Toon Boom Harmony 10.3
Toon Boom Xsheet User Guide

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3Toon Boom Xsheet 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 guide is covered by a specific limited warranty and exclusions and limit of liability under theapplicable License Agreement as supplemented by the special terms and conditions for Adobe®Flash® File
Format (SWF). For details, refer to the License Agreement and to those special terms and conditions.
The content of this guide is the property of Toon Boom Animation Inc. and is copyrighted.
Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.
Trademarks
Toon Boom® is a registered trademark and Harmony™ is a trademark of Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Credits
Art Development: Shabana Ali, Marie-Eve Chartrand, Tania Gray, Annie Rodrigue, Anouk Whissell
Technical Editor: Peter Cawthorne, Pamela Grimaud, Liven Tam
Technical Reviewer: Joel Baril, Marc-André Bouvier-Pelletier, Lindsay Brown, Steve Masson, Elke Starck, Lilly
Vogelesang
Technical Writer: Shabana Ali, Marc-André Bouvier-Pelletier, Marie-Eve Chartrand, Christopher Diaz, Annie
Rodrigue, Liven Tam, Anouk Whissell
Publication Date2013-12-10
Copyright © 2013 Toon Boom Animation Inc., a Corus® Entertainment Inc. company. All rights reserved.
PUSG303HAR103EN

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Contents
Toon Boom Harmony 10.3Toon Boom Xsheet User Guide
Legal Notices

1
2

Contents

3

Chapter 1: Introduction

8

About Timing and Exposure Sheet

8

Broadcast Standards

8

Xsheet8

Topics Covered

9

Chapter 1: Getting Started

10

Topics Covered10

Launching the Harmony Xsheet

11

Using the File Menu

13

Setting the Scene Length

14

Scene Settings

15

Resolution Tab

16

Resolution

16

Alignment Tab

18

Alignment Rules

18

Advanced Tab

19

Verifying Project Integrity

21

Check Files21

Check Colours

21

Chapter 1: Interface

23

Topics Covered

23

User Interface

24

Xsheet Main Section

25

Column Header

26

Frame Numbers

27

Current Drawing

28

Current Frame

28

Drawing Exposure

29

Current Frame Display

29

Increase/Decrease Exposure

30

Overwrite/Insert Modes30

3Toon Boom Harmony 10.3Toon Boom Xsheet User Guide

Contents

Function Column

31

Column List

32

Menu

34

Quick Access Menu

34

Toolbars

36

File Toolbar

36

Edit Toolbar

37

Xsheet Toolbar

37

Moving Toolbars

40

Toolbar Manager

41

Interface Navigation

43

Topics Covered

43

View Commands

43

Resizing a View

43

Column Colours

44

Preferences

46

Accessing the Preferences Panel

46

User Interface Preferences

46

Levels Of Undo

47

Colours47

Keyboard Shortcuts

48

Topics Covered48

Selecting a Keyboard Shortcut Set

48

Customizing a Keyboard Shortcut

49

Chapter 1: Timing

51

Topics Covered

51

Frames52

Adding Frames

52

Setting the Scene Length

52

Extending the Timeline View

52

Adding Frames Before or After a Selection

53

Adding Frames to the Beginning or at the End of a Scene

53

Deleting Frames

54

Reducing the Timeline Length

54

Removing Selected Frames

55

Deleting a Selected Frame Range

55

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Layers and Columns

57

Related Topics

57

Layer and Column Concepts

57

Advanced Column Types

58

Related Topics

59

Timing Columns

59

To use a Timing column:

59

Adding New Drawing Layers

60

Adding Drawing Layers in the Timeline View

61

Adding a Drawing Layer from the Top Menu

62

Adding Drawing Columns in the Xsheet View

62

Deleting Layers and Columns

65

Deleting a Layer from the Timeline View

65

Deleting a Column from the Xsheet View

65

To delete layers in the Xsheet view:

65

Modifying Layers

67

Ordering Layers and Columns

67

Reordering Layers in the Timeline View

67

Reordering Columns in the Xsheet View

67

To reorder columns in the Xsheet view:

67

Showing and Hiding Columns

68

To show and hide columns in the Xsheet view:68

To show a hidden column from the Xsheet view:

68

To hide and entire column type:

69

Column Types Manager

70

To show and hide column types:

70

Renaming Layers and Columns

70

Duplicating Layers and Columns

71

Related Topics

71

Cloning Layers And Columns

72

Xsheet Thumbnails

73

To display the thumbnails:

73

Related Topics

73

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns

74

Modifying the Look of the Column

75

To modify the look of an empty cells:

75

5Toon Boom Harmony 10.3Toon Boom Xsheet User Guide

Contents

To modify the row units:

76

To modify the held exposure’s look:76

To modify the column’s width:76

Filling Exposure

78

Filling Exposure Mode

78

Overwrite Mode78

Insert Mode

79

Typing Exposure

79

Typing a Value in the Timeline View

79

Typing a Value in the Xsheet View

80

To type values in the Xsheet view:

80

Holding Exposure

81

Extending a Single Exposure

82

Extending an Exposure Sequence82

Dragging Cells

83

To drag a cell to another location in the Xsheet view:

84

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure

86

Increasing Exposure86

Decreasing Exposure

87

Increase/Decrease Exposure Field

88

Clear Exposure and Pull

88

Deleting Exposure89

To delete selected exposures:

89

Related Topics

89

Inserting Blank Cells

90

Setting the Exposure

91

Filling a Selection with a Single Exposure

92

Filling a Selection with a Sequence

93

Filling a Selection Randomly95

Creating Cycles

96

To use the Paste Cycle command:96

To use the Paste Reverse command:98

Related Topics

99

Navigating between Frames and Columns

100Managing Drawings

102

Renaming a Drawing

102

6Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

To rename a drawing:102

Duplicating a Drawing

103

To duplicate a drawing:103

Copying and Pasting Drawings

104

Tempo Markers

106

Annotation Columns

108

Adding an Annotation Column

108

Drawing and Typing in the Annotation Column

109

Drawing in the Annotation Column

109

Typing in the Annotation Column

110Erasing Annotation Column Content

110

Changing the Drawing Settings

112

Importing an Annotation File

113

Printing the Xsheet

114

To print your exposure sheet:

114

Element Manager

116

To open the Element Manager dialog box:

116

Timing Preferences

117

Exposure Sheet Preferences

117

Filtering118

Options

119

Element Manager

119

New Element

119

Apply/Next

119Timeline Preferences

120

Defaults

120

Paste/Drag & Drop

120

Advanced Preferences

120

Keyboard Shortcuts For Harmony Xsheet

123

7

Chapter 1: Introduction

About Timing and Exposure Sheet

Chapter 1: Introduction
The Harmony Xsheet is part of the Toon Boom Harmony solution. The Xsheet Module takes care of all of yourtiming needs, from pasting cycles, to setting Tempo Markers, to printing your Xsheet. The Xsheet Module
combines drawing, function, timing and annotation columns for maximum freedom and performance.
The Xsheet Module is mainly used for traditional animation when reproducing paper exposure sheet. It only
covers Harmony Stage’s timing features. This way, the user does not have to deal with all the other advanced
animation features and can focus on his exposure sheet work.

In all Harmony Xsheet documentation, the default keyboard shortcuts that are used are the Harmony
shortcuts.

About Timing and Exposure Sheet
The exposure of a drawing is the length of time that it stays on the screen. In animation, a second often can bedivided as follows; 24, 25 or 30 images depending on the used format. We also call these images frames.

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

XsheetThe Xsheet also known as the Exposure Sheet, or Dope Sheet is used when an animator is planning a scene: theanimator creates an individual column for each element in the scene, the name of the drawings and their
exposure into the Xsheet.The Xsheet allows the user to see the timing in detail.
The Xsheet is composed of columns corresponding to the different layers. Each column is split into rows
representing the frames in the scene. A paper Xsheet usually has eighty to a hundred rows and ten columns. This
enables the animator to associate a column with a certain element and record at which frame each drawing willappear.
The traditional paper Xsheet was mainly created for the animator to communicate with the cameraman
regarding the scene’s timing, the camera moves and element trajectories. It is still used today to express thesame information to the compositors and the person working on the digital Xsheet.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Topics Covered•

Getting Started on the next page•

Interface on page 23

9Chapter 1: Getting Started Xsheet

Chapter 1: Getting Started
Once the software is installed, you are ready to launch the application and set the timing for your animations.

Topics Covered•

Launching the Harmony Xsheet on the facing page•

Setting the Scene Length on page 14•

Scene Settings on page 15•

Verifying Project Integrity on page 21

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Launching the Harmony Xsheet
You can run the software on Mac OS X, Windows or Linux operating systems.
To open the Xsheet Module, do one of the following:
1. Launch Harmony Xsheet:‣

Mac OS X: Double-click on the Harmony Xsheet

icon or selectApplications > Toon Boom Harmony 10 > Xsheet‣

Windows/Linux: Double-click on the Harmony Xsheet

icon or selectStart > Programs > Toon Boom Harmony 10 > Xsheet‣

Linux: Double-click on the Harmony Xsheet

icon or selectApplications > ToonBoom-Harmony_10 > Xsheetor type in the command line
cd /usr/local/ToonBoomAnimation/harmony_10/lnx86/bin./Stage -xsheet
TheHarmony Xsheet opens, displaying the Welcome Screen.
2. Enter your User Name in the user name field.

Your project manager or system administrator should already have created a user name for you.

3. Click Login.
The Database Selector opens.

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Chapter 1: Getting Started Launching the Harmony Xsheet

4. Select an Environment (for example, this could be the name of a cartoon series), the name of the Job (forexample, the name or number of an episode in that series) and then the Scene (for example, a specificscene in that particular episode).
5. Select one of the following three options:‣Get rights to modify the scene: Allows the user to modify the selected version of the scene and haveaccess to the version manager during the opened session.

‣

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

‣

Get rights to modify all scene assets: Automatically gets all the edit rights for the selected version of
the scene. This option is only recommended if you are certain that the selected scene can not be
opened for editing by several users at the same time. Large studios should avoid this option.

6. Click on the Open button.

If you opened a scene as read only, but realize that you will need to modify it, you can easily acquire
the necessary rights without closing and reloading the scene.

To set the scene’s rights after the scene is loaded:
1. Select File > Rights to Modify Scene.

Note that it is not possible to acquire the rights to modify the scene assets once the scene is loaded.
This process is done during the initial loading process of the scene.

2. From the Version drop-down menu, select the version you wish to work on.

3. The Saved By and Saved Date fields display the user who was the last to save the selected scene and thedate of the last save.
4. Click on the Open button.

Related Topics•

Using the File Menu on the facing page12

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Using the File Menu
To open a scene from the File menu:
1. Select File > Open. You can also click on the Openbutton in the File toolbar. The [Ctrl] + [O](Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [O] (Mac OS X).
The Open Scene browser opens.
The Database Selector opens.

2. Select an Environment (for example, this could be the name of a cartoon series), the name of the Job (forexample, the name or number of an episode in that series) and then the Scene (for example, a specificscene in that particular episode).
3. Select one of the following three options:‣Get rights to modify the scene: Allows the user to modify the selected version of the scene and haveaccess to the version manager during the opened session.

‣

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

‣

Get rights to modify all scene assets: Automatically gets all the edit rights for the selected version of
the scene. This option is only recommended if you are certain that the selected scene can not be
opened for editing by several users at the same time. Large studios should avoid this option.

4. Click on the Open button.

Related Topics•

Launching the Harmony Xsheet on page 11

13

Chapter 1: Getting Started Setting the Scene Length

Setting the Scene Length
You can set the scene length from the top menu.
To set the scene length from the top menu:
1. Select Scene > Scene Length.
The Set Scene Length dialog box opens.

2. In the Number of Frames field, set the number of frames needed and click OK.

Refer to the Timing on page 51 topics to learn more about adding and removing frames andextending the scene’s length.

Related Topics•

Getting Started on page 10•

Launching the Harmony Xsheet on page 11•

Scene Settings on the facing page•

Verifying Project Integrity on page 21

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Scene Settings
You can set up both the scene’s resolution and alignment. You can do this by going to the top menu andselecting
Scene > Scene Settings.
The Scene Settings dialog box opens.

The different Scene Settings options are separated into three tabs:•

Resolution Tab on the next page•

Alignment Tab on page 18•

Advanced Tab on page 19

Related Topics•

Getting Started on page 10•

Launching the Harmony Xsheet on page 11•

Setting the Scene Length on the previous page•

Verifying Project Integrity on page 21

15

Chapter 1: Getting Started Scene Settings

Resolution Tab

1. Project Resolution Type
2. Scene Resolution Setting
3. Pixel Dimensions
4. Save Custom Resolution
5. Aspect Ratio
6. Project Frame Rate
7. Field of View

Resolution
1. You can select your project’s resolution type from this area so it matches your intended output.
‣

HDTV: High definition television delivers a higher quality image than standard television does,
because it has a greater number of lines of resolution. To take advantage of the superior quality youroutput device must be compatible with HDTV technology to make this resolution setting useful.

