TOON BOOM HARMONY 14.0
PREMIUM EDITION

Reference 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
Harmony is a trademark of Toon Boom Animation Inc.
Publication Date
9/12/2019
Copyright © 2017 Toon Boom Animation Inc., a Corus Entertainment Inc. company. All rights reserved.

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

Contents
Toon Boom Harmony 14.0Premium EditionReference Guide

1

Contents

3

Chapter 1: Reference

14

Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

15

Add Column Dialog Box

18

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box

20

Add Frames Dialog Box

22

Add Prefix or Suffix Dialog Box

23

Add Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box

24

Advanced Save Dialog Box

25

File Tab

26

Drawings (Harmony Server only)

26

Palettes Tab

27

Palette Lists Tab

28

Auto-Matte Dialog Box

29

Close Gaps Dialog Box

30

Column Properties Dialog Box

31

Column Types Dialog Box

32

Configure Line Art to Colour Art Dialog Box

33

Convert to Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box

34

Create Cycle Dialog Box

35

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection Dialog Box

36

Create Function Step On Dialog Box

37

Create Palette Dialog Box

40

Database Selector Dialog Box

41

Edit Default Paste Preset Dialog Box

42

Edit Exposure Paste Preset Dialog Box

44

Element Manager Dialog Box

46

Export Layout Image Dialog Box

47

Export Soundtracks Dialog Box

50

Export to Easel JS Dialog Box

51

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Export to Flash Movie Dialog Box

53

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box

55

Export to Sprite Sheet Dialog Box

57

Expression Dialog Box

60

Extend Exposure Dialog Box

62

Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box

63

Fill Exposure Using Render Changes Dialog Box

64

Fill Selection Dialog Box

66

Import 3D Models Dialog Box

67

Import Images Dialog Box

69

Manage Tool Presets Dialog Box

75

Marker Colour Dialog Box

77

Movie Settings Dialog Box

79

New Scene Dialog Box

80

New Tool Preset Dialog Box

82

Onion Skin and Light Table Transparency Dialog Box

83

Palette Browser Dialog Box

84

Palette Operations Dialog Box

86

Paste Preset Dialog Box

87

Paste Special Dialog Box

89

Pose Copier Dialog Box

93

Preferences Dialog Box

95

Remove Dirt Dialog Box

96

Remove Hair Dialog Box

97

Render Write Nodes Dialog Box

98

Save Dialog Box

101

Scene Settings Dialog Box

102

Resolution Tab

102

Alignment Tab

105

Bitmap Resolution Tab

107

Advanced Tab

107

Scripts Manager Dialog Box

108

Select Colour Dialog Box

109

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Selection Presets Dialog Box

