save Workspace option.
4. Click OK.

132

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

The Save Workspacebutton appears in the Workspace toolbar.

How to save a workspace manually
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Workspace toolbar, click the Save Workspace‣

You can also select Windows > Workspace > Save Workspace.

button.

How to save your workspace as a new version
1. From the top menu, select Windows > Workspace > Save Workspace As.
The Save Workspace As dialog box opens.
2. Type in a workspace name and click OK.

How to delete a workspace
1. Open the Workspace Manager.
2. In the Workspace Manager, select the workspace to be deleted and click the Left Arrowbutton to move it to the Available Workspaces list.

3. Select the workspace from the Available Workspaces list, then click the Deletedelete the workspace.

button to

4. Click OK.

How to show a workspace
1. Open the Workspace Manager.
2. In the Available Workspaces list, select the workspace to be displayed and click the Right Arrowbutton to move it to the Workspace toolbar.
3. Click OK.

How to hide a workspace
1. Open the Workspace Manager.
2. In the Workspace Manager, select the workspace to be hidden and click the Left Arrowto move it to the Available Workspaces list.
3. Click OK.

133

buttonChapter 9: Interface

Managing the Workspace

How to reorder workspaces
1. Open the Workspace Manager.
2. In the Workspace toolbar, select the workspace to be reordered and on the Up
buttons to move it up or down.

3. Click OK.

How to restore the default workspaces‣ From the top menu select Windows > Restore Default Workspace.

134

or Down

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

View References
Harmony contains a series of views that are each focused on a specific set of tasks. Here are the views
available:•

Camera view•

Colour view•

Coordinates and Control Points view•

Drawing view•

Function view•Integrated Help view•

Layer Properties view•

Library view•Message Log view•

Model view•

Module Library view•

Network view•

Perspective view•

Script Editor view•

Side view•

Timeline view•

Tool Properties view•

Top view•

Xsheet view

Camera View
The Camera view is the centre of operations in Harmony. In this view, you will draw, paint, animate,create animation paths and see your results. You can also move through your symbol’s hierarchy.
The Camera view has a top and bottom toolbar that you can use to navigate in the view, change thedisplay mode, or go back up your symbols hierarchy.

135Chapter 9: Interface

View References

1. Light Table

When you have a drawing layer or drawing selected, the Light Table button
button allows you tofade the colours of the other layers so you can see the current artwork better as you edit with adrawing tool. Note that the light table does not work when using a layer editing tool such as theTransform
tool.

136

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

2. Current Drawing On Top

When this button is enabled, the drawing that you are currently editing with a drawing tool is
temporarily displayed in front of all the other elements. The actual scene is not modified.

3. Camera Mask

The Camera Mask
button shows or hides a black mask around the scene’s frame to avoid seeing
the unnecessary artwork. This option is handy when you are animating and setting up the scene. It
allows you to see your scene’s composition better.
You can also access this feature from the top menu by selecting View > Show > Camera Mask.

4. Safe Area

The Safe Area
button shows or hides the TV safety zone and the centre of the camera frame. The
Safe Area will adapt to the scene resolution as well as the safety zone and frame’s centre.
You can also access this feature from the top menu by selecting View > Show > Safe Area.

137

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

5. BBox Selection Style

Selecting an object in the Camera view with the Transform tool always makes a bounding box
appear around the object as well as tinting the artwork in fuchsia, red or yellow. Enabling this option
will only keep the bounding box and remove the colour tint.

6. Outline Locked Drawings

Drawings that are locked in the Timeline view (cannot be selected in the Camera view) will be
displayed as wireframes.

7. Reset View
The Reset View
button will reset any panning, zooming or rotation done in the Camera view andreturn the display to the initial settings. You can also press Shift + M.

8. Zoom Menu
The Zoom menu lets you enlarge or reduce the Camera or Drawing view display.
To make the camera frame size always match the size of your view, select the Fit to View option.
Click the drop-down arrow and select a zoom level or press 1 and 2.

138

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

9. OpenGL View Mode

The OpenGL View Modebutton switches the Camera view to fast display, letting you see youranimation play in real time. The OpenGL display requires less memory. The final look of your effects
is not shown in the OpenGL View Mode. You must switch to the Render View Mode to see youreffects.

9a. Render View Mode

139

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

The Render View Modebutton switches the Camera view to a fully rendered display showing thefinal image of the current frame. If a modification is done to your current frame or if you move to adifferent frame, click the Update Preview button to update the display if your preview does not
update automatically.
The Render View Mode display 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 and Playbutton in the Playback toolbar.

9b. Matte View Mode

The Matte View Modebutton switches the Camera view to a matte display showing the alphachannel of the elements in your scene. The transparency level ranges from 0 to 100 percent. Zeropercent is completely transparent and represented by black and 100 percent is completely opaqueand 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.
‣

To access the Matte View mode, click on the Render View Mode
Matte View from the drop-down menu.

button and select10. Drawing NameThe Drawing Name field displays the name of the selected drawing, as well as the layer containing it.
If the cell does not contain any drawing, an Empty Cell text is shown in the field.

11. Tool Name
The Tool Name field displays the name of the selected tool. If you temporarily override a drawing
tool using a keyboard shortcut, the tool’s name will be highlighted in red. You can temporarily
override a tool by holding its keyboard shortcut without the [Alt] key. For example, the Select tool
shortcut is Alt + S. If you hold down [S], you will switch to the Select tool. As soon as you release thekey, you will return to the tool you were using.

12. Frame Number
The Frame Number field displays the number of the current frame.

13. Selected Colour
The colour swatch displays the currently selected colour in the Colour view.

140

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

14. Camera View Toolbar
The Camera View toolbar contains all the tools and options you can use in the Camera view to draw,
animate or set up the scene. The toolbar can be displayed or hidden by right-clicking on it andselecting or deselecting the Camera View toolbar.

15. View Menu
The View menu contains all the tools and options that you can use in the Camera view to draw,
animate or set up the scene.

16. Editing Stack Menu
The Editing Stack menu displays the names of the symbols and their hierarchy when you are editing asymbol. You can click on the different names to go back up to the different parent symbols or the
top/current project.

Colour View
The Colour view is where you create colours and palettes and import existing palettes into yourproject. The Colour view is also necessary for drawing, painting and creating colour styling.

The Colour view has two display modes:

141

Chapter 9: Interface

View References•

List mode•

Swatch mode

How to switch between the display modes
1. From the Colour View menu, select Colours > Swatch Mode and do one of the following:‣

Select the option to display the swatches.

‣

Deselect the option to display the colour list.

When you are painting on bitmap layers, the Colour view will look like the following. It contains a
subset of the tools available when working with vector layers.

1. Add Colour
The Add Colour

button lets you add a new colour swatch to the bottom of your colour list.

2. Remove Colour
The Remove Colour
button lets you delete the currently selected colour swatches. If the colour
swatch is used in your project, the Delete Colour dialog box will appear asking you to confirm theoperation.

142

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)‣ Click OK to confirm the operation or Cancel to cancel it.
Zones painted with colour swatches which have been deleted will turn red, easily identifying them so
you can repaint them with another colour swatch.

3. Add Texture

The Add Texture
button lets you add a bitmap colour swatch to your palette. You can load
photos and textures and paint your drawings with it. The bitmap image must be a TGA or PSD fileformat.

4. Set Current Brush Colour
The Set Current Brush Colour
button let you set the currently selected colour swatch as thecolour used by the Brush
tool. If you select a new colour in the Colour view while using the Brush
tool, the Set Current Brush Colour swatch will be updated.

5. Set Current Pencil Colour
The Set Current Pencil Colour
button lets you set the currently selected colour swatch as thecolour used by the Pencil, Polyline, Ellipse, Rectangle
and Line
tools. If you
select a new colour in the Colour view while using any of these tools, the Set Current Pencil Colour
swatch will be updated.

6. Set Current Paint Colour
The Set Current Paint Colour

143

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

button lets you set the currently selected colour swatch as the colour used by the Brush
tool. If you select a new colour in the Colour view while using the Paint tool, the Set Current Paint
Colour swatch will be updated.

7. Link/Unlink Three Colours

The Link/Unlink Three Colours
button lets you link the Set Current Brush Colour, Set Current
Pencil Colour and Set Current Paint Colour swatches to the currently selected colour swatches in the
Colour view.

8. Show/Hide Palette List View

The Show/Hide Palette List View button lets you display the Palette List view in the Colour view. This
option is for the advanced user who wants to create colour palettes for their props and characters.

9. Colour Swatch Name

Each colour swatch available in the Colour view can have its own name, making it easy to identify
which colour is used to paint what part of your character or background.
Two colours can have the same name.

144

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

10. Colour Swatch

A colour swatch is a specific colour used to paint a certain zone of a character or background. Colour
palettes are composed of colour swatches. They can also be called colour pots. When you paint azone with a colour swatch, the zone is linked to the swatch. So if you update the swatch’s tint, thezone will be updated along with it. This allows you to modify your animation colours even after it iscompletely painted.

11. Colour View Menu
The Colour view
menu lets you access commands related to the Colour view such as creating
new palettes, adding new colour swatches, and displaying the Tint panel.

12. Add Palette
The Add Palettebutton lets you add a new palette to the bottom of your palette list.

13. Remove Palette
The Remove Palettebutton lets you delete the currently selected palette. If the colour swatch isused in your project, zones painted with colour swatches which have been deleted will turn red,easily identifying them so you can repaint them with another colour swatch.

14. Link Palette
The Link Palette button lets you access other palettes created in the project and link them to yourscene.

15. Order Palette List
The Up and Down arrows let you reorder the selected palette. When using clone palettes (colour
styles), the highest palette is the list will override its clone located lower in the list.

145

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

16. Edit Palette ModeIn Network mode, the Edit Palette Modebutton lets you get the rights to modify the palette.
The palette files can be locked to avoid accidentally modifying the palette.

Coordinates and Control Points View
Each time a keyframe or a control point is selected in the Camera, Timeline or Xsheet view, its
parameters appear in the Coordinates and Control Points view. You can also see the same
information in the Coordinate and Control Point toolbars.
You can edit keyframes and control point parameters, such as the position, continuity, bias, tension
and lock-in-time using the Coordinates and Control Point view.

146

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

Name: This is the name of the function curve to which the select point is linked.

•

Position: These are the coordinates in X, Y and Z of the selected point.
•

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 be deleted.

•

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 a compilation of all the Z-axis offsets
to give the real Z-axis offset value related to the (0,0) centre.

•

Scale: These are the width and height scale values of the selected point.
•

Separate Scale: Modifies the width and height values independently. When this option is
selected, 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 your layer at will.

•

Rotation: This is the rotation angle value from the permanent pivot of the element.

•

Skew: This is the skewing value.

•

Frame: This is the frame at which the select point is set.

•

Locked in Time: This option 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.
This means that there is no automatic interpolation created between the selected point and thenext 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.

•

Continuity controls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by a point.

•

Tension controls how sharply the path bends as it passes through a control point or keyframe.

147

Chapter 9: Interface•

View References

Bias controls the slope of the path so that it flows towards one side of the motion point or theother.

Drawing View
In Harmony, you can draw in the Drawing or Camera view. Although the two views are similar, when it
comes to drawing, there are some differences.
Only the selected drawing is displayed by default in the Drawing view. You can use features, such as
the light table to display the current drawing of all the enabled layers of your scene in washed-out
colours, or the Onion Skin to display the previous and next drawings of the currently selected drawing
layer.

148

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

1. Drawing Area
This is the main space in the Drawing view. It is where you draw and where the drawings are
displayed.

2. Zoom Menu
The Zoom menu lets you enlarge or reduce the Camera or Drawing view display.
To make the camera frame size always match the size of your view, select the Fit to View option.
Click the drop-down arrow and select a zoom level or press 1 and 2.

3. Drawing NameThe Drawing Name field displays the name of the selected drawing, as well as the layer containing it.
If the cell does not contain any drawing, an Empty Cell text is shown in the field.

4. Tool Name
The Tool Name field displays the name of the selected tool. If you temporarily override a drawing
tool using a keyboard shortcut, the tool’s name will be highlighted in red. You can temporarily
override a tool by holding its keyboard shortcut without the [Alt] key. For example, the Select tool
shortcut is Alt + S. If you hold down [S], you will switch to the Select tool. As soon as you release thekey, you will return to the tool you were using.

5. Current Frame
This field displays the current frame of the animation you are working on.

6.Cursor Coordinates
This indicates the position of the mouse cursor in the drawing area.

7. Colour Picker
The Colour Picker allows you to select a colour for drawing.

149

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

8. Drawing Thumbnails Panel
The Drawing Thumbnails panel displays a list with thumbnails of the loaded drawings. The
highlighted drawing is the one displayed in the drawing area. You can select the drawing you want topaint directly from this list.

Function View
The Function view lets you edit function curves and parameters. It is a visual graph for adding,removing, and editing keyframes, as well as adjusting the velocity. The Function view allows you todisplay multiple functions in the background as a reference.

How to display functions in the Function view
1. Open the Function view.
The Function view is blank until you select the layer containing the functions you want to display.
2. To display a function in the Function view, click on the layer containing the functions to adjust in theTimeline view.
3. To select the functions you want to edit, select them in the Functions List section.

150

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Parameter

Description

Function List
When selecting a layer in the Timeline view, all thecorresponding functions are displayed. Until a keyframe isadded on the function in the Timeline view, it will not be
displayed in the Function view. Select all the functions you want
to see and edit; hide the ones you do not.
The Display toolbar allows you to modify how the editing area
is displayed. You can hide the grid, disable the synchronization
with the current frame, reset the zoom level and normalize thefunction display by stacking them one over the other tocompare them regardless of their value range.
Current Frame

Displays the current scene frame.