‣

HDTV_Vertical: The "vertical resolution" of HDTV_Vertical refers to how the drawing grid is fit into
the camera frame. When working with 12 or 16 field drawing grids, the grid is a different aspect ratio
from the camera frame. When you fit vertically, you fit the grid with the top and bottom of the camera
frame.

‣

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

‣

film-1.66: Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that conforms to the 16:9 aspectratio.

‣

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

‣NTSC: This is the standard analogue television broadcasting system used in North America andconforms to the North American standards on how rectangular pixels are displayed for computer andtelevision screens.

‣

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

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide‣

Low: This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where size and fast download of a video filemight take precedence over quality.

2. Displays the scene resolution setting selection.
3. Displays the pixel dimensions for your resolution selection.
If you decide to type in the pixel dimensions, or use the up and down arrows to change the pixel
increments, you will have to save your custom selection in order to make it active (4). It will then appear in
the resolution selection list (1).
4. Click Save to save and create your custom resolution as a setting. This button becomes active when you
create a custom resolution type (3).
5. The aspect ratio is the ratio between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the Camera framing. Each
resolution setting has a preset aspect ratio that cannot be changed.
6. Select the frame rate for your project. The higher the frame rate, for example 30 fps, the smoother youranimation will look, but the heavier it will become, the lower the frame rate, for example 12 fps, thechoppier your animation may look, but the lighter it will be.
7. Use these options to define the FOV of the camera and how the drawing elements (and drawing grid)align to the camera. The drawing grid is always scaled proportionally to a 4:3 (1.33) ratio, thereforechanging the Field of View setting may not show a visible difference if your project resolution is also 4:3,
such as NTSC.
‣

Horizontal Fit: The drawing grid is fitted to the vertical (side) edges of the Camera view, so that thewidth of the grid matches the width of your project resolution.

‣

Vertical Fit: The drawing grid is fitted to the horizontal (top and bottom) edges of the Camera view,so that the height of the grid matches the height of your project resolution.

‣

Custom Fov: After selecting this option, use the now-active field to the right to enter in a value, indegrees, of the angle that you want the camera cone to be. Increasing this value will make the camera
cone wider (the angle is more obtuse), widening the FOV and making the grid and all elements appear
farther away. Decreasing the default value will create the opposite effect.

Related Topics•

Scene Settings on page 15•

Alignment Tab on the next page•

Advanced Tab on page 19

17

Chapter 1: Getting Started Scene Settings

Alignment Tab

1. Alignment Presets
2. Units Aspect Ratio
3. Number of Units
4. Coordinates at Centre

Alignment Rules

1. The Alignment Presets give you two preset options:‣

4:3 12 Fields: Defines the units of your project to have a 4:3 ratio and sets up 12 of these units to run
both vertically and horizontally in four cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment preset isvisible in the FOV and drawing grids.

‣

Square 12 Fields: Defines the units of your project to have a 1:1 or square ratio and sets up 12 units
to run both vertically and horizontally in four cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment
preset is NOT visible in the FOV and drawing grids.

2. In the Units Aspect Ratio fields, enter the aspect ratio of the grid you will use. The aspect ratio describes
the shape of the grid unit. A square grid unit would have the ratio 1:1, whereas a grid unit of aspect ratio
4:3 is a unit with one side 1.33 times as big as the other side.

18

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide‣

If the aspect ratio you want to use is 1:1, enter 1 in the Left/Right field (X-axis) and 1 in the Up/Down
field (Y-axis). The default Aspect Ratio is set to 4:3 as it is the one used by traditional animators, who
are accustomed to working with the grid system described above.

3. In the Number of Units fields, enter the number of horizontal, vertical and depth units for your scene’s
grid.
Animators who prefer to work traditionally will understand the default setting of 24 units horizontal by 24
units vertical as it, once again, corresponds to the grid above. Twelve is a common setting for the field
depth.
Those who prefer to work in pixels should enter the pixel dimensions (3) of their project. This way if you
want to move something over 600 pixels you just need to type in 600 units.
4. In the Coordinates at Centre, you can enter a new coordinate for the centre of your scene.
By default, the (0,0) centre is set in the middle of the grid as shown in the grid above. If you want tochange the centre of your grid, for example to the upper left corner, you would enter (-12, 12), -12 units
across and 12 units up. That is of course unless you changed the number of units to match the pixel
dimensions of your scene. Then you would enter negative half the width and positive half the height.
5. Click Save button to save your current Alignment settings and be able to select them later from the list.
The Choose Alignment Name dialog box opens.

Type in a name for your new alignment settings and click OK.

Related Topics•

Scene Settings on page 15•

Alignment Tab on the previous page•

Advanced Tab below

Advanced Tab

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

Related Topics•

Scene Settings on page 15

19

Chapter 1: Getting Started Scene Settings•

Resolution Tab on page 16•

Alignment Tab on page 18

20

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Verifying Project Integrity
The Check Files command verifies the integrity of the drawing and palette files in your project.
To open the Check Files dialog box:

‣ In the top menu, select File > Check Files.

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

•

Click on the Check Colours button to open the Check Colours dialog box.

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

21

Chapter 1: Getting Started Verifying Project Integrity•

Launching the Harmony Xsheet on page 11•

Launching the Harmony Xsheet on page 11•

Setting the Scene Length on page 14•

Scene Settings on page 15

22

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Chapter 1: Interface

Knowing how to manage the Harmony Xsheet interface helps you to work efficiently and organize yourworkspace conveniently. There are a series of features and tools you can use as you perform different
operations. Each user has a preferred way of working in the interface and which features and tools they will use.
In this chapter, you will learn about the main elements of the interface and how to manage them.

Topics Covered•

User Interface on the next page•

Menu on page 34•

Toolbars on page 36•

Interface Navigation on page 43•

Preferences on page 46

23

Chapter 1: Interface

User Interface

User Interface
This section takes you through the most common elements of the user interface.
The Harmony Xsheet has two views and a row of tools that are available at the top of the interface or view.

1. Xsheet Main Section

2. Column Header

3. Frame Numbers

4. Current Drawing

5. Current Frame

6. Drawing Exposure

7. Current Frame Display

8. Increase/Decrease Exposure

9. Overwrite/Insert Modes

10. Column List

11. Menu

12. Toolbars

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on the facing page•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Drawing Exposure on page 29•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Xsheet Main Section

The Xsheet view has two sections. Only the main section is visible by default. It displays the drawing columns.
When using advanced compositing and animation techniques, unconnected functions (motion paths) also appear
in the main section. Unconnected functions mean that some motion paths are not attached to any particularlayer.

When you reconnect functions to a layer they are still visible in the main section.

25

Chapter 1: Interface

User Interface

Related Topics•

Column Header below•

Frame Numbers on the facing page•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28•

Drawing Exposure on page 29•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Column Header

Each column available in the Xsheet view has a header displaying the column’s name. The column’s name is thesame as the corresponding timeline layer. If you rename one or the other, they will both be renamed.
A quick access menu is available when you right-click. This menu contains the command affecting an entire
column such as renaming, changing the default colour or deleting a column.
In Harmony, the column header shows the layer’s name and the name of the drawing folder to which it is linked. If
the name of the layer is the same as the drawing folder, the drawing folder’s name will not be displayed. For
example; when you link a Timing column to a certain element (and thereby the Element’s folder).

The tooltip that appears when you hover your cursor at the top of each Xsheet column shows the absolute folder
path to the source drawings for that column.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on the previous page•

Frame Numbers on the facing page•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28

26

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Drawing Exposure on page 29•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Frame Numbers

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

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

•

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

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on the previous page•

Current Drawing on the next page•

Current Frame on the next page•

Drawing Exposure on page 29•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30

27

Chapter 1: Interface

User Interface•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Current Drawing

A cell selected in dark red indicates that the cell is currently selected.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on the previous page•

Current Frame below•

Drawing Exposure on the facing page•

Current Frame Display on the facing page•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Current Frame

The darker frame appearing in the Xsheet view represents the current selected frame.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on the previous page•

Current Drawing above•

Drawing Exposure on the facing page28

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Current Frame Display below•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on the next page•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on the next page•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Drawing Exposure

In the drawing columns, you can see the drawing names and their exposure. You can use any alphanumericsymbol to name your drawing. When a drawing is exposed over more than one cell, a vertical black line isdisplayed to indicate the continuity of the exposure. When there is no drawing in a cell, the cell will be blank.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on the previous page•

Current Frame on the previous page•

Current Frame Display below•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on the next page•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on the next page•

Function Column on page 31•

Column List on page 32

Current Frame Display

29

Chapter 1: Interface

User Interface

At the bottom of the Xsheet view, you can see the current cell number as well as the name of the column
containing the currently selected cell.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28•

Drawing Exposure on the previous page•

Increase/Decrease Exposure below•

Overwrite/Insert Modes below•

Function Column on the facing page•

Column List on page 32

Increase/Decrease Exposure

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

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28•

Drawing Exposure on the previous page•

Current Frame Display on the previous page•

Overwrite/Insert Modes below•

Function Column on the facing page•

Column List on page 32

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

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28•

Drawing Exposure on page 29•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on the previous page•

Function Column below•

Column List on the next page

Function Column

The function columns are displayed in the Functions section of the Xsheet view. They represent the motion androtation you applied to your drawing layer. Only the function columns related to the selected layer are displayed.
A function column can also be related to an effect. Selecting your effect layer shows you the corresponding
function column in the Xsheet view.
The function columns display the position value or effect value on each cell. If there is a keyframe on a cell, a blacksquare is displayed. Holding the same value for several frames displays a vertical black line.
Holding the same value for several frames displays a vertical black line.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28•

Drawing Exposure on page 29

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Chapter 1: Interface

User Interface•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Column List below

Column List

The Column List section allows you to show and hide columns from your Xsheet view.
You can use the Column List to show or hide individual columns or hide an entire column type (drawing orfunction) from your Xsheet view. By default, the Functions section is hidden.
To display the Column List section:
1. In the Xsheet view, click on the Expand button located on the right side of the main section to show the
Functions section. Click on the same button to collapse it. You can also use the Show Column List
button in the Xsheet View toolbar.
‣

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

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

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

The types of columns that you can show or hide by clicking on the buttons are:•Drawing columns•

3D rotation columns•

Function columns•

Sound columns•

3D path columns•

Annotation columns

For more information regarding column types, please refer to the Toon Boom Harmony User Guide.

You can also show/hide columns by checking or unchecking the column name under the Show/Hide icon

. You

can use various combinations of the column type buttons and Show/Hide check boxes to reduce the amount ofvisual clutter in your Xsheet.

Related Topics•

Xsheet Main Section on page 25•

Column Header on page 26•

Frame Numbers on page 27•

Current Drawing on page 28•

Current Frame on page 28•

Drawing Exposure on page 29•

Current Frame Display on page 29•

Increase/Decrease Exposure on page 30•

Overwrite/Insert Modes on page 30•

Function Column on page 31

33

Chapter 1: Interface

Menu

Menu

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

File

•

Edit

•

Scene

•

Selected

•

View

•

Options•

Frames•Columns•

Help

Quick Access Menu

Each view has a quick menu containing recurring actions. The Quick Menu is accessed by right-clicking anywherein the view.

34

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Related Topics•

Interface on page 23

35

Chapter 1: Interface

Toolbars

Toolbars
The Xsheet Module user interface contains toolbars which, by default, are located at the top of the interface.
These toolbars can be moved around. You can reposition the toolbars to suit your work style or hide unused
ones.

Related Topics•

File Toolbar below•

Edit Toolbar on the facing page•

Xsheet Toolbar on the facing page•

Moving Toolbars on page 40•

Toolbar Manager on page 41

File Toolbar

Use the commands from this toolbar to preform basic file functions.
•

Use the Open button to bring up the Database Selector dialog box. Select a new Environment, Job
or Scene. The [Ctrl] + [O] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [O] (Mac OS X).

•

Use the Save button to save all changes made to the open scene. The [Ctrl] + [S] (Windows/Linux) or[⌘ ] + [S] (Mac OS X).

•

Use the Import Images button to open the Import Images dialog box. Use this dialog box to bring ina single image or multiple images. Harmony Xsheet supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, TGA, PSD, IFF, SGI, TVG,
OMF, PAL and SCAN.

For a detailed description of all the options available in the Import Images dialog box, please refer tothe Toon Boom Harmony User Guide.