111

Sequence Fill Dialog Box

113

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box

115

Show Hidden Columns Dialog Box

117

Sound Settings Dialog Box

119Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box

120

Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box

122

Tint Offset/Blend Dialog Box

123

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box

124

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

125

Options Tab

125

Help Tab

127

Versions Dialog Box

133

Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box

134

Chapter 3: Menus

135

Main Menus

136

Animation Menu

137

Drawing Menu

143

Edit Menu

148

File Menu

151

Help Menu

154

Insert Menu

155

Play Menu

156

Scene Menu

157

View Menu

159

Windows Menu

162

Quick-access Menus

164

View Menus

165

3D Graph View Menu

166

Camera View Menu

168

Colour View Menu

179

Drawing View Menu

181

Function View Menu

189

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Contents

Library View Menu

191

Model View Menu

193

Node View Menu

194

Node Library View Menu

198

Perspective View Menu

199

Side View Menu

203

Timeline View Menu

206

Top View Menu

209

Xsheet View Menu

212

Chapter 4: Nodes

219

3D Nodes224

3D Kinematic Output Node

225

Flatten Node

227

Render Maya Batch Node228

Subnode Animation Node229

Z Buffer Smoothing Node232

Combine Nodes

234

Blending Node235

Composite Node240

Composite-Generic Node243

Cutter Node248

Highlight Node

250

Image Switch Node253

Tone Node255

Transformation Switch Node258

Deformation Nodes

260

Articulation Node261

Auto Fold Node264

Auto Muscle Node266

Bone Node

269

Curve Node272

Deformation Composite Node275

Deformation Root Node278

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Deformation Scale Node279

Deformation Switch Node283

Deformation Uniform Scale Node284

Deformation Wave Node286

Fold Node288

Game Bone Node292

Glue Node294

Kinematic Output Node296

Mesh Warp Node

297

Offset Node300

Stick Node303

Turbulence Node305

Filter Nodes

309

Anti-Flicker Node311

Auto-Patch Node313

Bloom Node315

Blur - Box Node319

Blur-Directional Node322

Blur - Gaussian Node325

Blur - Radial Node327

Blur - Radial Zoom Node329

Blur-Variable Node332

Brightness Contrast Node334

Channel Selector Node336

Channel Swap Node338

Chroma-Keying Node340

Colour Banding Node344

Colour Art Node347

Colour-Override Node349

Colour-Scale Node353

Contrast Node355

Dither Node357

Focus Node359

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Focus Multiplier Node362

Glow Node364

Grain Node

367

Greyscale Node370

Hue-Saturation Node372

Layer Selector Node375

Luminance Threshold Node377

Matte-Blur Node380

Matte-Resize Node383

Median Node385

Motion-Blur Node

388

Negate Node391

Overlay Layer Node393

Pixelate Node

395

Remove Transparency Node397

Shadow Node

399

Transparency

401

Underlay Layer Node404

Generator Nodes

406

Burn-In Node407

Colour-Card Node410

Element / Drawing Node412

Field Chart Node422

Gradient Node426

Grid Node429

Lens Flare Node432

Turbulent Noise Node435

Group Nodes

438

Group Node439

Multi-Port-In Node440

Multi-Port-Out Node441

Miscellaneous Nodes

442

External Node443

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Note Node

446

Render Preview Node447

Script Node448

Visibility Node449

Move Nodes

450

Apply Image Transformation Node451

Apply Peg Transformation Node454

Camera Node458

Ortholock Node460

Peg Node

461

Transformation Tab

461

Quadmap Node462

Quake Node464

Output Nodes

467

Crop Node468

Display Node470

Scale Output Node471

Write Node472

Particle Nodes

478

3D Region

479

Baker

481

Baker Composite

483

Bounce483

Explosion

485

Gravity

487

Image Fracture

488

Kill

492

Move Particles

494

Orbit

495

Planar Region

497

Random499

Region Composite

500

Repulse501

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Rotation Velocity

502

Sink

504

Size

504

Sprite Emitter

506

System Composite

514

Velocity

514

Visualizer

516

Vortex517

Wind-Friction

519

Shading Nodes

520

Light Position Node521

Light Shader Node523

Normal Map Node526

Normal Map Converter Node

530

Tone Shader Node531

Volume Object Node534

Plugin Nodes

536

Sparkle537

Selection Preset Note Node

540

Sound Layer Properties

541

Chapter 5: Tools Properties

543

Brush Tool Properties (Vector)

545

Size and Smoothness Tab

546

Paper Texture Tab

547

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

549

Tip Tab551

Transparency Tab

556

Dual Tip Tab

559

Paper Texture Tab

563

Close Gap Tool Properties

566

Contour Editor Tool Properties

567

Cutter Tool Properties

569

Drawing Pivot Tool Properties

571

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Dropper Tool Properties

573

Ellipse Tool Properties

574

Size and Smoothness Tab

577

Texture Tab

578

Envelope Tool Properties

579

Eraser Tool Properties

581

Size and Smoothness Tab

582

Soft Eraser Tab

583

Ink Tool Properties

584

Inverse Kinematics Tool Properties

586

Mode

586

IK Options

587

Selection

587

Line Tool Properties

589

Size and Smoothness Tab

592

Texture Tab

593

Morphing Tool Properties

595

Paint Tool Properties

598

Pencil Tool Properties

602

Size and Smoothness Tab

605

Texture Tab

606

Pencil Editor Tool Properties

608

Perspective Tool Properties

612

Polyline Tool Properties

614

Size and Smoothness Tab

615

Texture Tab

616

Rectangle Tool Properties

618

Size and Smoothness Tab

620

Texture Tab

621

Reposition All Drawings Tool Properties

623

Rigging Tool Properties

625

Mode

625

Options

625

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Operations

626

Select Tool Properties

627

Smooth Editor Tool Properties

634

Stroke Tool Properties

636

Text Tool Properties

637

Transform Tool Properties

640

Zoom Tool Properties

642

Chapter 6: Toolbars

643

Top Toolbars

644

Advanced Animation Toolbar

645

Art Layer Toolbar

646

Control Point Toolbar

647

Coordinate Toolbar

649

Deformation Toolbar

650

Display Toolbar

653

Easy Flipping Toolbar

654

Edit Toolbar

655

File Toolbar

656

Flip Toolbar

657

Game Toolbar

658Mark Drawing Toolbar

659

Onion Skin Toolbar

660

Playback Toolbar

661

Scripting Toolbar

662

Tool Presets Toolbar

663

Tools Toolbar

664

Workspace Toolbar

667

View Toolbars

668

3D Graph View Toolbar

669

Node View Toolbar

670

Timeline View Toolbar

671

Xsheet View Toolbar

672

Chapter 7: Views

673

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3D Graph View

674

Camera View

675

Colour View

681

Coordinates and Control Points View

685

Drawing View

688

Function View

690

Integrated Help View

692

Layer Properties View

693

Library View

695

Message Log View

697

Model View

698

Node View

699

Node Library View

701

Perspective View

704

Script Editor View

706

Side View

708

Timeline View

710

Tool Properties View

717

Top View

718

Xsheet View

720

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Chapter 1: Reference

Chapter 1: Reference
Harmony has several commands, dialog boxes, and buttons. The Reference section lists all of them along withthe matching definition. To understand how to use these functions in a production context, read the User guide.
In the Reference guide, you will learn about the various parameters available in dialog boxes, menus, nodes,
toolbars, views, and windows.
The Preferences guide provides additional details about each individual preference.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes
Dialog boxes contain controls such as options and lists through which you can carry out a particular command or
task. For example, in the Scene Settings dialog box, you must indicate the resolution and alignment. A typical dialog
box looks as follows:

Add Column Dialog Box

18

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box

20

Add Frames Dialog Box

22

Add Prefix or Suffix Dialog Box

23

Add Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box

24

Advanced Save Dialog Box

25

File Tab

26

Drawings (Harmony Server only)

26

Palettes Tab

27

Palette Lists Tab

28

Auto-Matte Dialog Box

29

Close Gaps Dialog Box

30

Column Properties Dialog Box

31

Column Types Dialog Box

32

Configure Line Art to Colour Art Dialog Box

33

Convert to Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box

34

Create Cycle Dialog Box

35

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection Dialog Box

36

Create Function Step On Dialog Box

37

Create Palette Dialog Box

40

Database Selector Dialog Box

41

Edit Default Paste Preset Dialog Box

42

Edit Exposure Paste Preset Dialog Box

44

Element Manager Dialog Box

46

Export Layout Image Dialog Box

47

Export Soundtracks Dialog Box

50

Export to Easel JS Dialog Box

51

Export to Flash Movie Dialog Box

53

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box

55

Export to Sprite Sheet Dialog Box

57

Expression Dialog Box

60

Extend Exposure Dialog Box

62

Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box

63

Fill Exposure Using Render Changes Dialog Box

64

Fill Selection Dialog Box

66

Import 3D Models Dialog Box

67

Import Images Dialog Box

69

Manage Tool Presets Dialog Box

75

Marker Colour Dialog Box

77

Movie Settings Dialog Box

79

New Scene Dialog Box

80

New Tool Preset Dialog Box

82

Onion Skin and Light Table Transparency Dialog Box

83

Palette Browser Dialog Box

84

Palette Operations Dialog Box

86

Paste Preset Dialog Box

87

Paste Special Dialog Box

89

Pose Copier Dialog Box

93

Preferences Dialog Box

95

Remove Dirt Dialog Box

96

Remove Hair Dialog Box

97

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Render Write Nodes Dialog Box