Selected Keyframe Value

Displays the value of the selected keyframe.

Display Advanced Parameter
Values

Displays the Projection, Bias, Tension and Continuity
parameters to adjust the curve around the selected keyframe.

Keyframe, Velocity and Interpolation Options

This toolbar lets you add and delete keyframes, adjust thevelocity curve, adjust the segments to motion or stop-motion
keyframes and set the velocity to create steps instead of aconstant progression.

Function Type

This toolbar lets you click on the different function types toenable or disable all the listed functions of that type.

Value Scaledisplays the value range for the displayed editing area. It can be referenced to know the value of a keyframe.

Selected Keyframe

The selected keyframe is displayed in red. When selected, thekeyframe values are displayed in the corresponding fields.

Bezier Handles

The Bezier handles let you adjust the ease in and ease out ofeach keyframe. The more the handle is pulled out horizontally,
the slower the animation will be. The more the handle is pulled
out vertically, the faster the animation will be.

Function Curve

The thin line going from keyframe to keyframe is the actual
curve. The section of a curve located between two keyframes iscalled a segment.

Frame Scale

The Frame Scale displays the frame range for the displayed
editing area. It can be referenced to know the current frame of151

Chapter 9: Interface

View Referencesa keyframe.

Integrated Help View
As you work on your project in Harmony, you may find that you need a little help identifying different
layer types (module types in the Network view) or with immediate access to keyboard shortcuts.
Harmony has a view where you can access all this information, known as the Help view. In addition, you
can use the green forward and backward arrows, in the Help view, to review a history of the help
information that you called up during your session.

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

From the top menu, select Windows > Integrated Help.

‣

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Integrated Help.

How to use the Help view to identify layer/module types‣

From the top menu, select Help > Modules, then select Show Help on Selected Module orselect a module from the list.

‣

In the Drawing or Camera view, use the Transform tool to make a selection and then click on
the Show Help on Selection button in the Help view.

‣

In the Timeline view, click on the layer that you want to identify.

‣

In the Network view, click on the module that you want to identify.

A description of the selected layer/module appears in the Help view.

How to use the Help view to call up a list of all shortcuts‣

From the top menu, select Help > Show All Shortcuts.

A list of shortcuts appears in the Help view.

152Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

How to use the Help view to learn about particles‣

From the top menu, select Help > Particle > Basic Principles of Particle System.
A short help document appears in the Help view.

Layer Properties Editor
Each layer has its own set of properties that can be modified, including effect and peg layers. Display
the Layer Properties editor if you want to modify some of the layer’s properties such as the name or
the antialiasing quality. You can display the editor by selecting a layer in the Timeline view or a modulein the Network view.

153Chapter 9: Interface

View References

Library View
The Library view is used to store elements such as animation, drawings, backgrounds and puppets toreuse in different projects. You can also use the Library view to create and store your symbols.
To reuse an element from another project, you must create a template out of your drawings. A
template is a mini scene that you import in your other project. A template has no link to the originalscene. When you create a template, the full content of your selection is copied in the template.
You also have the possibility to create symbols. These can be used as drawing containers when you
are creating puppets so that you can store different mouth shapes or hands to use while animating.
Note that drawing layers already have this capability without being a symbol. You can also use
symbols when you are building props, such as a skateboard whose wheel you want to reuse for thefour skateboard wheels.

154

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

1. Library View Menu
The Library View menu allows you to access commands that are related to the Library view, such asimporting SWF movies and Illustrator files, adding a new folder and refreshing the library’s content.

2. Preview Window
The Preview window is used to see the content of the currently selected template or symbol in the
Template/Symbol list.

3. Preview Playback
The Preview Playback button is used to play back the content of the selected template or symbol if it
button to play back the preview.
contains more than one frame. Press the Play

4. Library Folder List
The Library Folder List displays all the folders linked to the Library view. There are two default
folders:•

Symbols: This folder is the only folder containing symbols. You can organize it by adding
subfolders inside.

•

StageLibrary: This is a default folder found on the hard drive in your user documents. This folder
can contain templates, but no symbols.

You can link new library folders to the Library view and organize them with subfolders.

155

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

5. Template/Symbol List
The Template/Symbol list displays the templates or symbols contained in the selected library folder.
You can display the templates and by right-clicking the symbols’ thumbnails and selecting View >Thumbnails.

Message Log View
The Message log view displays information gathered during a render task, such as which frames andat what time they were each rendered. The view also contains a list of the colour recovery operations.

Model View
Once you have a fully painted drawing, you can use it as a colour model and load it in the Model view.
This drawing can be used and loaded in any of your Harmony scenes.
Once a drawing is loaded in the Model view, you can use the Dropper
tool to select a colour fromthe model and use it to paint in the Camera or Drawing view without having to pick the colour fromthe colour palette.

156

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Module Library View
If you need to add new effects and other modules to the Network view, you will need to get them from
the Module Library.

157

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

When you create a new project in Harmony, the default network that appears in the Network view
looks similar to the one below.

Module Library View Toolbar
In the Module Library View toolbar, you can change how the effects are displayed.
•

View as Icons•

View as List•

View as Icons with Names

Module Tabs
The Module Library is conveniently broken up into several sections or tabs:

158

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

3D: Includes the modules related to working with 3D models within Harmony.

•

Deformation: Includes the modules needed for building a deformation chain, as well as advanced
effects such as Fold and Auto Muscle.

•

Favorites: Includes the most common modules. To add extra modules to the Favorites tab, selectany module from any other section and drag it onto the Favorites tab.

•

Filter: Effect modules, such as blurs.

•

Group: Modules for grouping, like Group modules and Multi-Port modules.

•

IO: Includes Display, Drawing, Write and Note modules.

•

Move: Modules for changing elements over time, like Peg modules, as well as certaintransformations.

•

Particle: Includes all the modules necessary to construct complex particle systems.

•

Particle-Examples: Includes a series of examples of particle effects.

•

Plug-ins: Includes plug-in modules.

•

All Modules: Lists all of the modules available.

Network View
In the Network view, you can connect effects and compositing modules to form a network, also known
as a node system. This view is very useful for rigging puppets, creating advanced effects and having aclear view of complex scenes. The organization and order of the modules determines the flow of data
during the compositing process and how your animation elements will be composited.

159

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

Symbol Stack
When entering symbols, the Symbol Stack lets you navigate back to the top and see the hierarchy ofthe symbol in which you are working.

Node System
The main area of the Network view is the node system area where you can add and organize
different modules to represent a scene.

Navigator
The Navigator view lets you pan the visible area to move quickly through extensive node sets.

Search Toolbar
The Search toolbar is used to find and match a module in the project. The search is not casesensitive. Once you have entered characters in the search field, press Enter/Return to validate andfind the pattern in the module names. If successful, the module is selected and centred in the view. Ifmany instances are found, use the Previous and Next buttons to cycle through each node.

160

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Group Navigation
When entering a group, the Group Navigation allows you to navigate back to the top and see thehierarchy of the group in which you are.

Modules
There is a series of modules available to compose the network. Here are some basic types andinformation about the main modules.

1. Drawing Module

161

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

This is an example of an average module, a simple drawing module that represents a layer in theTimeline view. This module has an input port (top) that allows information to flow through it. It has
an output port (bottom) that exports its information in a downward flow. On the left is a yellow box
that displays the module's property editor, where you can adjust its parameters. Lastly, there is adark arrow that displays a thumbnail of the module's contents.

2. Write and Display Modules

Both the Write and Display modules do not have output ports. This is because the information thatflows into them can go no further in the network. The Write module records the images and renders
the final output. The Display module captures the visual information and outputs it to the Cameraview.

3. Composite Module

The Composite module combines multiple source images (drawing and effect modules), including alltransformations and effects, into a single bitmap or vector image for each frame.
The Composite module layers the images based on the composition order rule. First, the Z-values ofthe elements are analyzed to determine depth. When multiple elements have the same Z-value, theDepth values in the drawing modules are used. If the Depth values are also the same between
elements, the composition order is determined by the cable order of modules on the Composite
module. By default, modules connected to the right are rendered below those connected to the left.
You can override this default in the Composite module editor—see Composite Module. The
Composite module is an example of a module that can have an infinite number of input ports that
can take in multiple, individual sources of information. The leftmost input port on the Composite
module is always green. This lets you know that, in terms of stacking order, whatever is plugged into
this port will appear on top of the composite after the Z-depth is taken into account.

162

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

4. Effect Module

An Effect module can often have two input ports. The right input port is for the drawing layer that is
to be acted upon by this effect, while the left port is usually reserved for a matte.

5. Matte Drawing
A matte, also called mask, is the shape that will be used by the effect module to modify the original
image. The effect will only be applied where the matte overlaps with the original image. Sometimes
the matte will act as a negative shape that the effect will exclude. This all depends on the nature andediting properties of the effect.

6. Position Ports
Some effects contain three input ports. If they are green, then they require a Peg module connection(coordinate and value information). In the case above, the effect can accommodate two pegs.

7. Peg Module
The Peg modules control the transformation of elements (position, scale, skewing and rotation) overtime. The green ports at the top and bottom of the module indicate that it accepts position
information and can then pass this information on.
One peg can be used to control many different modules or one module can accept more than one
peg. In a situation like the latter, one peg might be used to modify the rotation, while the other used
to modify the position of the effect and then animated differently over time.

163

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

Perspective View
The Perspective view is used during scene setup. It allows you to see a multiplane scene’s orientation.
The Perspective view is similar to a 3D display, as it lets you rotate the scene through all possible
angles to understand the spacing between the elements. You can also position and rotate your layers
and the camera inside the 3D display to achieve some 3D setup and camera moves.

1. The red circle rotates the view on its X axis.
2. The green circle rotates the view on its Y axis.
3. The blue circle rotates the view on its Z axis.
4. This is a perspective grid reference.
5. The axis reference arrows let you maintain your orientation when navigating in the Perspective view.
6. There are three view option buttons displayed in the lower-left corner of the view.
‣

Show/Hide Camera: Shows or hides camera frame in the Perspective view.

‣

Reset View: Resets the pan, rotation, and zoom of the Perspective view.

‣

Reset Rotation: Resets the rotation of the Perspective view.

7. This field displays the current zoom level in the Perspective view. You can use the Zoom level dropdown menu to select a specific zoom level from the list. Zoom levels from 2.5% to 6400% areavailable; you can also select Fit To View to automatically use a zoom level that lets you see all yourscene layers and information in the Perspective view at once.

164

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

8. This field displays the currently selected layer and drawing name.
9. This field displays the currently selected tool.
10. This field displays the currently selected frame of your animation.
11. This field displays the currently selected colour in the palette.

How to rotate a scene in the Perspective view
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Rotate View

tool.

‣

Click in the view, and drag the cursor around to rotate the view.

‣

Press and hold Ctrl + Alt (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + Alt (Mac OS X) and click and drag torotate the view one axis at a time.

Script Editor View
Qt Script provides access to many of the functions supported in the interface. With Qt Script, you can
automate a number of Harmony functions to speed the completion of various repetitive tasks. The
Script Editor view allows you to edit existing scripts and create new ones. Refer to the Scripting guideto learn more about scripting with Harmony.

165

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

Script List
On the left side of the Script Editor view, all existing script files are listed and can be modified in thisview. The script format is JavaScript. Click on a file to display its content in the Script Content
window of the view.

Script Content
On the right side of the Script Editor view, the contents of the selected script are displayed and canbe edited.

Search Toolbar
The Search toolbar allows you to search a string within the selected script content. You can use thePrevious and Next buttons to navigate through the results.

Syntax Check
This function verifies the syntax of the currently displayed script and lists any error found.

Save Changes
Once you are satisfied with the modifications made to the script, click Save Changes to save themodifications.

166

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Side View
The Side view is used mainly for multiplane scenes and to position elements in 3D Space. It allows you
to see a scene’s stage from the side. This lets the camera cone and spacing between the elements tobe seen.

1. A thumbnail of each drawing layer in the scene. The order of the thumbnail images is based on eachelement’s FB position in the scene space. You can see a representation of the FB position of eachlayer in the camera cone.
2. The camera cone represents the camera’s position and field-of-view (FOV).
3. The axis reference arrows let you maintain your orientation when navigating in the Perspective view.
4. There are two view option buttons displayed in the lower-left corner of the view.
‣

Show/Hide Camera: Shows or hides the camera frame in the Perspective view.

‣

Reset View: Resets the pan, rotation and zoom of the Perspective view.

5. This field displays the current zoom level in the Perspective view. You can use the Zoom menu toselect a zoom level from 2.5% to 6400%. You can also select Fit To View to automatically use a zoom
level that lets you see all of the scene layers and information in the Perspective view at once.

167

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

6. Displays the currently selected layer and drawing name.
7. Displays the currently selected tool.
8. Displays the currently selected frame of your animation.
9. Displays the currently selected colour in the palette.

Timeline View
To set your animation timing, you will mostly work with the Timeline and Xsheet views. It is extremely
useful to become familiar with the Timeline view, how it works, and its interface.
The Timeline view is the main view used when adjusting the timing of drawings, adding keyframes andordering layers. The Timeline view displays layers, effects, sounds, keyframe values, scene length, layer
names, drawings, keyframes, timing, and frames.

The Timeline view allows you to read your timing from left to right. It represents the scene’s elementsin their simplest form. You can also see the layers and their names, as well as the drawing’s exposure.
The drawing name is displayed when you place the cursor above the drawing’s exposure.

You can see the drawing name when you display the Data view. The name of the drawing folder towhich the layer is linked is displayed in the Data view.

168

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

1. Enable/Disable All
The Enable/Disable All

button is used to show or hide all layers simultaneously.