Related Topics•

Edit Toolbar on the facing page•

Xsheet Toolbar on the facing page•

Moving Toolbars on page 40•

Toolbar Manager on page 41

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Edit Toolbar

Use the commands from this toolbar to perform basic editing functions.
•

Use the Undo command to remove the last change made. The Harmony Xsheet supports multiple
undos, so you can reverse changes you have made in the order that you made them. The [Ctrl] + [Z](Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [Z] (Mac OS X).

•

Use the Redo command when you have undone an operation that you decide to keep. The Redocommand becomes active only after you use the Undo command. The [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Z] (Windows/Linux)or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + [Z] (Mac OS X).

•

Use the Cut command to remove selected cells, groups of cells or all the cells in a column. You canthen paste the cells into anther column in the Xsheet view. The [Ctrl] + [X] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [X](Mac OS X).

•

Use the Copy command to copy a selected cell and cell properties. The[Ctrl] + [C] (Windows/Linux) or[⌘ ] + [C] (Mac OS X).

•

Use the Paste command to place cells you cut or copied into the new location you select in the
Xsheet view. The [Ctrl] + [V] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [V] (Mac OS X).

Related Topics•

File Toolbar on the previous page•

Xsheet Toolbar below•

Moving Toolbars on page 40•

Toolbar Manager on page 41

Xsheet Toolbar

The Xsheet view has its own toolbar where you can find the most common features. This toolbar is displayed bydefault. Use the commands from this toolbar to preform drawing exposure functions.

You can customize the Xsheet view toolbar: refer to the Toolbar Manager on page 41 topic for a
detailed explanation.

37

Chapter 1: Interface•

Toolbars

Show Thumbnails: displays a thumbnail image of the drawing that is being referred to by theselected column frame at the top of the column, just under the column header.

•Show Column List: Expands and collapses the Column List section and the Main Xsheet View so thatthey can be displayed in the interface, or hidden from view.

Refer to the Column List on page 32 topic for a detailed example.

•

Add Column: Adds a column to the Xsheet to the left of the selected column. The Add Column
dialog box appears, allowing you to type in the column name and chose the column type from the dropdown menu. If you wish to add multiple columns in one go, click on the Apply button instead of OK.

•

Delete Column: Deletes the selected column. Click on the column header to make your selection.

•

Clone Column: Provides you with a copy of the selected column that uses the same drawings as theoriginal. If you modify a drawing in the cloned or original column, it is updated in both layers. You can
modify the timing of each column independently, one apart from the other, but the drawings remain
linked.

•Duplicate Column: Provides you with an independent copy of the drawings and their exposure. You
can modify anything you want in the duplicated column without affecting the original version.

•

Add Frame: Brings up the Add Frames dialog. Enter the number of frames that you would like to
add to a column either by typing it in, or by using the up and down arrows and then click OK. The numberof frames entered will appear under the selected row in every column.

38

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Remove Frame: Removes the selected frames.

•

Use the Import Images button to open the Import Images dialog box. Use this dialog box to bring ina single image or multiple images. Harmony Xsheet supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, TGA, PSD, IFF, SGI, TVG,
OMF, PAL and SCAN.

•

Create Empty Drawing: The Create Empty Drawing command automatically creates a drawing inthe selected cell in the Xsheet view, replacing any drawing that may already be exposed in that cell andthe following ones until it meets another drawing.
•

To create an Empty Drawing:

1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the cell you want to create an empty drawing in.
2. In the Xsheet View toolbar, click on the Create Empty Drawing button.
3. The new drawing will be created in the Xsheet.

•

Duplicate Drawing: If you want to modify a drawing that already exists, but keep the original
drawing intact, you can duplicate the drawing and work on the copy. When duplicating a drawing, theselected cell is replaced with the new drawing. The exposure of the original drawing that was on thecurrent cell is removed. The drawing is not deleted.

•

Delete: Deletes the exposure of the selected frames or columns.

•

Mark as Key Drawing: Allows you to mark the key drawings by inserting a

in that drawing’s cell.

This is useful for a traditional animation style work environment when pauses need to be added to thetiming of a character’s action. It helps to keep the Xsheet organized while animating.
•Mark as Breakdown Drawing: Allows you to mark the breakdown drawings by inserting adrawing’s cell.

•Mark as In-between Drawing: There is no icon displayed in the cell for the Mark as In-between
Drawing option, as it is used to remove the marker of a drawing identified as a key or breakdown
drawing and revert it to a normal in-between drawing.

Related Topics•

File Toolbar on page 36•

Edit Toolbar on page 37•

Moving Toolbars on the next page•

Toolbar Manager on page 41

39

in thatChapter 1: Interface

ToolbarsMoving Toolbars
You can drag and reposition the toolbars around the interfaceso that they are more convenient for you to use.
To move a toolbar:
1. Select the toolbar you want to move by clicking on its anchor pointand dragging it into a view

toolbar area or another position in the top or side interface toolbar area.

2. When a rectangle outline appears showing an available location for the toolbar, release the mouse buttonand drop the toolbar into position.

If you close a floating toolbar and would like to bring it back, simply right-click on the empty toolbar space at the
top of the interface and select the missing toolbar.

Related Topics•

File Toolbar on page 36•

Edit Toolbar on page 37•

Xsheet Toolbar on page 37•

Toolbar Manager on the facing page40

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Toolbar Manager
The View toolbars can be customized to contain your favourite tools and options. Use the Toolbar Manager
window to organize your different toolbars to suit your working preferences.
To customize your toolbars:
1. Right-click on the chosen toolbar’s anchor point.
A pop-up menu appears.
2. Select Customize from the pop-up menu.
The Toolbar Manager window opens
3. To add a new icon to your toolbar, select the tool or command from the Available Tools list and click on
the
Right
Arrow button to add it to the Toolbar list.

4. To remove an icon from your toolbar, select the tool or command in the Toolbar list and click on the
Left
Arrow button to send it back to the Available Tools list.

5. To reorder your icons in your toolbar, select the command to be moved in the Toolbar list and click on theUpor Down
Arrow buttons to move it to the correct location.

41

Chapter 1: Interface

Toolbars

6. Click on the OK button when you are finished.

Related Topics•

File Toolbar on page 36•

Edit Toolbar on page 37•

Xsheet Toolbar on page 37•

Moving Toolbars on page 40

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Interface Navigation
Topics Covered•

View Commands below•

Resizing a View below•

Column Colours on the next page

View Commands•

Zoom In: Zooms into the view. From the top menu, select View > Zoom In. The [2].

•Zoom Out: Zooms out of the view. From the top menu, select View > Zoom Out. The [1].

•Reset Zoom: From the top menu, select View > Reset Zoom.

•

Reset Pan: If you are scrolled far down across all your columns in the Xsheet view and would like to returnto the first column, select View > Reset Pan. The [Shift] + [N].

•Reset View: If you have zoomed in or out of your Xsheet view and would like to return to the 100% view,
select View > Reset View. The [Shift] + [M].

Related Topics•

Resizing a View below•

Column Colours on the next page

Resizing a View
To change the width and height of the views in the workspace, drag the side of the view.
To resize a view:
1. In the interface, position your cursor on the edge of the view you want to resize.
2. When you see the Resizing

cursor, click and drag the side of the window to the desired width orheight.

43

Chapter 1: Interface

Interface Navigation

You can also temporarily hide a view to get more working space.
To temporarily hide a view:
1. On the edge of the window you want to hide click on the Collapse/Expand button.
The view is compressed and only the Collapse/Expand button is visible.
2. Click on the same Collapse/Expand button to display the view again.

Related Topics•

View Commands on the previous page•

Column Colours below

Column Colours
When you are dealing with many different types of columns (such as drawing, function and 3D paths) or perhaps
when you are dealing with a many of the same type of columns (such as the various body parts of a character),sometimes it is helps to colour your columns. By changing the column colours to different shades to indicate
different types of groupings, you can better visually organize your Xsheet space.
To change the colour of a column:
1. In the Xsheet view, select one or more columns to modify.
2. Right-click on the Column header of the column and from the pop-up menu, select Colour > Change
Column Colour.
The Select Colour window appears.

3. Click in the colour spectrum. A black cross-hair shape appears. Use your cursor to move the black crossaround until you find a suitable colour. You will be able to see a more precise sample of the selectedcolour in the rectangle frame below.
4. If you intend to use the same shade for multiple columns, click on the Add to Custom Colours button. This
will add the colour swatch to the Custom colours section in the Select colour window. If you then continue
to make other colour selections, you can always go back to that saved colour swatch, even after the
Select colour window has been closed.
5. When you are through, click on the OK button.
The body of the column now appears coloured with the selected shade.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

When you are finished your scene, you might decide that you want to eliminate all your personal column colours.
To bring your column colours back to their default white state:
1. In the Xsheet view, select one or more columns to modify.
2. Right-click on the column header and from the pop-up menu select Colour > Default Column Colour.
The coloured columns revert back to their default white colour in the Xsheet view.

Related Topics•

View Commands on page 43•

Resizing a View on page 43

45

Chapter 1: Interface

Preferences

Preferences
An important feature in the Harmony Xsheet is the Preferences panel. From here you can customize yourinterface, tool behaviour and keyboard shortcuts. In this section you will learn how to access the Preferences
panel and also find a general description of its functionality.
The Preferences panel is divided into the following tabbed sections:•Shortcuts•

General•Exposure Sheet

Accessing the Preferences PanelTo access the Preferences panel:
1. In the top menu, select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage > Preferences (Mac OS X). The[Ctrl] + [U] Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [U] (Mac OS X).

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

For details about the preferences available in the Exposure Sheet tab, please refer to the Timing on
page 51 topic.

Related Topics•

User Interface Preferences below•

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 48

User Interface Preferences
To customize your interface, you will use some of the preferences located in the General category.

46

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Levels Of Undo
The Levels Of Undo preference determines the number of actions retained by the Undo List. By default, thesystem stores 50 actions in the list. You can alter this number if you want to.

This preference does not require you to restart the application.

Colours
The Colours preference allows you to modify the colours of the different elements in the Xsheet. For example,
you can change the colour of a Timing Column from peach to pale green.
•

Current View Border
The Current View Border preference sets the colour of the frame around the workspace view you are
currently using, also known as focus. By default, the colour is red. Click on the red colour swatch to selecta new colour in the Select Colour window.

•

Edit Colours Button

47

Chapter 1: Interface

Colours

Click on the Edit Colours button to open the Colours window.

In the Colours window, you can modify any of the colours from the list.

‣ To restore all of the default interface’s colours, click on the Restore All Defaults button.
The Colours window is divided in three categories:•

Columns•

Function Editors•

Others‣ Click on any of the colour swatches and select a new colour from the Colour Picker window.
Related Topics•

Preferences on page 46

Keyboard Shortcuts
To speed up your work, all of the Harmony Xsheet’s keyboard shortcuts can be customized and you can evenchoose other software keyboard shortcut sets.

Topics Covered•

Selecting a Keyboard Shortcut Set below•

Customizing a Keyboard Shortcut on the facing page

Selecting a Keyboard Shortcut Set
In the Xsheet Module, you can choose a set of default keyboard shortcuts you are familiar with. You can choose
between the following:•

Adobe Flash

48

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Toon Boom Harmony•

Toon Boom StudioTo switch keyboard shortcut sets:
1. Open the Preferences panel. The [Ctrl] + [U] Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [U] (Mac OS X).
2. In the Preferences panel, go to the Shortcuts tab.
3. In the Shortcut Set drop-down menu, select the desired set.

Related Topics•

Keyboard Shortcuts on the previous page•

Customizing a Keyboard Shortcut below

Customizing a Keyboard Shortcut
You can also customize most of the shortcuts by opening the Preferences panel and going to the Shortcuts tab.
To set a shortcut:
1. Open the Preferences panel. The [Ctrl] + [U] Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [U] (Mac OS X).
2. In the Preferences panel, go to the Shortcuts tab.
3. In the left window, select the command to modify.
4. Click on the shortcut rectangle (above the right window).

5. On your keyboard, click on the desired shortcut.
‣

To reset a command’s default keyboard shortcut, click the Default button.

‣

To remove any keyboard shortcut associated to a command, click the Clear button.

6. Click OK.

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Chapter 1: Interface

Colours

If a keyboard shortcut is already in use, the Conflict Detected dialog box will appear notifying you of
the command to which it is already associated. You can continue to associate the shortcut or cancel
the operation and choose another command.

•

The Replace button associates the selected keyboard shortcut and removes it from any command alreadyusing it.

•

The Duplicate button associates the selected keyboard shortcut with the command and allows othercommands in the list to use the same one.

•

The Cancel button stops the operation and lets you select another keyboard shortcut.