98

Save Dialog Box

101

Scene Settings Dialog Box

102

Resolution Tab

102

Alignment Tab

105

Bitmap Resolution Tab

107

Advanced Tab

107

Scripts Manager Dialog Box

108

Select Colour Dialog Box

109

Selection Presets Dialog Box

111

Sequence Fill Dialog Box

113

Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box

115

Show Hidden Columns Dialog Box

117

Sound Settings Dialog Box

119Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box

120

Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box

122

Tint Offset/Blend Dialog Box

123

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box

124

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

125

Options Tab

125

Help Tab

127

Versions Dialog Box

133

Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box

134

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Add Column Dialog Box

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

How to access the Add Column dialog box
1. Do one of the following:l

In the Xsheet menu, select Columns > Add Columns.

lClick the Add Columns

lPress Shift + C.

button.

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

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the new column a meaningful name.

Type

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

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Drawing Layer Options
Line Art

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

Colour Art

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

Element
Create New Element

Creates an independent column with its own drawing folder.

Vector

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

Bitmap Format

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

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

Field Chart

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

Reuse Existing
Element

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

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

Use Existing Element

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

Name

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

Add and Close

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

Add

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

Close

Closes the dialog box.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Add Drawing Layer Dialog Box

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

How to access the Add Drawing Layer dialog box
1. Do one of the following:l

In the Timeline view, click the Add Drawing Layerbutton.

l

From the top menu, select Insert > Drawing.

l

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

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the new layer a meaningful name.

Overlay Art

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

Line Art

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

Colour Art

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

Underlay Art

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

Add and Close

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

Add

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

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Close

Closes the dialog box.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Add Frames Dialog Box

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

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

l

In the Xsheet view, select a frame row.

l

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

2. Do one of the following:ll

From the top menu, select Scene > Frame > Add Frames Before Selection or Add
Frames After Selection.
In the Xsheet view, right-click and select Frames > Add Frames Before Selection or Add
Frames After Selection.

l

In the Xsheet toolbar, click the Add Frames

button to add frame after your selection.

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

The Add Frames dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Number of frames to add

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

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Add Prefix or Suffix Dialog Box
The Add Prefix or Suffix dialog box lets you add or remove a prefix or suffix for a multi-layer or multi-node selection.

How to access the Add Prefix or Suffix dialog box
1. In the Network or Timeline view, select all the nodes or layers to rename or press Ctrl + A (Windows/Linux) or⌘ + A (Mac OS X).

2. In the Scripting toolbar, click the Add Prefix or Suffix Script
button. If the Scripting toolbar is not visible,
you can display it by selecting Windows > Toolbars > Scripting from the top menu. If the Add Prefix or
Suffix Script
button is not visible in the Scripting toolbar.
The Add Prefix or Suffix dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

SuffixAllows you put a defined set of characters (letters, numbers, symbols) after the
pre-existing layer or node name.

PrefixAllows you put a defined set of characters (letters, numbers, symbols) before thepre-existing layer or node name.

Insert Text

Enter a set of characters to be added to the selected layers or nodes.

Remove Text

Enter a set of characters to be removed from the selected layers or nodes.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Add Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box

Add Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box
The Add Synced Drawing Layer dialog box lets you add a drawing layer to your project that will automatically be
synced with the currently selected layer.
Depending on whether the Support Overlay and Underlay Arts option was selected in the Advanced tab of thePreferences panel, the Add Synced Drawing Layer dialog box may look one of two ways.

How to access the Add Synced Drawing Layer dialog box
1. In the Timeline view, right-click on the drawing layer you would like to sync with another layer.
2. From the right-click menu, select Add Synced Drawing Layer.
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you give the new layer a meaningful name.

Overlay Art

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

Line Art

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

Colour Art

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

Underlay Art

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

Add and Close

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

Add

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

Close

Closes the dialog box.

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Advanced Save Dialog Box
In Harmony Server, the Advanced Save dialog box lets you save the scene as a new version, overwrite an existingversion, set a new current version, display a list of modified drawings, colour palettes, and modified colour palettelists.

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

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Advanced Save Dialog Box

File Tab

Parameter

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

This Version (number)

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

New Version (number)

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

Overwrite Existing Version

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

Description

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

Mark as Current

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

Drawings (Harmony Server only)
The Drawings tab lists the modified drawings.

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

Parameter

Description

Drawing list

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

Select All

Selects all modified drawings in list.

Deselect All

Deselects all modified drawings in the list.

Palettes Tab
The Palette tab lists the modified colour palettes.

Parameter

Description

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Advanced Save Dialog Box

Colour Palette list

Lets you select the colour palette to save, and deselect the ones you do not wantto save.

Show Recovered

Displays the recovered palettes in the list of modified palettes.

Select All

Selects all modified colour palettes in the palette list.

Deselect All

Deselects all modified colour palettes in the palette list.

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

Parameter

Description

Palette Lists

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

Show Recovered

Displays the recovered palettes in the list of modified palettes.

Select All

Selects all modified palette lists in the list.

Deselect All

Deselects all modified palette lists in the list.

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

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

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

l

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

Parameter

Description

Settings
Apply to all Drawings

Creates a matte for all the drawings included in layer.