When you deselect a layer in the Timeline view, the corresponding column is hidden in the Xsheet
view. When a column is hidden in the Xsheet view, the corresponding layer is disabled in the Timelineview.
To disable a particular layer, deselect the layer’s checkbox or press D.

To enable a particular layer, select the layer’s checkbox or press A.

169

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

2. Show Selection and Hide All Others

The Show Selection and Hide All Others
button is used to show only the currently selected layer
in the Timeline view and disable all the other layers.

3. Add Layers
The Add Layers
button lets you add new layers to the Timeline view. When you click the Add
Layers button, a drop-down menu will appear displaying the layer types available. You can add
several different types of layers:•

Camera•Colour-Card•

Drawing

•

Group

•

Peg

•

Quadmap•

Effect

•

Sound

•

An effect layer made in Harmony Draw will appear with this symbol
Boom Harmony.

when opened in Toon

4. Delete Layers
The Delete Layers

button lets you delete the currently selected layers in the Timeline view.

5. Add Drawing Layer
The Add Drawing Layerbutton lets you automatically add a new drawing layer to the Timeline
view. By default, the layer is named Drawing.

6. Add Peg
The Add Peg
button lets you add a peg layer to your timeline. If one or several layers are
selected a peg will be added and parented to each individual layer.

170

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

7. Show/Hide Data View
The Show/Hide Data View
button lets you display the current frame’s drawing exposure andkeyframe values corresponding to each individual layer.
•

Hidden Data View•

Visible Data View

8. Current Drawing Displayed
The highlighted drawing represents the drawing currently displayed and is linked to play head
position.

9. Current Frame
The red play head represents the current frame displayed and marked in the Playback toolbar. If you
slide the play head to the left or right, it will scrub through your frames and update the Camera view.

10. Split
The Split
button lets you split the Timeline view in two sections, allowing you to see twodifferent portions of the Timeline view. This way, if your scene length is very long, you can see thebeginning and the end at the same time.

171

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

11. Collapse/Expand Children
The Collapse/Expand Children button is used to display the children layers of a parent layer. Once alayer is parented to another layer, it is indented to the right and the Collapse / Expand Children
button appears on the parent layer allowing you to show or hide the child layer.

12. Show/Hide Functions
The Show/Hide Functions
button lets you display the functions embedded in each layer. The
functions are the different coordinates and value used to record a layer’s parameters at each frame.
This information is stored on the function curves using keyframes.

13. Change Track Colour
The Change Track Colour
button lets you change the colour of the exposed frames; this helps
you to quickly locate a layer in the Timeline view. Double-click on the colour swatch to open the
Select Colour window and choose a new colour. You can modify the layer for any type of layer, suchas group, peg, drawing, and effects.

172

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

14. Lock/Unlock Layer
The Lock/Unlock Layerbutton lets you prevent the selection or editing of a layer in the
Camera view. To select some of the layers without selecting others, in the Timeline view, lock thelayers you do not want to select.

In the top menu, there are a series of locking options. Select Animation > Lock > select one of thefollowing actions:•

Lock: Locks the currently selected element.

•

Unlock: Unlocks the currently selected element.

•

Lock All: Locks all the elements in the Camera view.

•

Unlock All: Unlocks all the elements in the Camera view.

•

Lock All Others: Locks all the elements in the Camera view except the currently selected one.

You can display the locked drawings as outlines in the Camera view to quickly find out which
drawings are locked.

173

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

How to display locked drawings as outline
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage > Preferences (MacOS X).
2. In the Preferences dialog box, select the Camera tab.
3. In the Tools section, select the Show Locked Drawings As Outlines option.

15. Onion Skin

The Onion Skinbutton enables the Onion Skin option on a particular layer. If you want to see theprevious and next frames of a specific layer, go to the Timeline view and click the Onion Skin button
for that particular layer. Blue arrows appear on both sides of the play head. Pull on the blue arrows
to add more frames to the onion skin display.
To activate the general Onion Skin preview, in the Tools toolbar, click the Onion Skinbutton.

16. Drawing Substitution
The Drawing Substitution field is used to change the drawing exposed at the current frame. To
access the Drawing Substitution field, you must first expand the Data view by clicking the Show/Hide
Data View
button.

To change the current drawing, click the drawing value in blue and slide your cursor left or right when
you see the handcursor, or double-click on the drawing name and type in a new value.
The drawing exposure will be changed for the entire block it is exposed, not just the current frame.

17. Keyframe Value
The Keyframe Value field is used to add, remove or modify a keyframe at the current frame. To
access the Keyframe Value field, you must first expand the Data view by clicking the Show/Hide Data
Viewbutton.

174

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

To add a keyframe at the current frame, click the Add Keyframe

button.

•To remove an existing keyframe at the current frame, click the Delete Keyframe•

To change the current keyframe, either click and slide your cursor left or right when you see thehandcursor, or double-click on the keyframe value and directly type a new value.

•

To navigate through the existing keyframes, click the Previous Keyframe
Keyframebuttons.

•

To link your layer to an existing function or to create a new function, click the Show Function
Menu
button to display the drop-down Function menu.

button.

and the Next

18. Zoom
The Zoom tool is used to increase or reduce the width of the frames in the Timeline view. Drag the
cursor to the right to increase the width or to the left to reduce it. You can also press 1 and 2.

19. Keyframe
A black or red square is displayed in the Timeline view when a keyframe exists. You can select these
keyframes and drag them wherever you want on the timeline. You can also copy, cut and deletethem.
•

To delete a keyframe without deleting the drawing exposure, go to the Timeline view and selectthe keyframe to be deleted and then select Animation > Delete Keyframes from the top menu.

When a parent layer is collapsed and a child layer contains a keyframe, a white square will be
displayed.

20. Drawing Exposure
In the Timeline view, when a drawing is exposed, it is represented as a grey block. If the drawing is
exposed for several frames, the block is extended. When a second drawing is exposed, a new grey
block is displayed.

•

The exposure’s colour can be changed. To pick a new colour, double-click on the Change Track
Colourbutton in the corresponding layer.

21. Dragging and Pasting Modes
As you animate, you will find that you reuse many positions, drawings, and keys. However, you may

175Chapter 9: Interface

View References

only want to paste the drawings or just the keys or maybe everything. There are different paste
options available in the Timeline view which give you maximum flexibility when reusing and pasting.
Note that these modes also apply when you use drag instead of copy and paste.
There are three different modes for pasting your selection:•

Paste Mode: All Drawing Attributes: Pastes the drawing exposure and keyframes.

•

Paste Mode: Keyframes Only: Pastes only the keyframes.

•

Paste Mode: Exposures Only: Pastes only the drawing exposure.

22. Timeline View Modes
To streamline the process of working with elements in the Timeline view, there are three different
view modes you can choose to work in. With each mode you select, certain elements may or may not
be visible in the Timeline view. Depending on your workflow, this can be useful for quickly hiding
elements when you want to focus on specific ones. To select a view mode, use the drop-down menu
in the Timeline view.

Tool Properties View
The contextual Tool Properties view contains the most common options and operations related to thecurrently selected tool. As soon as you select a tool from the Tools toolbar, the Tool Properties view
updates.
For example, if you choose the Select tool in the Tools toolbar, the Tool Properties view will display
the options and operations related to the Select tool, such as Snap to Contour, Apply to All Drawings,
Flip Horizontal, and Flatten.

176

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Options
Options are different modes you can apply to a selected tool to modify its behaviour to fit thecurrent task’s needs.

Operations
Operations are actions you can perform while using the selected tool.

Top View
The Top view is used mainly for multiplane scenes and to position elements in 3D Space. It allows you
to see the scene’s stage from above. This lets the camera cone and the spacing between the elements
to be seen.

1. A thumbnail of each drawing layer in the scene. The order of the thumbnail images is based on eachelement’s FB position in the scene space. You can see a representation of the FB position of eachlayer in the camera cone.
2. The camera cone represents the camera’s position and field-of-view (FOV).
3. The axis reference arrows let you maintain your orientation when navigating in the Perspective view.
4. There are two view option buttons displayed in the lower-left corner of the view.
‣

Show/Hide Camera: Shows or hides the camera frame in the Perspective view.

‣

Reset View: Resets the pan, rotation and zoom of the Perspective view.

5. This field displays the current zoom level in the Perspective view. You can use the Zoom menu toselect a zoom level from 2.5% to 6400%. You can also select Fit To View to automatically use a zoom
level that lets you see all of the scene layers and information in the Perspective view at once.

177Chapter 9: Interface

View References

6. Displays the currently selected layer and drawing name.
7. Displays the currently selected tool.
8. Displays the currently selected frame of your animation.
9. Displays the currently selected colour in the palette.

Xsheet View
The Xsheet view lets you read the timing vertically, displays the drawing layers as columns, and shows
the drawing’s name. You can also see the functions and keyframes of the motion paths in the Xsheet’sfunction columns. The value of each keyframe is shown in the Xsheet view; these are displayed as blacksquares in the Timeline view. The Xsheet view contains more details than the Timeline view, and isfaster and easier to read.

178

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

1. Xsheet Main Section
The Xsheet view has three sections. By default, only the main section is visible. It displays the drawing
layers, also known as drawing columns.

When using advanced compositing and animation techniques, unconnected functions (motion paths)
also appear in the main section. Unconnected functions mean that some motion paths are notattached to any particular layer.
When you reconnect functions to a layer, they are still visible in the main section.

2. Functions Section
The Functions section is used for more advanced techniques. This section displays the functions

179

Chapter 9: Interface

View References(paths) related to the selected layer in the Timeline view. By default, the Functions section is hidden.

How to display the Functions section
1. In the Xsheet view, click the Expand button located on the right side of the main section. Click on
the same button to collapse it. You can also use the Show Column List
button in the Xsheet
View toolbar. If you select a drawing column in the main section of the Xsheet view, the function
columns will not be displayed. You must select the layer from the Timeline view.

180

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

3. Column List Section

The Column List section allows you to show and hide columns in the Xsheet view. When you hide alayer in the Xsheet view, it is also disabled in the Timeline view.
You can use the Column List to hide individual columns or hide an entire column type (drawing orfunction) from the Xsheet view. By default, the Functions section is hidden.

How to display the Column List section
1. In the Xsheet view, click the Expand button on the right side of the main section to show the
Functions section. Click on the same button to collapse it. You can also use the Show Column List
button in the Xsheet View toolbar.
‣

In Harmony, you can also go to the Xsheet view menu and select View > Show Column
List.

2. Click the Expand button on the right side of the Functions section to display the Column List
section.

181

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

4. Xsheet View Toolbar
The Xsheet view has its own toolbar where you can find the most common features. This toolbar isdisplayed by default. If you do not see it, select Windows > Toolbars > Xsheet View.
The Xsheet view must be part of your workspace in order to display its toolbar.

5. Column Header
Each column available in the Xsheet view has a header displaying the column’s name. The column’sname is the same as the corresponding timeline layer. If you rename one or the other, they will bothbe renamed.
A quick access menu is available when you right-click. This menu contains the command affecting anentire column such as renaming, changing the default colour, or deleting a column.
The tooltip that appears when you hover at the top of each Xsheet column shows the folder path tothe source drawings for that column.

In Harmony, the column header shows the layer’s name and the name of the drawing folder to which
it is linked. If the name of the layer is the same as the drawing folder, the drawing folder’s name will
not be displayed. For example; when you link a Timing column to a certain element (and thereby the
Element’s folder). To modify the name of the element folder independently from the column andlayer name, you must select the Advanced Element Mode option preference in the Advanced tab of
the Preferences dialog box.

182

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

6. Current Drawing
A drawing selected in dark red indicates that the drawing is currently displayed in the Drawing and
Camera views. The current drawing selection is not linked to the drawing displayed in the Camera
view since drawings from each visible layer are displayed at once.

6a. Current Frame
The darker frame appearing in the Xsheet view represents the current frame.

7. Drawing Exposure
In the drawing columns, you can see the drawing names and their exposure. You can use anyalphanumeric symbol to name your drawing. When a drawing is exposed over more than one cell, avertical black line is displayed to indicate the continuity of the exposure. When there is no drawing ina cell, the cell will be blank.

183

Chapter 9: Interface

View References

8. Frame Numbers

On the left side of the Xsheet view, the frame numbers are shown indicating where you are. These
read vertically instead of being displayed horizontally as they are in the Timeline view.
•

To go to a particular frame, click the frame number.

•

To select an entire range of frames, click and drag a selection downwards.

9. Current Frame Display
At the bottom-right of the Xsheet view, you can see the current frame number, as well as the column
containing the drawing currently displayed in the Drawing view.

10. Function Column
The function columns are displayed in the Functions section of the Xsheet view. They represent the
motion and rotation you applied to a drawing layer. Only the function columns related to theselected layer are displayed.
A function column can also be related to an effect. Selecting the effect layer shows you thecorresponding function column in the Xsheet view.
The function columns display the position value or effect value on each cell. If there is a keyframe on acell, a black square is displayed. Holding the same value for several frames displays a vertical black
line.

184

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

11. Increase/Decrease Exposure
You can quickly increase or decrease the exposure of the selected cell by clicking on the up and downarrows in the Increase/Decrease Exposure field.

12Overwrite/Insert Modes
The Overwrite/Insert button allows you to decide the way the values are inserted into the Xsheet.

185

Chapter 9: Interface

Toolbar References

Toolbar References
Harmony has several toolbars. The Top toolbars are available at the top of the interface and the View
toolbars are in individual windows. View toolbars are only shown if the particular view is displayed in
the workspace. This is a complete list of the toolbars available in Toon Boom Harmony.

Top Toolbars
Advanced Animation Toolbar
The Advanced Animation Toolbar contains tools to position and animate layers. The Scale, Translate
and Rotate tools can be used to reposition the permanent pivot position of your layer. Unlike theTransform tool, each tool in the Advanced Animation toolbar performs a single operation either
rotate, scale, translate or scale in relation to the camera distance.