Related Topics•

Keyboard Shortcuts on page 48•

Selecting a Keyboard Shortcut Set on page 1

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Chapter 1: Timing

When you create hand-drawn animation, it is important to know how to set and modify the timing of yourdrawings. You can adjust the timing in both the Timeline and Xsheet views, depending on which technique you
are used to working with. If you are a digital animator, you will probably use the Timeline view. If you are more ofa traditional animator, you will probably work with the Xsheet view (exposure sheet). Harmony offers you both.
In this topic, you will learn how to work on your drawing’s exposure and length. The exposure and animation
paths for symbols are covered in separate chapters.

Topics Covered•

Understanding the Timeline View on page 1•

Understanding the Xsheet View on page 1•

Frames on the next page•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Filling Exposure on page 78•

Navigating between Frames and Columns on page 100•

Managing Drawings on page 102•

Tempo Markers on page 106•

Annotation Columns on page 108•

Printing the Xsheet on page 114•

Element Manager on page 116•

Timing Preferences on page 117

51

Chapter 1: Timing Frames

FramesOne of the first things to learn in Toon Boom Harmony is how to add or delete frames in your scene.

Related Topics•

Adding Frames below•

Deleting Frames on page 54

Adding Frames
There are several ways to add frames to your scene using Toon Boom Harmony.

Related Topics•

Setting the Scene Length below•

Extending the Timeline View below•

Adding Frames Before or After a Selection on the facing page•

Adding Frames to the Beginning or at the End of a Scene on the facing page

Setting the Scene Length
You can set the global scene length from the top menu.
To set the set scene length:
1. Select Scene > Set Scene Length.
The Set Scene Length dialog box opens.

2. In the Number of Frames field, type how many frames are needed.

Extending the Timeline View
You can quickly extend your scene length in the Timeline view.
To extend your scene in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, drag the scene length bracket to the right to add more frames to your scene.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Adding Frames Before or After a Selection
You can add frames anywhere in the middle of the scene. If you select a frame row in the Xsheet view, the system
will add the new frames before or after the selection, depending on your choice.
To add frames before or after selection:
1. In the Xsheet view, select a frame row.

2. Do one of the following:‣

Select Scene >Frame >Add Frames Before Selection or Add Frames After Selection.

‣

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

In Harmony Xsheet, select Frame >Add Frames Before Selection or Add Frames After Selection.
The Add Frames dialog box opens.

3. In the Number of Frames to Add field, enter the amount of frames needed in the scene.

To add new frames after your selection, you can also use the Add Frames

button in the Xsheet

View toolbar.

Adding Frames to the Beginning or at the End of a Scene
You can add some frames to the beginning or at the end of the scene.
To add frames at start or at end:
1. Select Scene > Frame > Add Frames at Start or Add Frames at End.
In Harmony Xsheet, select Frame > Add Frames at Start or Add Frames at End.
The Add Frames dialog box opens.

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Chapter 1: Timing Frames

2. In the Number of Frames to Add field, enter the number of frames needed in the scene.

To add new frames at the end of your scene, you can also use the Add Frames

button found in

the Xsheet View toolbar.

Related Topics•

Deleting Frames below

Deleting Frames
There are three ways to delete frames from your scene:•

Reducing the Timeline Length below•

Removing Selected Frames on the facing page•

Deleting a Selected Frame Range on the facing page

When you remove frames from the end of your scene, the exposed drawings and symbols are notdeleted. If you extend your scene afterwards, these drawings and symbols are still available.

Reducing the Timeline Length
You can quickly reduce your scene length in the Timeline view.
To reduce your scene in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, drag the scene length bracket to the left to remove frames from your scene.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Removing Selected Frames
You can remove any selected frame in your Xsheet view, such as the last frame of your scene.
To remove a selected frame:
1. In the Xsheet view, select a frame in a given column.
2. In the Xsheet View toolbar, click the Remove Frames

button. To remove several frames, click the

button repeatedly.
You can also select Scene > Frame > Remove Selected Frames from the top menu.
In Harmony Xsheet, select Frame > Remove Selected Frames from the top menu.

Deleting a Selected Frame Range
In the Xsheet view, you can remove any selected frame range.
To delete a frame range:
1. In the Xsheet view, select a frame range by clicking the first frame’s number and then dragging theselection highlight down to the last frame to delete.

2. Do one of the following:‣

Press [Delete] to delete the selection.

‣

From the top menu, select Scene > Frame > Remove Selected Frames.

‣

Click Remove Frames

button.

In Harmony Xsheet, go to Frame > Remove Selected Frames.
The Warning dialog box opens.

55

Chapter 1: Timing Frames

3. To complete the operation:‣

Click Yes to delete the selection.

‣

Click No to only delete the exposure in the cell and not the frames.

‣

Select the Don’t Show This Message Again option to prevent the warning message from being
displayed each time you delete a frame range.

Related Topics•

Adding Frames on page 52

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Layers and Columns
In Toon Boom Harmony there are two ways to see your layers:•

As horizontal layers in the Timeline view•As vertical columns in the Xsheet view

In Harmony, you can also see your layers displayed in the Network view as modules.
Whether you work in the Timeline or Xsheet view, they are the same and any modification you do to one or theother will be applied to both.

Related Topics•

Layer and Column Concepts below•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on page 72•

Xsheet Thumbnails on page 73•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on page 74•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75

When working in Harmony Xsheet, only the Xsheet view and its functionalities are available.

Layer and Column Concepts
In order to understand what happens when you duplicate a drawing, extend an exposure, create cycles or delete
a drawing, it is important to know how a layer works.
Each layer is linked to a directory, this is the location where all of that layers' drawings are saved. This directory
has the same name as the layer. When a value or drawing name is typed in a layer’s cell, the system looks in thelayer’s directory for the corresponding drawing to display. If there is no corresponding drawing, a new one iscreated.
The layer’s cells are not used for storage, but are linked to the drawings contained in the layer’s directory. If you
remove a drawing from the layer exposure, it is not deleted, but is simply not displayed.

57

Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

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

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on the previous page•

Layer Types on page 1•

Advanced Column Types below•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on page 72•

Xsheet Thumbnails on page 73•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on page 74•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75•

Duplicating a Drawing on page 103

Advanced Column Types
In the Xsheet view, you can add several advanced column types:•

Timing column•

3D Path column

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

3D Rotation column•

Bezier Curve column•

Ease Curve column•

Expression column•

Annotation column

These columns are used to create particular animation paths. When you create those columns, they are notlinked to any particular drawing layer. You can create a motion path using these column and then attach several
drawing or peg layers to it.

Related Topics•

Timing Columns below•

Annotation Columns on page 108

Timing Columns
Timing columns are unique in that they can reference a source folder outside of the project folder to bring
images into the project. An example of how this feature can be used is if you have many background scenes
created in a third party software that you might need to update in the future. By using Timing columns, you candynamically link your backgrounds, expose different backgrounds at different times, and have live, automatic
updating capabilities.

The danger with this type of dynamic linking is that if the project file is moved, or the folder that thecolumn is linked to is moved, then the link is broken and the images that were in that folder will
disappear in Toon Boom Harmony.

To use a Timing column:
1. In the Xsheet view, click on the Add Columns

button.

2. In the Add Column dialog box that appears, type in the name of the new column, then from the Typedrop-down menu select Timing.
3. Click OK if you are finished, or on the Apply button if you want to continue adding more columns andcolumn types.
A peach coloured column appears in your Xsheet with the name that you typed in, and for the moment,<unused>.

4. In the Network view, add a new element module.

59Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

5. Open the Layer Properties editor by clicking on the yellow square.
6. In the Drawing tab, select the Timing Columns option.
7. In the Name field, enter the path of the folder you want to access. If you use the Browse button to locate afolder, you will have to select a file in the folder you want and then delete the dash and the suffix (forexample, background-01 should be renamed to background) from the file name in the field. If you leave
the full file name selected, Stage will display that file for the entire duration of the scene, regardless of thecontents of the Timing Column field.

This means that all the images in the folder that you are linking to are named using the naming
convention described above. If for some reason you are unable to access a certain directory, type thedirectory extension directly in the path extension field at the top of the Browser window.

8. In the Timing Column field, click the Arrow button to create a new timing column, or select the name of
the column from the drop-down list. If you have an element directory selected in the Name field, theTiming Column will indicate which files are called up from that element directory. Remember that the filedisplayed at each frame is based on the element name, the cell label, and the extension. If the element is
toto, the timing column is labeled 1, 2, and 3, and the extension is TVG, Stage will display drawings
totobody-1.tvg, totobody-2.tvg, and totobody-3.tvg at the selected frames.

In the Xsheet, the <unused> should now have changed to the name of your module in the Network view.
9. From the Extension drop-down list, select the extension of the files you want to display.
10. Click OK when you are done.
11. In the Xsheet, in your Timing column, type in the number that corresponds to the suffix of the drawing filethat you wish to expose to make it appear in the Camera view.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Timing Columns on the previous page•

Linking your Layer to an External Image

Adding New Drawing Layers
In this section, you will learn the different ways to add a drawing layer to your project. By default, when you
create a new scene there is one Drawing layer included in your Timeline view.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

This topic is divided as follows:•

Adding Drawing Layers in the Timeline View below•

Adding a Drawing Layer from the Top Menu on the next page•

Adding Drawing Columns in the Xsheet View on the next page

Adding Drawing Layers in the Timeline View
You can add a new layer in the Timeline view in several different ways:•

Using the Layer toolbar•

Using the Add Layers dialog box•

Go to the Timeline view menu and select Insert > Drawing.

To add a Drawing layer using the Timeline’s Layer toolbar:
1. In the Timeline’s Layer toolbar, click the Add Layers

button or press [Ctrl] + [R] (Windows/Linux) or[⌘ ] + [R] (Mac OS X).
2. In the drop-down menu, select the Drawing option.

A new layer appears in the Timeline and Xsheet views.

You can also click on the Add Drawing Layer button in the Timeline’s Layer toolbar or press [Ctrl] + [R](Windows/Linux) or [⌘] + [R] (Mac OS X).

To add drawing layers using the Add Layers dialog box:
1. In the Timeline view’s layer section,right-click and select Insert > Add Layer(s).
The Add Layers dialog box opens.

2. In the Type drop-down menu, select the Drawing option.
3. In the Number field, use the up and down arrows or type the number of layers you want to add at once.

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Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

4. In the Name field, type the name of the layer you want to add. If you are adding more than one layer atonce, all of the layers use that name with a numerical suffix added.
5. To complete the operation:‣

Click OK to add your new layers and close the dialog box.

‣

Click Apply to add your new layers and keep the dialog box open to add another layer.

‣

Click Close to cancel the operation.

Adding a Drawing Layer from the Top Menu
You can add a new layer from the top menu.
To add a new layer from the top menu:
1. In the top menu, select Insert > Drawing.
A new layer appears in the Timeline and Xsheet views.

Adding Drawing Columns in the Xsheet View
To add a drawing column:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Xsheet view, right-click and select Columns > Add Column.

‣

In the Xsheet View toolbar, click the Add Columns‣

To quickly add a Drawing column, press [Ctrl] + [R] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [R] (Mac OS X).

button or press [Shift] + [C]].

The Add Columns dialog box opens.

2. In the Column Name field, name your column accordingly.
3. In the Column Type field, select Drawing.

Refer to the topic Layer Types on page 1 to know more about the different column types available.

4. To complete the operation:‣

Click OK to add your new layers and close the dialog box.

‣

Click Apply to add your new layers and keep the dialog box open to add column.

‣

Click Close to cancel the operation.

In Harmony, you can use the advanced Add Column dialog box, with more file format and field size options, toinsert the column.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

To create a column in Toon Boom Harmony using the advanced Add Column dialog box:
1. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Stage > Preferences (Mac OS X) and select theAdvanced tab.
2. In the Advanced Options section, select the Advanced Element Mode option to access the advanced
Add Column dialog box.

3. Click OK.
4. In the Xsheet View menu, select Columns > Add Column or press [Shift] + [C].
The Add Column dialog box opens.

5. In the Name field, type the new column’s name.
6. In the Type drop-down menu, select the Drawing type.
7. In the Element section select if you either want to create a new column or link the new column to an
existing one:‣

Create New Element: Select this option if you want your column to be an independent column with
its own drawing folder.

‣

Reuse Existing Folder: Select this option if you want to link your column to an existing folder within
the Element folder of your scene.
If you select the Reuse Existing Folder option, in the Folder drop-down field, select the folder towhich you want to link your new column.

‣

Use Existing Element: Select this option if you want your column to use drawings from an existingcolumn. Both columns will be attached to the same set of drawings, but their timing will remain

63Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

independent from one another. If you modify one of the drawings, it will be modified in both columns.
This is the same principle as the Clone column.
If you select the Use Existing Element option, in the Name drop-down field, select the column towhich you want to link your new column.

8. If you select the Create New Element option:‣

Deselect the Vector option if you want your layer to contain bitmap images or enable it if you want thelayer to contain vector drawings. Most of the time, the Vector option will be enabled.