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

Source Art

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

Destination Art

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

Clear Destination Art First

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

Copy Strokes in Destination

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

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Close Gaps Dialog Box

Close Gaps Dialog Box
The Close Gaps dialog box lets you close up drawing areas that not are closed. This may sometimes happen
when painting. You can close small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes between the two
closest points to close the colour zone. You do not need to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few
millimeters away. The two closest points automatically close the gap.

How to access the Close Gaps dialog box
1. Select View > Show > Show Strokes or press K to see a preview of the result.
2. To flatten the strokes you draw, click the Auto-Flatten

button in the Tool Properties view.

3. Select Drawing > Clean Up > Close Gaps or press Shift + F10 (Windows/Linux only).
The Close Gaps dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Size

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

Apply to all drawings

Closes all gaps in the drawing of the selected layer.

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

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

Description

Name

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

Element
Name

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

Vector

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

Bitmap Format

Lets you select the file format of the bitmap layer.

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

Field Chart

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

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Column Types Dialog Box

Column Types Dialog Box
The Columns Types dialog box lets you show or hide columns in the exposure sheet.

How to access the Columns Types dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view, select View > Column Types Manager.
The Column Types dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Column Types

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

Save as Default

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

Restore Default

Returns the settings to their defaults.

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

How to access the Configure Line Art to Colour Art dialog box
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Select tool.
2. In the Tool Properties view, hold down the Shift key and click on the Creatre Colour Art from Line Art button.
Parameter

Description

Use rendered version of thedrawing

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

Maximum Resolution for
rendered image

The size of the rendered image.

Threshold for rendered image

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

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

Source layer

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

Destination layer

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

Clear Destination Art Layer
First

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

Perform Line Art to Colour Art
Operation Immediately

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

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Convert to Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box

Convert to Synced Drawing Layer Dialog Box
The Sync Layer feature allows for drawings to be separated on different layers, but to have the same timing.

How to access the Convert to Synced Drawing Layer dialog box
1. Right-click on a drawing layer you would like to sync with another layer.
2. From the right-click menu, select Sync Layers With.
In the Choose the Parent Drawing Layer drop-down list, with the exception of the selected layer, every
layer in your scene is listed.
3. To sync a layer with your currently selected layer, from the drop-down list, select a parent drawing layer
and click OK. The child layer immediately updates to the parent layer's timing.

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Create Cycle Dialog Box
The Create Cycle dialog box lets you create cycles from a series of drawings and exposures.
When you create a drawing cycle, all the repeated drawings are linked to the same original files. When modify,
repaint, or correct a drawing named “1” for example, all drawings named “1” are updated simultaneously. In order tomodify a drawing independently from its other exposures, you must duplicate the drawing.

How to access the Create Cycle dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the cell range to loop.

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

button (you may have to customize the toolbar to display

The Create Cycle dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Number of Cycles

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

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection Dialog Box

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection Dialog Box
The Create Drawing from Drawing Selection dialog box lets you cut a part of a drawing and send it to a new orexisting layer.

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

Description

Layer Name

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

Cut Artwork From Source

Lets you cut the selected artwork from the model.

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Create Function Step On Dialog Box
The Create Function Step On dialog box lets you hold the same value over a selected number of frames for multiple
parameters (pos x, scale y, etc.). This works well when you are animating drawings on 2s or 3s, for example, andyou want to hold the same value for a function over those two or three frames.

How to access the Create Function Step On dialog box
1. Add the Scripting toolbar to your interface:lll

Go to the top menu and select Windows > Toolbars > Scripting.
Right-click on the empty space near the top of the interface and from the quick-access menu selecting
Scripting.
Right-click on the empty space near the top of a view and from the quick-access menu selecting
Scripting.

2. In the Scripting toolbar, click on the Manage Scripts

button to open the Scripts Manager window.

3. In the Scripts Manager, in the Files section, select the file TB_CreateStepsOn.js.
The functions associated with that file appear in the Functions section.
4. In the Functions section, select TB_CreateStepsOn.
The Add script to toolbar

button becomes active.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Create Function Step On Dialog Box

5. Click on the Add script to toolbar
The TB_CreateStepsOn script

button.
button is added to the Scripting toolbar.

6. Click Apply.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Timeline view, select the layer whose parameter values you would like to hold.
9. In the Scripting toolbar, click on the TB_CreateStepsOn script

button.

The Create Function Step On dialog box appears.

Parameter

Description

Settings
Every Number of Frames

Enter in the number of frames you would like to hold your functions.

Selection

First Frame

Enter in the frame number of where you would like the stepped holds tostart. The playhead location determines the lowest value you can enterfor the first frame. You need to move the playhead to frame one if you
would like to set frame one as the lowest possible starting value.

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Last Frame

Enter in the frame number of where you would like the stepped holds to
stop.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Create Palette Dialog Box

Create Palette Dialog Box
The Create Palette dialog box lets you create a palette in Basic mode. For simple productions, it is recommended
to use the Basic mode. This setting stores the palettes automatically for you and saves them at the Scene level.
When you use the Advanced Palette Lists mode, you can decide at which level you want to store your palettes:
Environment, Job, Scene, or Element.

How to access the Create Palette dialog box
1. From the Colour view menu, select Palettes > New or click the New Palettelbutton.

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

Parameter

Description

New Palette Name

Lets you enter a name for the new palette.

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

How to access the Database Selector dialog box
1. Start Harmony Server.
The Database Selector dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Environments

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

Jobs

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

ScenesLets you select the scene.

Get rights to modify the scene

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

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

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

VersionIf you saved different versions of a scene, this lets you select one to open.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Edit Default Paste Preset Dialog Box

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

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

Description

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

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

Fill Gap with Previous
Drawing

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

Fill to Next Key
Exposure

Fills selected area till the next key exposure.