Art Layer
A drawing is composed of two layers, a line layer and a colour layer. The colour layer is always placed
under the line layer. These layers are accessible in the Drawing or Camera view (using drawing tools).
When you view the final drawing, you will see the final composition of the lines and colours, not two
separate layers.

You can draw and paint in all layers. If you prefer to work in a single layer, everything can be done inLine Art.
You can change your preferences to enable the advanced use of layers and have access to four layers
instead of two:•Overlay•Line Art•

Colour Art•

Underlay

How to enable the Support Overlay and Underlay Arts option
1. From the top menu, select Edit > Preferences ( Windows/Linux ) or Stage > Preferences ( Mac
OS X ).
2. In the Preferences panel, select the Advanced tab,
3. In the Advanced Options section, select the Support Overlay and Underlay Arts option.
4. Click OK.

186

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Coordinate Toolbar
Each time you select a keyframe or control point in the Camera, Timeline or Xsheet view, its
parameters appear in the Coordinate toolbar. You can edit keyframes and control point
parameters, such as the position, scale and rotation coordinates.

Control Point Toolbar
Each time you select a keyframe or control point in the Camera, Timeline or Xsheet view, its
parameters appear in the Control Points toolbar. You can edit keyframes and control point
parameters, such as the continuity, bias, tension and lock-in-time.

Deformation Toolbar
The Deformation toolbar contains the various tools and options used to create the Deformation
effect. This toolbar is displayed in the default interface.

Display Toolbar
The Display toolbar let you select the different display modules available in the network.
When selecting a new display, all the views update to show the content of the new display module.
The concept of all views following the display selected in the Display toolbar is called Global Display.

How to select a different display module as a global display‣ Open the Display toolbar drop-down list and select a display from the list.
Each view display is updated.

187

Chapter 9: Interface

Toolbar References

When your scene does not have a Display module, it is automatically set to Display All which uses theTimeline view ordering and shows floating modules from the Network view.
You can also set your display to Display All using the Display toolbar.

If you try to add a peg layer in the Timeline view without having a layer selected, the peg
layer will be floating in the Network view and will not be visible in the Timeline view. The
Timeline view shows only layers that are connected to the Composite module.
If you switch to Display All, you run the risk of not realizing when you have floating
modules that are not connected to your composite. For this reason, it is notrecommended to work in Display All mode.

Easy Flipping Toolbar
Toon Boom Harmony has a flipping feature that lets you rapidly flip through the drawings in the
Drawing view as is done with paper drawings.

Edit Toolbar
The Edit toolbar contains common operations such as Copy, Paste, Cut, Undo and Redo. These
options can also be found in the Edit menu.

File Toolbar
The File toolbar contains the common file operations such as New, Save and Open. These options

188

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

can also be found in the File menu.

Flip Toolbar
This toolbar lets you enable what type of drawing to include in your flipping selection. You can flip
through the key, breakdown or in-between drawings individually, or view a combination.

Mark Drawing Toolbar
The Mark Drawing toolbar lets you identify drawings such as Key, Breakdown and In-between. The
drawing Identification feature can help the animator stay well organized and save time whenidentifying key, breakdown or in-between drawings in the Xsheet and Timeline views.

Onion Skin Toolbar
When designing or animating, it is useful to be able to see your previous drawings. The Onion Skin
tool is used to preview the previous and subsequent drawings. By default, the previous drawings willappear with a shade of red and the next drawings will be displayed with a shade of green, but you
can change the display options in the Preferences dialog box. In the Onion Skin toolbar, you canselect what type of drawing you want to display in your onion skin display.

Playback Toolbar

The Playback toolbar lets you play back your animation and sound. Use it to scrub the sound tocreate your lip-sync, loop the playback, navigate through frames, and change the playback range
and speed.
Name

ButtonDescription
Plays and stops theanimation.

Play

You can also select Play >Play Scene Forward or
Stop.
Creates a render of your scene toplay back the final result including theeffects.

Render and Play

189

Chapter 9: Interface

Toolbar References

Repeatedly plays back youranimation indefinitely.

Loop

You can also select Play >Loop.
Enables sound in the
playback.

Sound

You can also select Play >Enable Sound.
Enables sound scrubbing in
the playback.

Sound Scrubbing

You can also select Play >Enable Sound Scrubbing.
Lets you scroll through the playback’s frames.

Jog Frames

Lets you change the playback frame
range by entering new values in theStart and Stop fields. You can also
click on the Start and Stop words to
set the start or end frame at the current frame.
Lets you enter a new value to change
the speed of the playback.

FPS

Scripting Toolbar
The Scripting toolbar lets you import and access the scripts created to automate actions andoperations.

Tools Toolbar

The Tools toolbar contains all of the main tools you will use while working in Harmony. In the default
workspace, you will find this toolbar on the left-most side of the interface.

Tool Presets Toolbar
The Tool Presets toolbar lets you create new tool presets and manage them.

190

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Workspace Toolbar
The first time you open Harmony, the default workspace is loaded. Other workspaces are available
such as the Hand-Drawn Animation and Compositing workspaces; these display different views andtoolbars. You can access these workspaces and any you create, from the Windows menu and theWorkspace toolbar.

View Toolbars
Here is a list of the view toolbars available in Harmony:•

Camera View Toolbar•

Drawing View Toolbar•

Library Toolbar•

Model View Toolbar•

Network View Toolbar•

Script Editor View Toolbar•

Timeline View Toolbar•

Xsheet View Toolbar

191

Chapter 9: Interface

Interface Navigation

Interface Navigation
Toon Boom Harmony supports zoom in, zoom out, rotate, pan and reset view for easy interface
navigation for the views.
Command

ActionAccess Methods
View > Zoom In
Press 2 or roll the mousewheel up.

Zoom In

Zooms into the view.

In the Timeline view, press
Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or ⌘(Mac OS X) and roll themouse wheel up.
View > Zoom Out
Press 1 or roll the mousewheel down.

Zoom Out

Zooms out of the view.

Zoom In or Out

Zooms in or out of the view.

Roll the middle mousebutton up or down.

Pan

Moving parallel to the view.

Hold down the Spacebar anddrag the mouse in the directionin which you want to pan theview.

Recenter view

Recenters the view on your mouse
cursor.

Press N

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default
position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its
default position.

In the Timeline view, press
Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or ⌘(Mac OS X) and roll themouse wheel down.

View > Reset Pan
Press Shift + N
View > Reset View

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default
position.

Toggle Full Screen

Enlarges the selected view to fullscreen. The full screen process isdone in three stages.

192

Press Shift + M

View > Reset
Rotation
Press Shift + X
View > Reset Zoom
View > Toggle Full
ScreenPress Ctrl + F

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

First, the selected viewenlarges to the maximum
width or height, but keeps
the tool views such as
Colour or Tool Properties
view.

(Windows/Linux) or⌘ + F (Mac OS X)

Second, the view enlarges
to full screen.
Third, the view returns to
its original size.
Rotate 90 CW

Rotates the Camera view 90 degrees
clockwise, like an animation table.

View > Rotate View CW

Rotate 90 CCW

Rotates the Camera view 90 degrees
counter-clockwise, like an animationtable.

View > Rotate View CCW

Toggle Quick Close-up

Use the Magnifier tool toquickly center on themouse position and zoom
in to a pre-defined value
such as 4X. Then you canzoom out again. Hold theshift key and press Z tozoom in and back out
again. Replacing the Reset
Zoom by pressing Shift +.
The area where you zoom
in or out is dependent on
the cursor location in the
Camera view. If you zoom
in and them move thecursor to a different
location when you zoom
out the mouse will becentered on that location.

Using the Play Menu to Navigate
From the top menu, you can select any of the following commands from the Play menu to navigate
around the interface.
Command

Description

First Frame

Jump to the first frame. You can also press <.

Next Frame

Jumps to the frame after the currently selected frame in the Timeline view.
You can also press the period (.) key.

Last Frame

Jumps to the last frame. You can also press >.

Previous Frame

Jumps to the frame before the frame currently selected in the Timeline
view. You can also press the comma (,) key.

193

Chapter 9: Interface

Interface Navigation

Opens the Go to Frame window in which you can enter thenumber of the frame you want to display.
Go to Frame

Enable Playback

You can also use the Go button, which you can add to theTimeline View toolbar through the Toolbar Manager. Open the
Go to Frame dialog box and enter the frame number to jumpto.
Plays back your animation from the Top, Side, or Perspective view.

Zoom Tool
From the Tools toolbar, use the Zoom
view.

tool to zoom in and zoom out in the Camera or Drawing•

The keyboard shortcuts are 1 and 2.

•

When the Zoom In mode is selected, hold Alt as you click to zoom out.

When you select the Zoom tool, its properties are displayed in the Tool Properties view.

Zoom Tool Options

ButtonDescription

Zoom In

Zooms in

Zoom Out

Zooms out

Operations

ButtonDescription

Perform Zoom In

Zoom in the Camera or Drawing view.
The keyboard shortcut is 2.

Perform Zoom Out

Zoom out the Camera or Drawing view.
The keyboard shortcut is 1.

Reset Zoom

Restores the current zoom level to 100%.

Reset View

Restores the original display by resetting
any pan, rotation or zoom actions.

Navigating between Frames and Columns
Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you can navigate between the drawings, frames,
and layers using keyboard shortcuts that work in the Camera, Drawing, Timeline, and Xsheet views.
You can navigate through:194

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)•

Drawings•

Frames•Columns

How to navigate through drawings, frames and columns
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell.

2. Once the cell is selected, you can navigate between:‣

Previous and next layers: From the top menu, select Drawing > Previous Layer and Next
Layer or press H and J.

‣

Previous and next drawings: From the top menu, select Drawing > Previous Drawing and
Next Drawing or press F and G.

‣

Previous and next frames: From the top menu, select Play > Previous Frame and Next
Frame or press comma (,) and period (.).

195

Chapter 9: Interface

Interface Navigation

196

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Glossaryalpha channel

The image's channel carrying the transparency information. An
image already has three channels: red, green and blue (RGB). The
alpha channel is the fourth channel (RGBA). The matte, or thetransparency information, is stored in this fourth channel. An image
without an alpha channel is always opaque.

animatic

A movie with sound that is developed from the storyboard. The
storyboard panel is exposed for the duration of the scene and attimes, the characters are placed on a trajectory to indicate motion.
The camera moves are also animated. The animatic is used todetermine the rhythm of a project and provides a good overview ofthe project before beginning production.

animation

A simulation of movement created by displaying a series of pictures
or frames.

anime

An animation style known for its sinister and dark feel; popular inJapan.

arc

Action rarely occurs in a straight-forward manner; rather it typicallyunfolds in what storytellers refer to as an arc. The purpose of astory arc is to move a character or a situation from one state or
scenario to the next.

aspect ratio

The relationship between the width and height dimensions for any
scene, frame or film format. Television ratio is 4:3 and widescreen
ratio is 16:9.

auto-feed

An automated method of feeding drawings into a scanner in which
multiple drawings are stacked into a sheet feeder. When thescanner is activated, the drawings are scanned consecutively,
without further user intervention.

automatic lip-sync detection

Automatically mapping drawings in an element to the mouth chart
generated for a sound. This can save time when lip-syncing a voice
track.
An imaginary line around which an object rotates.
For 2D graphics, there are two axes:

axis

•

X: Horizontal•

Y: Vertical

For 3D graphics, there are three axes:•

X: Horizontal•

Y: Vertical•

Z: Depthbackground

The part of a scene that is farthest to the rear. The background is
the artwork, or decor, against which the animation takes place.

Bézier

A method of defining curved lines invented by French

197

Glossary

Interface Navigation

mathematician Pierre Bézier. A Bézier curve is a mathematical orparametric curve. Bézier curves use at least three points to define acurve.
In Toon Boom, a function can be hooked to a Bézier curve and varyalong with the curve value information. Bézier curves are also very
useful in vector graphics. They are used to model smooth curves
and can be scaled indefinitely.
bitmapAn image composed of pixels with a single resolution (size). If it isenlarged too much, it will lose definition and pixels will begin toappear. This is known as pixelation.
In cut-out animation, breakdown is the action of breaking acharacter into pieces to create a puppet with articulations. To
break down a character, the artist cuts part, such as hands andarms, from the character's model and pastes them in separate
layers. Next, the joints are fixed and the pivots set.

breakdown

In traditional animation, a breakdown is an animation pose
generally found between two key poses. The key poses are themain poses in an animation and the breakdowns are secondary
poses, ones that help to describe the motion and the rotation
curve.

camera shake

Camera shake occurs in a scene when the camera moves slightly
and quickly in several directions. This gives the impression of an
impact, vibration or, for example, bumps on the road.

captionIn a storyboard, a caption is a text field containing dialogue,
effects, sound, or slugging information.

cel

In traditional animation, a cel, also known as a celluloid, is atransparent sheet on which the animation is inked and painted
before being sent to the camera.The picture's outline is drawn on
the front of the cel and then coloured along the back.
In Toon Boom, a cel is an individual space encountered in an
Xsheet's column, from which you can expose a drawing or afunction`s coordinate.

character design

Each character in an animated film is drawn from multiple angles inposter-style format, called a model sheet, which serves as areference for the animators.

clean up

After rough drawings have been tested and approved, all the noisein the image (excess lines, notes, etc) is removed to create final
drawings which can be inked, painted and shot. The cleanup
process refers to either tracing a clean line over a rough drawing toachieve the final version, or removing dirt and extra lines left by thescanning process.