‣

If you deselected the Vector option, from the Bitmap Format drop-down list, select which type ofbitmap image you wish to insert in the column. Select the SCAN type if you are planning to scandrawings using Toon Boom Harmony’s scan module.

‣

If you deselected the Vector option and you chose the SCAN type, from the Scan Type drop-down,
select what kind of scanning you wish to achieve.

‣

In the Field Chart field, when importing traditional animation, indicate the size of paper on which theanimation or background was drawn. If you are not using perforated animation paper, leave the 12
field default value as is.

9. Do one of the following:‣

Click OK button to create the new column and close the dialog box.

‣

Click Apply to create the new column but keep the dialog box opened to create other new columns.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on the facing page•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on page 72•

Xsheet Thumbnails on page 73•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on page 74•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Deleting Layers and Columns
You can delete layers from your projects in two different locations:•

Deleting a layer from the Timeline view•

Deleting a column from the Xsheet view

Deleting a Layer from the Timeline View
There are two ways to delete a layer in the Timeline view, using the Delete Layers

button and via the quick

access menu. This will also delete the associated modules from the Network view.
To delete layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to be deleted.

2. In the Timeline’s Layer toolbar, click the Delete Layers

button.

You can also right-click on the selection and select Delete.
The Confirm Delete dialog box opens.

‣

Select the Delete Drawing Files and Element Folders option to delete all drawings and folder linked
to this layer.

3. Select the Delete Xsheet Columns option if you also want to delete the existing column in the Xsheet
view.

Deleting a Column from the Xsheet View
There are two ways to delete a layer in the Xsheet view, using the Delete Columns
access menu.
To delete layers in the Xsheet view:
1. In the Xsheet view, select the columns to be deleted by clicking on their header.

65

button and via the quickChapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

2. In the Xsheet View toolbar, click the Delete Columns

button. You can also right-click on the selection

and select Delete Columns or press [Delete].
The Confirm Delete dialog box opens.

‣

Select the Delete Drawing Files and Element Folder option if you want to delete the drawings andfolders linked to the selected column.

3. To complete the operation:‣

Click OK to delete the selected layers.

‣

Click Cancel cancel the operation.

‣

Click Yes button delete all the frames from your scene.

‣

Click No button to keep the frames in your scene.

‣

Select the Don’t Show This Message Again option if you do not want the dialog box to pop again in
the future.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on the previous page•

Modifying Layers on the facing page•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on page 72•

Xsheet Thumbnails on page 73•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on page 74•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Modifying Layers
Once you added layers to your project, you can modify their properties, name or ordering.

Related Topics•

Ordering Layers and Columns below•

Showing and Hiding Layers From the Timeline View on page 1•

Showing and Hiding Columns on the next page•

Layer Properties on page 1•

Renaming Layers and Columns on page 70

Ordering Layers and Columns
You can change the order of your layers in the Timeline and Xsheet views. When you change the order of yourlayers in one of these views, the other one is updated.

Reordering Layers in the Timeline View
To reorder layers in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layers to move.
2. Drag the selection to the new location and drop it in between the existing layers. Dropping the selection
on an existing layer would create a hierarchy. Layers located on top of the Timeline view are displayed in
front of the other ones. Layers located at the bottom are displayed behind.

Reordering Columns in the Xsheet View
You can reorder columns in the Xsheet view using the mouse’s middle button.
To reorder columns in the Xsheet view:‣ In the Xsheet view, click on the column’s header with the middle mouse button and drag the column to its
new position.

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Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Modifying Layers on the previous page•

Showing and Hiding Layers From the Timeline View on page 1•

Showing and Hiding Columns below•

Layer Properties on page 1•

Renaming Layers and Columns on page 70

Showing and Hiding Columns
The Xsheet view has a Column List section that shows all the columns contained in the exposure sheet. It can beused to hide indivisdual columns.
If you need to see a column after it has been hidden, you can display it directly from the Xsheet view without
using the Column List section.
You can also hide an entire column type, such as Drawing or Sound.
When a column is hidden in the Xsheet view, the corresponding layer is disabled in the Timeline view.
To show and hide columns in the Xsheet view:
1. In the Xsheet View toolbar, click the Show Column List

button.

2. Click the Expand button located on the right side of the Functions section to display the Column List
section.
3. In the Column List section, show or hide the columns by clicking in the column checkbox to add or remove
the check mark. You can also click the Hide Selected Column
button located in the Xsheet View
toolbar’s extra buttons.

To show a hidden column from the Xsheet view:
1. In the Xsheet view, click on the thick grey line that appeared in place of the hidden column. You can also
right-click on the column header and select Show Hidden Columns.

68Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

The Show Hidden Columns dialog box opens.

2. In the Show column, enable the hidden columns you want to display in the Xsheet view.
‣

Click Check to check all the selected columns.

‣

Click Uncheck to uncheck all the selected columns.

In Toon Boom Harmony, in the Xsheet view menu, you can select View > Unhide All Columns.
To hide and entire column type:
1. In the Column List section, click the Column Type button corresponding to the type you want to show or
hide.

‣

The Show/Hide All Columns

button shows or hides every column available in the Xsheet view.

‣

The Show Drawing Columns

button shows the Drawing columns.

‣

The Show Function Columns

button shows the Bezier and Ease function columns.

‣

The Show 3D Path Columns

button shows the 3D Path function columns.

‣

The Show Sound Columns

button shows the Drawing columns.

‣

The Show 3D Rotation Columns

button shows the 3D Rotation columns.

‣

The Show Annotation Columns

button shows the Annotation columns.

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Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

Column Types Manager
As you work in Harmony Xsheet, some columns may be in the way or are used as references. You can hide thesecolumns to make your work area easier and less cluttered. In the Xsheet view, you have the choice of hiding or
showing certain types of columns, such as Annotation and Function.
To show and hide column types:
1. In the Xsheet View menu, select View > Column Types Manager.
The Column Types dialog box opens.

2. Select the types of columns you want to display and disable the ones you want to hide.
3. Click Set As Default to make these new settings the default ones used each time you start theapplication. Click Restore Default to restore the settings used when installing the application.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Showing and Hiding Layers From the Timeline View on page 1•

Layer Properties on page 1•

Renaming Layers and Columns below

Renaming Layers and Columns
You can rename a layer in two different ways; in the Layer Properties editor or directly on the Timeline’s layer.
To rename a layer in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, double-click on the name of the layer to rename.
2. In the Name field, rename the layer and press [Enter/Return] to validate the modifications.

To rename a layer in the Layer Properties editor:
1. In the Timeline view, double-click on the layer to rename.
The Layer Properties editor opens.
2. In the Name field, rename the layer.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

3. Click Close.
To rename a column:
1. In the Xsheet view, double-click on the column name to rename. Do not click on the drawing folder namethat the column is linked to (this also appears in the column header just below the column name).
The Column Editor dialog box opens.

2. In the Name field, rename the column.
3. Click OK.
4. Click Apply/Next to apply the new name and open the editor for the following column.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Showing and Hiding Columns on page 68

Duplicating Layers and Columns
Duplicating a layer provides you with an independent copy of the drawings and their exposure. You can modify
anything you want in the duplicated layer without affecting the original one. In the Network view, you canduplicate the selected modules in the same way.
To duplicate a layer:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, click the layer you want to duplicate.

2. Select Edit > Duplicate or click the Duplicate Layerbutton in the Xsheet View toolbar andTimelineView toolbar.
In Harmony Xsheet, select Edit > Duplicate Selected Element.
The new duplicated layer or column appears.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57

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Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Cloning Layers And Columns below•

Xsheet Thumbnails on the facing page•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on page 74•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75

Cloning Layers And Columns
Cloning a layer provides you with a copy of the selected layer that uses the same drawings as the original. If you
modify a drawing in the cloned or original layer it is updated in both layers. You can modify the layers’ timing
independently one from the other, but the drawings remain linked. You can clone selected modules from the
Network view in the same way.
This feature is useful when you want to reuse a hand-drawn animation but have different timings.
To clone a layer:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, click on the layer you want to clone.

2. Select Edit > Clone or click the Clone Layerbutton in the Xsheet View toolbar and Timeline View

toolbar.
In Harmony Xsheet, select Edit > Clone Selected Columns.
The new cloned layer or column appears.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Xsheet Thumbnails below•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on the next page•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75

Xsheet Thumbnails
When there are a large number of columns in the exposure sheet, it is not always easy to quickly identify aparticular column. Displaying the column thumbnails makes this easier. This option displays a small thumbnail
picture of the current frame below the column header.
To display the thumbnails:
1. In the Xsheet view, click the Show Thumbnails

button.

The thumbnails appear.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on the previous page•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on the next page•

Modifying the Look of the Column on page 75

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Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns
To simplify the look of your Timeline and Xsheet view, you can collapse and expand your layers. If some layers areparented to other ones, you can collapse the parent layer to hide all of its children. You can also collapse 3D Pathcolumns in the Xsheet view.
To collapse/expand a layer selection in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select the layer(s) to collapse or expand.
2. Do one of the following:‣

Right-click on the selection and select Collapse/Expand > Collapse/Expand.

‣

Click the Expand Children Arrow‣

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

‣

Click the Collapse/Expand

button on the parent layer.

button in the Timeline View toolbar’s extra buttons.

To collapse or expand all layers in the Timeline view:
Do one of the following:‣

Right-click on the layers and select Collapse/Expand > Expand All or Collapse All.

‣

Press [0] and [9].

‣Click the Collapse All

or Expand All

buttons in the Timeline View toolbar’s extra buttons.

To collapse and expand 3D Path columns in the Xsheet view:
1. In the Xsheet view, display the Functions section by clicking the Show Column List

button.

2. In the Functions section, select the header of the 3D Path column to collapse.
3. Do one of the following:‣

Right-click on the column’s header and select Expand/Collapse > Collapse Selection.

‣

To expand a collapsed column, select the column’s header, right-click on the selection and selectExpand/Collapse > Expand Selection.

‣

Click the Collapse Selection

or Expand Selection

buttons in the Xsheet View toolbar’s

extra buttons.
To collapse or expand all 3D Path columns in the Xsheet view:
Do one of the following:‣

Right-click on any column’s header and select Collapse/Expand > Expand All or Collapse All.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide‣

The [0] and [9].

‣Click the Collapse All

or Expand All

buttons in the Xsheet View toolbar’s extra buttons.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on page 72•

Xsheet Thumbnails on page 73•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Modifying the Look of the Column below•

Modifying the Look of the Column
In Toon Boom Harmony 10.3, you can modify the way the column displays drawings, empty cells and the column
width.
You can modify the following elements:•

Empty Cells•

Row Units•

Held Exposure•

Column Width

To modify the look of an empty cells:‣ In the Xsheet View menu, select View > Empty Cells > With an “X” or Blank.

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Chapter 1: Timing Layers and Columns

To modify the row units:‣ In the Xsheet View menu, select View > Row Units > Frames or Feet.

To modify the held exposure’s look:‣ In the Xsheet View menu, select View > Held Exposures > Line or Value.

To modify the column’s width:
1. In the Xsheet view, select any column to modify the width.
2. In the Xsheet view menu, select View > Set Columns Width.
The Xsheet Column Width dialog box opens.

3. In the Column Width field, type the desired width in pixel.
4. To end the operation:‣

Click on the OK button to validate and close the dialog box.

‣

Click on the Apply button to validate the operation and keep the dialog box opened to adjust thenext column’s width.

‣

Click on the Set As Default to create all the new columns to this width.

‣

Click on the Close button to cancel the operation.

5. To restore all columns to the default value, in the Xsheet view menu, select All Columns to Default
Width.

Related Topics•

Layers and Columns on page 57•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57•

Advanced Column Types on page 58•

Layer Content on page 1

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Adding New Drawing Layers on page 60•

Deleting Layers and Columns on page 65•

Modifying Layers on page 67•

Duplicating Layers and Columns on page 71•

Cloning Layers And Columns on page 72•

Xsheet Thumbnails on page 73•

Changing the Colour of a Column or Layer on page 1•

Expanding and Collapsing Layers and Columns on page 74

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

Filling Exposure
Toon Boom Harmony provides different tools to fill-in exposures and values, create cycles, and set increments.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure Mode below•

Typing Exposure on the facing page•

Holding Exposure on page 81•

Extending a Single Exposure on page 82•

Extending an Exposure Sequence on page 82•

Dragging Cells on page 83•

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure on page 86•

Inserting Blank Cells on page 90•

Setting the Exposure on page 91•

Filling a Selection with a Single Exposure on page 92•

Filling a Selection with a Sequence on page 93•

Filling a Selection Randomly on page 95•

Creating Cycles on page 96

Filling Exposure ModeIn the Xsheet view, you can fill columns using two different filling modes: Overwrite or Insert. These modes
control the filling behaviour. The Timeline view only uses the Overwrite mode.
To toggle between Overwrite and Insert modes:‣ In the Xsheet view’s right bottom corner, click the Overwrite/Insert button or press [I].

