Toon Boom
Producer 22
User Guide

TOON BOOM ANIMATION INC.

+1 514 278 8666

4200 Saint-Laurent, Suite 1020
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2W 2R2

contact@toonboom.com
toonboom.com

Producer 22 User Guide

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 document is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted. Any reproductionin whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
The content of this document 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.
Some icons in this document were provided with Font Awesome Free 5.6.1 by Font Awesome. These icons areprovided under the CC BY 4.0 license. For more information on Font Awesome, visit https://fontawesome.com.
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Some icons in this document were provided with the Glyphicons Halflings font by Glyphicons. For more
information on Glyphicons, visit https://www.glyphicons.com/.

Trademarks
Toon Boom® is a registered trademark. Producer™ and the Toon Boom logo are trademarks of Toon Boom
Animation Inc. All other trademarks of the property of their respective owners.

Publication Date
07-12-2022
Copyright © 2022 Toon Boom Animation Inc., a Corus Entertainment Inc. company. All rights reserved.

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Contents

Contents
Contents

3

About Producer

8

Benefits

9

Features10

User Guide

11

Chapter 1: About the Interface

12

Production Toolbar

14

Search and Filtering Tools

14

View Tools

14

List button

14

Tiles button

15

Column Selector

15

Toggle Bottom and Side Panels

16

Additional Options for Selected Items

17

Adding and Removing Columns

18

Creating Views

19

Managing Views

21

Chapter 2: About Users and Permissions

23

Creating Users

25

Editing and Adding Users to Groups

27

Groups27

Edit User

27

Chapter 3: About Workflows

29

About Task Status Workflows

30

About Included Workflows

31

Episodes

31

Basic

31

Complete31

Double Approval

31

Single Approval

31

BG

31

Character31

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Producer 22 User Guide

Prop

32

Basic Task Workflow

32

Simple Task Workflow

32

Approval

32

Duplicating Workflows

34

Creating Workflows

36

About Processes

38

Manual39

Approval

40

Asset Progress

41

Adding Processes to Workflows

42

Configuring Processes

44

Moving Processes

47

Deleting Processes

48

About Behaviours

49

Adding Overview Processes to Job Workflows

53

Chapter 4: Production

57

Creating Projects

58

Creating Environments

60

Creating Jobs

61

Creating Scenes

64

Editing Tasks

66

Writing Notes

68

About Gantt Charts

70

Scene Focus View

71

Chapter 5: About Assets

73

About Asset Details

74

Creating Assets

77

Searching for Assets

80

Navigating Assets

83

Editing an Asset

84

Deleting an Asset

86

Adding a Preview Image for an Asset

88

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Downloading an Asset Movie Clip

90

Viewing Preview Image Versions

91

Replacing Asset Tasks

93

Adding Tasks

96

Removing Tasks

99

Retiring Assets

101

Viewing Retired Assets

102

Activating Retired Assets

104

Chapter 6: About Monitoring the Workload

107

Assigning Tasks

108

Checking Open Tasks for Work and Notes

110

Updating Status Manually

111

Logging Work Hours

112

Uploading and Updating Snapshots113

Verifying a User's Workload

116

Creating Custom Fields

119

Searching in Producer

121

Chapter 7: About CSV Import and Export

123

About Creating a CSV File

124

Exporting CSV File

125

Displaying the Environment and Job Codes

127

Uploading a CSV File and Copy/Pasting Data

129

Chapter 8: About Assembly

133

Navigating and Searching the Production List

134

Browsing and Finding Assets

137

Assembling142

Disassembling

145

Checking the Asset Progress in a Scene Workflow

146

Chapter 9: About Harmony Integration

149

Working Remotely150

Configuring Access151

Setting up the Cloud Exchange

154

Exporting and Managing Scenes Offline

156

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Exporting Scenes Offline

157

Analyzing the Outcome of an Export

163

Opening Offline Scenes

164

About the Open Offline Scene Dialog

172

Uploading Work177

Updating Snapshot Scripts in Harmony

187

About Harmony Synchronization

189

About Sending Assets to Harmony (Baking)197

Requirements for Baking

198

Sending a PSD file into a Harmony scene

199

Baking a Scene Template into a Harmony

203

Chapter 10: About Reviewing

205

Creating a Temporary Review Session

206

Creating a Permanent Review Session

208

Sharing Review Session

210

Sending Scenes for Review

211

Filtering a Review Session

212

Editing a Review Session

213

Opening a Review Session

215

Returning to the Session List and Switching Sessions

217

Removing Scenes from a Review Session

219

Deleting a Review Session

221

Playing Preview Movies

223

Adding a Note to a Scene in a Review Session

224

Drawing Annotations While Reviewing Scenes

227

Sending a Scene in a Session for Revision

229

Approving a Scene in a Session

230

Viewing Notes in a Review Session

231

Moderating Notes

232

Closing and Reopening Notes in the Review Session

236

Downloading Reviews

238

Chapter 11: About Importing from Storyboard Pro

241

Importing from Storyboard Pro

242

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Chapter 12: About Reports

249

Workload Manager

250

Sharing Reports

260

Exporting Reports

261

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Producer 22 User Guide

About Producer
With increasing global demand for original animated content, and productions being produced from different
sites worldwide with more and more work from home, there is a growing need for tools that ensure efficient
production development. Studios everywhere have relied on spreadsheets and DIY solutions to help keep teamsaligned, and move productions forward along timelines and within budgets.
Producer 22 provides real-time access to the progress of your animated features and series, making it easier tomanage global production processes. Track tasks, assets, scenes, production progress, team management,
efficiencies across departments, reporting and more. Plus, Producer seamlessly integrates with the software
your team needs to get the job done including Storyboard Pro and Harmony.
Our all-in-one production management and tracking tool provides global visibility of your studio’s activities,
giving you access to up-to-date information and enabling you to make the best decisions at the right time.

8Contents

BenefitslMeasurable increases in studio production efficiencylOn-time and on-budget feature and series delivery, enabling massive savingslReal-time visibility of full production pipeline for quick and efficient decision makinglReporting for all levels of studio managementlUser-friendly interface makes learning easylBacked by the industry’s leading 2D animation software company who understands the needs of global
studiosl

We are accessible, with support and our community being our focus — a leader in 2D animation for over
25 yearslSeamless integration with industry-leading 2D animation production (Harmony) and storyboard software(Storyboard Pro)l

Multi-production environment in one global platforml

Advanced potential for team collaboration, effective communications and task delegation

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Featuresl

Customizable workflows, user profiles and rolesl

User-friendly interfacelDashboards and detailed reportingl

Job task reportslProgress reportlTeam productivity reportsl

Access to in-app analytics and graphslGraphical scene status dashboardlCustomizable & Automated triggerslAdvanced filtering of projects, tasks, scenes, searches and morelVersioninglPotential for multi-production trackinglScheduling & gantt chartslCentral Hub for connectivity of every team memberlNotes and annotationslTask, scene and asset assignmentlAsset categorization, labeling and tags for simplified searchlThumbnails and preview videos for easy accessl

Assets assembly and scene set up in HarmonylThird-party software integrationlBatch import and export to CVSlAdvanced reporting: task reports, progress reports, team productivity, and morelMulti-language interface (English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Standard Chinese)l

Available for deployment on premises or on the cloud10

Contents

User Guide
The following guide explains how to use all the core functionalities of Producer. It is addressed to all kinds ofproject contributors, depending on the task they wish to accomplish.

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Chapter 1: About the Interface
Producer has many pages, tabs, views and buttons that allow you to organize and manage your production
workflows.

You can navigate the main sections and features available in Producer through the top menu.

Page

Description

Goes back to the Project list home page.

Production

Allows supervisors and directors to track the progress of episodes, scenes, tasks and manage
workloads.

Open Tasks

Allows a user to see the work assigned to them and update their tasks as well as logging work
hours.

AssetsAllows supervisors and directors to track asset tasks and manage assets.

Review

Allows supervisors and directors to review submitted scenes and assets, approve tasks, add
notes, and send work for retake.

Reports

Allows supervisors, directors, and producers to analyze data and progress through a variety ofcustomizable reports.

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Chapter 1: About the Interface

Page

Description

Views

Allows users to create and share custom views with custom columns.

Settings

Allows administrators to configure Producer by creating users, setting permissions and groups,
creating workflows, and managing projects.

NOTE
Users will have access to different pages and menu items based on their level of permissions—see
Creating Users.

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Production Toolbar
A lot of the operations in the Production and Asset pages are perform through the Production toolbar.

Search and Filtering Tools
You can use the Search field and filtering tools to only display scenes and assets matching specific criteria.

View Tools
You can change the display style of the Production and Asset tables to include more or less information such as
opening the detail side panel or changing the view style to thumbnails.

List button

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Chapter 1: About the Interface

Tiles button

Column Selector
With the Column Selector you can choose how many columns are displayed in your main list. Uncheck theboxes on the ones you wish to hide.

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Toggle Bottom and Side Panels
You can display additional information for each selected job, scene or asset using the side and bottom panel.

16Chapter 1: About the Interface

Additional Options for Selected Items
When you enable the checkbox on a Job, more options are available to edit your selection.

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Producer 22 User Guide

Adding and Removing Columns
Depending on your workflow needs, you can add and remove columns from the production or asset list.

How to add and remove columns
1. In the top menu, click Production or Assets > Manage.

The assets list opens.
2. In the toolbar in the top-right corner above the assets list, click on the Manage Columns

icon.

A menu appears with all the available column options for the asset list. Columns that are currently
displayed in the list are checked, and those that are hidden are unchecked.

3. Check each column box that you wish to add, and uncheck each column box that you wish toremove.
When adding columns, the newest column added will by default appear on the right.
NOTE
You should always keep the Selector column enabled. This column contains a checkbox foreach asset, allowing you to perform certain actions and select several assets simultaneously.

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Chapter 1: About the Interface

Creating Views
You can create custom views and share them with users to display the Production or Asset list using a specific
set of columns and filtering options. You can create as many views as needed.

How to save a custom view
1. Select Production or Assets > Manage.
2. From the page toolbar, click on the Column Selector

icon.

3. Check or uncheck any boxes of columns you wish to display or hide.
NOTE
The order of the tabs will be displayed from left to right as you check the boxes inthat order. You can edit this later by grabbing the name in the column header andsliding it left or right to switch the order.
More custom fields can be entered using the Toggle Search Panel.

4. When finished, in the page toolbar, go to More > Save New View.
The Save New View window opens.
5. In the Name field, type in a name for the new view.
6. Check or uncheck the following options:lSave Current View Settings Only: saves the columns and ordering of columns in the
view.

l

Save Current Environment or Job: save the current location of the view.

lSave Search Data: saves the search data.

7. In the drop-down menu, select one of the following:l

Add Link to Views: adds the link to views that you can only see.

l

Add Link to Shared Views: adds a link that everyone in the production can see and
use.

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8. Click Save View.
Under Shared Views in the Views tab you will see the shared views from the current production.

Under My Views from the Views tab you will see your personal saved views from the current
production.

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Chapter 1: About the Interface

Managing Views
Once you have created custom views, you can manage them to remove them or manage the sharing settings.

How to manage views
1. Select Views > Manage Views.

My Saved Views and Shared Views appears.

2. In the Saved Views section, right-click on a saved view.
The option menu opens. If you click directly on a saved view, it will open immediately.

3. You can drag and drop saved views into the Shared Views section for everyone in the production tosee and use.

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22

Chapter 2: About Users and Permissions

Chapter 2: About Users and Permissions
Anyone using Producer on a regular basis should have their own login credentials. This allows permissions
control as well as task assignment and effective communication within Producer. Note that the permissions arehandled through groups, for better efficiency. A user can be part of many groups and has all the rights permitted
to these groups.
A group has two primary functions. First, it serves to assign permissions to its members, within the context of a
project. Second, groups can be used to facilitate task assignments. For example, if you specify that the
Animators group are the usual assignees for the task “animation” then the animation supervisor will only have tochose among users that are part of the Animators group when assigning an animation task.
NOTE
Only users with Administration permissions will be able to create users, manage groups, and set
permissions.
Users, groups, and permissions can be access via the Settings page.

The Security section allows the Admin user to set permissions for groups, page access, project access, task
access, and menu item access such as creating, deleting, or archiving.

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The Users section allows the Admin user to create new users and assign them to groups.

24Chapter 2: About Users and Permissions

Creating Users
You can assign certain users permission to access part of Producer, while restricting the use of certain features
for others.

How to add a user
1. In the main menu, click on Settings.
2. In the Settings tab, select Users.

The Users tab opens.
3. In the second User tab, click on the Add button.

The Create New User window opens.
4. Enter all the information for the new user.

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Producer 22 User Guide

5. When finished, click the Add button.

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Chapter 2: About Users and Permissions

Editing and Adding Users to Groups
Once a new user is created, they can have their preferences created or changed. They can be found on thesame user page. Within that you can change or view preferences/groups as well as view metadata.

Groups
Add the user to specific groups within the production. Each group has a different set of restrictions.

Edit User
Allows you to edit the user profile and login credentials.

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28

Chapter 3: About Workflows

Chapter 3: About Workflows
In Producer, production tracking is based on workflows. It is a multi-stage process usually involving several
different software. While there are commonalities, most animation studios will develop their own pipelines.
These custom pipelines can easily be reproduced with Producer’s workflow editor. When talking about theprocess of a studio, the terms “workflow” and “pipeline” are often used interchangeably; however, we always use“workflow” when referring to the actual node structure in Producer. Each “node” represents a process to becompleted. These processes will become individual production tasks that will be assigned to artists andsupervisors.

There are four types of workflows: Job workflows, Scenes workflows, Asset workflows and Task Status
workflows.

For example, you may use a job workflow to track an episode’s development from script to delivery however you
would use a scene workflow to track the production of shots from layout to compositing while the asset workflow
is designed to handle the evolution of various assets such as backgrounds, characters, props, etc. The task
status workflow is somewhat special because it allows the user to customize the task statuses for the processesof the other workflows.
Producer comes with some ready-made workflows, however it is recommended that you use these as templates
to create your own. Workflows are specific to projects, however they can be exported and imported from one
project to another.
Workflows are blueprints to eventually create actual tasks that can then be assigned and tracked.

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About Task Status Workflows
A task status workflow has a particular property. It's a workflow that can be applied to the task of anotherworkflow. It provides different statuses for that task, letting users know the progress of that task.
NOTE
To find out how to link a task status workflow to a task—see Configuring Processes.
In the Basic Task Status workflow (a workflow that comes with Producer), there are seven possible options:Standby, Pending, Need Assistance, In Progress, To Validate, Revise, Approved.

In the Production or Assets > Manage tab, when a user clicks on a task status, a drop-down menu lets themchoose or update the status of that task.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

About Included Workflows
Here is the list of workflows that are included with Producer, along with a brief description for each.

EpisodesWorkflow to track jobs such as episodes of a TV series.

Basic
Workflow to track scenes in a simple manner.

Complete
Workflow to track 2D paperless scenes, where the animation is hand-drawn digitally.

Double Approval
Workflow to track scenes, where the two approval stages are required for each necessary step in the process.

Single Approval
Workflow to track scenes, where a single approval stage is required for each step in the process.

BG
Workflow to track the creation of bitmap backgrounds.

Character
Workflow to track the building of digital puppets (also known as character rigs).

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Prop
Workflow to track the building of digital props.

Basic Task Workflow
Basic Workflow providing statuses for the tasks of the other workflows.

Simple Task Workflow
Simple Workflow providing statuses for the tasks of the other workflows. It is meant to track something that iscompleted without any type of revision or approval (ie: task done).

Approval
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Chapter 3: About Workflows

This workflow provides typical statuses for approval processes.

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Producer 22 User Guide

Duplicating Workflows
The workflows that are provided with Producer are useful templates to create your own. It is NOT recommended
to use them directly as they may be updated and modified in future versions. Instead, duplicate and modify themto match your own pipeline.

How to duplicate workflows
1. In the main menu, select Settings and then Workflows.

2. In the Project Workflows list on the left, click on the workflow you wish to duplicate and select Copy
from the ellipsis menu (“...”).

The Copy Workflow Details dialog box opens.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

3. In the Name field, enter the name of the new workflow.
4. In the Colour field, use the colour picker widget to select an identification colour.
5. Click Create.

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Producer 22 User Guide

Creating Workflows
How to create a workflow
1. In the main menu, select Settings > Workflows
The Workflows tab opens.
NOTE
If the Settings or the Settings > Workflow options are not available, an admin user may
have to grant these privileges to a group that you are a member of. This can be done in
Security, under Global Rules, by enabling Manage Workflows.
2. Click on the Add Workflows button.