Keyframes

Add/Remove
Keyframes

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

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

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Edit Exposure Paste Preset Dialog Box

Edit Exposure Paste Preset Dialog Box
The Edit Exposure Paste Preset dialog box lets you reuse key exposures as you animate.

How to access the Edit Exposure Paste Preset dialog box
1. From the Timeline view menu, select Edit > Modify Paste Presets > Exposure.
The Edit Exposure Paste Preset dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

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

Creates a key exposure on the same drawing.

Fill Gap with Previous Drawing Fills selected area in the Xsheet or Timeline view with the previous drawing.
Fill to Next Key Exposure

Fills selected area till the next key exposure.

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

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

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

Return all values to their defaults.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Element Manager Dialog Box

Element Manager Dialog Box
The Element Manager window lets you Opens the Element Manager window where you can add, delete or modify
elements (drawing folders) in your scene. If you have drawing folders that are not linked to a column in yourscene, use the Element Manager to delete them if needed. See xref Reference > Windows > Element Manager.

How to access the Element Manager window
1. From the top menu, select Scene > Element Manager.
Parameter

Description

Elements
Delete Elements

Deletes the selected elements.

Delete Elements andDirectories

Deletes the selected layer and its directories (drawing folder).

Add/Modify Element
Name

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

Vector

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

Bitmap Format

Lets you select the file format of the bitmap layer.

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

Field Chart

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

Add

Creates a new element with the current parameters entered in the Add/Modify
Element section.

ModifyApplies the parameter changes made to the selected element.

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Export Layout Image Dialog Box
The Export Layout Image dialog box allows you to export your drawings as bitmap images matching the scene
resolution size, taking camera motions into account, to paint them in an external bitmap editing software.

Access Method
1. From the top menu, select one of the following:lFile > Export > Layout Image to export all the elements in your scene to the layout .psd file.

lFile > Export > Layout Image from Selection to export only the selected elements.

The Export Layout Image dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Destination Path

Use the Browse button to select a location to save your layout and name the resulting .psd file.

File Pattern

Automatically puts the name of the scene and/or the frame number in the name of
the file you create.

Image Size

The size of the .psd image file that will be exported. The resulting image will be 72
dpi as the standard television resolution and its size in pixel will fit your scene resolution settings. i.e HDTV, NTSC, PAL, etc. Note that if you have a camera
movement going over the normal camera frame limit, for example a pan, theimage will be bigger.

Options

File Format: Lets you select the format to export your layout.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Export Layout Image Dialog Box

Export Camera Frame: Prints the first and last camera frame of each scene into
the exported layout images. If exporting in .psd format, the camera frames will be
printed on a separate layer.
Add a Camera Frame for Each Keyframe: If a scene contains complex camera
movements, this prints each camera keyframe into the layout.

Label Camera Frame: Adds the camera position label in the top-left corner of
each camera frame. Camera frames are labeled with a letter of the alphabet
indicating their respective order.

Expand Render Area: Expands the area to render into the layouts. By default,
only the area of the scene that is covered by the camera is rendered, and exported
layout images are cropped at the edges of the camera frames. If enabled, thisoption adds space around the render area and captures extra details outside thecamera frames. By default, the render area is expanded by 10%. You can use theinput field to the right of the option to change this ratio.

Scale Image: Ensures that when a camera close-up is included in a scene, theexported image is larger so that the closest camera frame is at least the size ofthe chosen image size. This way, the layout does not appear pixelated whenzooming in on the closest camera frame. If disabled, the size of the exported
images will be based off the chosen Base Image Size and Expand Render Area
options.
Maximum Size: If the Scale Image Up to Smallest Camera Frame option isenabled, this ensures images do not get scaled up too much. If enabled, images
will be limited to 4096 pixels in width and height by default.
Vector Options
If you export one or more vector-based drawing layers in your layout image, youhave the option to export only the drawing layers you want. Enable or disable thefollowing options to export or prevent the export of the corresponding art layers.

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Overlay: Exports the art in the Overlay layer of the drawings to be exported to thelayout image.
Line Art: Exports the art in the Line layer of the drawings to be exported to thelayout image.
Colour Art: Exports the art in the Colour layer of the drawings to be exported to
the layout image.
Underlay: Exports the art in the Underlay layer of the drawings to be exported to
the layout image.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Export Soundtracks Dialog Box

Export Soundtracks Dialog Box
The Export Soundtracks dialog box lets you export a sound file to use it in another application, such as an editing
software. Harmony allows you to export sound files as a merged soundtrack or as a series of individual files. The
exported soundtracks are generated as *.wav files.

How to access the Export Soundtracks dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Soundtrack.
The Export Soundtracks dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

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

Export Range
All

Exports the sound over all the frames of your scene.

Frames

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

Options
Process Soundtracks
Individually

Each soundtrack from all layers is exported as individual files.

Merge All Soundtracks

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

Sound Settings
Rate

Lets you set the rate of the soundtrack.

Size

Lets you export the soundtrack at 8 or 16 bits.

Use

Lets you export the soundtrack as mono or stereo.

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Export to Easel JS Dialog Box
The Export to Easel JS window lets you flatten an image sequence of your animation. Even if you have a fully rigged
puppet or a single drawing layer with your animation sequence, the outcome will still be a flattened output of eachframe, grouped together in your sprite sheet. This allows for more flexibility and freedom of work as you have accessto any tools or effect modules you want to use. However, this can result in heavier files depending on the length,complexity and export size of your animation.

How to access the Export to Easel JS window
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Game.

2. Click the Export to Easel JS
Parameter

button.

Description

Select Directory
Save Path

The folder path where you want to save your export.

Save Name

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the name ofyour asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Existing Clips in Folder

Displays the clips in the folder.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Export to Easel JS Dialog Box

Scene Options

Display

Here, you must select the Display of your character. This is the one that will be
used to render out all of the information attached to that Display node. If the
Unconnected_Display option is selected, all of the visual information in yourscene will be rendered out.