Overwrite Mode
By default, the Xsheet view is set to Overwrite mode. Add a new value or a new value sequence overwrites
existing ones. The existing timing sequence remains in the same place and is not pushed further down thecolumn.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Insert Mode
The Insert mode is the opposite of the Overwrite mode. When you add a new value or a new value sequence overexisting ones, the new values are inserted between the old ones. The existing timing sequence is pushed down
the column.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on the previous page•

Filling Exposure Mode on the previous page

Typing Exposure
To fill in your exposure, you can directly type the values in the Xsheet and Timeline views.
•

Typing a Value in the Timeline View below•

Typing a Value in the Xsheet View on the next page

Typing a Value in the Timeline View
If you want to type an exact drawing name or value into the Timeline view, you must use the Data view section of
the Timeline.

79Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

You can only use alphanumeric values. (0-9, a-z, underscore (_) and dash (-)).

To type a value in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, click the Show Data View

button.

2. In the Drawing Substitution field, type the name of the drawing you want to create, and press[Enter/Return].

Typing a Value in the Xsheet View
To enter a value in a column’s cell, double-click in the cell and type the numbers or letters.

You can only use alphanumeric values. (0-9, a-z, underscore (_) and dash (-)).

•

Press [Enter/Return] to move on to the next cell.

•Press [Esc] to exit the typing mode and return to normal mode.

To type values in the Xsheet view:
1. In an Xsheet column, double-click on one cell.

2. Type a value or drawing name in the cell.

3. Press [Enter/Return] to move on to the next cell.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

4. Press [Esc] to quit the typing mode.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Holding Exposure
Drawings in an animation are not always exposed on a single frame, they are often exposed for more than one
frame. The most common exposure of a drawing is two frames. In the industry, this type of exposure is known asanimation in double frames. A drawing can also be exposed for three, four, five cells and so on. To prevent
mistakes and to save time, the Xsheet lets you hold your cells automatically as you type.
The Xsheet’s Set Exposure option allows you to choose how many frames you want to hold your exposure for.

•This option is only available in the Xsheet view.

•

The selected Set Exposure, the settings will be kept from session to session. You will nothave to set them every time you use Toon Boom Harmony

To hold exposure:
1. In the Xsheet View menu, select Exposure > Hold 2 Cells.
2. Right-click the Xsheet view and select Exposure > Set Exposure To > Set Exposure to 1, 2, 3, or Set
Exposure.
In the Harmony Xsheet, select Option > Hold 2 Cells.
3. Type a value or drawing name in the cell.
‣Press [Enter/Return] to move on to the next cell.

‣Press [Esc] to quit the typing mode.

‣If you selected Set Exposure, the Set Exposure dialog box opens. You can hold as many cells as
needed.

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Extending a Single Exposure
The Extend Exposure feature allows you to select an Xsheet’s cell containing a value and to pull it down to thedesired frame.
To extend a cell exposure:
1. In the Xsheet view, select the red arrowin the cell’s right side. Make sure you see the drag down

cursor.

2. Pull down the selected cell to the desired frame.

The red selection box must be visible when releasing the mouse button. If not, the action isconsidered cancelled.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Extending an Exposure Sequence
You can extend and create a sequence using almost the same procedure as you would when you extend a single
exposure. The only differences being that the selected cell must only contain numbers and that you need to press
the [Shift] key while pulling down on the selection.

The creation of the sequence only works with numbers in the selected cell, not letters.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

To create a sequence:
1. In the Xsheet view, select a cell containing a number.
2. In the selected cell, click on the red arrow on the cell’s right side. Make sure to see the drag down
cursor.

3. Hold down the [Shift] key. Make sure a plus (+) sign appears.
4. Pull down the selection box to the desired frame.

The red selection box must be visible when releasing the mouse button. If it is not visible, the action
is considered as cancelled.

5. First release the [Shift] key, then release the mouse button.

You can also select a cell and select Animation > Cell > Extend Exposure or press [F5]. In the dialog
box, type the frame number you want to extend the cell to.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Dragging Cells
To readjust your timing, you can drag one or several cells to a new location in both the Timeline and Xsheet
views.
You can drag a cell to any other frame in the same column or into another column.
To drag a cell to another location in the Timeline view:
1. In the Timeline view, select one or several cells to move.

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

2. Click on the cells selection and drag it to the new location.

‣

If you drop the selection, it overwrites the existing cells.

‣

If you hold [Ctrl] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X) while dropping the selection, the cells are copiedand not moved.

‣

If your press [Shift] while dropping, the selection is inserted between the existing frames.

To drag a cell to another location in the Xsheet view:
1. In the Xsheet view, select one or more cells.

2. In the Xsheet view, select the small dotted areaon the left side of the selected cells.

3. Drag the selection to any other cell in the same column or in another column.

84Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide‣

If you drop the selection, it overwrites the existing cells.

‣

If you hold [Ctrl] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X)while dropping the selection, the cells are copiedand not moved.

‣

If your press [Shift] while dropping, the selection is inserted between the existing frames.

You can turn off the Gestural Drag Mode for the Xsheet view to prevent drawings from being dragged from one
location to another. A Toggle Gestural Drag Mode button is available for this feature, accessible by customizing
the Xsheet View toolbar. Otherwise, access it by right-clicking on a cell or the Xsheet's Edit menu.
To turn off the Gestural Drag mode:‣ In the Xsheet view, right-click and deselect the Gestural Drag Mode option.

85

Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure‣ You can also customize the Xsheet View toolbar and display the Toggle Gestural Drag mode button to
enable and disable this option.

The dragging pad disappears when the Gestural Drag mode is off.

This feature does not apply for Annotation columns.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure
Once a value is entered in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you can increase and decrease its exposure.

Related Topics•

Increasing Exposure below•

Decreasing Exposure on the facing page•

Increase/Decrease Exposure Field on page 88•

Clear Exposure and Pull on page 88

Increasing Exposure
Increasing the exposure adds one more exposure to a selected cell, repeating this action adds an extra cell every
time. This is a quick way of extending a drawing exposure and is always set in the Insert mode. Increasing an
exposure always pushes the existing exposure down.
To use Increase Exposure:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Increase Exposure.

‣

Right-click on the selected cell and select Exposure > Increase Exposure.

‣Press [+].

‣In Harmony Xsheet,select Selected > Increase Exposure.

‣

Click the Increase Exposure

button in the Xsheet View and Timeline View toolbars’ extra buttons.

3. Repeat this action to add more cells to your drawing’s exposure.

Related Topics•

Decreasing Exposure below•

Increase/Decrease Exposure Field on the next page

Decreasing Exposure
Decreasing the exposure removes one exposure from a selected cell. Repeating this action removes an extra cellevery time. This is a rapid way to reduce a drawing exposure and remove the exposed drawing.
To decrease exposure:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Decrease Exposure.

‣

Right-click on the selected cell and select Exposure > Decrease Exposure.

‣Press [-].

In Harmony Xsheet,select Selected > Decrease Exposure.
‣

Click the Increase Exposure

button in the Xsheet View and Timeline View toolbars’ extra buttons.

3. Repeat this action to decrease more cells to your drawing’s exposure.

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

Related Topics•

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure on page 86•

Clear Exposure and Pull below

Increase/Decrease Exposure Field
Another technique you can use to quickly increase or decrease the exposure of a selected drawing is by making
use of the Increase/Decrease Exposure field available in the Xsheet view.
To increase and decrease exposure using the Increase/Decrease Exposure field:
1. In the Xsheet view, select the cell to modify.

2. In the Xsheet’s bottom-right corner, increase or decrease the drawing’s exposure by clicking the up or
down arrows. To increase the exposure, press [+]. To decrease the exposure, press [-].

Related Topics•

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure on page 86•

Decreasing Exposure on the previous page•

Clear Exposure and Pull below

Clear Exposure and Pull
You can reduce a drawing’s exposure using the Clear Exposure and Pull option.
To use the Clear Exposure and Pull feature:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Clear Exposure and Pull.

‣

Right-click on the selected cell and select Exposure > Clear Exposure and Pull.

‣

In Harmony Xsheet, select Selected > Clear Exposure and Pull.

‣

Click the Clear Exposure‣

Press [Z].

button in the Xsheet View and Timeline View toolbars’ extra buttons.

Related Topics•

Increasing and Decreasing Exposure on page 86

Deleting Exposure
You can delete a drawing’s exposure in several simple ways. Note that when you delete a drawing’s exposure
from the Timeline or Xsheet view, you are not deleting the actual drawing file. You can always bring it back bytyping its name again in a cell.
You can delete the exposure contained in a selected cell range or delete the entire exposure of a drawing
exposed over several cells. Note that you can also delete the exposure for drawings contained inside a collapsed
group.
To delete selected exposures:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the exposure you want to delete.
2. Right-click on the selection and select Delete or press [Delete].
To completely clear the exposure of a drawing:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell of a drawing exposed over several cells.
2. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Clear Exposure.

‣In the Timeline view, right-click on the selection and select Exposure > Clear Exposure.

‣

Click the Clear Exposure

button in the Timeline View toolbar’s extra buttons.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78•

Layer and Column Concepts on page 57

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

Inserting Blank Cells
Use the Insert Blank Cell option to place an empty cell between other cells. This is always done in Insert modeand pushes down existing exposure, even if you are set to Overwrite mode.
To insert blank cells:
1. In the Xsheet or Timeline view, select the cell where you want to insert a blank cell.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In the top menu, select Animation > Cell > Insert Blank Cell.

‣

In Harmony Xsheet, select Selected > Insert Blank Cell.

‣

Right-click on the selected cell and select Exposure > Insert Blank Cell.

‣

Press [Shift] + [J].

‣Click the Insert Blank Cellbutton in the Timeline View and Xsheet View toolbars’ extra buttons.

The blank cell is inserted.

To clear a selected cell range without changing the exposure and timing:
1. In the Xsheet view, select the frame range to clear.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

2. Right-click on the selected cells and select Clear.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Setting the Exposure
You can easily increase or decrease the exposure for a selected cell range by using the Set Exposure options.
To set the exposure:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the cell range on which you want to set the exposure.

2. In the top menu, select one of the following:‣

Animation > Cell > Set Exposure > Set Exposure to 1.

‣

Animation > Cell > Set Exposure > Set Exposure to 2.

‣

Animation > Cell > Set Exposure > Set Exposure to 3.

‣

Animation > Cell > Set Exposure.

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

You can also click the Set Exposure

buttons in the Timeline View toolbar’s extra buttons

or right-click the selected cells and choose .
3. In Harmony Xsheet, right-click and select Exposure > Set Exposure to and then select one of thefollowing:‣ Set Exposure to 1
‣ Set Exposure to 2
‣ Set Exposure to 3
‣ Set Exposure
If you choose the Set Exposure option, the Set Exposure dialog box opens.

4. Type the number of frames you want the drawings to display and click OK.
The new timing is displayed in the Xsheet view.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Filling a Selection with a Single Exposure
The Fill Selection option is used to fill the same value all over a selection. The selection can be over one cell, a cellrange in one column, a cell range over many columns, an entire column or many entire columns. You can use
numbers, words, letters or any alphanumeric value.
To use Fill Selection:
1. In the Xsheet or Timeline view, select a cell range.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

2. Do one of the following:‣

Select Animation > Cell >Fill Selection.

‣

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

‣In Harmony Xsheet, right-click and select Exposure > Fill Selection or press [Ctrl] + [T](Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [T] (Mac OS X).

‣

Click the Fill Selection

button in the Xsheet View and Timeline View toolbars’ extra buttons.

The Fill Selection dialog box opens.

3. In the Value field, type the desired value and click OK.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Filling a Selection with a Sequence
The Sequence Fill option is used to create a number sequence over a selection. The sequence can be forward,
backward, single, double or higher increment, as a cycle, etc. The selection can be over one cell, a cell range in
one or more columns, an entire column, or several entire columns.
To fill a selection with a sequence:
1. In the Xsheet or the Timeline view, select a cell range.

2. If you are working in the Xsheet view, select Animation > Cell > Sequence Fill. Click the Sequence Fillbutton in the Xsheet View toolbar's extra buttons.
In Harmony Xsheet, select Selected > Sequence Fill. You can also click on the Sequence Fillavailable in the Xsheet View toolbar's extra buttons.
OR
If you are working in the Timeline view, right-click and select Exposure > Sequence Fill.
‣

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

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buttonChapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

The Sequence Fill dialog box opens.

3. In the Starting Value field, type the starting number for the number sequence.
4. In the Increment field, type the increment to which the number will change from frame to frame.
(1-2-3-4, 1-3-5-7, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1). The value can be positive or negative.
5. In the Hold field, choose an exposure holding value.
6. Select the Cycle option if you want a cycle; type the number of cells for this cycle’s duration.