The Add Workflows dialog opens.
3. In the Name field, enter the name of the new workflow.
4. In the Type drop-down menu, select the type of item to which this workflow applies. For workflow of
episodes, select Job. For a workflow tracking shots, select Scene. For a workflow of backgrounds,
characters or props, select Asset. If you would rather create a Task Statuses workflow, refer yourself
to the section How to create a task statuses workflow.
5. In the Colour field, use the colour picker widget to select an identification colour. Note that you can
use the colour picker icon to pick a colour from anywhere on your desktop. After your colour selection
simply click outside the widget to proceed.
NOTE
It can be a good idea to create a workflow based on an existing one. To do so, use the
Copy From field (or simply leave it blank to create a workflow from scratch.)36

Chapter 3: About Workflows

6. Click Create to create the workflow.
Next, you will want to add Processes to your workflow. Check out the section on Creating Processes.

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Producer 22 User Guide

About Processes
A workflow is made of processes. When creating an asset or a scene using a specific workflow, each process of
this workflow represents a task that can be assigned to users. Processes are ordered in a linear fashion. Thereare 2 main types of processes: Manual and Approval. There is also a special one called Asset Progress.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

ManualThe Manual Process is used when the work is done by a person (ie not an automated task or a simple approval).
This process can have different statuses which are defined in a Task Statuses workflow. The task status ismanually changed by the user executing the work.

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Approval
The Approval Process is used when work created during a manual process needs to be reviewed by asupervisor. The supervisor will then update the status to Approved or Retake. Several approval processes canfollow one another.

You can attach triggers and notifications to both Manual and Approval processes so that when a specific action
is performed, such as assigning a task or status change, another action can be performed, such as sending a
notification to a user.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

Asset Progress
The Asset Progress special process is used to follow the advancements of assets related to a scene, such as
backgrounds or characters. The Asset Progress will display a circular graph indicating how many associatedassets have reached a specific process in their own workflow.

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Adding Processes to Workflows
Workflows are made up of nodes, representing processes, which will eventually turn into tasks.

How to add processes to workflows
Whether you want to add processes to a brand new workflow or modify an existing one, the process is thesame. You must first select the workflow from the workflow editor.
1. In the main menu, select Settings > Workflows.

2. From the left pane, select the workflow for which you would like to add a process.

3. To create a new Process in a workflow, simply click on the Add Process button.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

The Add Process dialog opens.
4. Type the name of the process.
NOTE
Choose the name carefully as process names cannot be changed (to avoid corruption).
To rename a process, you would have to duplicate it and delete the original.
5. Select a Process Type from the drop-down list. Check the tooltip for more information on the various
types of Processes.
6. Select a unique colour that will help identify this process.
7. You can set the Position to modify where this new process will appear in the workflow. By default, it
appears at the end. Note that you can always change this position later.
8. Press Add.
Check Configuring Processes to learn how to further configure the process you just created.

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Producer 22 User Guide

Configuring Processes
Different types of processes can be configured in different ways. However some configuration options areavailable for several types of processes. Here is a descriptions of all the options available:
In the Basic Information area:
OptionDescription

Name

The name of the process is grayed out as it cannot be changed after the creation. To
rename a process, you would have to duplicate it and delete the original.

You can change the type of process. There are four types of process available:
Manual process is the most basic. It corresponds to typical assignable artists’ tasks.
Manual tasks may have target durations or completion dates.
Approval process acts as milestones for a supervisor to validate work from previous
tasks. Approval tasks do not have a set duration.

Process Type

Asset progress reports when workflows of assets used in a scene are completed. They
are used in conjunction with Asset Assembly.
Overview processes are available only for job workflow. They provide a cumulative
overview of the task statuses for all scenes within a job.

ColourYou can set the colour used everywhere to identify this process. The colour selector issimple to use. Note that you can click on the dropper icon to pick a colour from anywhereon the desktop. You also have the possibility to specify a colour using a numerical value.
Three modes are available: RGB, HSL and HEX. Simply click outside the colour widget
area to confirm your choice. The task (which you can view in Production and Asset >Manage tabs) associated with the node takes on the same colour.

Position

You can set the Position to determine where this process will appear in the workflow, thenumber one position being the leftmost.

In the Task Information area:
OptionDescription

Select a Task Status workflow from the drop-down menu to link it to this Process.

Task Status(Available for
Manual andApproval
Processes)

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

OptionDescription

The Task Status options of that workflow become instantly available as a drop-down menu in
the sample task above.

.

Set an Assignee Group to restrict the assignment of these tasks to members of a specificgroup. This is especially useful if there are many users.
Assignee Group

Completion

Set a number from 0 to 100 to represent the overall progress of the item (job, scene or asset)
once this manual task is completed. For example, if a scene is considered 20% completed
when the layout is finished, set the “Completion” value of the manual process “Layout” to 20.

Duration

Use this field to specify how many days are needed to complete all the tasks of this process forthe whole job. This will set the default value to calculate the due date for the production
schedule that can be seen in the GANTT chart. Note that the due date can later be modified per
task.

Effort

Use this field to specify how many hours a task should typically take. This can be used tomeasure performance and track costs when compared to worked hours. Note that the effort
can later be adjusted for specific tasks.

Take/Retake

This field will determine whether to keep a track of “Takes" or "Retakes”. For example, a task
process will typically track a Take number whereas an approval process will typically track a
Retake number. You can also set the initial Take or Retake value. To determine when the Takeor Retake number will increment, you will set behaviours. To view the current Take or Retake
number in the Production page, you will have to edit the column options.

The Asset Progress have different configuration options:45

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OptionDescription

Tracked Workflow

Select the workflow of the assets (associated with the current scene) that you would liketo track. For example, if you would like this “Asset Progress” to report on backgroundcompletion, you should select the asset workflow that you use to build the backgroundassets.

Tracked Process

Select the process that the asset should reach to be considered “complete” for the
purpose of this “Asset Progress” report display. For example, If you would like that an
asset be considered complete when the Process “BG_Final_Approuval” has been set to“Approved”, then select “BG_Final_Approval” as the “tracked process”.

46Chapter 3: About Workflows

Moving Processes
There are two ways to change the order of processes.
You can do it by changing the value of position:
1. In the Workflow Editor, after selecting a workflow in the left pane, select a process that you would like tomove.
2. In the Basic Information area, lower the value of position to move the process towards the beginning of
the workflow (left) or increase the value of position to move the process towards the end of the workflow(right).
You can also drag a Process to its new position from its vertical ellipsis:

Both methods require that you save the changes.

NOTE
Changing the position of a process may affect behaviours that are referring to relative processes(Next or Previous process) but will not affect behaviours that are referring to processes by their
specific names. Be sure to test the various behaviours after changing the position of one or multiple
processes.

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Deleting Processes
You can easily delete nodes from a workflow by following this procedure.

How to delete processes
Deleting a process from a workflow is a simple operation. You must first select the workflow from theworkflow editor and then follow these steps:
1. Select the process you would like to delete.
2. Click on the ellipsis icon (“...”) on the top right of the process node.

3. Select “Delete”.

4. Press the blue “Save” button to confirm.

NOTE
Deleting a process from a workflow will be reflected in future instantiation. However, it does notdelete currently existing tasks of this process. If you would like to do that, it is recommended that you
use the “Edit Tasks” feature prior to deleting the process in the workflow.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

About Behaviours
A behaviour determines how a process reacts to certain conditions such as being assigned to a user or being set
to a certain status. This reaction can be many things and there can be multiple different actions taken as a resultof one condition being met. In essence, behaviours allow you to automate operations. They are a very importantpart of setting up an effective workflow.
Typical behaviours for a manual process would look like this:If this process is set to status “To Validate” then set the status of the next (approval) process to “Pending” (readyfor review).
Before creating a behaviour, you must first create a custom workflow—see Creating Workflows or Duplicating
Workflows. It is interesting to note that duplicating a workflow will also duplicate its behaviours.
NOTE
Behaviours used to be called Triggers in older versions of Producer.

How to create a behaviour
1. In your Workflow, select the process for which you would like to add a behaviour.

2. In the panel below, click on “Add Behaviour”.

3. Set up a condition by using the drop-down after “When”. Two possible actions are listed:a. Task Status is set to…
b. Task is assigned…

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4. If the condition requires further setting, another drop down appears next to the first one. For example,
if you set “When” to “Task Status is set to…”, you now have to set the “Source Status”, to end up with acondition that sounds like “When Task Status is set to To Validate”...

5. You can now set the Action resulting from the condition being met. Next to “Then”, use the drop down
to pick one of 3 possible actions:a. Set Task Status of Process
b. Increment (Re)Takec. Send Notification to

6. Whichever choice you made in the previous step, you now need to further configure that action.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

a. In the case of “Set Task Status of Process”, you now need to specify which process will be set
to which status. For example, you could specify that the action is to Set Task Status ofProcess Layout_approval to Pending.

NOTE
When selecting a process, you can either pick a specific process by name or you
can use a relative process such as Next or Previous process. While relative
processes can be useful in that they are easier to copy and reuse later withminimal maintenance, it is important to remember that moving the process around
could affect the result of the behaviour.
b. In the case of “Increment (Re)Take”, you need to select which process will increment the valueof “Take” or “Retake”, depending on which value this process is tracking.
c. In the case of “Send Notification to”, you need to select one or multiple contacts to be notified.
They can be users or group of users.
7. Now that a first action has been specified, you can either confirm the behaviour with the “Done”
button or specify more actions to be executed when the above condition is met. To do so, simply use
the dropdown next to the last “Then” and redo step 5 and 6.

8. After confirming a behaviour, you can review it by clicking on the right triangle next to the Condition.

The behaviour will expand to display all actions resulting from the condition being met. You can thenuse the blue edit button to make changes or red “x” icon to delete the behaviour.

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After reviewing your behaviour, you can add more behaviours to the same process if you want.
NOTE
Changing the conditions (Status, Assignee) of a process in the upper preview display of
the workflow editor WILL NOT trigger the actions programmed through the behaviours. It
is highly recommended that you test your behaviours by creating actual items (scenes,
assets) using that workflow and changing the conditions to verify that the appropriate
actions are happening as expected.
To help you get started, here are some typical behaviours for manual and approval processes:
Common behaviours for manual processes:lWhen a task is set to To Validate, then set the status of the next approval task to Pending andIncrement the value of Take for this process.

Common behaviours for approval processes:lWhen a task is set to Retake, then set the status of the previous manual task to Revise and increment
the value of Retake for this process.

l

When a task is set to Approved, then set the status of the next task to Pending and set the status of
the previous manual task to Approved.

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Chapter 3: About Workflows

Adding Overview Processes to Job Workflows
While a Job workflow is keeping track of tasks that are relevant to the whole job (such as writing the script or
generating the storyboard), it is also possible to be informed of the cumulative statuses of scene tasks contained
within a job by adding “Overview” processes. An overview process will look for scene processes with the same
name and will summarize the amount of each statuses for convenient display right at the job level, providing an
overview of the progress in the Task Completion Column of the Production Page.
Task Completion Overview

How to add an Overview Process to a Job workflow
1. In the Workflow Editor, open up the Scene Workflows containing the Processes you are interested intracking. Identify these processes, noting the exact spelling of their names, the values of completionand duration. The colour can also be useful.

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2. Open the Job Workflow in which you would like to include Overview processes.

3. Click on the Add Process button

54

Chapter 3: About Workflows(The Add Process dialog appears)
4. Enter the exact same name as the scene process you want to track.
5. Select the “Overview” process type.

6. It is a good idea to use the same colour as the process you are tracking.
7. Click Add to create the overview process.
NOTE
The new process has two configuration options in the Task Information panel: Completion andDuration.
About Completion:
You should try to adapt the completion value to the context of the whole Job. For example, aLayout represents 25% of a scene's workflow. However, completion of all the episode's layouts
could represent 60% completion if it contains lengthy processes such as scripting andstoryboarding.
About Duration:
You can reuse the same value as was entered in the scene process. This will help to calculate
the Gantt chart.

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Chapter 4: Production

Chapter 4: Production
The Producer structure is divided as follows:lProjectlEnvironments
l

Jobs
l

ScenesEnvironments are a collection of jobs. Typically, environments are used to separate the seasons of an animatedseries, or to separate animation series themselves.
Jobs are a collection of scenes. Typically, jobs are used to separate the episodes of an animated series.

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Creating Projects
Creating a project is the first step to creating and housing environments, jobs and scenes.

How to create a project
1. In the main menu, select Settings.

The Project Settings are displayed.

2. In the Project Settings tab, select Project.
The Projects tab opens.
3. In the Projects tab, click on the New Project button.
The Create a new project window appears.

4. In the Title field, enter the title of the project.

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Chapter 4: Production

5. In the Project Code field, enter the project code.
IMPORTANTThe project code is a very important key that will tie many components of the
project together. The project code must contain only alphanumeric characters [AZ]/[0-9] and only an '_' as a separator.
6. Click on the Create button.
A status bar appears. When it reaches 100% the Go to New Project and Close buttons appear.
7. Click on the Go to New Project button.
The project appears.

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Producer 22 User Guide

Creating Environments
Environments are a collection of jobs, each of which is a collection of scenes. Typically, environments are used
to separate the seasons of an animated series, or to separate animation series themselves. Special
environments can also be created to store scenes containing character models and assets for a series.
A new project does not have any environments. To start creating the structure of a project, environments must
be manually created by a user with administrative privileges. A project can have as many environments asneeded.
Users with the appropriate privileges can add, edit, retire, and delete environments.

How to create an environment

1. In new project, click on the Add Environment

button.

The Create Environment window appears.

2. In the Name field, enter a name for the Environment.
3. In the Description field, you can choose to add an optional description for the environment.
4. If you choose, you can check the Create in Harmony checkbox to create the environment directly inHarmony in you are connected to the Harmony server.
If you do choose this option, you now have the option to create a different environment name than the
one that will appear in Producer, as well as the version of Harmony used in the environment.
5. If you choose, you can drag and drop an image or movie clip file onto the Add a default thumbnail
box, to create a preview image for the environment—see Adding a Preview Image for an Asset.
6. Click on the Create Environment button.
The environment appears in your project.

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Chapter 4: Production

Creating Jobs
Jobs are a collection of scenes. Typically, jobs are used to separate the episodes or other segments of ananimated series. Special jobs can also be created to store scenes containing character models and assets for aseries.
A new job does not have any scenes by default. To start creating the structure of a job, scenes must be manuallycreated by a user with administrative privileges. A job can have as many scenes as needed.
Users with the appropriate privileges can add, edit, retire, and delete jobs, and all users may search, open, andview jobs.

How to create a job
1. In the main menu, select Production.

The Production tab opens.
2. In the All Environments drop-down menu, select the environment you are looking for.

3. Once in the environment, click on the Add Jobs button.

The Create Job window appears.

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4. In the Number of jobs field, enter the desired number of jobs you would like to populate theenvironment. You can always add more jobs later.
5. Click in the Start Date field to bring up the calendar and choose the start date for the first job.
6. If you entered a value greater than one in the Number of jobs field, in the Days between jobs field,
you have the option to set the number of days between jobs.
7. In the Name field, enter the name of the job. This is the only mandatory field. If you use a number atthe end of the job name, Producer will automatically create a sequence for the subsequent jobs using
the same numbering convention (ie: 101; 102; 103; etc.).
8. In the Job Workflow drop-down menu, select an existing workflow. This could be either one of theworkflows that comes with Producer or a workflow from another environment in your account. You
can always change it later in Settings.
9. In the Scene Workflow drop-down menu, select an existing workflow. This could be either one of theworkflows that comes with Producer or a workflow from another environment in your account. You
can always change it later in Settings.
10. Check the Create in Harmony option box if you want to create Harmony files directly to the Harmony
Server (if connected). Do NOT check this option if your scenes will be created in Harmony
Standalone.
If you checked this option, you now have the option to add the Job name and Version of Harmony.
11. Click on the Create Job button.

Your job page will look something like this:62

Chapter 4: Production

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Producer 22 User Guide

Creating Scenes
Once you've created an environment and jobs for your project, you can start to populate your job with scenes.

How to create a scene
1. In the Production page, from the list of jobs, double-click on the job you would like to create scenes
for. Alternatively, go to the Jobs drop-down menu, click on the down arrow and select a job from thelist.

2. Once inside the job, click on the Add Scenes button.

The Create Scene window appears.