CMYK

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. Refers to the process used byprinters to define colour on the printed page.

colour card

A Colour Card is a solid colour card that is the same size as thecamera. The Colour Card can be used to fill the background with asolid colour when there is no background image included.

198

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

colour model

In animation, a colour model is the official colour design that must
be used to paint the animation. A model is the definitive character,
prop, or location design that each artist must follow for the
production.

colour wheel

A display of the colour spectrum in the form of a circle.

compositing

Compositing is the action of incorporating all of a scene's elements
to create the final result prior to rendering. For example, thecompositing artist will import all the animation sequences,background, overlays and underlays in the scene and position themcorrectly. The artist will then set the camera frame and animate it, if
needed. Finally, the animator will create all the computergenerated effects for the project.

cross dissolve

An effect used to fade two scenes, one into the other.

cut

A direct transition between two scenes. When a cut is used, there
are no transition effects inserted to pass from one scene to thenext. The first scene ends and the second one starts immediately.

cut-out animation

The action of animating characters made of several pieces bymoving them around frame by frame. Cut-out animation can either
be computer generated or done traditionally using paper.

cycle

A group of images that together make up an action, such as
walking. A cycle is an action repeated as a loop over a period oftime. It can be a series of animated drawings or keyframes.

dialogue

The text spoken by a character in a movie or animation.

dope sheet

Used by animators, directors and other members of a crew to
track the sequence and timing of images, dialogue, sound effects,
sound tracks and camera moves. Also known as an exposure sheet
or Xsheet.

dopingTo assig a particular drawing to a range of frames.

DPI

Dots Per Inch is the standard measure of resolution forcomputerized printers. It is sometimes applied to screens, in whichcase it should more accurately be referred to as pixels per inch.
Either way, the dot is the smallest discrete element making up theimage.

ease/velocity

In animation, the ease, also known as velocity, is the accelerationand deceleration of a motion. It can be a motion created by afunction curve, or a series of animated drawings. Other common
terms for ease-in and ease-out are slow-in and slow-out.

ease-in

Gradual acceleration in the action. Another common term for easein is slow-in.

ease-out

Gradual deceleration in the action. Another common term for easeout is slow-out.

establishing shot

A scene in which the viewer can see the whole area in which asequence is happening. For example, if a child is playing on the
ground in front of his house, the establishing shot would be a scene

199

Glossary

Interface Navigation

where the viewer can see the house, the ground, a part of thestreet and the buildings around the central point of action. This
helps the viewer understand the story location and sceneorientation.
exposure

In animation, an exposure is the number of cels on which a drawing
appears in the scene. For a drawing to appear longer, theexposure must be extended over a greater number of cels.
The exposure sheet or Xsheet, is a sheet with several verticalcolumns and horizontal frames used to indicate a scene's timing.

exposure sheet (Xsheet)

Each column represents a scene's layer. In each column, thedrawing's numbers are indicated and repeated over the particularamount of frames they need to appear.
The exposure sheet is used by animators, directors and othermembers of a crew to track the sequence and timing of images,
dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks and camera moves. Also
known as a dope sheet.

fade in/fade out

Fade in or fade out is a transition effect used to open or close asequence. A fade in occurs when the first scene appears
progressively, from complete transparency to its complete opacity.
A fade out occurs when the last scene progressively disappears,
going from complete opacity to complete transparency.

fast-inDramatic acceleration at the start of the action.

fast-out

Dramatic acceleration at the end of the action.

field

In animation, a field is a measurement unit used to calculatemotion, registration and camera positioning. A standard animation
scene will vary between 6 to 12 fields.

field chart

A guide containing all the field units that animation and layout artists use todetermine a scene size or camera motion.

film-1.33

Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that
conforms to the standard 4:3 pixel aspect ratio.

film-1.66

Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that
conforms to the 16:9 pixel aspect ratio. (The pixels are wider thanthey are high).

flipping

In traditional animation, flipping is the action of going through thedrawings of an animation sequence very quickly in order to see theanimation in motion. Flipping can also be the action of creating amirror transformation of an object.

follow-throughThe follow-through is the secondary motion caused by the main
action. For example, a character wearing a cloak is running. The
main action is the body running. This will cause the cloak to follow
the motion, although it will not move at the same time, but react a
few frames later and follow the main motion curve.

forward kinematics

Forward kinematics is a feature used to animate principally 3D
characters and cut-out puppets with hierarchy. It is used to animate

200

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)a puppet from one of parent parts, such as a shoulder, and makethe rest of the arm move with it as a single piece.

frame

A frame is a single photographic image in a movie. In traditional
animation, the North American standard generally contains 24
frames per second, while in Europe the standard is 25 frames per
second.
This is the measurement of the frequency (rate) at which an imaging
device produces unique consecutive images, called frames. The
term applies equally to computer graphics, video cameras, film
cameras, and motion capture systems.

frame rate

Frame rate is most often expressed in frames per second (FPS) andin progressive-scan monitors as hertz (Hz).
The frame rate is the speed at which the frames are played. They
are generally calculated by frame per second. For example, a scene
could be played back at 12, 24, 25, 30 or 60 frames per second or
any other number

functions

A function is a computer generated motion, trajectory or path thatelements, other trajectories and effects parameters can be
attached to. The function can be controlled by adding keyframes
and control points on the function curve.

gamut

The range of colours that a particular device can represent.

HDTV

High Definition Television delivers a higher quality image thanstandard television does because it has a greater number of linesof resolution. To take advantage of the superior quality and makefull use of your resolution setting, your output device must becompatible with HDTV technology.

holdThis is a frame in the animation in which the character maintains its
position without moving. A hold can be created between any two
keyframes.

HSV

Hue, Saturation, Value. A method of defining colours in terms ofhue (tint), saturation (shade) and value (tone or luminance).

in-between

The drawings that exist between the key poses. These are drawn
to create fluid transitions between poses.

ink and paint

The ink and paint process is the action of painting the empty zones
and colouring the lines on the final animation drawings, while
following a colour model.

interpolation

In animation, the interpolation is the computer generated motion
created between two keyframes. You have the choice to create
interpolation, or not, between your keyframes.

jump cut

A jump cut is a jerky cut between two scenes. Typically, a jump cut
is not visually pleasing. It is generally caused by one scene ending,and a second one starting, with similar a image. The lack ofdifference causes the eye to see a little jump between the twoscenes.

201

Glossary

Interface Navigation

key pose

Important positions in the action defining the starting and ending
points of any smooth transition. Keys, or key poses, are the maindrawings in an animation sequence describing the motion. For
example, if an arm is waving, the keys will be of the arm at one
extremity of the wave motion and the other extremity. By flipping
those drawings, the animator can see the skeleton of the motion
without having all of the drawings.
One or more keyboard keys which, when used, cause an operation
to be performed. Keyboard shortcuts are used throughout theToon Boom software and form an integral part of the workflow. It
is, in most cases, possible to customize the shortcuts in the
Preferences dialog of the software.

keyboard shortcuts

The shortcuts are written as follows in the Toon Boom user
documentation: Each key in a sequence is shown inside square
brackets as in: [Ctrl]+[A]. The brackets "[ ]" separate the key fromthe plus sign (+). Neither the brackets, nor the plus sign are part ofthe sequence. To use a shortcut, press the key and the character
simultaneously.

keyframe

Important positions in the action defining the starting and ending
points of any action. A keyframe is a computer generated position
at a specific moment (frame) on a given trajectory.

layer

In animation, a layer is an individual column, level or character. A
scene's layers are superposed to form the final image.

layout

The layout process is the communication step between thestoryboard and the animation. The layout and posing process isthe action of putting the storyboard on model, that is drawing thecharacter following the design in the model pack, so that the
animator can start his work. The layout artist will draw thebackground, create the camera and field guide matching the scene
and the camera motion. Lastly, he will draw on model the main
action poses.

layout and posing

The action of putting on model, that is, at the right scale, thestoryboard for the animator to start his work.

library

A library is a storage area containing templates and assets that canbe reused in any project or scenes.

light table

The Light Table feature allows you to see the other layers intransparency while you are working on a particular one in the
Drawing view.

line of action

Direction that the action will follow. Also known as the Path of
Actionlip-sync

The lip-sync is the character`s mouth synchronization with thedialogue sound track. Frame by frame, the mouth will be adjusted
to fit the sound to give the illusion of the character is speaking.

low resolution

This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where size andfast download of a video file might take precedence over quality. A
low-resolution image is one that lacks fine detail.

202

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

manual lip-sync detection

The manual swapping of mouth position drawings to match a voice
track. For this process, both sound scrubbing (listening to a soundwave broken up frame-by-frame) and drawing substitutions fromthe Library view are used.

master palette

A master palette is a group of colours attributed to a character ora prop. The palette is used throughout the entire production tomaintain consistency in the look and to ensure that the same
colours are used throughout the production. Also known as
palette.

model/colour model

In animation, a model is the definitive character, prop or location
design that each artist must follow for the production. A colour
model is the official colour design that must be used to paint the
animation.

motion keyframe

In Toon Boom, the motion keyframe is a keyframe with computergenerated interpolation.

mouth chart

Adding a lip-sync to a project can really enhance its quality andstorytelling. However, it can be difficult to shape a character's
mouth so that it matches the sound at the precise frame. To solve
this problem, Toon Boom provides a lip-sync feature whichanalyses the contents of a sound element and generates a mouth
chart based on the eight animation phonemes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
and X, which is used to represent silence).

multiplane

The effect of passing through multiple levels of drawings to createa sense of depth in a shot. A multiplane is a scene in which thelayers are placed at different distances from the camera so thatwhen the camera moves, a depth illusion occurs. With a multiplane,
all the perspective and scale is calculated automatically.

NTSC

The standard analogue television broadcasting system used in
North America. NTSC conforms to North American standards on
how rectangular pixels are displayed for computer and televisionscreens.

nudge

A small push (left, right, up, down, forward or backward) donewith the keyboard arrow keys on a selected element. Nudging isused to move a selection very slightly and precisely.

onion skin

A feature that lets you see the previous and next drawings of asequence.

overlay

A part of the scene environment, such as a chair or a bush, that isplaced in front of the main animation.

PAL

A resolution that works best with the European format for
television and computer screens, as the rectangular pixels are
displayed at a different orientation.

palette/master palette

A palette or master palette is a group of colours attributed to acharacter or a prop. The palette is used throughout the entire
project to maintain a consistency in the look and avoid the colourchanging during the animation. Also referred to as a master
palette.

203

Glossary

Interface Navigation

palette style

A palette style is a second version of an existing palette with aslight change in the tint and value. A palette style can be used tocreate the night version of a palette. It may also be called a clone
palette.

pan

To move the camera across the scene in any direction.

panel

In a storyboard, a panel is a frame in a shot. A shot can becomposed of one or several panels.

paperless animation/tradigital

The paperless animation process is the action of animating
digitally. The main paperless animation process is to draw, frameby frame, the animation directly in the software.

passing position

When drawing a walk sequence for a character, the passing
position is the point at which one leg passes the other.

path of action

Direction that the action will follow. Also known as the Line of
Action.

peg

In traditional animation, a tool used to ensure accurate registrationof action as cel layers move. In digital animation, in which you aredoing a more advanced puppet rigging, you can use peg layers.
Peg layers are trajectory layers that do not contain drawings. They
are motion paths that you can use to add path articulations. For
the latter, you can also use the Inverse Kinematics tool.

phoneme

Unit of sound in a language.

pivot

A pivot is the point around which a peg or a drawing rotates.
Smallest element of an image displayed on a monitor or TV screen.

pixel

Pixel, short for Picture Element, is a single point in a graphic image.
It is a small sample of an image, a dot, a square, or a very small
section made out of smooth filtering. If you zoom in close enoughon a digital image, you will see the pixels, which look like small
squares of different colours and intensity.

pose-to-pose animation

The pose-to-pose animation process is the action of creating all themain action poses, called key poses, and then placing thesecondary poses between the keys. The secondary poses arecalled breakdown. Finally, the animator fills the gaps with the inbetween drawings to achieve a smooth animation.

rendering

The final step when animating by computer. During rendering, thecomputer takes each pixel that appears on screen and processes
all of the components as well as adding motion blur before it
produces a final image. In animation, the rendering process is theaction of calculating the final images after the compositing
process.

resolution

The resolution is the size of a scene, generally calculated in pixel.
For example, the NTSC resolution is 720 x 480. Resolution typeshould match your final output: HDTV, film-1.33, film-1.66, NTSC,
PAL, low.