If you choose a two cell hold, a cycle of three drawings will last for six cells.

7. If you selected a larger range than the amount of frames needed, select the End Frame option and typethe last frame needed.

8. If you want to have more than one digit in your numbers such as “001” instead of “1”, select the Padding
option and add as many pound signs (#) as digits needed. Also, you can type a letter or word in the field
for it to be added in front of the drawing number.

9. Click OK.

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Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Filling a Selection Randomly
The Fill Cells Randomly option is used to fill in random values over a selection. You can give a maximum and aminimum value and create a range for the system to choose the random values from. The selection can be over
one cell, a cell range in one column, a cell range over many columns or an entire column or several entire columns.
To use Fill Cells Randomly:
1. In the Xsheet view, select a cell range.

2. Select Animation > Cell > Fill Cells Randomly.
In Harmony Xsheet, right-click and select Exposure > Cell > Fill Cells Randomly.
‣

You can also click on the Fill Cells Randomly

button available in the Xsheet View toolbar’s extra

buttons.
The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box opens.

3. In the Minimum Value field, type a minimum value.
4. In the Maximum Value field, type a maximum value.
5. In the Hold field, choose an exposure holding value.
6. If you are applying this option to a drawing column, enable the Whole Numbers option to avoid decimal
points.
7. Click OK.

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

Creating Cycles
Once you have entered a series of drawings and exposures, you can create cycles out of them in several ways.
You can loop your drawings using the following commands:•

Paste Cycle•

Paste Reverse•

Create Cycle

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

To use the Paste Cycle command:
1. In the Xsheet or Timeline view, select the cell range to loop.

2. In the top menu, select Edit > Copy.
3. In the Xsheet or Timeline view, select the cell where you want your cycles to start.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

4. In the top menu, select Edit > Paste Cycle.
In Harmony Xsheet, right-click and select Paste Cycle.
‣

The [Ctrl] + [/] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [/] (Mac OS X).

The Paste Cycle dialog box opens.

5. In the Number of Cycles field, use the up and down arrow to increase or decrease the amount of cycles
you want to paste. You can also directly type the value.
6. In the Cycle Type drop-down menu, select the type of cycle you want to paste.

‣

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

‣

Reverse: Pastes your selection reversed, starting with the last cell and ending with the first one.

‣

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

‣

Reverse -> Forward: Pastes your selection as a reversed yo-yo, starting with the last cell, going to thefirst one and ending with the last cell.

7. Click OK.

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Chapter 1: Timing Filling Exposure

You can do the same operation using the Paste Special dialog box. To open the Paste Special dialog
box, select Edit > Paste Special or press [Ctrl] + [B] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘] + [B] (Mac OS X).

To use the Paste Reverse command:
1. In the Xsheet or Timeline view, select the cell range to paste inverted.

2. In the top menu, select Edit > Copy.
3. In the Xsheet or Timeline view, select the cell where you want your cycles to start.

4. In the top menu, select Edit > Paste Reverse.
In Harmony Xsheet, right-click and select Paste Reverse.
‣

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

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

To use the Create Cycle command:
1. In the Timeline view, select the cell range to loop.

2. In the Timeline View toolbar, click on the Create Cycle

button located in the toolbar’s extra buttons.

The Create Cycle dialog box opens.

3. Enter the number of cycles you want, including the current selection.

Related Topics•

Filling Exposure on page 78

99

Chapter 1: Timing Navigating between Frames and Columns

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

Drawings•

Frames

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

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

Previous and next layers from the top menu, you can select Edit > Previous Layer and Next Layer.
You can also press [H] and [J].

‣Previous and next drawings, from the top menu, select Edit > Previous Drawing and Next Drawing
or Drawing > Previous Drawing and Next Drawing. You can also press [F] and [G].

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide‣

Previous and next frames, from the top menu, select Play > Previous Frame and Next Frame. You
can also press [,] and [.].

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Chapter 1: Timing Managing Drawings

Managing Drawings
Drawings that are created in Toon Boom Harmony are not encapsulated in their cells. They are actual files stored
in the project’s folder. If you want to rename a drawing or delete a drawing from your project, you need to edit
the file and not the cells.

You also have the option of marking your drawing as Key, Breakdown and In-betweens—see
Drawing Identification on page 1 to learn more about this feature.

Related Topics•

Renaming a Drawing below•

Renaming Drawings by Frame Position on page 1•

Deleting a Drawing on page 1•

Duplicating a Drawing on the facing page•

Copying and Pasting Drawings on page 104•

Drawing Identification on page 1

Renaming a Drawing
To rename a drawing, you do not type the new name in the cell. You need to select the cell containing thedrawing and use the Rename Drawing command.
To rename a drawing:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawing to rename.

2. Do one of the following:‣

In Harmony Stage's top menu, select Drawing > Rename Drawing or press [Ctrl] + [D](Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [D] (Mac OS X).

‣

Click the Rename Drawing

button in the Timeline View or Xsheet View toolbars’ extra buttons.

‣ In Harmony Xsheet, use the Rename Drawing
buttons.
The Rename Drawing dialog box opens.

102

button in the Xsheet View toolbars’ extra

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

3. In the New Name field, type the new drawing name.

Related Topics•

Managing Drawings on the previous page•

Renaming Drawings with a Prefix on page 1•

Renaming Drawings by Frame Position on page 1•

Deleting a Drawing on page 1•

Duplicating a Drawing below•

Copying and Pasting Drawings on the next page

Duplicating a Drawing
If you want to modify a drawing that already exists, but keep the original drawing intact, you can duplicate thedrawing and work on the copy. When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing.
The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell is removed. The drawing is not deleted.
To duplicate a drawing:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawing to duplicate.

2. In the Xsheet View toolbar, cilck the Duplicate Drawing

button.

3. In Harmony Stage's top menu, select Drawing > Duplicate Drawing or press [Alt] + [Shift] + [D].

With Toon Boom Harmony you can create a keyframe at the same time as you duplicate your drawing. This way
you can modify and reposition your drawings without affecting the original drawing.

Related Topics•

Managing Drawings on the previous page•

Renaming a Drawing on the previous page•

Renaming Drawings by Frame Position on page 1•

Deleting a Drawing on page 1•

Duplicating a Drawing above•

Copying and Pasting Drawings on the next page103

Chapter 1: Timing Managing Drawings

Copying and Pasting Drawings
When you copy and paste a selection in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you are not copying and pasting the actual
drawings, you are pasting the exposure.
If you want to copy and paste the selected drawings into a different layer or paste the selection in the same layer
to duplicate the drawings, you must use the Paste Special feature.
There are two main ways to paste your selected drawings with the Paste Special dialog box:•

Always Create Drawings
This option pastes all of your drawings as they are. If a drawing has the same name as an existing one, it isrenamed and duplicated.

•

Only Create Drawings When They Do Not Exist
This option only pastes only the drawings that are named differently from existing drawings. If a drawing
has the same name as an existing one, it is ignored and not pasted. This avoids duplicating drawings inyour layers.
This option is useful when you are pasting cut-out character templates containing drawings you may
already have in your scene and some new ones. Using this option, you only paste the new drawings andare not duplicating all of the other parts you already have.

To paste drawings with the Paste Special command:
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawings to copy.

2. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the cell where you want your pasted selection to start.

3. In the top menu, select Edit > Paste Special or press [Ctrl] + [B] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [B] (Mac OS X).
You can also click the Paste Special
button in theTimeline View andXsheet View toolbars’ extra
buttons.
The Paste Special dialog box opens.

104Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

4. Select the Basic tab.
5. In the Drawings section, select the Always Create Drawings or the Only Create Drawings When TheyDo Not Exist option depending on what you need.

If you want to perform another paste special operation using the same settings you used previously,
you can use the Paste Special Again command instead of the Paste Special command. This feature
paste your selection using the same settings you used in your last paste special without opening the
Paste Special dialog box.
To use the Paste Special Again command, select Edit > Paste Special Again or press [Ctrl] + [Shift] +[B] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘] + [Shift] + [B] (Mac OS X). You can also click the Paste Special Again
button in theTimeline View andXsheet View toolbars’ extra buttons.

Related Topics•

Managing Drawings on page 102•

Renaming a Drawing on page 102•

Renaming Drawings with a Prefix on page 1•

Renaming Drawings by Frame Position on page 1•

Deleting a Drawing on page 1•

Duplicating a Drawing on page 103

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Chapter 1: Timing Tempo Markers

Tempo Markers
Tempo markers are used to synchronize your animation with a musical score. Using this feature, you canreproduce the FPB (Frames Per Beat) and the tempo signature as Tempo markers. The Xsheet view allows you
to pace your animation according to the tempo or beat of your soundtrack music or to any rhythmical sound,such as the ticking of a clock or water leaking from a spout.

To set the Tempo Markers:
1. In the Xsheet View menu, select View > Set Tempo Marker.
1. In the Xsheet view, right-click and select View > Set Tempo Marker.
The Tempo Marker dialog box opens.

2. Reproduce the tempo and beat value of your music or sound for the Xsheet view marker display.
‣

Starting Frame: Type the number of the frame where you want the tempo markers to begin.

‣

Frames/Beat: Set the Frames Per Beat value. This will determine the frequency (in frames) a beatmarker will appear. Keep in mind that, by default, 24 frames represent 1 second.

‣

Beat/Bar: Set the Tempo of your music or sound. This will determine the frequency (in beats) a tempo
marker will appear in the Xsheet view.

3. Click OK.

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Related Topics•

Timing on page 51

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Chapter 1: Timing Annotation Columns

Annotation Columns
The Annotation columns are a more than just a useful tool. They allow you to mark actions, corrections or any
other information related to your animation that you would like to draw or write. This way, you can print your
Xsheet, take it back to your animation table and work with the annotations.

Related Topics•

Adding an Annotation Column below•

Drawing and Typing in the Annotation Column on the facing page•

Changing the Drawing Settings on page 112•

Importing an Annotation File on page 113

Adding an Annotation Column
To add an annotation column:
1. Do one of the following:‣

In the Xsheet View menu, select Columns > Add Columns.

‣

In the Xsheet View toolbar, click the Add Columns‣

Press [Shift] + [C].

button.

The Add Columns dialog box opens.

2. In the Column Name field, name your column accordingly.
3. In the Column Type field, select Annotation.
4. Click OK.
The new column appears.

Related Topics•

Annotation Columns above•

Drawing and Typing in the Annotation Column on the facing page•

Changing the Drawing Settings on page 112•

Importing an Annotation File on page 113

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Drawing and Typing in the Annotation Column

In the annotation column, you can not only type in your notes and relevant information, but also draw sketches
and ideas which will be useful in producing your animation.
•

Drawing in the Annotation Column below•

Typing in the Annotation Column on the next page•

Erasing Annotation Column Content on the next page

Drawing in the Annotation Column
Before you can draw in the annotation column, you must first activate the Enable Drawing option. Once this isdone, you can start drawing using the mouse or the pen tablet.

Pen tablet pressure sensitivity is not supported in the annotation column.

To enable drawing in the annotation column:
1. In the Xsheet View menu, select Annotation > Enable Drawing. You can also click on the column’s header
icon to toggle the Drawing, Selection and Erasing modes.
‣

The Selecticon indicates that the Select mode is enabled.

‣

The Brushicon indicates that the Drawing mode is enabled.

‣

The Eraser

icon indicates that the Erasing mode is enabled.

When using a pen on a tablet, you MUST flip your pen to the eraser side for the eraser to work.

To draw in the annotation column:‣ To draw in an annotation column, simply use your mouse or pen tablet.

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Chapter 1: Timing Annotation Columns

Typing in the Annotation Column
Typing in an annotation column is independent from the Drawing mode. You can be in either mode and thetyping will work.
To type in an annotation column:
1. In the annotation column, press [Ctrl] (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] (Mac OS X) on the cell where you want towrite. By pressing [Ctrl] + [Shift] + click (Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [Shift] + click (Mac OS X) in the
annotation column, you will enter the editing mode in the cell at the current frame.

2. In the selected cell, type the desired text.

Refer to the topic Typing Exposure on page 79 to get more information about typing values in the
Xsheet view.

Erasing Annotation Column Content
You can erase part or all of the annotation column’s content.

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To erase the annotation content:
1. In the Xsheet view, enable the Erasing mode by clicking on the mode icons.

2. In the Xsheet view, select the cell range you want to clear from text or images. Do not select any cells if
you plan to clear everything.

3. In the Xsheet view, right-click in the annotation column and select:‣

Annotation > Erase All to erase completely the content of the column.

‣

Annotation > Erase Selected Images to erase the images contained in the selected cell range. Make
sure to disable the Drawing mode to do so.