3. In the Number of scenes field, enter the number of scenes you would like to create. You can always
create more later.
4. In the Name field, enter the name of the scene. This is a mandatory field.

64Chapter 4: Production

5. In the Workflow drop-down menu, select an existing workflow. This could be either one of theworkflows that comes with Producer or a workflow from another environment in your account. You
can always change it later in Settings.

6. In the Number of frames field, set a number of frames to start out each scene.
7. In the Priority drop-down menu, select the priority level for the scenes. This can be No priority or
anywhere between 1 - Critical and 5 - Low.
8. Check the Create in Harmony Server option if you are connected to the Harmony Server and if thecorresponding environment and job were already created there.
Additionally, you have the option to enter the scene name, as it will appear in Harmony, as well as theversion of Harmony being used.
9. Check the Harmony Standalone scenes if you would like to create scenes for Harmony Standalone.
Additionally, you have the option to enter a Workspace ID and a Relative Path (often the scenename).
10. Click the Create Scene button.
The scene(s) are added to your job.

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Editing Tasks
Once a task is created for a given scene or asset, it can easily be modified.

How to edit a task
1. In the main menu, select either Production or Asset > Manage.
2. In the Environment, Jobs or Scene drop-downs, select an environment, scene or job or a
combination.
The tab is populated.
3. From the list, select the assets to edit by checking their checkboxes.
4. In the tab toolbar, select More > Edit Tasks.

The Edit Tasks window appears.

5. In the Task Operation drop-down menu, select one of the following:66

Chapter 4: ProductionlAdd - To add missing tasks to selectionlDelete - To delete existing tasks from selectionlReplace - To replace some or all tasks for the selection

l

Shift

6. In the Selected drop-down menu, change the Workflow type.
7. In Processes list, check the tasks you wish to include in the Workflow.
8. Click the Submit button.

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Writing Notes
The Write Notes feature allows you to create notes on one or multiple scenes that have been selected.

How to create a note
1. In the top menu, select either Production or Assets > Manage.
2. From the drop-down menus, located under the main menu, bring up a list of environments, jobs or
scenes.
3. From this list, select which you would like to add notes to by checking their corresponding check box.
4. In the tab toolbar, click on the Write Notes button.

The Create New Note dialog box appears.

5. Check the Link notes option if you want changes in one note to automatically update in the othernotes for all the assets you selected.

68Chapter 4: Production

6. In the Process drop-down menu, select the task/process in the worklfow that you would like to add
the note to.
7. Select the retake type (ie: artistic, technical, or both).
8. In the Note Content field, type in your note.
9. Click on the Add attachments button if you would like to add an attachment.
10. Click the Create button.
The note is added to the selected assets.

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About Gantt Charts
A Gantt chart is available from the Production page under All jobs of any environment. It can be displayed byswitching layout type along List and Tiles views.

The Gantt chart lists all current jobs and their tasks for the selected environment. It can be collapsed to have an
overview of when jobs should start and end over time or it can be fully expanded to display all tasks for every job.
Every row displays the name, duration (in days), start and end dates for the environment, it’s jobs and all tasks
from their workflow.
On the right side, there is a timeline and progress bar for each row, it will turn from grey to green when tasks startgetting approved or completed. There is also a completion % that indicates the progress for each task, every job
and the environment itself.

If a job needs to be shifted over in time, simply highlight the desired job and click on More in the menu above thetable, then select Shift Jobs. In the Shift Jobs window, simply select the number of days it will be shifted over(jobs can be shifted in the future or in the past, using positive or negative values).

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Scene Focus View
This section provides the details related to a scene (Status, Assignee, Notes, Associated Assets) so that one
can focus on that given scene without being distracted by the information of other scenes, as may be the casewhen viewing multiple scenes in the production page.

How to access Scene Focus View
Do one of the following:lDouble click on a scene row on the Production Page.

l

Select a Scene from the drop-down list in the navigation section.

In order to exit the scene focus view, select "All Scenes from Current Job" from the drop-down list.

The Scene Focus view is divided in multiple sections:
OptionDescription

Navigation

It allows you to select a specific scene to focus. You can also exit the focus
view, by selecting a Job/Episode in the second drop-down list.

SummaryThis section displays the name of the scene and provides information on the71

Producer 22 User Guide

OptionDescription

current process, its Status and Assignee. It also displays useful informationsuch as the overall progress of the scene, the completion of the Assets
associated with this scene, the current priority and the description.
You can perform the following two actions here:lUpload Filesl

Submit for Review

Preview

The Preview of the latest snapshot is prominently displayed and can beplayed back.

Tasks

Below the Preview section, the Tasks section shows all the tasks related tothe selected scene. It is possible, if you have the rights, to edit the status andassignee directly from here.

Related Items

This section is located at the bottom left. It will list any assets associated withthe current scene.

Notes

This section is similar to the one you would find in the side panel of any
Production Page. It will list all the Notes related to the current scene andallows you to enter new Notes.

Details

This section is similar to the one you would find in the side panel of any
Production Page. It will list all the Details of the current scene and allows you
to edit them.

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Chapter 5: About Assets
Assets are typically any component of a production use to produce scenes and track in Producer. This can
include character sheets, model references, character rigs, backgrounds, music, and more.
Producer can be used as a file server under some circumstances.
Assets can be sorted one of two ways:lCategories: Asset categories are a way of classifying assets based on the purpose of an asset within a
production, such as characters, backgrounds, props, and more.

lTypes: Types can be used to categorize the type of file, such as a PNG, JPEG, MOV, MP4, GIF, PSD, or
PDF.

The following image types are supported for assets: PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, TGA, TIFF, PSD, AI, PDF, MP4,
MOV.

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About Asset Details
An asset has many properties and attributes. By default, the Asset page only displays some information about
each asset in the asset list.

To display more information on an asset, depending on the type of information you want to see, you may have to:l

Add a column containing this information to the asset list.

lSelect a specific asset, then open either the side panel or the bottom panel to view more information
about it.

Columns in the asset list can display the following information:l

SelectorlPreview

l

Tasks

l

Asset NamelDescription

l

Type

l

Category

l

Notes

l

PrioritylCompletionlWorkflow Codel

Asset Codel

Harmony Status

The side panel displays the following information:

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Chapter 5: About AssetslPreview thumbnail

l

Name

l

DescriptionlPrioritylAsset Code

l

Notes

l

Harmony Settings: environment/job/scene/harmony version

The bottom panel displays the following information:
l

Tasks

l

Environments

l

Jobs

l

Scenes

The following table lists each type of information about an asset, and which method will display it:

Information

Description

Asset List

Side Panel

BottomPanelPreview

The preview thumbnail for the asset.

Preview column

Side panel

N/A

Tasks

A step in a workflow.

Tasks column

N/A

Tasks tabAsset Name

The display name of the asset.

Name column

Details tab

N/A

Description

The description of the asset.

Description
columnDetails tab

N/AAsset Type

Categories can be used to identify
the purpose of an asset.

Asset typecolumnN/A

N/A

Asset Category

Types can be used to categorize thefile type.

Categorycolumn

N/A

N/A

Notes

All the notes that were added to theasset.

Notes column

Notes tabN/A

Priority

A rank indicating the importance of agiven asset.

Priority column

N/A

N/A

Open Harmony

If Producer has been configured tosynchronize with Harmony, you canOpen Harmony
column

N/A

N/A

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click this button to open the asset
directly in Harmony.

Completion

A progress wheel tracking thepercentage of the asset that has
been completed.

Completion
columnN/A

N/A

Workflow CodeThe type of workflow being used forthe asset.

Workflow CodecolumnN/A

N/A

Asset CodecolumnN/A

N/A

Scene Asset
Code column

Side panel

N/A

Asset CodeScene Asset
Code

If a scene has been converted to an
asset, this is the code of the asset it
is linked to.

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Creating Assets
Upload scripts, characters, backgrounds and 3D models to help visually assist your task workflow.
Users with administrative privileges can create one or more assets at a time.

How to create assets
1. In the top menu, click Assets > Manage.

The assets list opens.

2. In the toolbar above the asset list, select Create Asset.
The Create Asset dialog box appears.

3. Upload a thumbnail for your asset by clicking and dragging your file into the Drop Files Here box.
4. In the Name field, type in a name for your new asset. It must be unique or else an error will occur.

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NOTE
It is possible to create multiple assets at once. Press enter after typing an asset
name and continue entering assets name for all the assets you wish to create withthe same parameters.
5. OPTIONAL: Link a Harmony Scene asset by checking the box.
New fields appear. Fill in the Environment name, Job name, Scene name and Version of Harmony
fields to link the asset from an existing Harmony scene.

NOTE
This does not create a scene on the Harmony Server, it only links to an existing
scene.
OR
Check the Harmony Standalone box to link to an asset from a standalone version of Harmony oreven to an asset from a third-party software.
New fields appear where you can enter in the Workspace ID and Relative Path.
6. In the Description field, type in a description for the asset.
7. In the Type drop-down menu, select what type (3D Model, Image, etc.) of asset you intend to upload.
8. In the Category drop-down menu, select a category (Bg, Main Character, etc.) for the asset type .
9. In the Workflow drop-down menu, select your workflow (background, character or prop).
NOTE
This field is mandatory.
10. In the Tags field, type any words you would like to associate with the asset that can later be used insearches. Hit Enter after typing each tag to validate it.
11. In the Assembly section, from the Environment drop-down menu, select an environment.
The Jobs drop-down menu is enabled.
12. In the Assembly section, from the Jobs drop-down menu, select a job.
13. To save your new assets, click the Add Asset button.

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Your assets are now available in the asset list.

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Searching for Assets
If you have a lot of assets and you need to find a specific asset, you can filter the assets in the list using
keywords from their descriptions. You can also choose to only view assets associated with specificenvironments, jobs or based on the specific process, status or user they are assigned to.

How to search for assets using keywords
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The asset list opens.
TIP
To include retired items in your search results, in the toolbar above the asset list,
click

More and, in the pop-up menu, select Show Retired Items.

2. In the toolbar above the asset list, click in the Quick Search field and type in all or part of the name of
the asset you would like to find. Hit the Enter key to initiate the search.
TIP
When an asset is created, the creator had the option to associate certain words
with the asset (tags)—see Creating Assets. These tags are usually descriptive of
the asset and can now come in handy when doing a search.

Assets containing your search term appear.
3. You can repeat this step to add several search terms. Only assets containing all of your search terms
in their name will appear in the list.

80Chapter 5: About Assets

TIP
You can restrict your search to assets associated with specific environments orjobs by selecting such restrictions from the navigation drop-downs.

How to filter assets by their tasks, statuses and assignees
1. In the top menu, click Assets > Manage.

The assets list opens.

2. In the toolbar above the asset list, click on

Toggle Search Panel.

The search panel appears.

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3. From the All Environments drop-down list, select an environment as an asset search filter.
The Jobs drop-down menu is enabled.
4. Use the Jobs drop-down menu and Custom Fields fields to continue refining your search. If you needmore filters or a different set, click on the Add button to bring up the Add Processes, Add Statuses
and Add Assignees drop-down menus. You can use this second set of filters to exclude, rather thaninclude, additional information by clicking on the Exclude button.
Use some or all of these filters at your discretion.
You can add several items from any of these categories by clicking on the Add button to create
another row of the same filters. An example of where this might be useful is when you need to searchfor 2 different processes assigned to the same person.
5. Click Apply Search Criteria at the bottom of the search panel.

The assets that match your search appear in the asset list.

How to clear search terms and filters
Do one of the following:lClick theon all search terms in the Quick Search text box.

l

Hit the Backspace key to remove the last search term until all the search terms have been erased.

l

In the toolbar at the top of the assets list, use the Clear All Filters buttonl

At the bottom of the Search Panel, click on the Clear button.

All of the assets within the job are displayed in the asset list again.

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Navigating Assets
The navigating drop downs (top left of the Asset Manage page) will let you focus on the assets associated with a
specific environment or job. These associations are done either at creation time or through the Asset Assembly
page. Select the desired environment and job to restrict the display to these assets.

NOTE
If you leave the environment to the default “All Environments”, no restriction will apply.

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Editing an Asset
Once an asset has been created, you can edit its description, workflow, and other information at any time.

How to edit the name and description of an asset
1. In the top menu, click Assets > Manage.

The assets list opens.
2. In the asset list, click on the check box of the asset you wish to edit.
3. If the side panel is not visible, in the toolbar at the top-right corner of the asset list, click theSide Panel button to display it.
4. In the side panel, select the Details tab.

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5. To rename the selected asset, in the Name field, type in a new name.
6. To update the description of the asset, in the Description field, type in a new description.
7. To change the priority of the selected asset, from the Priority drop-down menu, select a new priority.
8. To save your changes, click anywhere outside the side panel.
A toaster notification (pop-up) appears in the bottom-right corner of the page, indicating that the asset
is being updated. When the toaster notification disappears, the asset changes are saved.

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Deleting an Asset
Assets can be permanently deleted.
NOTE
Deleting an asset will delete all of its tasks, previews(uploads) and assembly data. Deleted items will
be permanently lost, and cannot be restored.

How to delete assets
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The Asset list opens.
2. In the Asset list, enable the checkbox on the far left column of the item you wish to delete.

3. In the toolbar above the asset list, select More > Delete Assets.

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The Delete Assets dialog box opens.

4. In the confirmation prompt, click Delete.
The asset has now been deleted.

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Adding a Preview Image for an Asset
You can add or change a preview image of any asset that appears in the Preview column in the asset list. Thiscan be done from either the Assest > Manage tab or the Production tab.
The following image types are supported for preview images: PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, TGA, TIFF, PSD, AI and
PDF.
If you upload a movie clip (MP4 or MOV) as a preview, the first frame of the movie will automatically be set as theimage. You will be able to play the clip from the Preview column.
For an animated GIF or video file, the first frame will automatically be set as the preview image. You will NOT beable to play these files.

How to add or change a preview image
1. In the top menu, click Assets > Manage.

The assets list opens.
OR
In the top menu, click on the Production tab.
2. Use the All Enviroments and/or All Jobs drop-down menu filters to bring up the desired asset(s).
3. Click the check box of the asset whose thumbnail you wish to change.
4. In the toolbar above the asset list, click on the Upload File button.

The Upload File dialog box appears.

5. Select one of the following options:lThis is a default thumbnail to upload an image or movie clip (MP4 or MOV) that will bea visual reference for all the tasks in the selected row.

88

Chapter 5: About AssetslThis is a preview for the following process to associate an image or movie clip (MP4or MOV) with a specific task in the selected row.
When selecting this option, the Process drop-down menu is enabled. Select the task
you want to associate with the preview image from this list. After the file is uploaded,
the name of the task will appear near the corner of the thumbnail.

6. To upload an image, either click on the Click to browse button or drag and drop the file over it.

7. Click the Upload File button.
The selected image/movie clip appears in the Preview column.
TIP
To view the full-size image/movie clip, click on the Open the image in a new tab
icon that appears when you hover over the bottom of the preview image.

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Downloading an Asset Movie Clip
Scene preview movie clips can be downloaded for viewing outside of Producer web interface.

How to download an asset movie clip
1. In the top menu, click Assets > Manage.
The assets list opens.
2. If the Preview column is not displayed, in the toolbar above the assets list, enable it from the Column
selector
button.
3. Hover your mouse cursor over the Preview thumbnail and click on the gear icon.

A black dialog box appears.
4. Click on the Download option.
The movie file is downloaded to your computer.

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Viewing Preview Image Versions
Producer gives you the ability to view different Preview images and movie clips associated with a certain
Environment/Job/Scene/Task.

How to view different versions of Preview images and movie clips
1. Hover your mouse over a Preview image.

A menu bar appears.
2. Click on the gear icon.

An information and dialog box appears.
3. In Process Version, click on the down arrow.
If different image or movie clip options exist, they appear in the drop-down list. Select the one you
wish to view.
If a Preview images or movie clip was uploaded for the global environment, it has the naming
convention <default> + version number. If an image or movie clip was associated with a specific task
during the upload process, it has the naming convention "task name" + version number—see Adding
a Preview Image for an Asset. In this example, the movie clip is associated with the Anim task andhas 3 versions available.
4. If the image is a still frame from a movie clip, click on the play button to preview the movie clip.

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5. If you would like to see a full-size version of the image or movie clip, click on the Open the image in a
new tabicon.

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Replacing Asset Tasks
If your Producer database has several asset workflows, you can change an asset’s workflow by replacing all of
the asset tasks with the tasks of a different workflow.