RGB

Red, Green, Blue: method of defining colour by specifying amounts

204

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)of these three colour components.
rigging

The rigging process is the action of attaching the cut-out puppet
parts one to the other.

rotary table

The Rotary Table is equivalent to the animation disk/table andallows one to rotate the workspace to be more comfortable while
drawing.

rotoscoping

Is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action
film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. The actof sketching over live-action footage to create an animatedsequence.

roughs

The roughs are the skeleton sketch of an animation or a design.
Roughs mainly consist of sketch lines and shapes, though they canalso contain design details.

safey area

In animation and movie parlance, the safey area is the zone at thecentre of the scene's frame, one safe from being cropped by the TV
frame. As a TV frame cuts a margin off the original frame size,
maintaining a safey area ensures that the scene's main action willremain clearly visible once the film is screened on television.

scene

A scene is a shot in a movie or show. A sequence is composed ofseveral scenes. A scene changes to another scene by a simple cut,or a transition.

scriptThe script is the original text containing all the movie or show
information. In animation, the script contains all of the location
descriptions, dialogues, time and more. A project starts with ascript.

sequence

In animation, a sequence is a series of scenes or shots forming a
distinct part of the story or movie, usually connected by unity oflocation or time.

shot

A shot is a scene in a movie or show. A sequence is composed ofseveral shots. A shot changes to another shot by a simple cut, or atransition.

slow-in

Gradual acceleration in the action. Another common term for slowin is ease-in.

slow-out

Gradual deceleration in the action. Another common term for slowout is ease-out.

slugging

In Storyboard Pro, slugging refers to indicating the start and stop
times of dialogue and relevant actions.

sound scrubbing

A process that lets you hear sound in real time while you move theplayhead forward or backward. This is very useful for finely-tuned
lip-syncing.

stop-motion keyframe

A stop-motion keyframe is a keyframe with no computer generated
interpolation.

storyboard

A visual plan of all the scenes and shots in an animation. The
storyboard indicates what will happen, when it will happen and205

Glossary

Interface Navigation

how the objects in a scene are laid out.

straight-ahead

A technique in which an entire sequence is drawn from the first
position to the last, in order. There is very little planning in thismethodology, and where the character ends up and how it getsthere can be a surprise for both the audience and the animator.
While this approach is a lot more spontaneous and creative, it cancreate inaccurate results.

strokes

Strokes are invisible vector lines forming the drawing zones. They
can be adjusted with Bézier handles.

tablet/pen

Device used in conjunction with, or instead of, a mouse to move amouse pointer (sometimes referred to as the cursor) around thecomputer screen.

template

In Toon Boom, a template is an asset stored in the library, one thatcan be reused in any project. A template can be a drawing, a seriesof keyframes, a sound file, a panel, a cut-out character, an effect, a
trajectory, an animation, or anything else used in the software.

thumbnails

A thumbnail is a very small image used as a reference or indicator.

timecode

Timecode is timing information printed on a movie clip to indicate
what scene, hour, minute and second is currently displayed on thescreen.

timeline

The timeline is a horizontal representation of the scene`s elements,
timing and keyframes.

trace and paint

After the rough animations have gone through cleanup and a final
line or pencil test, each drawing is traced and painted for the final
animation. In today's digital world, this may be done in a variety
ways other than via the traditional celluloid or acetate methods.

track breakdown

The soundtrack for animated film is broken down into individual
sounds documenting the precise frame-by-frame position of eachsound.

traditional animation

The traditional animation process is the action of drawing on paper
all of the animation sequences, before either scanning them or
inking them on cels.

trajectory

A computer generated path or trajectory that elements can follow.
The trajectory can be controlled by control points, keyframes andvelocity.

transition

A transition is an effect placed between two scenes as they passfrom one to the other. Common transition effects are crossdissolve and wipe.

underlay

In animation, an underlay is a specific part of the decor placed
behind the main animation.

aspect ratio

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.

206

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

vector

A vector-based image is composed of points and Bézier curves.
The computer reads the points and traces the segments, linking
them to reproduce the image shape. There is no fixed size orresolution in a vector image. The graphic can be enlarged anddistorted as much as desired and the system will simply recalculate
the segments and rebuild the shapes. Vector images are translated
and displayed in pixels once the calculation is done.

velocity/ease

In animation, the velocity, also known as ease, is the acceleration or
deceleration of a motion. This can be achieved by a function curve,
or via a series of animated drawings. Other common terms forease-in and ease-out are slow-in and slow-out.

walk cycle

To avoid making innumerable drawings, animators routinely makea walk cycle for their character. This comprises a series of drawings``on the spot`` that describe the walk for that character. The illusionof movement is created via the use of background pans.

workspace

In Toon Boom, the workspace is made up of the views, toolbars,
and menus.
The Xsheet or exposure sheet, is a sheet with several verticalcolumns and horizontal frames used to indicate a scene's timing.

Xsheet (exposure sheet)

Each column represents a scene's layer. In each column, thedrawing numbers are indicated and spread over the specificamount of frames they need to appear.
The exposure sheet is used by animators, directors and othermembers of a crew to track the sequence and timing of images,
dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks and camera moves. Also
known as a Dope Sheet.

zone

An area which can be painted with colour.

207

IndexInterface Navigation

Index
4:3
12 fields 99
about
Cloud module 12
Draw module 9
Harmony 7
Harmony Control Center 8
Paint module 11
Play module 11
Scan 10Sketch module 10
Stage 9
Xsheet module 11
addingviews 115
Advanced Animation toolbar 180alignment 99
4:3 12 Fields 99
Square 12 Fields 99
alpha channel_defined 191
animatic 16_defined 191
animation_defined 191
principles 33
animation principles 33
anticipation 34
arcs of rotation 35
concepts, traditional 39
exaggeration 37
follow-through 35
pose-to-pose 34

208

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)secondary actions 36
slow-in, slow-out 36
solidity 37
squash and stretch 33
straight-ahead 34
timing 33
animation types 21
cut-out 23
paperless 22
traditional 21
animation workflows 13
post-production 19
pre-production 14
production 18
anime_defined 191
anticipation 34
arc_defined 191
arcs of rotation 35
area, safe 131
Art Layer toolbar 180
enabling art layers 180
art layers
enabling 180
aspect ratio 97_defined 191
defined 200
grid 99
audio
dubbing 19
editing 19
recording 16

209

IndexInterface Navigation

auto-feed_defined 191
auto-savedisabling on workspaces 126
axis_defined 191
background_defined 191
background styling 16
backing up
palettes 66
Bezier_defined 191
bitmap graphics 40
advantages, disadvantages 40
image types 40
bitmap images_defined 192
bitmap resolution
height 101
resolution factor 101
settings 101
width 101bounding box
selection style 132
breakdown_defined 192
sound 17
broadcast standards 45
camera mask 131
camera shake_defined 192
Camera view 129
bounding box selection style 132

210

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

camera mask 131
Camera View toolbar 135
current drawing on top 131
Editing Stack menu 135
light table 130
Matte View mode 134
OpenGL view mode 133
outline locked drawings 132
Render View mode 133
resetting view 132
safe area 131
View menu 135
Zoom menu 132
Camera View toolbar 135
caption_defined 192
cel_defined 192
celluloid
See cel. 192
centre coordinates, setting 100
characterdesign 15
styling 16
character design_defined 192
checkingcolours 103
files, project 103
project files 103
clean up_defined 192
clockwiserotating 187

211

IndexInterface Navigation

closing
views 116
Cloud module
about 12
CMYK
_defined 192
colour card_defined 192
colour layers 42
colour model_defined 197
defined 193
colour palettes 43
back up 66
locking 77-78
master palette 43
storage location 65
switching display modes 136
Colour view 135
switching palette display modes 136
colour wheel
defined 193
colours
checking 103
columns
navigating 188
commands
basic 105
Composite module 156
compositing
defined 193
Control Center
about 8Control Point toolbar 181

212

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

controls points 181
conventions, naming 69
layer 69
puppet drawings 70
renaming modules 70
scene 69
Coordinate toolbar 181
coordinates
keyframes and control point parameters 181
Coordinates and Control Points view 140
counterclockwise
rotating 187
creating
workspace, new 125
cross dissolve
defined 193
current drawing on top, Camera view 131
customizing
toolbars 121
cut
defined 193
cut-out animation 23
defined 193
workflow 30
cycle
defined 193
dark style interface 111
databaseconnecting 76
files 56
structure, Harmony Network 54
Deformation toolbar 181
deleting
workspace 127

213

IndexInterface Navigation

dialoguedefined 193
display
workspace 127
Display modules 156
Display toolbar 181
distribution, master 20
docking
floating window 116
documentation
accessing 81
integrated help 146
dope sheet
defined 193
dopingdefined 193
DPI
defined 193
Draw module
about 9drawing layers
adding 92
locking 93
Drawing module 155
Drawing view 142
drawings
current drawing on top 131
flipping through 182
locking 77-78, 93
navigating 188
outline locked drawings 132
dubbing 19
ease
defined 193

214

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

ease-indefined 193
ease-out
defined 193
Easy Flipping toolbar 182
editingaudio 19
final 19
Editing Stack menu 135
editors
Layer Properties 147
Effect module 157
environments
Harmony Network 55
establishing shot
defined 193
exaggeration 37
exportingpalettes 65
exposure_defined 194
exposure sheet_defined 194, 201
traditional 46
fade-in_defined 194
fade-out_defined 194
field_defined 194
field chart_defined 194
field of view 97
custom 97

215

IndexInterface Navigation

horizontal fit 97
vertical fit 97
file structure 53, 56
drawings and layers 62
Harmony Network 56
File toolbar 182
files
checking project files 103
film-1.33 96_defined 194
film-1.66 96_defined 194
film-1.66_Vertical 96
final editing 19
flat toolbars 119, 123
Flip toolbar 183
flipping_defined 194
follow-through 35_defined 194
format 51
forward kinematics_defined 194
FOV (field of view) 97
custom 97
horizontal fit 97
vertical fit 97
fps 97frame_defined 195
frame rate 51_defined 195
framesnavigating 188

216

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

frames per second 97
full screen 186
Function view 144
displaying functions 144
functions_defined 195
displaying 144
gamut_defined 195
get rights to modify 77-79
global lock 78
graphics, bitmap and vector 40
advantages, disadvantages 40
bitmap image types 40
vector image types 40
grid
aspect ratio, setting 99
centre coordinates, setting 100
number of units, setting 100
group navigation 155
Harmony
dark style 111
file structure 56
interface 111
modules 7
starting 73, 75
Harmony Network
centralized database 74
connecting to database 76
dark style 111
database files 56
database structure 54
environments 55
file structure 56

217IndexInterface Navigationinterface 111
network connections 74
starting 73, 75
usa_db structure 56
HDTV 96_defined 195
HDTV_Vertical 96
Help
Harmony 1
structure 2
hidingviews temporarily 118
workspace 127
Hold_defined 195
HSV_defined 195
in-between_defined 195
ink and paint_defined 195
Integrated Help view 146
identifying layer and module types 146
keyboard shortcuts 146
Particles 147
integrity
project, checking 103
interface 111
dark style 111
docking a floating window 116
interpolation_defined 195
jump cut_defined 195

218

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

key pose_defined 196
keyboard shortcuts_defined 196
Integrated Help 146
keyframes_defined 196
Layer Properties editor 147
layers_defined 196
adding drawing layer 92
line and colour layers 42
naming convention 69
layout_defined 196
layout and posing_defined 196
Libary folder
locking 77-78
library 67_defined 196
personal 68
Library view 148
light table_defined 196
Camera view 130
line layers 42
line of action_defined 196
lip-sync_defined 196
auto detection, defined 191
lip-sync detection
manual, defined 197

219

IndexInterface Navigation

loadingworkspace 124
location design 15
locking 77-78
drawing 77-78
drawings 93
global lock 78
Library folder 77-78
palette list 77-78
palettes 77-78
scenes 77-78
version 77-78
looping
playback 184
low resolution 97_defined 196
manual lip-sync detection_defined 197
Mark Drawing toolbar 183
maskcamera 131
master distribution 20
master palette 43_defined 197
exporting 65
Matte Drawing module 157
Matte View mode 134
menus 113
Editing Stack 135
View 135
Zoom 132
Message Log view 150
model_defined 197

220

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

model sheet See character design
Model view 150
Module Library view 151
toolbar 152
Module Library view toolbar 152
modules 155
Cloud 12Composite 156
Control Center 8
Display 156
Draw 9Drawing 155
Effect 157
Harmony 7
Matte Drawing 157
Paint 11
Peg 157
Play 11
ports 157
renaming 70
Scan 10selecting 181
Sketch 10
Stage 9
Write 156
Xsheet 11
motion keyframe_defined 197
mouthchart 197
movingtoolbars 121
multiplane_defined 197

221IndexInterface Navigation

traditional animation 49
multiplane camera 49
naming convention 69
layer naming 69
puppet drawings 70
renaming modules 70
scene naming 69
navigating 186
centering screen on mouse 187
columns 188
drawings 188
frames 188
full screen 186
panning 186
Play menu 187
recentering view 186
resetting pan 186
resetting rotation 186
resetting views 186
resetting zoom 186
rotating clockwise 187
rotating counterclockwise 187
zooming in 186
zooming in or out 186
zooming out 186
Navigator view 154
network 50
network connection 74
Network view 153
Composite module 156
Drawing modules 155
Effect module 157
group navigation 155
Matte Drawing module 157

222

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

modules 155
Navigator view 154
Peg modules 157
position ports 157
Search toolbar 154
Symbol Stack 154
Write and Display modules 156
node system 50, 154
NTSC 97_defined 197
nudge_defined 197
Onion Skin toolbar 183
onion skinng_defined 197
onion skinning
toolbar 183
OpenGLview mode 133
opening
Workspace Manager 124
organizing
drawings and layers 62
files 53
projects 53, 58
orthographic projection 98
outline locked drawings 132
overlay_defined 197
Paint module
about 11
PAL 97_defined 197

223

IndexInterface Navigation

palette list
locking 77-78
palettes 64_defined 197
backup 66
colour 43
exporting 65
locking 77-78
master 43
storage location 65
style, defined 198
switching display modes 136
panel_defined 198
panning 186_defined 198
resetting 186
paperless animation 22_defined 198
workflow 28
Particles
Integrated Help information 147
passing position_defined 198
path of action_defined 198
Peg module 157
pegs_defined 198
traditional animation 48
pen_defined 200
perspective projection 98

224

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Perspective view 158
rotating a scene 159
phoneme_defined 198
picture element 51
pipeline
Toon Boom 7
pivot_defined 198
pixel 51
_defined 198
dimensions 97
pixelation See bitmap image
Play menu 187
Play module
about 11
playback toolbar
Sound button 184
Playback toolbar 183
FPS button 184
Jog Frames button 184
Loop button 184
Play button 183
Render and Play button 183
Sound Scrubbing button 184
playing back 183
fps 184
jogging frames 184
looping 184
rendering and playing 183
sound 184
sound scrubbing 184
ports 157