‣

Annotation > Erase Selected Texts to erase the text contained in the selected cell range. Make sure
to disable the Drawing mode to do so.

Tip: You can also use the Erasing mode to erase part of a drawn annotation.

To erase part of a drawn annotation using Erasing mode:
1. In the Annotation column’s header, enable the Erasing mode.

2. In the column, click and drag the cursor on top of the drawn annotation to erase parts of it.

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Chapter 1: Timing Annotation Columns

Annotations that you type in are not erased using this method.

Changing the Drawing Settings
You can change the pen size and colour when you draw in the annotation column.
To change the pen width:
1. In the Xsheet View menu, select Annotation > Pen Width > 1, 2, 3, 4 or Change Current.
If you selected the Change Current option, the Pen Width dialog box opens.

2. In the Pen Width field, type the amount of pixel you want the pen size to be.
To change the pen colour:
1. In the Xsheet View menu, select Annotation > Change Pen Colour.
The Select Colour dialog box opens.

2. Choose the new colour.

Related Topics•

Annotation Columns on page 108•

Adding an Annotation Column on page 108•

Drawing and Typing in the Annotation Column on page 109•

Importing an Annotation File on the facing page112

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Importing an Annotation FileIf you scanned your paper exposure sheet’s annotations or if you need to place some pictures or drawings inyour annotation columns, you can easily import them.
To import annotation files:
1. In the Xsheet view, select the first cell in the annotation column where you want the imported image tostart.

2. In the Xsheet view menu, select Annotation > Import File.
3. Browse for the bitmap image to import.
4. Click Open.
The image appears in the annotation column.

Related Topics•

Annotation Columns on page 108•

Adding an Annotation Column on page 108•

Drawing and Typing in the Annotation Column on page 109•

Changing the Drawing Settings on the previous page

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Chapter 1: Timing Printing the Xsheet

Printing the Xsheet
Once your line test is completed and you have marked all the information, corrections and timing you want inyour Xsheet view, you can print out your exposure sheet. Printing out the Xsheet allows you to take it with you
to your animation table or to give a copy to the animator. You can also use it to create your Xsheet skeleton
directly in Toon Boom Harmony.
To print your exposure sheet:
1. Select File > Print > Xsheet.
The Print dialog box opens.

2. To setup your print:‣

Windows: In the Select Printer section, select your printer and adjust the rest of the printing settings.

Refer to the printer user guide to learn more about its options.
‣Linux: In the Print Destination section, select your printer and adjust the rest of the printing settings.

Refer to the printer user guide to learn more about its options.
‣

Mac OS X: In the Printer section, select your printer and adjust the rest of the settings by clicking on
the Parameters
button. You can also click on the PDF button and select an option from the dropdown menu if you want to save a PDF version of your exposure sheet.

Refer to the printer user guide to learn more about its options.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

3. Click on the Print button.

Related Topics•

Timing on page 51

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Chapter 1: Timing Element Manager

Element Manager
Use the Element Manager to add, delete or modify elements (drawing folders) in your scene. If you havedrawing folders that are not linked to a column in your scene, use the Element Manager to delete them if needbe.
To open the Element Manager dialog box:

‣ Select Scene > Element Manager.

•

Elements: Displays a list of the elements contained in your scene.

•

Delete Elements: Press this button to delete the selected elements.

•

Delete Elements and Directories: Press this button to delete the selected layer, as well as its directories(drawing folder).

•

Add/Modify Element: Use the options contained in this area to add or modify an element.
•

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

•

Vector: Check this box if the new element is a vector drawing or if you want to enable the parameterson the selected element in the Elements list.

•

Bitmap Format: Select the file format of the bitmap layer from the drop-down list.

•

Scan Type: If you are planning to scan elements with Toon Boom Harmony’s Scan module, select thescan type from the drop-down list.

•

Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of the paper on which theanimation was drawn.

•

Add: Press this button to create a new element with the current parameters entered in the Add/Modify
Element section.

•

Modify: Press this button to apply the parameter changes made to the selected element.

Related Topics•

Timing on page 51

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Timing Preferences
When adjusting your timing in the Timeline andXsheet view, you may want to set some preferences.
This section covers the preferences related to timing, Timeline and Xsheet view.

The preferences related to Harmony Xsheet can be found under the Exposure Sheet tab only.

You will find the preferences listed under the following tabs:•

Exposure Sheet•

Timeline•

Advanced

To open the Preferences panel:‣

Windows/Linux: Select Edit > Preferences.

‣

Mac OS X: Select Stage> Preferences.

‣

The [Ctrl] + [U] Windows/Linux) or [⌘ ] + [U] (Mac OS X).

Related Topics•

Exposure Sheet Preferences below•

Timeline Preferences on page 120•

Advanced Preferences on page 120

Exposure Sheet Preferences
This is the Exposure Sheet preferences tab.

117

Chapter 1: Timing Timing Preferences

Filtering
These preferences are used to display or hide certain layer types in the Xsheet view.
•Show Drawing Columns: Displays the Drawing layers in the Xsheet view.

•Show Function Columns: Displays the Function columns layers in the Xsheet view.

•Show Annotation Columns: Displays the Annotation columns layers in the Xsheet view.

•Show 3D Path Columns: Displays the 3D Path columns in the Xsheet view.

•Show Sound Columns: Displays the Sound columns in the Xsheet view.

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Centre of Current Frame: Turns auto-centering on or off when playing back a scene. Auto-centering
is to be used during sound breakdown with the ShuttleXpress device.

Options•

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

•

Default Column Width: The default width value for the new column being created.

Element Manager•

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

•

Scan Type: By default, the Scan Type is set to 2 which indicates that the element is a TVG vector drawing.
This function returns a string that is the scan type of the element. The scan type is COLOR, GRAY_SCALE
or BW.

•

Vector Type: By default, the Vector Type is set to 2 which indicates that the element is a TVG vector
drawing. This function returns the vector type for the given element. In theory, there is support for
multiple types of vector drawing. In practice, only TVG has been implemented. The value 0: indicates thatthe element is NOT a vector drawing. It is an IMAGE type.

New Element•

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

•

Scan Type: By default, the Scan Type is set to 2 which equals vector import. This means that the imported bitmap
images will be placed into a Drawing layer. Scan type 1 is bitmap import.

Apply/Next•

From Left to Right: When clicking on the Apply/Next button in the Xsheet view Column Properties, thenext column to be displayed in the Column Properties will be the one on the right.

•

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

Related Topics•

Timing Preferences on page 117•

Timeline Preferences on the next page•

Advanced Preferences on the next page

119Chapter 1: Timing Timing Preferences

Timeline Preferences

Defaults•

Show Groups: Displays the Group layers in the Timeline.

•

Show Effects: Displays the Effect layers in the Timeline.

•

Show Sound: Displays the Sound layers in the Timeline.

Paste/Drag & Drop•

Add keyframes at beginning and end: Select this option to copy and paste a set of frames that includes
an interpolated sequence between two keyframes, but only extracts a partial section. Under normal
circumstances, cutting and pasting a function without either the start or end keyframe would render thefunction null. This option caps the partial function with a new keyframe when you perform the paste.

Related Topics•

Timing Preferences on page 117•

Exposure Sheet Preferences on page 117•

Advanced Preferences below

Advanced Preferences120

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide•

Advanced Element Mode: Displays more options in the Add Column dialog box and the Column
Properties dialog box.
•

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

Related Topics•

Timing Preferences on page 117•

Exposure Sheet Preferences on page 117•

Timeline Preferences on the previous page121

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Keyboard Shortcuts For Harmony Xsheet
This document lists default keyboard shortcuts for Harmony Xsheet.

The Harmony keyboard shortcuts set is used throughout the Harmony Xsheet module
documentation.

To use a shortcut, press the key and the character simultaneously. The + sign, is not part of the sequence. If
there is no shortcut allocated to a command it is left blank.
GeneralCOMMAND

FLASH

CUSTO
M

HARMONY

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Ctrl+H^+H

Ctrl+H^+H

Advanced
Save

Ctrl+Shift+S⌘ +Shift+S

Ctrl+Shift+S⌘ +Shift+S

Add Frame
After
Selection

Ctrl+H^+H

Ctrl+H^+H

Copy

Ctrl+C⌘ +C

Ctrl+C⌘ +C

Cut

Ctrl+X⌘ +X

Ctrl+X⌘ +X

Delete

Del

Del

Del

Del

Delete(secondary
key)

Backspace

Backspace

Backspace

Backspace

Deselect All

Esc

Esc

Esc

Esc

Go to Next
ColumnJJJJ

Go to Next
Drawing

G

G

G

G

Add Frame After
Selection

Add Frame
At EndAdd Frame
At Start

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Keyboard Shortcuts For Harmony Xsheet

GeneralCOMMAND

FLASH

CUSTO
M

HARMONY

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Go toPrevious
Column

H

H

H

H

Go to
Previous
Drawing

F

F

F

F

Help

F1

F1

F1

F1

Open

Ctrl+O⌘ +O

Ctrl+O

⌘ +O

Paste

Ctrl+V⌘ +V

Ctrl+V⌘ +V

Paste Special

Ctrl+Shift+B⌘ +Shift+B

Ctrl+B⌘ +B

Paste Special
Again

Ctrl+Alt+B⌘ +Alt+B

Ctrl+Shift+B⌘ +Shift+
B

Preferences

Ctrl+U⌘ +U

Ctrl+U⌘ +U

Redo

Ctrl+Y⌘ +Y

Ctrl+Shift+Z⌘ +Shift+
Z

Reset Pan

Shift+N

Shift+N

Shift+N

Shift+N

Reset View

Shift+M

Shift+M

Shift+M

Shift+M

Save

Ctrl+S⌘ +S

Ctrl+S⌘ +S

Undo

Ctrl+Z⌘ +Z

Ctrl+Z⌘ +Z

Zoom In

Ctrl+=⌘ +=2

2

Zoom Out

Ctrl+-⌘ +-1

1

Reset Zoom

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

XsheetCOMMAND

FLASH

CUSTO
M

HARMONY

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Add Columns

Shift+C

Shift+C

Shift+C

Shift+C

Add Drawing
ColumnCtrl+R⌘ +R

Ctrl+R⌘ +R

Clear Exposureand Pull

Z

Z

Z

Z

Collapse All

0

0s

0

0

Decrease
Exposure

-

-

-

-

Ctrl+D

⌘ +D

9

9

9

9

Ctrl+T⌘ +T

Ctrl+T⌘ +T

Hide Selected
Column

Alt+H

Alt+H

Alt+H

Alt+H

Increase

+

+

+

+

Clear Selected
Cells
Clone Selected
Columns
Collapse

DeleteSelected
Columns
DeleteSelected
Drawings
Duplicate
Selected
Columns
ExpandExpand All
Fill Randomly
Fill Selection
Gestural Drag
Mode

125

Keyboard Shortcuts For Harmony Xsheet

XsheetCOMMAND

FLASH

CUSTO
M

HARMONY

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Insert Blank
Cell

X

X

Shift+J

Shift+J

Insert Keyframe

Ctrl+F6

⌘ +F6

F6

F6

Insert/Overwrit
e ModeI

I

I

I

Paste Cycle

Ctrl+/⌘ +/Ctrl+/⌘ +/Paste Reverse

Ctrl+.

⌘ +.

Ctrl+.

⌘ +.

Preview

Alt+P

Alt+P

Alt+P

Alt+P

Sequence Fill

Ctrl+M⌘ +M

Ctrl+M⌘ +M

Set Hold 1 Cell

Ctrl+1⌘ +1

Ctrl+1⌘ +1

Set Hold 2 Cell

Ctrl+2⌘ +2

Ctrl+2⌘ +2

Set Hold 3 Cell

Ctrl+3⌘ +3

Ctrl+3⌘ +3

Set Hold 4 Cell

Ctrl+4⌘ +4Ctrl+4⌘ +4

Alt+Shift+
H

Alt+Shift+
H

Alt+Shift+
H

Alt+Shift+
H

Exposure

Set Custom
Hold Cell

Show Column
Types
Show Hidden
Columns
Thumbnails

Function Editor
COMMAND

Edit Next
FunctionFLASH

HARMONYCUSTOM

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

PgDownPgDownPgDownPgDown126

Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet Guide

Function Editor
COMMANDFLASHHARMONYCUSTOM

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Win/Linux

Mac OS X

Edit Previous
Function

PgUp

PgUp

PgUp

PgUp

Insert Point

I

I

I

I

Select Left
Handle[[[[Select Right
Handle]]]]Toggle Grid

G

G

G

G

Toggle StopMotion
Segment

S

S

S

S

Zoom In X

4

4

4

4

Zoom In Y

6

6

6

6

Zoom Out X

3

3

3

3

Zoom Out Y

5

5

5

5

Lock/Unlock
Point

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Toon Boom Harmony 10.3 Xsheet User Guide

128