How to replace asset tasks
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The asset list opens.
2. Ensure the Tasks are visible by doing one of the following:l

In the toolbar in the top-right corner, click on the Manage Columns
the checkbox next to the Tasks column option is checked.

lSelect the asset in the asset list and, in the toolbar in the top-right corner, ensure the
Toggle Bottom Panelbutton is clicked and the bottom panel is visible. Then, in thebottom panel, select the Tasks tab.

3. Click the checkbox of each asset whose workflow you wish to change.

4. In the toolbar above the asset list, click on the More button.

5. From the More drop-down menu, select Edit Tasks.

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The Edit Tasks dialog box appears.

6. In the Task Operation drop-down menu, select Replace.

NOTE
All replaced tasks will lose their current assignees and statuses. If you select Add
instead, missing tasks are added and existing ones are untouched—see Adding
Tasks .
7. In the drop-down just below, select the workflow you wish to use.

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8. By default, all the tasks in the selected workflow will be checked. If you want the selected asset(s) to
only take some of the tasks in the selected workflow, uncheck the tasks that you wish to exclude.

9. Click the Confirm button.

A toaster (pop-up) notification appears, indicating that the tasks for the selected items are being
replaced. When the toaster notification disappears, tasks from old workflows have been removed
from all the selected assets, and tasks from new workflow have been added.

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Adding Tasks
When an asset is created with a workflow, all of that workflow’s tasks are added to it by default. It is possible toremove specific tasks from an asset’s workflow, as well as to add back tasks that were previously removed.

How to add asset tasks
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The asset list opens.
2. Click the checkbox of each asset whose workflow you wish to change.

3. In the toolbar above the asset list, click on the More button.

4. From the More drop-down menu, select Edit Tasks.

The Edit Tasks dialog box appears.

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5. In the Task Operation drop-down menu, select Add.

6. In the Selected drop-down menu, select the workflow you wish to use.
NOTE
An asset can only have one workflow, and can only have tasks from its assigned
workflow. If you select a different workflow than the one that is currently assigned
to the asset, tasks from the asset’s old workflow will be removed, unless a taskwith the same name exists in the new workflow.
7. Check the checkbox for each task you wish to add. If you want to add all of the selected workflow’s
tasks, check Select All.

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8. Click the Confirm button.

A toaster (pop-up) notification appears, indicating that the tasks for the selected items are being
replaced. When the toaster notification disappears, tasks from old workflows have been removed
from all the selected assets, and tasks from new workflow have been added.

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Removing Tasks
When an asset is created with a workflow, all of that workflow’s tasks are added to it by default. It is possible toremove specific tasks from an asset’s workflow, as well as to add back tasks that were previously removed.

How to remove asset tasks
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The asset list opens.
2. Click the checkbox of each asset whose workflow you wish to change.

3. In the toolbar above the asset list, click on the More button.

4. From the More drop-down menu, select Edit Tasks.

The Edit Tasks dialog box appears.

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5. In the Task Operation drop-down menu, select Delete.

6. By default, all the tasks in the asset’s workflow will be checked and marked for deletion. If you only
want to delete some of the selected asset’s tasks, uncheck all the tasks that you want to keep.
7. Click the Confirm button.

A toaster (pop-up) notification appears, indicating that the tasks for the selected items are being
replaced. When the toaster notification disappears, tasks from old workflows have been removed
from all the selected assets, and tasks from new workflow have been added.
NOTE
You can add back the tasks that were removed from an assets workflow—see
Adding Tasks .

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Retiring Assets
When an asset is no longer needed, retiring it will hide it from view without deleting it. Retired assets can still beviewed and reactivated if needed—see Activating Retired Assets.

How to retire assets
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The Asset list opens.
2. Click on the asset whose information you would like to view.
3. Enable the checkbox on the far left column of each asset for which you want to retire.

4. In the toolbar above the asset list, select More > Retire Assets.

The Confirm dialog box opens.
5. Select Confirm.

The retired assets is now hidden from view.

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Viewing Retired Assets
Assets that have been retired are hidden from the Production page, but can be viewed if needed.
NOTE
To retire assets, see Retiring Assets.

How to view retired assets
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The Asset list opens.
2. In the toolbar above the asset list, select More > Show Retired Items.

Retired items appear.

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NOTE
To hide retired assets, in the toolbar above the asset list, select More. A
checkmark will be visible beside Show Retired Items. Select Show Retired Items
to disable it.
The retired elements are now hidden from view.

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Activating Retired Assets
Assets that have been retired and hidden from view can be restored so they will appear in the asset list. This isreferred to as activating assets.
NOTE
To retire assets, see Retiring Assets.

How to restore retired assets
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Manage.

The Asset list opens.
2. In the toolbar above the asset list, select More > Show Retired Items.

Retired items appear.

3. Select the Assets you wish to Activate by using the check box to the far left of the screen.
4. Select More > Activate Assets.

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5. In the confirmation prompt, click Confirm.

The retired assets are now visible in the asset list.

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Chapter 6: About Monitoring the Workload

Chapter 6: About Monitoring the Workload
Tasks are at the heart of tracking your production with Producer. They can can be automatically created when
new scenes are added or they can be created manually. Tasks are the practical form of the processes that makeup workflows.
Tasks have different possible statuses and can be assigned to different users.
Tasks are usually created automatically because workflows have a default setting to automatically create tasks.
When you create an item, such as a scene or an asset, and you select a workflow using the auto-create setting,all the processes of this workflow will be converted into actual tasks for this item.

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Assigning Tasks
Each Task in any Workflow can be assigned to a specific user.
To assign multiple tasks to a particular user you can select one scene at a time and change to the required user
or use the check boxes on the side of the screen and select the box of the designated scenes to be assigned.
and in the Task in the Unassigned drop down menu select the appropriate user.

How to assign a task
1. In the top menu, select Production or Assets > Manage.
2. Select the environment and job containing the scenes to assign.
3. In the column corresponding to the task, in the Assigned drop-down menu (bottom), set theasset/task owner.
l

To assign multiple tasks at the same time, in the left-most column, enable the check box for all
the scenes to assign and then assign the task owner.

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Checking Open Tasks for Work and Notes
In Producer, every user receives their own unique login credentials. The individual users will have apredetermined limit of access to Producer depending on their duties within the animation pipeline. Every user
will have the ability to check for Tasks and Notes that have been specifically assigned to them in the Open Tasks
page.

How to check Open Tasks for work and notes
1. In the top menu, select Open Tasks.

2. In the Open Tasks view, use the search toolbar to filter work and update tasks.

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Updating Status Manually
In the Production, Open Tasks, and Assets views, you can set the status for various tasks.

How to update a status
1. In the top menu, select Production, Open Tasks or Assets > Manage.
2. Select the environment and job containing the status to update.
3. In the column corresponding to the task, in the Status drop-down menu (top), set the asset/task
status.
l

To set multiple statuses at the same time, in the left-most column, enable the check box for all
the scenes to update and then set the new status.
NOTE
You can change it depending on the workflow of the production andyour need within that workflow. Depending on how the workflow is
set up there could be some triggers involved with other statuses.

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Logging Work Hours
Producer allows users to track work by hours. In the Open Tasks view, a user can log the hours worked on eachtask on specific dates.

How to log work hours
1. In Open Tasks, click on the Work Hours tab at the top of the task window.
The Work Hours window opens.

2. Here you can select a number of options.
l

In the Date Range field, select the date range.

l

Use the Search toolbar to search for a particular task.

lEnable or disable the Hide Approved option to hide all approved work.

l

For each task, enter the number of hours worked in the corresponding day field.

3. When finished, select Done.

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Uploading and Updating Snapshots
If Producer is not integrated with Harmony or any other option updating the task snapshot automatically, a user
can manually upload a snapshot.
If Producer is integrated with Harmony, you can push the asset snapshot automatically from Harmony using ascript.

How to upload a snapshot manually
1. In Open Tasks, check the box on the far left for the scene(s) you wish to upload a image or video.
2. Select Upload File.

The Upload Preview window opens.

3. In the Upload Preview window, you can either drag and drop your new preview or click and upload it.
4. Select Upload.
5. In the Image area, select the Gear icon that appears when you hover your mouse over the window.
A new window opens.
6. Here you can view the old preview and the new one. Producer automatically makes the latest upload
the default preview.

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How to upload an Asset snapshot from a Harmony scene
1. In Harmony, select the Asset Snapshot script within the asset scene you wish to upload.
A new window opens.
2. The window may display an error at first because it associates the scene name as an asset. Enter inproper asset name.

Harmony then communicates with Producer to recognize the Process you have in place.
3. Set your Process and set your Status (keep the box to the left checked).
4. Click OK.

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A new window will open showing the progress in Rendering Preview.

The Preview Confirmation dialog box opens.
5. Select Upload.

A confirmation window opens.

NOTE
If you view your asset in Producer, they will have a Harmony icon in the preview
window linking directly to the original Harmony file.

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Verifying a User's Workload
You can filter the Production and Asset lists to see tasks assigned to a user.

How to filter the production table
1. In the top menu, select Production or Assets > Manage.

The Production page opens.
2. Select the Environment for which you want to see the workload and assignments.
3. Click on the Toggle Search Panel button at the top.

The Custom Fields window opens.

4. Click the Add + option to add more custom fields as well as use the existing fields to Exclude any of
the selections.

l

In the Add Processes menu, depending on the workflow you selected you get a drop
down window similar to this:l

In the Add Statues, depending on the workflow you selected you get a drop down
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Chapter 6: About Monitoring the Workloadl

And in the final drop-down, Add Assignees, it is limited to the users assigned for thisparticular production.

5. When ready, select Apply Search Criteria in the bottom right corner of the window.

NOTE
There is no limit to the amount of filters you can Add or Exclude from your search
criteria.

This search is not limited to just one episode. You can put your search criteria to include across all
episodes within this production.

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Creating Custom Fields
Custom Fields are fields or columns that can be added by user profile to match something they want to track that
Producer isn’t tracking by default, ie: Difficulty of a scene.

How to create custom fields
1. To add a custom field click on the More tab and select Add Custom Fields.

The Add a Custom Field window opens.

2. In the Name field, enter the name of the new custom field.
3. In the Description field, you can add an optional Description.
4. Click Create.
5. Open the Field Selector, and check the new custom field.

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6. To modify the new custom field, select the scene or asset for which you wish to edit the custom fieldvalue.
7. Open a side panel and select Details > your custom field.

Your entry now appears in the custom field.
NOTE
Everyone in the production will be able to view the custom field. Only certain users
will have the ability to add them.

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Searching in Producer
In Producer there is a Quick Search located in the Production, Open Task, Assets and Review views. This canbe used to quickly find a environment, scene, asset, or numerous other items.

How to search in Producer
1. In the Quick Search field, type a keyword to filter the production table.
2. When done, beside the search field, click the Clear Filter

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Chapter 7: About CSV Import and Export

Chapter 7: About CSV Import and Export
Import CSV files in Toon Boom Producer to automatically create empty assets, scenes, jobs, and environments
and populate additional fields such as Description, Name, and, Note.
Export CSV files from Toon Boom Producer to gather information such as asset lists and details.

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About Creating a CSV File
Before creating your CSV file, review the notes below:lWhen creating the data in the spreadsheet application, set numbers with padding as Text format topreserve the preceding zeros.

l

You are responsible to avoid doubling the asset and scene names in your spreadsheet. Producer will not
accept duplicate names and will suggest skipping the problematic entries.

l2-bit characters and special characters can be imported via CSV file upload only. It will not work bycopying and pasting data directly in the Producer Import CSV dialog box.

lCreate your CSV file as a UTF-8 format (8-bit Unicode Transformation Format) to support special
characters.

lWhen creating a sample header row for your columns, use the exact Producer column name toautomatically match the data. You will be able to reassign the columns directly in Producer before
completing the import process. Use name in lowercase for the scene or job name to be assigned to theName column.

lTo create scenes, you need to add a column containing the matching Job code. For more information,
see Displaying the Environment and Job Codes.

lTo create jobs, you need to add a column containing the matching Environment code. For more
information, see Displaying the Environment and Job Codes.

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Exporting CSV File
Producer allows you to export/import data through CSV files.

How to export a csv file
1. In the main menu, select Production.
2. From the Environment and Job drop-down menus, select an environment and job.
3. In the list of scenes, select one or several scenes from which you would like to export notes bychecking their respective checkbox.
4. In the Production tab toolbar, select More > Export CSV.

The Export CSV window appears.

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5. Check or uncheck the column checkboxes to select which categories you would like to appear in yourexported CSV file.
6. Click Export CSV.
A CSV file automatically downloads.

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Displaying the Environment and Job Codes
When creating a CSV file to create scenes or jobs, you need to include the job code, in which these scenes willbe created or the environment code, in which the new jobs will be.

How to display the Environment code:
1. In the main menu, select Production.

2. Use the Environments drop-down menu, under the main menu, to navigate to an environment list.
3. In the Production toolbar, click on the Column Manager icon.

4. In the Column Manager, enable the Environment Code column.

The Environment Code column appears in the list of environments.

How to display the Job code:
1. In the main menu, select Production.

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2. Use the Job drop-down menu, under the main menu, to navigate to a job list.
3. In the Production toolbar, click on the Column Manager icon.

4. In the Column Manager, enable the Job Code column.

The Job Code column appears in the list of jobs.

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Uploading a CSV File and Copy/Pasting Data
When your data is ready, you can import it in Producer. You can also copy and paste your data directly from yourspreadsheet to the Producer Import CSV dialog box without creating a CSV.

How to upload a CSV file or copy data from a CSV file:
1. Go either to Assets > Manage.

Or navigate to the Environment, then to the Job where you want to create items from your CSV data.
2. Click on the More tab and select Import CSV.

The Import CSV dialog box opens.

3. In the Import CSV dialog box (if a CSV is already created), click on the Select a CSV file to parse
button and browse for your CSV file. Alternatively, you can paste it into the Copy and Paste from a
Spreadsheet area.

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4. Set up your String Delimiter to Auto detect.

5. Click on the Next: Data Mapping button.

6. Click on the Next: Verify button.

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NOTE
If the CSV file format doesn’t match the default value, Producer will display awarning.

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Chapter 8: About Assembly

Chapter 8: About Assembly
Assembly is the process of associating assets with environments, jobs and scenes that require those assets so
as to track which assets must be completed before work on these environments, jobs and scenes can begin. An
asset can be assembled with as many environments, scenes and jobs as needed, and environments, jobs andscenes can be assembled to as many assets as needed.
Whether you associate an asset with a scene, job or environment can depend on how much it is used. For
example:l

If an asset will only be used in one or a couple scenes in an episode, it makes sense to assemble it witheach scene in which it is used.

l

If an asset is to be used throughout one or a few episodes, it makes sense to assemble it with each job
representing each episode in which it is used.

l

If an asset will be used throughout an entire season or an entire series, it makes sense to assemble it witheach environment in which it is used.

Assets that have been assigned to scenes can be viewed from the Production page. In the Job Tasks column fora given scene, the progress process wheel will display the number of assets assigned to it in the centre, and thecompletion percentage in the wheel.
The Assembly page also allows you to search and filter assets.

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Navigating and Searching the Production List
The left area of the Assembly page is where you can navigate your production to locate the right environment,
job or scene, and the right area of the page is where you can browse through and search for assets.

The first step to assembling is browsing through the Production List panel to find the item you want to associate
assets with.

How to search the production list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens and the Production List panel appears to the left.
2. In the Production List panel, navigate to the production item with which you want to assemble assets:
3. To assemble assets to an environment, in the environments drop-down in the Production List panel,select All Environments.

4. To assemble assets to a job, in the environments drop-down menu, select the environment
containing the job you want to assemble assets with.
5. To assemble assets to a scene:lin the environments drop-down menu, select the environment containing the scene you wantto assemble assets with.

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Chapter 8: About AssemblylIn the Job drop-down menu, select the job containing the scene you want to assemble
assets with.

6. To filter the listed items based on keywords, in the Quick Search text box, type in all or part of thename of the environment, job or scene you want to find. Then hit the Enter key to add what you typed
to your search terms.

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Only items containing your search term appear in the list.
NOTE
You can repeat this step to add several search terms. Only items containing all of
your search terms in their name will appear in the list.
You can remove a search term by clicking on the Close
icon in the searchterms box. You can also press Backspace to delete the last search term.
7. To list all items again, do one of the following:lClick the Remove
button.

icon on all search terms in the text box or hit the Clear all filters

lPress the Backspace key to remove the last search term until all the search terms have beenerased.