225

IndexInterface Navigationpose-to-pose_defined 198
post-production workflow 19
pre-production
workflow 14
preferences 109
disabling auto-save workspace 126
flat toolbars 123
Preferences dialog box 109
principles, animation 33
anticipation 34
arcs of rotation 35
exaggeration 37
follow-through 35
pose-to-pose 34
secondary actions 36
slow-in, slow-out 36
solidity 37
squash and stretch 33
straight-ahead 34
timing 33
product requirements
Harmony 5
Harmony Network 5
Harmony Stand Alone 5
production steps 25
projection settings 98
orthographic 98
perspective 98
projects
checking colours 103
checking files 103
colours, checking 103
content building scenes, organizing 58

226

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

drawings and layers, organizing 62
files, checking 103
locking 77-78
organizing 53
resolution 96
root directory, organizing 58
verifying integrity 103
prop
design 15
styling 16
puppets
naming convention 70
recenteringview 186
renaming
modules 70
workspace 126
Render View mode 133
rendering_defined 198
reordering
workspace 128
resetting
Camera view 132
pan 186
rotation 186
views 186
zoom 186
resizing
toolbars 120
views 117
resolution_defined 198
bitmap 101

227

IndexInterface Navigation

factor, bitmap 101
film-1.33 96
film-1.66 96
film-1.66_Vertical 96
HDTV 96
HDTV_Vertical 96
height, bitmap 101
Low 97NTSC 97
PAL 97
presets 96
scene 101
width, bitmap 101
restoringworkspace, default 128
RGB_defined 198
rigging_defined 199
rights to modify 77-79
root directory 58
rotary table_defined 199
rotating
resetting rotation 186
rotating clockwise 187
rotating counterclockwise 187
rotoscoping_defined 199
roughs_defined 199
safe area 131_defined 199

228

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)savingauto-saving scenes 82
scenes 82
workspace manually 127
Scan module
about 10scene resolution 101
Scene Settings dialog box 95
scenes 52_defined 199
auto-saving 82
file structure 57
locking 77-78
naming convention 69
new scene startup script 91
rotating in Perspective view 159
saving 82
scene length, setting 91
setting length 91
settings 95
script_defined 199
Script Editor view 159
scriptingtoolbar 184
Scripting toolbar 184
scripts 14
new scene startup 91
scrubbing_defined 199
secondary actions 36
selection stylebounding box 132

229

IndexInterface Navigation

sequences_defined 199
settings
projection 98
scene 95
shot
_defined 199
Side view 161
Sketch 10
about 10slow-in 36_defined 199
slow-out 36
slow_out_defined 199
slugging_defined 199
solidity 37
soundbreakdown 17
scrubbing_defined 199
squash and stretch 33
Stage 9about 9standards
broadcast 45
starting
Harmony 73, 75
ToonBoomProductName 75
stop-motion keyframe_defined 199
storyboard 15_defined 199

230

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

straight-ahead 34_defined 200
strokes_defined 200
swapping
views 117
switchingworkspace 124
Symbol Stack 154
system requirements
Harmony 5
Harmony Network 5
Harmony Stand Alone 5
tablet_defined 200
technical specifications
Harmony 5
Harmony Network 5
Harmony Stand Alone 5
templates 67_defined 200
thumbnails_defined 200
timecode_defined 200
timeline_defined 200
traditional 46
usage 47
Timeline view 162
timing 33
scene length 91
tool presets 184
Tool Presets toolbar 184

231

IndexInterface Navigation

Tool Properties view 170
toolbars 180
Advanced Animation 180
Art Layer 180
Camera View 135
Control Point 181
Coordinate 181
customizing 121
Deformation 181
Display 181
Easy Flipping 182
Edit 182
File 182
flat 119Flip 183
hiding 119
managing 119
Mark Drawing 183
Module Library view 152
moving 121
Onion Skin 183
Playback 183
resizing 120
Scripting 184
Search, Network view 154
showing and hiding 119
Tool Presets 184
Tools 184
top 180view 185
Workspace 185
tools
Zoom 188
Tools toolbar 184

232

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Top view 171
trace and paint_defined 200
track breakdown_defined 200
tradigital_defined 198
traditional animation 21_defined 200
colour layers 42
colour palettes 43
concepts 39
exposure sheet 45-46
file structure 53
frame rate and format 51
line and colour layers 42
line layers 42
master palette 43
multiplane 49
network 50
pegs 48
project organization and file structure 53
scenes 52
timeline 45
timeline usage 47
timeline, traditional 46
timing 45
workflow 25
Xsheet usage 47
trajectory_defined 200transition_defined 200

233IndexInterface Navigation

underlay_defined 200
usa_dbstructure 56
vector_defined 201
vector graphics 40
advantages, disadvantages 40
images types 40
velocity
defined 193, 201versionlocking 77-78
View menu 135
view modes
Matte 134
OpenGL 133
Render View 133
views 115
adding 115
Camera 129
closing 116
Colour 135
Coordinates and Control Points 140
docking a floating window 116
Drawing 142
Function 144
hiding temporarily 118
Integrated Help 146
Library 148
managing 115
Message Log 150
Model 150
Module Library 151

234

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

Navigator 154
Network 153
Perspective 158
recentering 186
resetting 186
resizing 117
Script Editor 159
Side 161
swapping 117
Timeline 162
Tooll Properties 170
Top 171
Xsheet 172
walk cycle_defined 201
Welcome screen 80
workflows
animation 13
cut-out animation 30
paperless animation 28
post-production 19
pre-production 14
production 18
traditional animation 25
workspace_defined 201
creating new 125
deleting 127
disabling auto-save 126
displaying 127
hiding 127
loading 124
managing 124
renaming 126

235

IndexInterface Navigation

reordering 128
restoring default 128
saving as new version 127
saving manually 127
showing 127
toolbar 185
Workspace Manager
opening 124
Workspace toolbar 185
Write module 156
Xerox process 42
Xsheet view 11, 172_defined 201
usage 47zone
_defined 201
Zoom menu 132
Zoom tool 188
zoomingin 186in or out 186
out 186
resetting zoom 186
Zoom tool 188

236

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

GlossaryA

alpha channel
The image's channel carrying the transparency information. An image already has
three channels: red, green, blue (RGB). The alpha channel is the fourth channel(RGBA). The matte, or the transparency information, is stored in this fourth channel.
An image without an alpha channel is always opaque.

animatic
An animatic is a movie with sound that is developed from the storyboard. The
storyboard panel is exposed for the duration of the scene and at times, thecharacters are placed on a trajectory to indicate motion. The camera moves arealso animated. The animatic is used to determine the rhythm of a project andprovides a good overview of the project before beginning production.

animation
A simulation of movement created by displaying a series of pictures or frames.

arc
Action rarely occurs in a straight-forward manner; rather it typically unfolds in whatstorytellers refer to as an arc. The purpose of a story arc is to move a character or asituation from one state or scenario to the next.

aspect ratio
The aspect ratio is the relationship between the width and height dimensions forany scene, frame or film format. The television ratio is 4:3 and the widescreen ratio
is 16:9.

auto-feed
Automated method of feeding drawings to a scanner in which multiple drawings
are stacked into a sheet feeder. When the user activates the scanner, the drawings
are scanned consecutively, without further user intervention.

axis
An axis is an imaginary line around which an object rotates. For 2D graphics, there
are two axes: • X which is horizontal • Y which is vertical For 3D graphics there arethree axes: • X which is horizontal • Y which is vertical • Z which is for the depth

237

GlossaryBbackgroundA background is the part of the scene that is the farthest to the rear. The
background is the artwork, or decor, against which the animation takes place.

backlight
The Backlight tool (in digital process) temporarily transforms the painted zones
into a darker colour, allowing you to easily locate any empty zones or bubbles left
behind during the Ink and Paint process.

Bézier
A method of defining curved lines invented by French mathematician Pierre Bézier.
A Bézier curve is a mathematical, or parametric curve. Bézier curves use at least
three points to define a curve. In Toon Boom, a function can be hooked to a Bézier
curve and vary along with the curve value information. Bézier curves are also very
useful in vector graphics. They are used to model smooth curves and can be scaled
indefinitely.

bitmapA bitmap image is composed of pixels and has a single resolution (size). If it isenlarged too much, it will lose definition and pixels will begin to appear. This is
known as pixelation.

bitmap image
An image composed of pixels with a single resolution (size). If it is enlarged too
much, it will lose definition and pixels will begin to appear. This is known as
pixelation.

breakdown
In cut-out animation, the breakdown is the action of breaking a character into
pieces to create a puppet with articulations. To breakdown a character, the artist
will cut parts, such as hands and arms, from the character's model and paste themin separate layers. Next, the joints will be fixed and the pivots set. In additional
animation, a breakdown is an animation pose generally found between two key
poses. The key poses are the main poses in an animation and the breakdowns aresecondary poses, ones that help to describe the motion and the rotation curve.
Ccamera shake
Camera shake occurs in a scene when the camera moves slightly and quickly inseveral directions. This gives the impression of an impact, vibration or, for238

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

example, bumps on the road.

captionIn a storyboard, a caption is a text field containing dialogue, effects, sound, or
slugging information.

cel
In traditional animation, a cel, also known as a celluloid, is a transparent sheet on
which the animation was inked and painted before being sent to the camera.The
picture's outline is drawn on the front of the cel and then coloured along the back.
In Toon Boom, a cel is an individual space encountered in an Xsheet's column, fromwhich you can expose a drawing or a function's coordinate.

character design
Each character in an animated film is drawn from multiple angles in poster-styleformat, called a model sheet, which serves as a reference for the animators.

clean up
After the rough drawings have been tested and approved, all the noise in theimage (the excess lines, the notes, etc) is removed to create final drawings which
can be inked, painted, and shot. The clean up process refers to either tracing aclean line over a rough drawing to achieve the final version, or removing dirt andextra lines left by the scanning process.

CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. Refers to the process used by printers to definecolour on the printed page.

colour card
A Colour Card is a solid colour card that is the same size as the camera. The Colour
Card can be used to fill the background with a solid colour when there is nobackground image included.

colour model
In animation, a colour model is the official colour design that must be used to paintthe animation. A model is the definitive character, prop, or location design thateach artist must follow for the production.

colour wheel
A display of the colour spectrum in the form of a circle.

compositing
The compositing process is the action of incorporating all of a scene's elements tocreate the final result prior to rendering. For example, the compositing artist will239

Glossaryimport all the animation sequences, background, overlays and underlays in thescene and position them correctly. The artist will then set the camera frame andanimate it, if need be. Finally, the animator will create all the computer-generated
effects necessary for the project.

cross dissolve
An effect, also known as transition, used to fade two scenes, one into the other.

cut
A cut is a direct transition between two scenes. When a cut is used, there are notransition effects inserted to pass from one scene to the next. The first scene ends
and the second one starts immediately.

cut-out animation
The process known as cut-out animation is the action of animating characters madeout of several pieces by moving them around frame by frame. Cut-out animation
can either be computer generated, or done traditionally using paper.

cycle
A group of images that together make up an action, such as walking. A cycle is anaction repeated as a loop over a period of time. It can either be a series ofanimated drawings, or a series of keyframes.
Ddialogue
The dialogue is the text spoken by a character in a movie or animation.

dope sheet
Used by animators, directors and other members of a crew to track the sequenceand timing of images, dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks and camera moves.
Also known as an Exposure Sheet or Xsheet

dopingAssigning a particular drawing to a range of frames.

dpi
Dots Per Inch is the standard measure of resolution for computerized printers. It issometimes applied to screens, in which case it should more accurately be referred
to as pixels per inch. In either case, the dot is the smallest discrete element making
up the image.

240

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)drag
Mouse (or pen) operation that usually results in an object on the screen being
moved. Dragging with a mouse is done by holding down the left mouse button
when the cursor is over the object to be moved, and moving the mouse in any
direction.
E

ease
In animation, the ease, also known as velocity, is the acceleration and decelerationof a motion. It can be a motion created by a function curve, or a series of animateddrawings. Other common terms for ease-in and ease-out are slow-in and slowout.

ease-in
Gradual acceleration in the action. Another common terms for ease-in is slow-in.

ease-out
Gradual deceleration in the action. Another common term for ease-out is slow-out.

establishing Shot
An establishing shot is a scene in which the viewer can see the whole area in whicha sequence is happening. For example, if a child is playing on the ground in front of
his house, the establishing shot would be a scene where the viewer can see thehouse, the ground, a part of the street and the buildings around the central pointof action. This helps the viewer understand the story location and sceneorientation.

exposure
In animation, an exposure is the number of cels on which a drawing appears in thescene. For a drawing to appear longer, the exposure must be extended over agreater number of cels.

exposure sheet
The exposure sheet or Xsheet, is a sheet with several vertical columns andhorizontal frames used to indicate a scene's timing. Each column represents a
scene's layer. In each column, the drawing's numbers are indicated and repeatedover the particular amount of frames they need to appear. The exposure sheet isused by animators, directors and other members of a crew to track the sequenceand timing of images, dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks and camera moves.
Also known as a Dope Sheet.

241

GlossaryFfade in/fade out
Fade In or Fade Out is a transition effect used to open or close a sequence. A FadeIn occurs when the first scene appears progressively, from complete transparency
to its complete opacity. A Fade Out occurs when the last scene progressively
disappears, going from complete opacity to complete transparency.

fast-inDramatic acceleration at the start of the action.

fast-out
Dramatic acceleration at the end of the action.

field
In animation, a field is a measurement unit used to calculate motion, registrationand camera positioning. A standard animation scene will vary between 6 to 12
fields.

field chart
A field chart is a guide containing all the field units that animator and layout artists
use to determine a scene size or a camera motion.

film-1.33
Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that conforms to thestandard 4:3 pixel aspect ratio.

film-1.66
Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that conforms to the 16:9
pixel aspect ratio. (The pixels are wider than they are high).

flipping
In traditional animation, flipping is the action of going through the drawings of ananimation sequence very quickly in order to see the animation in motion. Flipping
can also be the action of creating a mirror transformation of an object.

follow-throughFollow-through is the secondary motion caused by the main action. For example, acharacter wearing a cloak is running. The main action is the body running. This willcause the cloak to follow the motion, although it will not move at the same time,
but react a few frames later and follow the main motion curve.