Sprite Sheet Preferences
Max Width
Max HeightThis is a value, in pixels, for the maximum width and height the exported sprite
sheet should be. By default, both values are set to 2048 pixels.

Expand Sprite Sheet

Uses the minimum size necessary up until it reaches the maximum resolution.

Fixed Sprite Sheet

Creates a texture of the specified size (Max Width and Max Height) even if it does
not fill it up completely by all the drawings in your scene.
POT: Exports to sprite sheets with sizes that are a power of 2. For example: 1024
x 1024. This is optimized for many graphics cards, but consumes more memory.

Resolution Type
NPOT: Some game engines are optimized specifically to render to non powers of
two, so that it will avoid those numbers. Example: 1000 x 1000.

Reuse FramesThis option works in tandem with the Threshold option. The export will compare
the drawings in your project to reuse a maximum of similar drawings and reduce
the amount of information found in the sprite sheet, making it lighter. The export
will omit the creation of new drawings if the difference is less than the thresholdpercentage.

ThresholdCalculates the differences between multiple drawings. A 2% threshold will
prevent the creation of a new drawing if the drawing is too similar to an existingdrawing. For instance, with a 2% threshold, and my drawing is 100 pixels big, only
2 of those pixels need to be different from my other drawing in order to create a
new one. The higher the threshold, the fewer similar drawings you will have.

Sprite Resolutions

Size of the render of the individual sprite, when it exports each drawing out.

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Export to Flash Movie Dialog Box
The Export to Flash Movie dialog box lets you export your animation as a Flash (.swf) movie.

How to access the Export to Flash Movie dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > SWF.
The Export to Flash Movie (.swf) dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

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

Display Source

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

Export Range
All

Exports all the frames of your movie.

FramesExport a frame range which you specify

Options
Frame Rate

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

Jpeg Quality‣

100 = Full quality‣

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

‣

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Export to Flash Movie Dialog Box

occur.

Protect from Import‣

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

‣

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

Prevents the movie from being imported into another application.

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

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

Do Not Export

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

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Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box
The Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box lets you export your animation as a QuickTime movie. If you want torender a QuickTime movie with lossless compression and transparency, you can use the Animation video codec
with the colour depth set to Millions of Colours +.

If you added burn-in information to your scene, it will be included in your exported file—see Burn-In Node on page407.
How to access the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
Parameter

Description

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

Display Source

Export from Display NodeIf there is no Display node in your scene, the only available option will be Display
All. This renders nodes in your scene, including ones that are not connected toanything, in the order in which they're listed in the Timeline view. Hence, it isalways recommended to have a Display node connected to your scene's main
composite, and to render from that Display node, so as to have control over what
is rendered.

Export Range
All

Exports the entire frame range.

FramesLets you enter the frame range to export.

Resolution
Resolution list

Lets you select a resolution ratio. If you select Custom, you can enter the widthand height.
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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Export to QuickTime Movie Dialog Box

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

Options
Movie Options

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

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Export to Sprite Sheet Dialog Box
The Export to Sprite Sheets window export to multiple resolutions, generating multiple .xml files and one or multiple
sprites sheets depending how many sprite resolutions you defined.
This saves different animations of the same character into the same name. For example, if there's an idle, run, andjump animation, these should all share the same Save Name. You can think of it as the overall collection ofanimations. Inside are the different saved scene versions whose drawings you can reuse for all the animations inthat character set. Each scene version will be displayed as an item in the list.
When you export an animation, only the drawings used in that scene are exported. All the drawings are exported
individually first and then atlased together into a sprite sheet.
If you saved multiple animations to the same Save Name (i.e. SpaceDuck: run, idle), then it will reatlas the sprite
sheet to include all the drawings from all the animations in that folder, creating a new animation file, but reusing thesame skeleton.

How to access the Export to Sprite Sheets window
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Game.

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Export to Sprite Sheet Dialog Box

2. Click the Export to Sprite Sheets
Parameter

button.

Description

Select Directory
Asset Path

The folder path where you want to save your export.

Asset Name

The folder name in which you will save your export. This will also be the nameof your asset in Unity. Your scene file name will be used as the clip name.

Existing Clips in Folder
Preview Window

Displays a list of pre-existing clips in the same export folder location, most
likely exported there from a previous time.

Use Scene Markers to
Export Clips

Uses scene markers to define the export range, instead of exporting the entire
scene.

Project Settings

Unit Scale

Lets you change the scale when exporting to Unity to accommodate the size ofthe export without it affecting the Harmony scene. This helps you resize
assets properly for Unity without having to resize them in Harmony. The basic
scale is one Animation Field for one Unity unit.

PresetLets you select the unit conversion from Harmony to Unity, by selecting one of
4 presets. Note: a field is a unit of measure in traditional animation grid.

Sprite Sheet Preferences
Max Width

This is a value, in pixels, for the maximum width and height the exported sprite
sheet should be. By default, both values are set to 2048 pixels.

Max Height

Makes linear values for interpolation. This increases the amount of memory
used but frees up the calculation so it is not done on the fly.

Expand Sprite Sheet

Uses the minimum size necessary up until it reaches the maximum resolution.

Fixed Sprite Sheet

Creates a texture of the specified size (Max Width and Max Height) even if it
does not fill it up completely by all the drawings in your scene.

Resolution Type

POT: Exports to sprite sheets with sizes that are a power of 2. For example:
1024 x 1024. This is optimized for many graphics cards, but consumes morememory.
NPOT: Some game engines are optimized specifically to render to non powersof two, so that it will avoid those numbers. Example: 1000 x 1000.

Reuse FramesThis option works in tandem with the Threshold option. The export willcompare the drawings in your project to reuse a maximum of similar drawings
and reduce the amount of information found in the sprite sheet, making it
lighter. The export will omit the creation of new drawings if the difference isless than the threshold percentage.