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Browsing and Finding Assets
The second step to assembling assets with environments, jobs or scenes in your production is to find the assets
you want to associate to the items in the Production List.
When you open the Assembly page, the list of all the assets for your project is displayed in the right area, in apanel labelled Assets List. If you don’t have a lot of assets, you can simply scroll through your assets and find theassets you want to assemble. Otherwise, you can use the extensive set of search and display options to find theright assets.

It is also possible to have several lists of assets in the Assembly page, each one taking a part of the spacereserved to the assets list. Each list can have its own unique search filters and display settings.

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How to change the size of thumbnails in the assets list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens. The Asset List panel appears to the right.
2. Ensure the Asset List is in tile mode by clicking the Tiles icon.

3. To change the size of the assets:
4. Click and hold the icon in the middle of the slider, then drag it to the left to make the icons smaller, orright to make the icons larger.

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How to change the display mode of the assets list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens. The Asset List panel appears to the right.
2. Do one of the following:l

To view the Asset List in tile mode, click Tiles.

l

To view the Asset List in list mode, click List.

How to filter assets in the assets list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens. The Asset List panel appears to the right.

2. In the top-right corner of the Assets List panel click the Toggle Search Panel
The search panel appears below the toolbar.

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3. Do one or several of the following to filter the list of assets to the assets you want to assemble:l

In the Name field, type in the name, or part of the name, of the asset you are searching for.

l

In the Workflow drop-down menu, select the workflow associated with the asset you aresearching for.

l

If the asset you are searching for was already assembled with an environment, in theEnvironments drop-down menu, select the environment the asset you are searching for isassociated with.

l

If the asset you are searching for was already assembled with a job, in the Jobs drop-down
menu, select the job for the asset you want to search for.

l

If the asset you are searching for was assigned a specific process, in the Process field, selectthe process assigned to the asset you are searching for.

l

In the Statuses field, select the status for the asset you want to search for.

l

In the Categories field, select the category for the asset you are searching for.

l

In the Types field, select the type for the asset you want to search for.

4. Click Apply Search Criteria at the bottom of the search toolbar.
The assets that match your criteria appear in the list of jobs.
5. To display all assets again, click the Clear button at the bottom of the search panel.
All of the assets are now displayed in the asset list.

How to add an assets list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens. The Asset List panel appears to the right.
2. At the top of the Asset List, select Add Assets List.
An additional asset list appears on the right.

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3. To rename an asset list, click anywhere at the top of the list around the current name.
The text box can now be edited.
4. Type in a new name for the asset list in the text box, then click anywhere outside of the text box.
The asset list has now been renamed.

How to remove an assets list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens. The Asset List panel appears to the right.
2. If there is more than one asset list, click on the Remove
wish to remove.

icon to the top left of the asset list you

The asset list has now been removed.

How to remove all extra assets list and reset the first assets list
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Assembly page opens. The Asset List panel appears to the right.
2. If there is more than one asset list, select Clear Assets Lists at the top of the Asset List page.
All but the original asset list are removed.

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Assembling
You can assemble assets by associating assets with the environments, jobs, and scenes in which they are used.
If an asset is only used in a few scenes, it can be assembled to those scenes; if it is only used in a few episodes,
it can be assembled to said jobs; if it will be used throughout an entire series season, it can be assembled to an
environment.

How to assemble one asset at a time
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Asset List opens.
2. Locate the environment/s, job/s, or scene/s you want to associate the asset to from the production
List—see Searching Production List.
3. Locate the asset you want to associate to an environment, scene or job from the Assets List.
4. Click the asset you wish to assign, and drag it over to the Asset Drop column to the item you wish to
assign it to.

The asset is now listed in the Asset Drop column.

How to assemble multiple assets at once
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Asset List opens.

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2. Locate the environment/s, job/s, or scene/s you want to associate the asset to from the production
List—see Searching Production List.
3. Select the item by checking the checkbox on the far left column of each item you wish to associate
the asset to.

4. Locate the asset you want to associate to an environment, scene or job from the Assets List.
5. Select the asset by enabling the checkbox on the far left column of each asset you want to associate
to an item.

6. Click the Move button to associate the assets to the items.

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The assets are now listed in the Asset Drop column.

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Disassembling
Assets that have been associated with environments, jobs and scenes can be disassociated at any time bydisassembling them.

How to disassemble assets
1. In the top menu, select Assets > Assembly.
The Asset list opens.
2. In the Assets list, locate the environment, scene or job you want to disassemble.
3. In the Asset Drop column, click the Remove

icon on the asset you want to disassemble.

The asset is removed from the Asset Drop column.

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Checking the Asset Progress in a Scene Workflow
From a scene workflow, you can check the asset creation progress by adding a Progress process. This node will
track the percentage of completion of the assets assigned to the scene.

How to add a Progress node to a workflow
1. In the top menu, select Settings.

The Project Settings are displayed.
2. Select Workflows.

The Workflow tab opens.
3. In the Workflow list, select the desired workflow you would like to add the Progress node to.
The workflow appears in the editor.

4. Click on the drop-down arrow BESIDE the Add Process button.
5. Select Add Progress.

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The new node is added to the workspace.
NOTE
Producer reads everything linearly, so the new node must be placed to the left of
the Workflow.

6. Rename your node to reflect the purpose, In this case, Asset Check.
7.
NOTE
To rename any node, either right-click and select Rename or press Ctrl/Cmd Click on thenode.
8. Select the Asset Check progress node.
9. In the Properties view's Listen to events from field, select the Asset or any type of element you would
like this to track in your workflow. You can track multiple items.

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10. To save the changes to the process, click the Save button.

11. To save the Workflow, click the Save Workflow

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button.

Chapter 9: About Harmony Integration

Chapter 9: About Harmony Integration
Producer can be used independently from other Toon Boom software. However, there is a high level ofintegration possible for a studio using Harmony as an animation software and even more so when using
Harmony database. This chapter will cover the aspects of synchronization between Producer and Harmony
database as well as the increasingly popular setup to work remotely.

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Working Remotely
Working from home is an increasingly popular trend that has advantages as well as challenges. Smooth datatransfer and proper versioning will go a long way to help maintain efficiency.
When working with a Harmony Database in a studio, the scenes and assets are located on the server and theusers can edit them directly. With Internet connections varying in quality, this is not practical when working
remotely and it is best to transfer the scenes or assets locally to work on them with Harmony Standalone.
To accomplish this, the Harmony scenes need to undergo these operations in order:
Being Checked-out, Exported, Compressed, Uploaded to a cloud exchange folder, Downloaded to the remoteclient, Decompressed, Worked on, Saved locally, Rendered (with the rendered preview pushed to Producer for
approval), Compressed, Uploaded to a cloud exchange folder, Downloaded to the server, Decompressed,
Imported in the Database and Checked-in.
Producer will play a key role in simplifying the above process so that the end-user will only have a few clicks to
do.

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Configuring Access
For the scenes to transition smoothly between the Harmony server and the remote client, we will need toconfigure a few applications and establish a few exchange folders.
The applications involved in the exchange process are the following:lHarmony Server (at the studio)l

WebCC (at the studio)l

Producer (in the cloud)l

Producer Link (at home)lHarmony Standalone (at home)

Harmony Server
The Harmony Server is at the studio, hosting the database. In the context of working in offline mode, it willhandle user requests for exporting/importing scenes and checking scenes in and out.
WebCC
Installed on the Harmony server (or on a Harmony client) at the studio, this application will handle allcommunication between Producer and Harmony. It will be responsible for regularly querying a message queue(amqps) from Producer. It needs to be set up to point to the correct Producer address. There are several
configuration options.
Producer
The users are typically making requests through the Producer web application. When operations need to bedone on the Harmony server (such as exporting a database scene), Producer will leave a message for WebCC.
If an operation is requested on the local machine (such as decompressing a file or opening a scene in Harmony),
Producer will launch the local application Producer Link.
Producer Link

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This local desktop application is a complement of the Producer web application. It is used to run various local
operations that are not permitted by a web application (any tasks requiring direct access to edit local files, suchas decompressing a file). We also use Producer Link to set up exchange folders, workspaces and otherimportant configuration.
Harmony Standalone
In the context of working from home with Producer and Harmony database scenes, we will have to adapt
Harmony Standalone by installing the snapshot scripts. These scripts should be installed by every home user
and will considerably simplify the process of updating the Harmony database after local work has been
completed.
The exchange folders needed are as follow:
lHarmony Server Exchange Folder (at the studio)lCloud Exchange Folder (in the cloud)l

Local Offline Folder (at home)

Harmony Server Exchange Folder
Located on the Harmony server, this folder exists by default in /USA_DB/exchange. Scenes that are exported
from the Harmony database will appear here. This folder will need to be synchronized with the Cloud Exchange
Folder. The synchronization is typically accomplished through a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive or
DropBox.
Cloud Exchange Folder
This folder is a cloud replica of the Harmony Server Exchange Folder. It will contain subfolders with the Harmony
usernames of the people exporting and importing scenes (username/exported/ and username/importing). These
subfolders will need to be shared and mounted locally for each home user.
Local Offline Folders

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This is where database scenes are stored and decompressed on the client machine while they are being worked
on remotely.

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Setting up the Cloud Exchange
The Harmony server exchange folder needs to be prepared and configured so that remote users cansynchronize their exported scenes and files via a cloud service. By default, this exchange folder is located on the
Harmony file system under /USA_DB/exchange. This is where all exported and imported scenes will betemporarily stored for every Harmony user.
The default location of the exchange folder can be customized when launching the WebCC service with theoption -exchange “/path/to/exchange folder”.
Once the Harmony server and WebCC are up and running, it is now time to synchronize the content of theexchange folder with a cloud service. For this example we will use Google Drive.
How-to share the Harmony Server Exchange Folder on the Cloud
As a studio system administrator, you need to share the Harmony server exchange folder through a cloudstorage service.
1. Download and install the Google Drive application on the host of the Harmony server exchange folder.
2. Using the Google Drive interface, add your Harmony Server Exchange Folder (/USA_DB/exchange) tothe list of folders to be synchronized with Google Drive.
NOTE
The exchange folder can either be created within the Google drive file structure or individually added
to it for synchronization.
Sharing cloud exchange access with individual remote users
When everything is configured server side, a system administrator will need to share access with all remoteusers. It is recommended to specifically and individually share the Harmony user exchange subfolder (Cloud
Exchange Folder/userName/) and not the full access to the exchange folder itself. This will ensure each user
only downloads and synchronizes their own files and scenes.
1. First, the exchange subfolder for every home user needs to be created. This can be done in one of two
ways:
a. Manually: You can find the list of Harmony users on the Harmony server in /USA_DB/users/.
Create these user folders directly under the Cloud Exchange Folder. You should end up with astructure similar to this:Cloud Exchange Folder/┖ Andres/┖ Barbara/┖ Jonathan/b. Automatically: When users are exporting a Harmony Database Scene, either through WebCC,
Harmony Control Center or Producer, the Harmony user exchange folder will be created.
2. From the Google Drive web Interface, select each Harmony user exchange folder (Cloud Exchange
Folder/userName/) and share it with the appropriate user’s email.
How-to mount my Harmony user exchange subfolder

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As a remote Harmony user, you need to mount the Harmony user exchange subfolder that was shared with you.
You have likely received an email informing you that a system administrator has shared a folder with you.
1. Download and install the Google Drive application on your home computer.
2. Using the Google Drive web interface, find the Harmony user exchange subfolder that your systemadministrator has shared with you (under: “Shared with me”).
3. Right-click on the folder and select “Add a shortcut to My Drive”.
4. Right-click on the folder and select specify that this folder needs to be accessible offline.
Once the above is completed, you should look into configuring Producer Link to work remotely on a Harmony
Database.

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Exporting and Managing Scenes Offline
Once the setup for working remotely has been completed, the user has the possibility to initiate the exportingand opening of scenes directly from the Producer web interface. If needed, the local desktop application
Producer Link will open automatically to assist the user in completing the appropriate operations.

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Exporting Scenes Offline
The operation of exporting scenes from the Harmony Database can be combined with the actions of checking
out the scene and opening it remotely. However, you may simply export scenes to prepare them for a later
usage. This is what will be discussed here.
NOTE
Before attempting to export a scene, please be sure that Producer Link is set up correctly. - See
Setting up the cloud exchange and Setting up Producer Link.

How to Export a Scene Offline from the Scene List
1. From the Production page, enter an environment by doing one of the following:lSelect it from the Environment drop-down listlDouble click on an Environment

2. Enter a job by doing one of the following:lSelect it from the Job drop-down listlDouble click on a Job

3. Highlight a scene (by clicking on it)
NOTE
At the moment, it is only possible to export one scene at a time.
The highlighted scene (the one surrounded by blue lines) will be exported, regardless ofwhich scenes are selected via their checkboxes.

4. Click on the More button and select Export Offline.

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5. (Optional) Modify the export options to suit your needs.
6. Click on the Export button.

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How to Export a Scene Offline from the Asset List
1. From the Asset Manage page, Highlight an asset (by clicking on it).
NOTE
The asset must be synchronized with a Harmony Server.
At the moment, it is only possible to export one asset at a time.
The highlighted asset (the one surrounded by blue lines) will be exported, regardless ofwhich assets are selected via their checkboxes.
2. Click on the More button and select Export Offline.
3. (Optional) Modify the export options to suit your needs.
4. Click on the Export button.

How to Export a Scene Offline from the Open Task
1. From the Open Tasks page, Highlight a scene by clicking on it.
If the scene is synchronized with Harmony, the “Export Offline” button will appear.
2. Click on the “Export Offline” button.
The Export Offline dialog appears.
3. (Optional) Modify the export options to suit your needs.
4. Click on the Export button.

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How to Modify the Export Options
When exporting a scene offline from the Harmony database, the user can select what should be exported
along with the scene. The user can choose to add elements that may be exterior to the scene itself, such as
an Environment Palette. Similarly, the user may decide that he does not need everything and choose toremove elements from the export.
By default, the following options are set:
l

Audio

l

ElementlTiming

l

Stage

l

Palettel

Scene Palette.

To add export options, click on the downward arrow at the end of the option lists to expand the drop-down
and select all the options you want to add.

To remove export options, click on the “x” next to it.

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WARNING
Do not remove the Stage option as it would not be possible to open the scene afterwards.
Here is a detailed description of each of the options:Annotation

The different drawings created while drawing in the Annotation columns.

Audio

The content of the Audio directory.

Element

The contents of the Element directories. (tvg drawings or other file format imported as
Elements in Harmony)

Timing

The contents of the Timing directories.

The *.xstage, *.aux and other files that are necessary to open the scene.
Stage

WARNING
This option should always be selected!

PalleteThe PALETTE_List file. The Palette list is a file listing every palette used for the scene andtheir location on the browser.

Scene Pallete

The palette-library of the scene level.

Job Pallete

The palette-library from the job level. When you select the job level, the palette-library inlower-level directories will also be exported. Every exported job palette will be placed within
the folder named palette-library available under sceneName > jobs > Digital.

The palette-library from the environment level. When you select the environment level, thepalette-library in lower-level directories will also be exported.
Env Pallete
Every exported environment palette will be placed within the folder named palette-libraryavailable under sceneName > environments > Digital.

Backup Pallete

The palette-list file which is necessary for the scene to know which palettes to use. In mostcases, it should be selected as well as the Scene Palette option.

Library

Templates created at the selected levels.

Scene Library

Templates created at the scene level.

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Annotation

The different drawings created while drawing in the Annotation columns.

Job Library

Templates created at the job level.

Env Library

Templates created at the environment level.

Other

All other directories and files in the scene's data structure. For example, some studios willplace within the scene folder their After Effect, Photoshop or Premiere project used for thescene.

OutsideDrawings

If the Stage option is selected, it is possible to select the Get Outside Drawings option tocopy drawings into the scene folder that is referred to by the Timing columns and their
Element (Drawing) nodes.

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Analyzing the Outcome of an Export
A Successful export will result is this pop-up message, offering you to open the scene with Harmony:

For an export to be successful, the following conditions must be met:l

WebCC service is running (in the studio).

l

Scene, Job and Environment are synchronized.

l

Producer Link’s settings are properly set.

l

The user is connected to the cloud storage application.

Here is a list of the most common failures that could occur following the export of a scene.
Results

Pop-up Messages

Likely cause

Scene, Job or
Environment is notsynchronized, thus
they are not available.

Failed export

One or several of thefollowing reasons:llUnfinished exportl163

WebCC service
is not running.
Server is slow
and takes timeto process therequest.
Too many
requests are
being
processed at
the same time.