242

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

forward kinematics
Forward kinematics is a feature used to animate principally 3D characters and cutout puppets with hierarchy. It is used to animate a puppet from one of parent
parts, such as a shoulder, and make the rest of the arm move with it as a single
piece.

frame
A frame is a single photographic image in a movie. In traditional animation, theNorth American standard generally contains 24 frames per second, while in Europe
the standard is 25 frames per second.

frame rate
This is the measurement of the frequency (rate) at which an imaging device
produces unique consecutive images, called frames. The term applies equally tocomputer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems.
Frame rate is most often expressed in frames per second (FPS) and in progressivescan monitors as hertz (Hz). The frame rate is the speed at which the frames areplayed. They are generally calculated by frame per second. For example, a scene
could be played back at 12, 24, 25, 30 or 60 frames per second or any othernumber.

function
In Toon Boom Studio, a function is a computer generated motion, trajectory orpath that elements, other trajectories and effects parameters can be attached to.
The function can be controlled by adding keyframes and control points on thefunction curve.
G

gamut
The range of colours that a particular device can represent.
H

HDTV
High definition television delivers a higher quality image than standard televisiondoes, because it has a greater number of lines of resolution. To take advantage ofthe superior quality and make full use of your resolution setting, your output
device must be compatible with HDTV technology.

holdThis is a frame in the animation in which the character maintains its position
without moving. A hold can be created between any two keyframes.

243

Glossary

HSV
Hue, Saturation, Value. A method of defining colours in terms of hue (tint),
saturation (shade) and value (tone or luminance).
I

in-between
The drawings that exist between the key poses. These are drawn to create fluid
transitions between poses.

ink and paint
The ink and paint process is the action of painting the empty zones and colouring
the lines on the final animation drawings, while following a colour model.

interpolation
In animation, the interpolation is the computer generated motion createdbetween two keyframes. You have the choice to create interpolation, or not,between your keyframes.
Jjump cut
A jump cut is a jerky cut between two scenes. Typically, a jump cut is not visuallypleasing. It is generally caused by one scene ending, and a second one starting,with similar a image. The lack of difference causes the eye to see a little jump
between the two scenes.
K

key pose
Important positions in the action defining the starting and ending points of anysmooth transition. Keys, or key poses, are the main drawings in an animation
sequence describing the motion. For example, if an arm is waving, the keys will beof the arm at one extremity of the wave motion and the other extremity. By
flipping those drawings, the animator can see the skeleton of the motion without
having all of the drawings.

keyboard shortcuts
One or more keyboard keys which, when used, cause an operation to be
performed. Keyboard shortcuts are used throughout the Toon Boom software andform an integral part of the workflow. It is, in most cases, possible to customize theshortcuts in the Preferences dialog of the software. The shortcuts are written as
follows in the Toon Boom user documentation: Each key in a sequence is shown
inside square brackets as in: [Ctrl]+[A]. The brackets "[ ]" separate the key from the244

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

plus sign (+). Neither the brackets, nor the plus sign are part of the sequence. To
use a shortcut, press the key and the character simultaneously.

keyframe
Important positions in the action defining the starting and ending points of any
action. In Toon Boom Studio, a keyframe is a computer generated position at a
specific moment (frame) on a given trajectory.
Llayer
In animation, a layer is an individual column, level or character. A scene's layers aresuperposed to form the final image.

layout
The layout process is the communication step between the storyboard and theanimation. The layout and posing process is the action of putting the storyboard
on model, that is drawing the character following the design in the model pack, sothat the animator can start his work. The layout artist will draw the background,create the camera and field guide matching the scene and the camera motion.
Lastly, he will draw on model the main action poses.

layout and posing
The layout and posing process is the action of putting on model, that is at the rightscale, the storyboard for the animatorto start his work.

library
A library is a storage area containing templates and assets that can be reused inany project or scenes.

light table
The light table allows you to see the other layers in transparency while you areworking on a particular one.

line of action
Direction that the action will follow, also known as the path of action.

lip-sync
The lip-sync is the character`s mouth synchronization with the dialogue soundtrack. Frame by frame, the mouth will be adjusted to fit the sound to give theillusion of the character is speaking.

245

Glossary

low resolution
This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where size and fast download
of a video file might take precedence over quality. A low-resolution image is one
that lacks fine detail.
Mmaster palette
A master palette is a group of colours attributed to a character or a prop. The
palette is used throughout the entire production to maintain consistency in thelook and to ensure that the same colours are used throughout the production.
Also known as palette.

model
In animation, a model is the definitive character, prop or location design that eachartist must follow for the production. A colour model is the official colour designthat must be used to paint the animation.

mouth chart
Adding a lip-sync to a project can really enhance its quality and storytelling.
However, it can be difficult to shape a character's mouth so that it matches thesound at the precise frame. To solve this problem, Toon Boom provides a lip-sync
feature which analyses the contents of a sound element and generates a mouth
chart based on the eight animation phonemes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and X, which isused to represent silence).

multiplane
The effect of passing through multiple levels of drawings to create a sense of
depth in a shot. A multiplane is a scene in which the layers are placed at different
distances from the camera so that when the camera moves, a depth illusion occurs.
With a multiplane, all the perspective and scale is calculated automatically.
N

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

nudge
A nudge is a small push (left, right, up, down, forward or backward) done with the
keyboard arrows on a selected element. Nudging is used to move a selection veryslightly and precisely.

246

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)Oonion skin
The onion skin is a feature that lets you see the previous and next drawings of asequence.

overlay
An overlay is a part of the scene environment, such as a chair or a bush, that isplaced in front of the main animation.
P

PAL
This resolution works best with the European format for television and computer
screens, as the rectangular pixels are displayed at a different orientation.

paletteA palette or master palette is a group of colours attributed to a character or aprop. The palette is used throughout the entire Toon Boom Studio project tomaintain a consistency in the look and avoid the colour changing during theanimation. Also referred to as a master palette.

palette style
A palette style is a second version of an existing palette with a slight change in thetint and value. A palette style can be used to create the night version of a palette.
It may also be called a clone palette.

pan
To move the camera across the scene in any direction.

panel
In a storyboard, a panel is a frame in a shot. A shot can be composed of one orseveral panels.

paperless animation
The paperless animation process is the action of animating digitally. The main
paperless animation process is to draw, frame by frame, the animation directly inthe software.

passing position
When drawing a walk sequence for a character, the passing position is the point at
which one leg passes the other.

247

Glossary

path of action
Direction that the action will follow. Also known as the Line of Action.

peg
In traditional animation, a tool used to ensure accurate registration of action as cellayers move. In digital animation, in which you are doing a more advanced puppet
rigging, you can use peg layers. Peg layers are trajectory layers that do not containdrawings. They are motion paths that you can use to add path articulations. For thelatter, you can also use the Inverse Kinematics tool.

pen tablet
Device used in conjunction with, or instead of, a mouse to move a mouse pointer(sometimes referred to as the cursor) around the computer screen.

phoneme
Unit of sound in a language.

pivot
A pivot is the point around which a peg or a drawing rotates.

pixel
Smallest element of an image displayed on a monitor or TV screen. Pixel, short for
Picture Element, is a single point in a graphic image. It is a small sample of animage, a dot, a square, or a very small section made out of smooth filtering. If you
zoom in close enough on a digital image, you will see the pixels, which look likesmall squares of different colours and intensity.

pose-to-pose animation
The pose-to-pose animation process is the action of creating all the main action
poses, called key poses, and then placing the secondary poses between the keys.
The secondary poses are called breakdown. Finally, the animator fills the gaps with
the in-between drawings to achieve a smooth animation.
Rrendering
The final step when animating by computer. During rendering, the computer takes
each pixel that appears on screen and processes all of the components as well as
adding motion blur before it produces a final image. In animation, the rendering
process is the action of calculating the final images after the compositing process.

resolution
The resolution is the size of a scene, generally calculated in pixel. For example, the
NTSC resolution is 720 x 480. Resolution type should match your final output:248

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

HDTV, film-1.33, film-1.66, NTSC, PAL, low.

RGB
Red, Green, Blue: method of defining colour by specifying amounts of these three
colour components.

rigging
The rigging process is the action of attaching the cut-out puppet parts one to theother.

rotary table
The Rotary Table is equivalent to the animation disk/table and allows one to rotate
the workspace to be more comfortable while drawing.

rotoscoping
Is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement,
frame by frame, for use in animated films. The act of sketching over live-action
footage to create an animated sequence.

rough
The roughs are the skeleton sketch of an animation or a design. Roughs mainly
consist of sketch lines and shapes, though they can also contain design details.
S

safety area
In animation and movie parlance, the safety area is the zone at the centre of thescene's frame, one safe from being cropped by the TV frame. As a TV frame cuts amargin off the original frame size, maintaining a safety area ensures that thescene's main action will remain clearly visible once the film is screened on
television.

scene
A scene is a shot in a movie or show. A sequence is composed of several scenes. A
scene changes to another scene by a simple cut, or a transition.

scriptThe script is the original text containing all the movie or show information. In
animation, the script contains all of the location descriptions, dialogues, time andmore. A project starts with a script.

sequence
In animation, a sequence is a series of scenes or shots forming a distinct part of thestory or movie, usually connected by unity of location or time.

249

Glossaryshot
A shot is a scene in a movie or show. A sequence is composed of several shots. A
shot changes to another shot by a simple cut, or a transition.

slow-in
Gradual acceleration in the action. Another common term for slow-in is ease-in.

slow-out
Gradual deceleration in the action. Another common term for slow-out is ease-out.

slugging
Slugging refers to indicating the start and stop times of dialogue and relevant
actions.

sound scrubbing
The process known as Sound Scrubbing lets you hear sound in real-time while you
move the playback pointer forward or backward. This is very useful for finely-tuned
lip-synching.

stop-motion keyframe
A stop-motion keyframe is a keyframe with no computer generated interpolation.

storyboard
A visual plan of all the scenes and shots in an animation. The storyboard indicateswhat will happen, when it will happen and how the objects in a scene are laid out.

straight-ahead animation
A technique in which an entire sequence is drawn from the first position to the last,in order. There is very little planning in this methodology, and where the characterends up and how it gets there can be a surprise for both the audience and theanimator. While this approach is a lot more spontaneous and creative, it can create
inaccurate results.

strokes
Strokes are invisible vector lines forming the drawing zones. They can be adjustedwith Bézier handles.
TtabletDevice used in conjunction with, or instead of, a mouse to move a mouse pointer(sometimes referred to as the cursor) around the computer screen.

250

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

template
In Toon Boom software, a template is an asset stored in the library, one that can bereused in any project. A template can be a drawing, a series of keyframes, a sound
file, a panel, a cut-out character, an effect, a trajectory, an animation, or anythingelse used in the software.

thumbnailA thumbnail is a very small image used as a reference or indicator.

timecode
Timecode is timing information printed on a movie clip to indicate the scene, hour,
minute and second is currently displayed on the screen.

timeline
The timeline is a horizontal representation of the scene's elements, timing andkeyframes.

trace and paint
After the rough animations have gone through cleanup and a final line or pencil
test, each drawing is traced and painted for the final animation. In today's digitalworld, this may be done in a variety ways other than via the traditional celluloid or
acetate methods.

track breakdown
The soundtrack for animated film is broken down into individual sounds
documenting the precise frame-by-frame position of each sound.

traditional animation
The traditional animation process is the action of drawing on paper all of theanimation sequences, before either scanning them or inking them on cels.

trajectory
A computer generated path or trajectory that elements can follow. The trajectory
can be controlled by control points, keyframes and velocity.

transition
A transition is an effect placed between two scenes as they pass from one to theother. Common transition effects are cross-dissolve and wipe.
Uunderlay
In animation, an underlay is a specific part of the decor placed behind the main
animation.

251

Glossary

units aspect ratio
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.
V

vector
A vector-based image is composed of points and Bézier curves. The computer
reads the points and traces the segments, linking them to reproduce the image
shape. There is no fixed size or resolution in a vector image. The graphic can beenlarged and distorted as much as desired and the system will simply recalculate
the segments and rebuild the shapes. Vector images are translated and displayedin pixels once the calculation is done.

velocity
In animation, the ease, also known as velocity, is the acceleration and decelerationof a motion. It can be a motion created by a function curve, or a series of animateddrawings. Other common terms for ease-in and ease-out are slow-in and slowout.
W

walk cycle
To avoid making innumerable drawings, animators routinely make a walk cycle for
their character. This comprises a series of drawings "on the spot" that describe thewalk for that character. The illusion of movement is created via the use of
background pans.

workspace
The workspace is the organization of the software interface and is made up of theviews, toolbars, and menus.
X

XsheetThe Xsheet or exposure sheet, is a sheet with several vertical columns andhorizontal frames used to indicate a scene's timing. Each column represents a
scene's layer. In each column, the drawing numbers are indicated and spread overthe specific amount of frames they need to appear. The exposure sheet is used byanimators, directors and other members of a crew to track the sequence andtiming of images, dialogue, sound effects, sound tracks and camera moves. Also
known as a Dope Sheet.

252

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)Z

zone
An area which can be painted with colour.

253

Toon Boom Harmony 11.1 Fundamentals Guide (Network)

254