ThresholdCalculates the differences between multiple drawings. A 2% threshold will

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prevent the creation of a new drawing if the drawing is too similar to an existingdrawing. For instance, with a 2% threshold, and my drawing is 100 pixels big,
only 2 of those pixels need to be different from my other drawing in order tocreate a new one. The higher the threshold, the fewer similar drawings you willhave.
Sprite Resolutions

Size of the render of the individual sprite, when it exports each drawing out.

Delete Existing Clips

Select this option to delete any pre-existing clips in the export location.

Bake Animation Curves

Makes linear values for interpolation. This increases the amount of memory
used but frees up the calculation so it is not done on the fly.

Clear Texture Folder

Removes any information from the texture folder within the Harmony file. This
has no incidence towards the Unity export but contributes to a lighter Harmony
file.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Expression Dialog Box

Expression Dialog Box
In Harmony, you can use expressions to automate the calculation of effect values based on the values in anotherfunction. An expression is a mathematical formula that allows you to manipulate the value in the source function
to create new values for the destination effect.
The Expression dialog box is where you write expressions. It's a simple text editor that can handle incomplete orinvalid JS programs although they will not be evaluated. Harmony can save and load invalid JS programs.
The Expression editor evaluates the current script at the current global frame and reports any errors or returns thenumerical result of the program.

How to access the Expression dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view menu, select Columns > Add Columns or press Shift + C.
The Add Column dialog box opens.

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

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The Expression dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Name

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

Description field

Area in which you can type in expressions.

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Extend Exposure Dialog Box

Extend Exposure Dialog Box
The Extend Exposure dialog box lets you extend the exposure of a selected cell in the Timeline or Xsheet.

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

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

lPress F5.

The Extend Exposure dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Extend to Frame

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

Overwrite

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

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

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Fill Cells Randomly Dialog Box
The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box lets you Lets you fill in random values over a selection. You can give a maximum
and a minimum value and create a range for Harmony to choose the random values from. The selection can be over
one cell or a cell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.
How to access the Fill Cells Randomly dialog box
1. Do one of the following:ll

Select Animation > Cell > Fill Cells Randomly.
In the Xsheet view, click the Fill Cells Randomly
toolbar to display it).

button (you may have to customize the

The Fill Cells Randomly dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Minimum Value

The lowest value to be used in the randomized exposure or keyframe value.

Maximum Value

The highest value to be used in the randomized exposure or keyframe value.

Hold

The exposure holding value.

Whole Numbers

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

Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure on the frame following the last cell of the selection.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Fill Exposure Using Render Changes Dialog Box

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

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

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

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

Description
Frame: Use the slider to see when a change is necessary. A red edge indicates
there is a large enough motion for the texture to change.
Use: Lets you use either the Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha channel, or Luminancedifference between frames to analyze the motion changes. The Alpha channel isselected by default as it is the most commonly used parameter.

Changes Detection Settings

Pixel Value Change Threshold: The percentage of change in a pixel to be considered different from one frame to another. The higher the value, the morechange is required when comparing two images in order for a new texture to be
used.
Area Change Threshold: The percentage of non-empty pixels that must change
from one frame to another to be considered different.
These settings let you change the exposure. You can also decide on how many
images you want to cycle.
First/Last Frame: Lets you set the first and last frame for the exposure change.
You can set this for the entire scene or for part of the scene (frames 20 to 32 forexample).

Fill Settings

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

65Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Fill Selection Dialog Box

Fill Selection Dialog Box
The Fill Selection dialog box lets you Lets you fill the same value over an entire selection. The selection can beover one cell, a cell range in one column, a cell range over many columns, an entire column, or many columns.
You can use numbers, words, letters, or any alphanumeric value.
How to access the Fill Selection dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell range.

1. Do one of the following:‣

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

‣

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

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

button (you may have to customize the toolbar to

The Fill Selection dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Value

This is the value to be used in the filled selection.

Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure on the frame following the last cell of the selection.

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Import 3D Models Dialog Box
Use the Import 3D Models dialog box to import 3D models into Harmony.

How to open the Import 3D Models dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Import > 3D Models.
The Import 3D Models dialog box opens.
Parameter

Description

Files
BrowseLets you locate and select 3D model file formats from a location on your computeror a location accessible from your computer (network, server, etc.).

Create Layers(s)This option is selected by default. A new layer will be created for the selected 3Dmodel files for the import. You have two choices:

Create Single Layer
Named

Creates a new layer for your 3D model that you can name. Name the new layer
immediately by entering a name into the provided field.

Create Layer(s) Basedon Filenames

Creates a layer based on each unique filename prefix. For example, the filenames
a-1.obj, a-2.obj and b-1.obj will create layers named "a" and "b", where "a" hastwo 3D models and "b" has one. When creating a single layer from these threefilenames, all three models will be imported to the new layer.

Add to Existing Layer

Imports the selected files to an existing layer in the scene. Once this option is
selected the adjacent drop-down list becomes active. Select an existing layer
name from the drop-down list. Note that if you select a vector layer, it will
encapsulate the 3D model inside a symbol.

Layer

Conversion
Convert to FBX format

Select this option if your file isn't already a *.fbx file and you would like it to be.
67Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Import 3D Models Dialog Box

This format incorporates all associated files, such as the texture files.

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Import Images Dialog Box
T-HFND-007-011
The Import Images dialog box lets you import bitmap images and vectorize them, making the images editable. Then
you can use a variety of drawing tools to edit the image. Or you can always keep the original bitmap image as is.
Also, you can choose to import bitmap images on bitmap or vector layers depending on your project..
How to open the Import Images dialog box
1. Do one of the following:l

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

l

In the File toolbar, click the Import Imagesl

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

button.

The Import Images dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Files
BrowseLets you find and select images on your computer.

Create Layers(s)Create layers for imported images.