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Opening Offline Scenes
There are multiple ways to open a Scene remotely.
lOpen directly with the “Open in Harmony” button.

lOpen a scene right after an export via the pop-up message.

lOpen a scene later, using Producer Link.

All these methods will be discussed in detailed How-tos below. Whichever method you use, the “Open Offline
Scene” dialog of Producer Link will be displayed.

How to open a Scene Directly with the “Open in Harmony” button
1. If you have configured your Producer Link to “Open Scenes in Offline Mode”, the “Open in Harmony”
button will behave accordingly. If the scene has already been exported, it will open the default
version of the latest export. If the scene has not yet been exported, it will proceed to export it rightaway and then, when it becomes available, it will unzip it and open the current version.

How to open a scene right after an export via the pop-up message.
As long as the pop-up message of a successful export is not closed, it is possible to open a scene from theOpen in Harmony button available within the pop-up.
1. Export a scene offline.
2. Click on the Open in Harmony button available on the pop-up message.

The Producer Link Open Offline Scene dialog opens.
3. Open the scene from the Open Offline Scene dialog.

How to open a scene later, using Producer Link
At any time, the user can have access to his exported scenes within the Open Offline Scene dialog of
Producer Link.
1. Launch Producer Link.
2. From the Top Menu, go to Scenes > Open.

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The Producer Link Open Offline Scene dialog opens.
3. Open the scene from the Open Offline Scene dialog.

How to open a scene from the Open Offline Scene dialog
1. In the top section, click on the scene you want to open.

Once the scene is selected, the information regarding the export will be displayed in the lower
section, allowing various possible actions depending on the status of the scene.
NOTE
If more than one export has been done for the selected scene, there will be multiple rows
available in the lower section, the most recent export being listed at the top of the list.

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2. Click on the

button to unzip and open the file.

Once the scene is unzipped, other actions will become available.

How to select a particular scene version
Just like Harmony, Producer Link will always show the current version by default. If you would like to open a
different version, here is the procedure:

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1. Click on the version drop-down.

2. Select the scene version you would like to open.

NOTE
The current database version is indicated by an asterisk (*). The current version will be
updated when the scene is uploaded back to the database.

How to check out a scene
There are 2 situations in which a user may want to check out a scene.

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A scene has already been exported but has not been checked out yet.

l

The user is about to request a scene export and would like to check out the scene at the same time.

Both situations are handled in the “Open Offline Scene” dialog of Producer Link. Here is how you canaccess it.
Checking out an already exported scene
1. In the top section, click on the scene you want to check out.

2. Click on the Request checkout button.
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1. In the top section, click on the scene you want to export and check out.

2. Click on the downward arrow next to the Export only button to open the drop-down menu.

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3. Select the Checkout and Export option.

NOTE
You can change the default value of the Export button to be either “Export only” or “Check out
and Export”. This can be done in Settings of Producer Link.

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NOTE
If an error occurs while trying to check out the scene, a warning icon
will appear next to thescene name. Hover over the icon to display a more detailed error message.

NOTE
If the scene was exported more than once, every export will be listed in the lower section. It will
be important to look closely at the export date to ensure you are using the right one.

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About the Open Offline Scene Dialog
The Open Offline Scene dialog of Producer Link reflects the exports made by the user. It makes it easy for theuser to access all of his exported scenes and manage them while they are offline. Every scene version will beaccessible for each scene.
Here is a description of all the areas of the dialog.
Icon

Name

Description

Environment

Environment
name to which thescene belongs on
the Harmony
database.

Job

Job name towhich the scene
belongs on the
Harmony
database.

Scene

Exported scene
name.

RefreshLets the userrefresh thecontents of theexported scene
list.

Exported Date

Represents thedate and time ofthe export from
Producer. If there
are more than
one export madefor the scene, themore recent one
will appear on topof the list. The
exported date isalso used todefine the nameof the 7z filecreated from theexport.

Exported Scene List

Selected Scene

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Icon

Name

Description

Scene Path

Provides the pathof the *.xstage filewithin theexported scenefolder.

VersionLets the user
select from adrop-down menu
which scene
version he wants
to open. The
latest version isdisplayed bydefault. The
current version ismarked by anasterisk (*).

Open in Harmony

Lets the user
open the scene inHarmony offline
mode.

Open Folder

Lets the user
open the folder
where the*.xstage file is.

Delete Scene Folder

Deletes theunzipped folder.

Delete 7z File

Deletes the *.7z
file created fromthe export.

Delete All

Deletes all files
related to thisscene.

Request Checkout

Lets the user
request a
checkout for theselected scene
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Icon

Name

Description

modify it until acheck-in is done.

This button
provides 2
different actions:
Export Only: Lets
the user request
another export ofthe selectedscene. Checkout
and Export: Lets
the user request
another export
and checkout the
selected scene .

Export OnlyNOTE
The Open Offline Scene dialog cannot be loaded if the Open Scenes in Offline mode option isdisabled. - See Configuring Producer Link.

How to access the Open Offline Scene dialog from the Producer Link Icon
On MacOS:
1. In the top Status bar, right-click on the Producer Link icon.

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2. Select Open Offline Scene.

On Windows:
1. In the bottom Status bar, click on the arrow button to expand the list of available applications.

2. Right-click on the Producer Link icon.

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3. Select the Open Scene.

How to access the Open Offline Scene dialog from the Producer Link top menu
1. In the Producer Link top menu, click on the Scenes menu
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Uploading Work
After you have completed the work you had to do on an offline scene, it is now time to render it, to submit it for
approval, to log in the hours you spent on it and to push the result back to the server. Fortunately, all of these
operations can be combined in one, using the Harmony snapshot scripts.

How to install the Harmony Scripts for Harmony Standalone
1. From Producer, click on the user dropdown at the Top Right of the black Menu bar.

2. Download the scripts from the "Downloads and Resources" the Producer page.

3. Double-click on the downloaded .zip to decompress it:
4. Open a Harmony scene offline to configure Harmony Standalone.

5. In Harmony, under "windows", open the "Script Editor".

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6. In the Script Editor menu (top left), go to File, Import Script:

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7. Browse to the decompressed scripts and import the six files.

8. You should answer "User" six times to the question "Where would you like to save ...".
Then follow the procedure to add the scripts in Harmony:
9. Add the script toolbar.

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10. Add the TB_Producer_SceneSnapshot & TB_Producer_AssetSnapshot scripts.

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11. Using the “Customize Icon” feature, upload the provided icons to easily distinguish the two scripts.

12. The Scripts can now be launched from the Harmony Standalone by clicking on the appropriate icons.

How to update the Harmony Scripts for Harmony Standalone
If the Harmony scripts have to be updated, you can simply replace the old scripts with the latest ones. You
should find the scripts to be replaced in the following location:

On Windows:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Toon Boom Animation\Toon Boom
Harmony Premium\[version]-scripts

On MacOS:/Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Toon Boom Animation/Toon
Boom Harmony Premium/[version]-scripts

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How to upload work using the snapshot scripts
1. Launch the TB_Producer_SceneSnapshot.js script, using the SceneSnapshot icon.

2. If your script is not logged in, you will have to enter the address of your Producer Web, yourusername and password.

3. In the Section titled “Scene to Render and Upload”, validate the following scene information, startingwith the Project.
lProjectlEnvironment

l

Job

l

Scene

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NOTE
If the selected project does not contain this scene, an error message will appear andevery other field will be grayed out.

Pick the correct project from the dropdown list to resolve the issue.
4. In the Render and Upload Preview to Producer, set the following options:lSelect Processol

The snapshot of the scene you are uploading will be labeled as a snapshot of thisprocess.

(Optional) Set Statuso

The Status of the selected Process will be set accordingly in Producer.
NOTE
The option available within the Select Process and Set Status to are defined in
Producer by the workflow.

5. (Optional) Enter the amount of hours worked on that scene in that offline session.
6. (Only the first time) Set up the exchange folder path by clicking on the Change button.
NOTE
In the Exchange textfield, you must enter /exchange_path/username
The exchange path is the same as the one set up within the Settings page of Producer
Link. - See Configuring Producer Link.
So, if the whole exchange folder was shared with you (ex: /Some/Path), you need to add
your username: /Some/Path/username.
However, if only your specific user subfolder was shared with you (ex:/Some/Path/username), you can use it as such.
7. Check “Upload and Update Database Scene”, to push your changes to the Harmony server.

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8. Click on the OK button.
The Create Preview progress bar appears.

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Once the render is completed, a movie preview opens and a dialog appears.
9. Click on the Upload to send the snapshot (preview) to Producer.

If the upload is successful, you will get a confirmation.

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Updating Snapshot Scripts in Harmony
In Harmony you must install the snapshots scripts provided by Toon Boom. There will be two types of scripts to
install. One is the Scene Snapshot scripts, they other is the Asset Snapshot scripts. The scripts allow Harmony
to be connected to Producer.

How to upload a scene snapshot from your scene:
1. Select the Scene Snapshot script within the scene you wish to upload a snapshot.
The TB_Producer_SceneSnapshot window opens.
2. Enter in the information for this scene. The first 4 fields are mapped to the Project > Environment >Job > Scene.

3. In the Process drop-down menu, select the process.
4. Set the process/task status that you wish to be updated in Producer.
5. Click OK.
The Create Preview progress bar appears.

Once finished, the Preview Confirmation window opens.
6. Click Upload to send the snapshot (preview) to Producer.

Harmony lets you know that your preview has been successfully created.

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About Harmony Synchronization
You can import and synchronize scenes between Producer and Harmony as long as the Environment and Job
structure is the same.

How to create environments in Producer and Harmony Server
To create a new environment in Producer and add it to the Harmony server you must follow these steps:
1. In the main menu, select Production.
2. In the Environments drop-down menu, select All Environments.
3. In the Production tab toolbar, click on the Add Environment button.

The Create Environment window opens.
4. In the Name field, type in the name of the new environment.
5. In the Description field, optionally add a description of the new environment.
6. Check the Create in Harmony checkbox.

7. Click in the Environment field. The environment name is automatically regenerated. If there arespaces in the name, they will automatically be replaced by underscores. Harmony doesn’t allow
spaces in names.

8. In the Version of Harmony field, you can optionally enter the version of Harmony being used.
9. In the Add a default thumbnail box, you can optionally drag and drop a file that will be used at theenvironment's Preview image. This can also be done at a later time.

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10. Click on the Create Environment button.
The new environment will be sent to the render queue.
11. Go back to the Production > All Environments.

12. Go to the Column Selector

and check the Harmony Status box.

The Harmony Status indicates Create in Progress.
13. Hit the Refresh button.
The Harmony Status is updated to Vaild. The new environment now appears in the Harmony Server
or will remain in the queue until there is a proper connection to the Harmony Server.

How to add jobs from Producer into Harmony Server
1. In the main menu, select Production.
2. From the Environment drop-down menu, select the environment in which you’d like to add the jobs.
3. In the Production tab toolbar, click on the Add Jobs button.

The Create Job window opens.
4. In the Number of jobs field, enter the number of jobs you wish to create.
5. In the Start Date field, click on the calendar icon to select a start date for the first job.

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6. If you entered a value greater than one for the Number of jobs, in the Days between jobs field, enter
the number of days you would like in the production schedule between jobs. This will affect the
production schedule Gantt chart.
7. In the Name field, type in the name of the first job.
NOTE
If you create more than one job, it is important to add a number to the end of thename, as the other jobs will use the same name plus subsequent number.
8. In the Description field, optionally enter a description of the job.
9. In the Job Workflow and Scene Workflow drop-down menus, find the job and scene workflows thatyou would like to associate with the new jobs.
10. Check the Create in Harmony checkbox.
11. Click in the Job field. The job name is automatically generated from the one entered into the Name
field. Spaces will be replaced by underscores.
12. Optionally, in the Version of Harmony field, enter the version number of Harmony being used.

13. Click Create Job.
The new Job is sent to the render queue.
14. Go back to the Production page, selected environment, then to All Jobs.
15. Go to the Column Selector

and check the Harmony Status box.

The status indicates Create in Progress. All the jobs have a sequential numerical order.

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16. Hit the Refresh button.
The Harmony Status is updated to Valid. The jobs appear in the Harmony Server or will remain in thequeue until there is a proper connection to the Harmony Server.

How to add Scenes from Producer into Harmony Server
1. In the main menu, select Production.
2. From the Environment drop-down menu, select the environment in which you’d like to add the jobs.
3. From the Job drop-down menu, select the job in which you’d like to add the scenes.
4. In the Production tab toolbar, click on the Add Scenes button.

The Create Scene window opens.
5. In the Number of scenes field, enter the number of scenes you wish to create.
6. In the Name field, type in the name of the first scene.
NOTE
If you create more than one scene, it is important to add a number to the end of thename, as the other scenes will use the same name plus subsequent number.
7. In the Workflow drop-down menu, select the workflow you would like to associate with the newscenes.
8. In the Number of frames field, enter a numerical value for the number of frames that you would like
automatically created for each scene.
9. In the Priority drop-down menu, select the priority (No priority, 1 - Critical to 5 - Low) for the newscenes.
10. Check the Create in Harmony Server checkbox.

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11. Click in the Scene field. The scene name is automatically generated from the one entered into theName field. Spaces will be replaced by underscores.
12. Optionally, in the Version of Harmony field, enter the version number of Harmony being used.
13. Optionally, in the Description field, enter a description of the scene.

14. Click Create Scene.
The new Scene is sent to the render queue.
15. Go back to the Production page, selected environment and job.

16. If the Harmony Status column is not displayed, go to the Column Selector
Harmony Status box.

and check the

The status indicates Create in Progress. All the scene names have a sequential numerical order.
17. Hit the Refresh button.
The Harmony Status is updated to Valid. The scenes appear in the Harmony Server or will remain in
the queue until there is a proper connection to the Harmony Server.

How to create scenes/jobs in Harmony and synchronize with Producer

NOTE
Environment and job names must match in both Harmony and Producer for this process to
work.

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1. In your Harmony Server, create your scenes.

2. Once the scenes are created in Harmony, go back to Producer and in the main menu, selectProduction.
3. In the Environment and Job drop-down menus, select the environment and job you would like topopulate with scenes created in Harmony.

No scenes will be visible yet.
4. In the Jobs drop-down menu, select All Jobs.
5. From the list of jobs that appear, select the jobs for which created scenes in Harmony by checking
their checkboxes.

6. In the Production tab toolbar, select More > Synchronize with Harmony.

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The Synchronize with Harmony dialog box opens.

7. Click on the Synchronize button.
The scenes appear in Producer.

NOTE
Syncing with Harmony will also update the frame counts to those set in Harmony.

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How to sync Harmony with scenes deleted in Producer
1. In your Environment/Jobs where you would like to delete a scene(s), check the box on the left
column. Then go to the More tab and select Delete Scenes.

The Delete scenes dialog box opens.

2. Select Delete.
The Delete scenes WARNING window opens. It tells you that the Producer scene and the external
scene in Harmony will be deleted.

3. Select Delete.
The selected scenes are deleted from both Harmony and Producer.

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About Sending Assets to Harmony (Baking)In Producer, “baking’ refers to the pushing of assets directly into Harmony scenes. This can be simply
accomplished in the Asset Assembly page, by selecting the scenes for which you wish the baking to be done andpressing the baking button (with the Harmony logo). However, several operations have to be completed first to
insure a successful bake.

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Requirements for Baking
Producer_Link

Producer Link is an application that can help you create workspaces and upload assets to
Producer. It can be downloaded from the about page of Producer.

cli_workspaces

Setup through Producer link, the file /Users/user_name/.producer/cli_workspaces has toreflect the local access path to folders storing assets.

workspaces.json

Setup manually, the file /USA_DB/workspaces.json specify which folders can be used tostore templates and must also specify the folders containing assets (the same as specified
in cli_workspaces) so that Harmony can find these assets and paste them to the scenes.

TB_Producer_
AssetSnapshot.js

That Harmony script allows the user to push an asset from a Harmony scenes as apreview in Producer and as a template, in a library folder (specified in workspaces.json).
That script can be downloaded from the About page of Producer. (Note that all 4 scripts
should be installed as they are referring each others)

WebCC

WebCC is a Harmony application that is able to communicate with Producer. For thebaking to work, you have to use WebCC version 17.0.3 or more higher.

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Sending a PSD file into a Harmony scene
You can send a PSD file directly to Harmony using Producer.

How to send a PSD file to Harmony
1. In top menu bar, go to Asset > Manage.
2. In the secondary toolbar, click on the Create Asset button.
The Create Asset dialog box opens.
3. In the Create Asset dialog box, specify the name of the asset (in this case the name of he PSD file).

4. Check the Harmony Standalone option box.
5. In the Workspace ID field, specify the workspace ID—see About Sending Assets to Harmony(Baking).
6. In the Relative Path field, enter the end of the path extenxsion. The relative path relates to where theasset is located within the workspace.
7. In the Workflow drop-down menu, specify the workflow by choosing one from the list.

8. Click on the Add Asset button.
The PSD file is now available in Harmony.

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How to create a snapshot and add a preview image of the PSD
1. From your desktop top menu bar, click on the Producer icon and select Login.

The Login to Producer dialog box appears.
2. Enter the web address of your Producer, as well as your username and password.

3. From your desktop top menu bar, click on the Producer icon and select Upload External Asset.

The External Asset Upload dialog box opens.
4. In the Project drop-down menu, select the project where your asset is located.

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5. In the Asset Name field, click on the magnifying glass icon to search for the asset and identify it.
6. In the Process drop-down menu, select a workflow task to specify which task/process the snapshot isbeing uploaded for.
7. In the Source section, click on the the Select File button to browse and locate your asset file.
8. In the Preview section, click on the Select File button to upload a preview file, if one is available.
9. Click on the Create Snapshot button to upload the preview and inform Producer of the location of theactual asset.

How to bake the PSD into a Harmony
1. Complete the asset assembly (associating assets from the asset list to the scenes in the ProductionList)—see Assembling.
2. In the Production list, select one or multiple scenes to bake.

3. Press the Bake button (the one with the Harmony logo).
The Bake Assets in Harmony dialog box appears.

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4. Click on the drop-down menu to select how you want the asset to be baked.
l

Copy assets to their associated scene’s local library only
Default option. This option makes the asset available within the scene without
adding it to the timeline and Node view.

l

Always paste assets into the scene itself
This option puts a copy of the asset in the local library of the scene and will add theasset directly to the timeline and the Node view. To protect the work that was done andto avoid confusion, this option creates a new version of the scene that will be called“producer paste” and this version will become the current version.

5. Click on the Bake button.
The PSD is baked into the selected Harmony scenes.

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Baking a Scene Template into a Harmony
You can create a template file of a scene for Harmony using Producer.

How to bake a template file into a Harmony scene
1. Create a Harmony scene asset—see Creating Assets.
This creates a new asset in Producer and a new scene in Harmony that will be used to build thisasset.
2. In Harmony, make sure your Harmony snapshot scripts are installed and launch the TB_Producer_
AssetSnapshot script by clicking on its icon.

The TB_Producer_AssetSnapshot dialog box appears and you may be prompted to login to Producer
if you are not already.
3. Complete the login to Producer if necessary.
4. In the TB_Producer_AssetSnapshot dialog box, from the Project drop-down menu, select the projectin which you would like to create the template file.

5. In the Asset Name field, type in the name of the asset.
6. In the Process drop-down, select the task/process for which you want to upload this preview of thetemplate.
7. Click on the Set Status checkbox if you would like to set the status of the task/process. If you checkthis box, from the Set Status drop-down menu, select the status that you would like to update thestatus of the task/ process to.
8. In the Workspace field, type in the name of the workspace. In this case, the workspace name refers
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defined in /USA_DB/workspace.json.
If no Workspace is specified, the template will be placed in /USA_DB/library/assets/env_
name/job_name/asset_name.
1. Click OK.
A template of the whole scene is generated in Harmony AND preview of the asset is pushed to
Producer.

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Chapter 10: About Reviewing
Reviewing is the process of watching, reviewing, approving, and providing retakes to preview movies for scenes
submitted by project collaborators after they have completed a task.
Project collaborators are able upload movie previews of the scenes they have worked on in Producer. By loadingthese movie previews into Producer’s review tool, directors, supervisors, and other project administrators areable to do the following:l

Stitch the movie previews of several consecutive scenes into a sequence.

lPlay these movie previewslStop at, or seek specific frames to examine theml

Add notes to the scenelDraw annotations over frames in the scene, and add them as attachments to a notelApprove a scene’s tasklSend a scene’s task for revisions (retakes)

To use the Review tool, you must create a review session. A session is essentially a container in which you canstore a sequence of scenes. Opening the session will load the scenes into the Review tool and allow you toreview and annotate them.
There are two types of session:lTemporary: A review session that is created on the go as you send scenes to the review tool from theProduction page. Each user can only have one temporary review session. If you already have a
temporary review session, creating a new one will overwrite the old one.

l

Permanent: A review session that is created in the Review tool before sending scenes to it from theProduction page. These sessions typically have a specific purpose, such as reviewing the same segmentof an episode as its completion progresses. You can create as many permanent review sessions asneeded.
NOTE
Reviewing allows you to preview one or several scenes together and is typically used to approve thework of project collaborators on tasks or to send them for revisions. If you only wish to watch thepreview movie for a single scene without actually reviewing it, you can play the preview movies forscenes from within the Production page.

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Creating a Temporary Review Session
Temporary review sessions can be created directly from the Production page. Each user can have only one
temporary review session at a time, and creating a new one will overwrite the previous one.

How to create a temporary session
1. Open the job in which you want to review one or more scenes.
The Scene list opens.

2. In the far-left column, enable the checkbox for each scene that you want to review.
NOTE
You can only review scenes that have a playable movie preview. Scenes with amovie preview will have a thumbnail and a Play button underneath theirthumbnail.

3. In the toolbar above the scene list, select Review.

The Review dialog box opens.

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4. In the Select Review Process drop-down menu, select the process (task) that you wish to review.
This list will change according to the type of workflow that was created.
5. Select the Use Temporary Review Session option.
6. Click Review Now.
A notification will appear in the bottom-right corner of the interface indicating that the session isready.
7. Click on Open Review.

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Creating a Permanent Review Session
You can create a review session from the Review page, then populate it with scenes from the Production page.
You can create as many permanent review sessions as needed.

How to create a session
1. In the top menu, select Review.

2. In the toolbar at the top of the Review page, select Create a Review.

The Create a Review dialog box opens.

3. In the Name field, name the review session.
4. In the Date field, select the pop-up calendar and the date at which you want the review session totake place.
5. In Assignee field, you can assign the review to a particular user.
6. In the Restriction field, select the type of restriction needed to limits the elements that can be added
to this review.

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There are three options:lUnrestricted: Anything can be added to the session.

l

Scenes of a Specific Job: It can be limited to scenes of a specific job which opens
more options (Job and Process).

lAssets: It can be limited to assets which opens one additional option (Process).

7. To allow external review, enable the External Review option. This is added as flag as there is nolimitations while using it. It is useful for a client to easily search for reviews meant for them externally.

8. Click Add.

The session has now been created.
NOTE
Once your session is created, you must add scenes to it.

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Sharing Review Session
After a review session has been created, you may want someone else to access it specifically. To do this, youwill need to make sure the recipient has access to Producer. Please see section on Creating Users.

How to share a review session
1. In the Review List, under the of the Actions column, clickcorresponding review session.

icon to generate a Review URL for the

2. Click on the blue Copy icon to copy the displayed URL to the clipboard.
3. Send that URL to the remote user whom you would like to review this session.

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Sending Scenes for Review
Once you have created a session, you can add scenes to be reviewed in it from the Production page. You can
add scenes to new, empty sessions, or to sessions that already have scenes in them.

How to add scenes to a session
1. Open the job in which you want to review one or more scenes.
The Scene list opens.

2. Enable the checkboxes on the far left column of the scenes you wish to review.
3. In the toolbar above the scene list, click Review.
The Review dialogue box opens.
4. In the Select Review Process drop-down menu, select the process (task) that you want to review. For
example, if you want to review the work of a project collaborator on a scene’s animation, select theprocess for Animation.
5. Select the Use Review Session option.
6. In the Use Review Session drop-down menu, select the review session to which you want to add theselected scenes.
7. Click Submit.
A notification appears in the bottom-right corner of the page indicating that the session is being
updated. When the notification disappears, the session is ready for review.

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Filtering a Review Session
If you have a lot of review sessions and you need to find a specific one, you can filter the sessions in the list using
keywords from their descriptions. You can also choose to only view sessions of a certain type, or sessions withina specific range of dates.

How to filter sessions
1. In the top menu, click Review.

2. In the Review page, click the Toggle Search Panelbutton at the top right of the page.

The Search Criteria panel opens.

3. Select one or many of the search criteria listed. The reviews will automatically populate at the bottom
as you enter your criteria.

4. To remove all of your search filters, click Clear Search Criteria at the bottom of the search panel.

All of the sessions are be displayed in the session list.

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Editing a Review Session
Once a session is created, you can edit its name, assignee, restriction, date and if the review is external.

How to edit a review session
1. In the top menu, click Review.

2. In the Review page, check the box on the far left for the review you wish to edit.
3. Select More > Edit.

The Edit Review window opens. You can change the name of the review, set or change an assignee,
create a restriction, set a date as well as label External/Locked/Closed reviews.
NOTE
The External Review is a simple flag and is only used to help with search results.

4. Click the Edit button at the bottom to save your changes.

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A notification appears in the center of the page indicating that the changes are saved.

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Opening a Review Session
Once a session has been created and filled with scenes, you can open it and play the preview movies for eachscene in the session in a single video player. From the Review interface, you can add notes to scenes, draw
annotations, approve scenes or send them for revision.
You can open multiple review sessions at once. Each session you open will appear in the Open reviews panel at
the far left of the page.

How to open and play a review session
1. In the top menu, click Review.
2. In the Review page, select a review session to open.

Once in a review session, a list of one or more reviews opens in the far left column. From here you
can return to the All Reviews page.

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NOTE
If the column is not visible, click on the Reviews tab in the window to the right.

3. Click on the video player to the right to start playing the movie. The movie will include all the scenes
in the review session, stitched together in a single sequence.
NOTE
Movies can only be stitched together if their options/parameters all match (seeDelivery section below).
4. While reviewing scenes, you can do the following:l

To pause, resume, mute or adjust the volume of the video, or to skip to a specific part ofthe video, use the controls inside the video player. Space bar will also work to pause or
resume your video.

l

If you want to instantly skip to the beginning of a specific scene, select that scene in the
Scenes panel to the left.

l

To skip to the previous scene, click Show Previous Scenel

To skip to the next scene, click Show Next Scenel

To go to a specific frame, pause the movie near the frame you want to see, then click
Show Previous Frameor press the Left key to go back one frame, or click Show
Next Frameor press the Right key to go forward one frame.

lTo hide or display the controls in the video player, click Videol

Click Maximize
player.

l

To enable or disable looping, click the Looping
button. When looping is enabled, theplayer will play the first scene from the beginning after reaching the end of the lastscene.

or press the Up key.

or press the Down key.

controls.

to hide the Scenes and the Notes panel and expand the video

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Returning to the Session List and Switching Sessions
Once you have already opened a session, you can return to the session list using a number of ways.

How to return to the session list
1. Do one of the following:l

From any page, in the top menu, click Review.

l

From the Review Session page, select any open review or any review that was createdlOnce in a review session, you can easily switch from one open review to another. On
the far left of the page there should be a list of Open Reviews.

l

If the list isn't visible, select the Reviews tab in the window to the right.

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2. From here you can easily switch reviews by selecting the next open review in the column.

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Removing Scenes from a Review Session
If you accidentally added extra scenes to a review session, you have the ability to remove them.

How to remove scenes from a review session
1. Make sure you are in the review session list to edit.
2. Select Go To All Reviews.
3. In the Column Selector on the far right, make sure that the Submission column is checked.

In the column, the number of Scenes/Snapshots that have been submitted appears.
4. Click on the Submission number.
The Submission window opens.

In the Submission window, all the snapshots/scenes for the current review are displayed.
5. Select one or more you wish to delete and then click Delete Submissions.

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NOTE
This will not delete the scene from Producer.

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Deleting a Review Session
Deleting a session will permanently erase it and it will not be accessible again.
NOTE
Deleting a review session will not delete any of its scenes, nor will it delete any of the attachments ornotes created within the session or undo any of the task status changes done within the session.

How to delete review sessions
1. In the top menu, click Review.
2. In the Review page, check the box on the far left for the review you wish to edit.
3. Select More > Delete.

A confirmation prompt opens.
4. In the confirmation prompt, click Delete.

A notification appears indicating that the item is being removed from the session.

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Playing Preview Movies
You can view the preview movie for any environment, job, scene, or asset in the preview column for that item.

How to play a preview movie
1. Open the job containing the scene you want to preview.
2. Do one of the following:l

To play the scene’s preview movie within its thumbnail in the Production page, click on
the Playbutton below its thumbnail.

l

To pause the movie within the thumbnail, click on the Stopl

To watch the preview for an item, click on the Playplayer to play the movie.

lPress the Stop button or the spacebar to start the movie from the beginning.

l

To open the preview movie for a scene in high resolution, click on the Expand
button below its thumbnail. The preview movie will open in a new tab.

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Adding a Note to a Scene in a Review Session
Notes can be added to scenes in a review session to make comments and suggestions, request corrections,point out details or otherwise communicate important information about a scene to project collaborators.
NOTElScene notes can also be added and viewed in both the Production page and in the My Tasks
page.

l

It is also possible to draw annotations over a frame in a scene and attach it to a note.

How to add notes to a scene in a review session
1. Open the review session containing the scene you wish to review. There can be 4 different columns
open.

2. In the Scenes column, select the scene to which you want to add a note or scroll horizontally in theTimeline below the preview area, select the exact frame where you want to add a comment.

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3. If you want to leave a note for a different process than the pre-selected process of this review, selecta new process by clicking on the coloured pill, above the comment box, on the left.
NOTE
This step is OPTIONAL.

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4. On the top right of the comment box, you may want to edit the “Note Tag”. This tag allows you to laterarrange notes per review session. For example, all of today’s review sessions notes can be taggedwith “Retake 1”.

5. Type your note in the comment box.

There are 4 options to register your comment:lApprove Scene: Sets the scene review process to Approved in Producer andlogs your comment with the approval.

lSave Note as a Comment: Your note will appear as a comment in the context
of the current process.

l

Revise Note: This will set the scene review process to Retake (or Revise) andwill save your note as the explanation.
llOptional: You can check the brush to mark an “Artistic Retake” or the wrench tomark a “Technical Retake” (or both).

Set a Custom Status: Select a custom status using the down arrow. Oncethe desired status is displayed, click on it to set the review process of the scene to thisstatus and save your comment along.

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Drawing Annotations While Reviewing Scenes
The Review tool allows you to freeze on a specific frame in the preview movie, draw annotations over it using avariety of drawing tools, then add this annotation to the scene, as a note.
An annotation is added to a scene as an attachment to a note. They can be viewed from the Review page as wellas Production and My Task pages by opening the note attachment.

How to draw annotations
1. Open the review session containing the scene you wish to review.
2. In the Scenes column, select the scene to which you want to add a note.
3. Go to the exact frame to which you want to add an annotation by doing one or several of thefollowing:lPlay the video up until it is at the right frame, then pause it.

l

To fast forward to the frame you want to annotate, click and drag on the play head and release
it when it is at the right frame.

l

To go back one frame, click the Show Previous Frame
press the Left key.

button under the video player orl

To go forward one frame or click the Show Next Frame
press the Right key.

button under the video player or

NOTE
For the keyboard shortcuts to work with the video player, you must click inside the
Review tool, but outside of the video player.
4. In the top right, click the Display drawing toolbar

button.

The drawing toolbar appears.
5. You can use the following tools in the drawing toolbar to draw over the frame:l

Use the Pentool to draw on the frame.

l

Use the Arrow

tool to draw arrows.

l

Use the Boxl

Use the Straight Linel

Use the Erasel

Set the Set Drawing Colour

tool to change the colour of your drawing tool.

l

Use the Undo Last Drawing

tool to undo the last drawing stroke.

l

Use the Redo Last Drawing

tool to redo the last stroke you undid.

l

Use the Clear All Strokes

tool to draw rectangles and boxes.
tool to draw straight lines.

tool to erase any drawings..

tool to clear all drawings

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6. In the Review process drop-down below the preview area, ensure the process for which you want to
add an annotation to is selected.
7. Do one of the following:l

To only add your annotation to the scene without approving it or sending it for revision,
click the Save Notebutton.

l

To add the annotation to the scene and send it for revision, click the Revise Scene
button.

l

To add the annotation to the scene and approve it, click the Approve Scene
button.

The note and its annotation will appear in the Notes column in the middle, near the top.

If you approved the scene or sent it for revisions, an extra note will appear in the Notes column
indicating so. The icon next to the scene in the Scenes list will also change to represent its current
status.

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Sending a Scene in a Session for Revision
When reviewing a scene in a review session, you can send it back to the project collaborator who worked on it torequest revisions. You can add a note to specify which revisions are requested, draw annotations over a specificframe in the scene to visually indicate what kind of revisions are needed, or both. You can also indicate whether
the requested revisions are technical or artistic.
NOTE
NOTE: Adding a note or an annotation is required to send a scene for revisions.

How to send a scene for revisions with a text note
1. Open the review session containing the scene you wish to review.
2. In the Scenes column, select the scene that you want to send back for revisions.
3. In the Enter your comments here text box, type in the content of your note.
NOTE
You must include a note or annotation drawing when sending sessions forrevision.
4. Click Revise scene

to send the scene for revisions.

5. In the Select the type of revision dialog, choose whether the note is Regular, Artistic, Technical, or
Both.
The status of the scene’s current process is set to Retake. The note appears in the Notes column. In
the Scenes column, two curved red arrows appear on the left of the scene.

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Approving a Scene in a Session
Once a scene has been reviewed and any notes have been implemented, it can be approved.

How to approve scenes
1. Open the review session containing the scene you wish to review.
2. In the Scenes column, select the scene that you want to approve.
3. If you want to add a note while approving the scene, type in the content of your note in the Enter yourcomments here text box.
4. Click Approve Scene

to approve the scene.

The approval note appears in the Notes column. In the Scenes column, a green checkmark appearson the left of the scene.

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Viewing Notes in a Review Session
In the Review page, you can choose whether to view all notes for the items in a session at once, or to only see
the notes for the scene currently highlighted in the Scenes list. Notes are listed from newest to oldest.

How to view notes for all the scenes in a review session
1. View the session whose notes you wish to view
2. Do one of the following:l

In the Notes column, click the Filter
scenes.

l

Click the title of the Notes list.

button. In the drop-down menu, click For all

Only notes for all session items will be visible.

How to view only notes for the current scene in a review session
1. To return to only viewing notes for one item at a time, do one of the following:l

In the Notes column, click the Filter
scene.

l

Click the title of the Notes list.

button. In the drop-down menu, click For current

Only the notes for the current item will be visible again.

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Moderating Notes
For this to work, a user must be tagged as a Moderator and another as a Moderated Person by the administrator.
As a Moderated Person, their notes will not reach the general public in the production immediately. They will
have to go through a Moderator(s) in order for their notes to get to the rest of the production. This is a safeguard
for all involved.
Once the Moderators and the Moderated are in place, notes from the moderated will have to be screened by themoderators of the production.

How to moderate directors notes
1. To add a user as a Moderator or Moderated Person, in the main menu, select Settings.
2. In the Settings tab, select Security.

3. Find the group in the production you wish to be the Moderator or the Moderated.
4. If you need to add or subtract names from those groups, in the User Assign tab, select the User
icon .
The Assign Users to Group dialog box opens.
5. Use the check box to add or remove users from the associated group, the click Save.
6. In the Global Rules column, select the Edit

icon.

The Permissions Manager dialog box opens.

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7. In the Data Manipulation Permissions section, check the Moderator and Moderated checkboxes.
8. Click Save.
Now whenever a Moderated person writes a note—see Writing Notes, the status To Moderate isadded within the note. The Moderated has the ability to edit their notes.

The To Moderate Status also appears in the Notes column of the Open Tasks tab for any user
designated as a Moderator.

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How to view and moderate notes
1. In the main menu, select Review.
2. In the Review tab, in the Open Reviews section, select a review.
In the Notes for [scene name] section, the notes to moderate are displayed. The notes are marked inOrange.
By default you will be able to see one scene at a time. To see all scenes to moderate in this review
session, click on the green Filter notes displayed icon and select For all scenes.

3. Select one of 3 options:lContest, if a note is contested, it will NOT appear in Open Tasks of the Moderated
person, but will appear in the Notes in the review session.

lEdit, if a note is contested, click on Edit to place a note as to why.

lConfirm, if a note is approved it will appear in full view of the production.

Alternatively, if you as the Moderator agree with all notes, click on the Confirm Suggestions
button to confirm all.

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If there is a contested note, the Confirm Uncontested Suggestions
appears.

buttonNOTE
Anyone who is not a moderator will not see any notes from the Moderated UNTIL they areapproved by the Moderators.

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Closing and Reopening Notes in the Review Session
When a note is created, its status is set to Open. Notes can be closed to indicate that they have been
acknowledged or tended to, and they can be reopened to indicate that they need further attention.
To avoid cluttering the Notes column, notes that have been closed are hidden by default. It is possible to display
them so that they can be viewed reopened if needed.

How to close a note
1. Open the review session containing the scenes for which you want to close or reopen notes.
2. Do one of the following to display the note you want to close:
3. In the Scenes column, select the scene containing the note you want to close.
4. Make the Notes column display the notes for all the scenes in the review session.
5. In the Notes column, find the note you wish to close.

NOTE
All new notes areOpen by default.

6. To close an open note, check the checkbox in its bottom-right corner.
The status of the note is be set to
Closed. Unless you enabled displaying closed notes in theNotes column, it will disappear from the Notes column.

How to reopen a note
1. Open the review session containing the scene for which you want to reopen a note.
2. In the Notes column, click the Search button.
3. In the drop-down menu, make sure Closed is checked.

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Closed notes appear in the notes list.
4. Do one of the following to display the note you want to reopen:l

In the Scenes column, select the scene containing the note you want to close.

l

Make the Notes column display the notes for all the scenes in the review session.

5. Find the note you wish to reopen.
6. To open a closed note, check the checkbox in its bottom-right corner.
The note will now be

Open.

7. To hide the other closed notes, click the Filter

button again.

8. In the drop-down menu, uncheck the checkbox next to Closed.

All closed notes will now be hidden from view.

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Downloading Reviews
Producer gives you the ability to download the reviews on your local machine.

How to download reviews
1. In the top menu, select Review.

You will then see Open Reviews, Names of the Reviews and Open Submissions.

2. To view a submission, click on the number in the submission column.
The Submission window opens.

3. You can now download individual reviews by clicking on the check box on the far left and then on theblue button in the Actions column. You may select as many check boxes as you like but you mustselect each download button to download individually.

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4. You can also download multiple scenes at the same time into a Zip folder. Select all the scenes you
wish to download and then click on the Download button above the entries.

5. If you wish to download a full review with all the videos stitched together, select the review you wish
to open from either the Open Reviews area or by selecting the Open Review
button from theActions column.
A new window opens.
6. In the Scenes area, check the select all boxes or select the individual videos you wish to havestitched together.

7. In the Play window, select the more options button to the bottom right of the screen.

A new window opens.
8. Select Download.

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NOTE
If there are red lines separating the videos, there was a problem stitching thevideos together. It could have be cause by a number problems, ie: video codec,
audio codec, fps, timebase, aspect ratio.

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Chapter 11: About Importing from Storyboard Pro
This procedure will allow you to create all the scenes in Producer and import the animatic and meta-data directlyfrom Storyboard Pro.

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Importing from Storyboard Pro
This section explains how to export data from Storyboard Pro and import it in Producer.

How to export data from Storyboard Pro
There are 3 steps to export your data:l

Add leading Zerosl

Export CSV from Storyboard Prol

Export Movie files from Storyboard Pro

Add leading Zeros
1. Go to Preferences > Naming tab, select Automatically Add leading Zeros.
l

In Storyboard Pro, make sure your scenes are named with leading zeros (for example: 01, 02,
03 or 001, 002, 003 and not simply 1, 2, 3)lEnter the Minimum Number of Characters.

l

In the Top menu, click Storyboard and select Rename Scene.

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Chapter 11: About Importing from Storyboard ProlSave your SBP project.

Export CSV from Storyboard Pro
1. From Storyboard Pro, choose File / Export / CSV
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Export Movie files from Storyboard Pro
1. From Storyboard Pro, choose File / Export / Movie
2. Fill in the Destination Path
3. Leave the File Pattern field blank
4. In One Clip field, select per Scene from the drop-down list
5. Click Export

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How to import Storyboard Pro data in Producer
1. Determine which workflow process will be used.
We recommend that you create a process "Animatic" in your scene workflow.

2. Use “Import from Storyboard Pro” in Producer Link.

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NOTE
Please see How to download Producer Link for more information on downloading the Producer
Link.
3. Open the Producer Link application.
TIP
If your Producer Link is not already connected to Producer, make sure to use the login function.
4. From the menu, select Import from Storyboard Pro.

5. Fill all the fields.
NOTE
If you have created an animatic process, select “Animatic” from the drop-down list.
6. Click “Import CSV”.

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You can monitor the import process by scrolling down. In Producer, refresh your Production page to see the
new scenes.

How to download Producer Link
To download the Producer Link, you can follow the steps below.
1. Select “Downloads & Resources” from the menu.

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2. Click the Producer Link file for your platform.

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Chapter 12: About Reports

Chapter 12: About Reports
Reports can be used to keep a track of multiple aspects of the production.

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Workload Manager
Keeping track of how much work everyone has on their plate is an important part of a supervisor’s duties. An
artist can get overwhelmed or late when tasked with too big of a workload. On the other hand, artists can end up
waiting for work if too little has been assigned to them.
The Workload Manager is a tool specifically designed to address this need.

How to generate a Workload Report
1. In the main menu, select Reports

From here, you can either open an existing Workload report that was previously saved (from the listof reports in the sidebar) or you can create a new report. This is what we will do here.
2. From the left panel, click on the “+ Add Report” button, to clear any previous reports that may bedisplayed.

NOTE
You may hide the sidebar, to maximize the report area. you can always bring it back later,
the same way you are hiding it, by clicking on the “Show or hide sidebar” button (the“burger” icon).

3. From the “Workload” report box, select the type of workload you are interested in. You can choose
from “Scenes” or “Assets”.

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4. From the “Search Criteria” section, restrict the search to your liking. You can choose to focus on a
specific environment or on some particular processes or on a given team or on a combination ofthese criteria. Press the “Search” button when you are ready to proceed.

How to analyze a Workload Report
1. First, it can be a good idea to use the “Distraction free mode” also known as the “Zen mode” to focus
on the two main section of Workload Report:
a. Report Datab. Reassign Selection
To do so, click on the expanding four arrows icon at the top right.

2. Now, you can analyze the report data. Here is a sample and description of the various areas.

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Producer 22 User GuidellVertical headers description:l

Key assignee: This first column lists the assignees of the various manual tasks.

lJob: Clicking on the triangle icon preceding an assignee will expand to show the namesof the jobs containing tasks assigned to that user.

l

Scene: Clicking on the triangle icon preceding a job name will expand to show thenames of scenes within that job that are assigned to that user.

Horizontal headers description:l

Process group: The name of the various groups of processes included in this report.

l

Process: Clicking on the triangle icon preceding a process group will expand to show
the names of all the processes of that group.

l

Status: Clicking on the triangle icon preceding a process will expand to show thestatuses of the various tasks.

l

Top row of data: Listing the number of scenes (or assets) that are unassigned for each
Process group.

l

Data: Displayed on white cells is the number of scenes (or assets) assigned to the given user
listed in the leftmost column. In the above example, we understand that user Frank Bannerhas 19 Setup tasks and 4 Compositing tasks assigned to him.

Key concepts:l

Key assignee: Key assignee varies from regular assignee in that they refer to the assigneesof manual tasks (ie not approval tasks). Consider the example below:

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The first column on the left lists Charlie Simmons as the key assignee. Because Charlie’s
information has been expanded to display which scenes are assigned to him (line 8), we knowthat the process Layout of scene 110_002 is assigned to Charlie. However, the Layout_check(an approval process) of the same scene is most likely assigned to someone else (asupervisor). Still it is listed on the same row since the key of that list is key assignee, theassignee of the manual task.
lProcess group: A process group is generated automatically and comprises a manual process
and all the approval processes immediately following it in its workflow. The group is named
after its manual process. Consider a workflow made up of the following seven processes(where the processes in italic are approval processes).

Layout, Layout_check, Layout_app, Setup, Anim, Anim_check and Anim_app
This workflow would be divided in 3 process groups:lLayout: Layout, Layout_check, Layout_applSetup: Setupl

Anim: Anim, Anim_check and Anim_app

A process group can be expanded into its constituent processes simply by clicking on the triangle
icon preceding it.

How to filter data in the Workload Report
Once a Workload report is generated, it is possible to filter its data without using the Search Criteria (which
would fetch new data from the database). This can be done using the gear icon next to any of the headers.
1. Click on the Status gear icon, for example.

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2. From the list of Statuses, remove the ones you would like to filter out. For example, removing“Approved” and “To Validate” would leave only tasks that have not yet been completed. Click Apply toconfirm the filtering.

3. Note how the Status header now has a funnel icon to indicate that it is being filtered.

NOTE
As opposed to the Search Criteria, the filters applied through the gear icons are not saved withthe reports. They are temporary by nature.

How to reassign tasks using the Workload Manager
Once you generated a workload report and analyzed its data, you can now proceed to make adjustments tothe workload by reassigning tasks.
1. For this example, let’s have a single process and a single status as search criteria. Say “Rough_Anim” and “Pending”

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2. Looking at the Report Data, I can tell that Jade has 8 scenes to do while Jonathan has only 1.

3. Clicking on the 8 scenes of Jade will bring up the details of these scenes in the ‘“Reassign Selection”
section below.

4. Clicking on the scenes you would like to reassign. Note that you can use Control-click (Commandclick on Mac) to select multiple entries.

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5. From the Dropbox, pick the name of the user to whom you would like to reassign these scenes andclick the Reassign button.

The changes are immediately reflected in the Report data, showing that 5 scenes would now be
assigned to Jonathan, if you were to go ahead and commit these changes.

6. You could now continue to reassign various tasks to balance the workload of everyone. Once you are
happy with the changes, click on “Apply Changes”.

How to customize your Workload Report
Like all Producer reports, you can customize the workload manager. As an example of customization, we
will choose to add the number of frames to the number of tasks and we will use conditional formatting tohighlight higher tasks numbers. We will then save this report so it can easily be reused at a later time.
1. After generating a report, click on the “Fields” icon at the top right of the Report data section. (Notethat this icon does not appear in the “Distraction Free mode”)

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2. From the All Fields list on the left, drag the “#Frames” into the “Values” box at the bottom right. Click
Apply.

The Report data now shows the number of frames next to the number of tasks.
3. Now, click on “Format” and then “Conditional Formatting”.

4. Click on the “+” icon to add a condition.

5. On the first line, for “Value”, select “Distinct scene”. Then select “Greater than or equal to” and enter
the number “5”.

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6. Next, click on the letter “A” to configure the format. For this example, click on Highlight, select thecolour orange and click Apply.

7. Click Apply to confirm the conditional Formatting. Number of tasks greater than or equal to 5 are now
highlighted, making it easy to spot a heavy workload.

8. Now to save this report for usage at a later time, you simply need to name the report (at the top, justabove the Search Criteria Section) and press the “Save” button.

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The report will now appear in your list of reports in the sidebar. It has been saved with yourcustomization.

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Sharing Reports
This procedure will allow you to share the report to a user or group of users.

How to share reports
1. In the main menu, select Reports.
2. In the left panel, select a report from the section “My Reports”
3. In the main section, select the option “Share this Report”
The report can be shared globally, to a specific user or group of users.
Shared reports will be displayed in the left panel under the section “Shared with me”

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Exporting Reports
This procedure will allow you to export the data so that you may use it in another software, such as a
spreadsheet.

How to export reports
1. In the main menu, select Reports.
2. In the Reports tab, select the type of report you would like to create (Job Tasks, Productivity,
Progress or Summary).

3. Select a specification of the report from the drop-down list.
The report options/types appear.

4. In the Name field, enter the name of the report.

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5. Click Save.
The report is saved in the Saved Reports column on the left.

You can hover your mouse over different areas of the graph to see additional information.

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6. In the Search Criteria section, use the drop-down menu to select specifics that you would like to findin the generated report.
7. Click the Search button to initiate the search.
The search results from the generated report are displayed.
NOTE
You can continue to generate reports and access them later in the Saved Reports
column. You can use the Search feature at any time to search for specific data from any
generated report.
8. In the Report Data section, click Export >To CSV to export a CSV file of a particular report.

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A .csv document downloads.

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