Create Single Layer
Named

Creates a new layer with the specified name and imports the images into it.

Create Layer(s) Basedon Filenames

Creates a layer based on each unique filename prefix. For example, if you import
three files named a-1.tga, a-2.tga and b-1.tga, this will create two layers, one
named "a" and one named "b". Layer "a" will contain the two first images and "b"will contain the third one.

Layer

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Import Images Dialog Box

Add to Existing Layer

Import Options

Imports the images into the specified layer. Note that you can only import intolayers that are compatible with your import options. For example, if you're
importing images as vector drawings, you can only import them into vector
drawing layers.
Depending on how you choose to import images, the Alignment section offers
different options.

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

Import as Toon Boom
Bitmap Drawing

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

Convert to Toon Boom
Vector Drawing

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

Alignment (Keep As Original Bitmap)
Fit:
Adjusts the image's size to fit completely within the scene's field, both verticallyand horizontally, making sure the entire image is visible.
If the image's orientation is portrait, then it will adjust the image's height to fit thefield's height, without affecting the image's aspect ratio:

Rules

If the image orientation is landscape, then it will adjust the image's width to fit thefield's width, without affecting the image's aspect ratio:

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Import Images Dialog Box

Pan:This has the opposite effect to the fit parameter. The image's smallest dimension
will be made to fit the scene frame's matching dimension, and the image's largest
dimension will be adjusted proportionally, making the image fill the entire scene
field, and bleed past its boundaries it if its aspect ratio does not match the field's
aspect ratio. This option can be used to import a panning background image, also
referred to as a pan.
If the image's orientation is portrait, it will adjust the image's width to fit the field's
width, without affecting its aspect ratio:

If the image's orientation is landscape, it will adjust the image's height to fit thefield's height, without affecting its aspect ratio:

This has the opposite effect to the fit parameter. The image's smallest dimension
will be made to fit the scene frame's matching dimension, and the image's largest
dimension will be adjusted proportionally, making the image fill the entire scene
field, and bleed past its boundaries it if its aspect ratio does not match the field's
aspect ratio. This option can be used to import a panning background image, also
referred to as a pan.
If the image's orientation is portrait, it will adjust the image's width to fit the field's
width, without affecting its aspect ratio:

72Harmony 14 Premium - Reference GuideThis
hasResolution:
the oppositeScales
effect to
Project
the imagefit parameter.
image'stheto fit theThescene'ssmallest dimension
will beresolution,
making each
pixel
made
to fit thesceneinthe imagetakeone frame's
pixel inmatching
dimension,thethe scene's
field. For andexample,image'slargestdimension
if the image's dimensions inwillbeadjusted
proportionally,
pixelsare halfof the scene's
making theinimage
the theentireresolution
pixels,fillthen
scene field,
and bleed
past its
image'sdimensions
willboundaries
if itsofaspectratio
appear to beithalf
the scene
does
not
match
the
field's
field's dimensions.
aspect ratio. This option can
Alignment (Import as Toon Boom Bitmap Drawing)
be used to import a panningbackground image, also
Horizontal Fit:
referred to as a pan.
Adjusts the image's size so that its width matches the scene's width, without
If the image's orientation isaffecting its aspect ratio.
portrait, it will adjust theimage's width to fit the field's
width, without affecting its
aspect ratio:

Rules

Vertical Fit:
Adjusts the image's size so that its height matches the scene's height, without
affecting its aspect ratio.

If the image's orientation islandscape, it will adjust theimage's height to fit the field'sheight, without affecting its
aspect ratio:

Actual Size: Imports the image in its actual size, without adjusting its size
This has the opposite effect tothe fit parameter. The image's
smallest dimension will bemade to fit the scene frame's
matching dimension, and the73Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Import Images Dialog Box

relative to the scene's resolution. For example, if the image's dimensions in pixels
are half of the scene's resolution in pixels, then the image's dimensions willappear to be half of the scene field's dimensions.
Transparency
Premultiplied with White: Individual pixels at the edge of an image are blended
with white.
Premultiplied with Black:Pixels at the edge of an image are blended with black.
Straight: Pixels at the edge of an image are blended with black, white and greys.
Alpha

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

Vectorization
Black and White

Vectorizes drawings with a solid black line. This creates a 100% vector-based
drawing and paints it with the Vectorized Line colour swatch from your scene's
palette.

Grey

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

New Preset

Lets you create a new preset.

Delete Preset

Lets you delete any preset in the list.

Edit Preset

Lets you edit the vectorization parameters for the selected preset.

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Manage Tool Presets Dialog Box
The Tool Presets window lets you create new tool presets and manage them.

How to access the Manage Tool Presets window
1. Do one of the following:l

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

l

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

2. In the Tool Presets toolbar, click the Manage Presets button.
Parameter

Description

Icon

Lets you select a preset to manage.

ImportLets you import an existing preset.

ExportLets you export a preset for use in other projects.

DeleteRemoves the preset from the list of tool presets.

Name

Lets you change the name of the preset.

Icon list

Lets you select an icon for the preset.

Folder icon

Lets you select an image for the preset.

ShortcutLets you assign a keyboard shortcut to the new preset.

75Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Manage Tool Presets Dialog Box

ColourSaves the current colour into the tool preset.

Tool

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

UpdateAfter adjusting the settings for a preset, the current properties are applied to thepresets, as well as any other changes you made in the Manage Tool Presets
window.

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

How to access the Marker Colour dialog box
1. In the frame counter area of the Timeline view, select a frame range to mark.

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

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

Parameter

Description

Basic colours

A basic set of colours to choose from.

Custom colours

Displays the custom colours you previously stored using the Add to Custom
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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Marker Colour Dialog Box

Colours button.
Add to custom colours

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

Colour wheel

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

Value slider

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

Colour Preview

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

Hue, Saturation, Value

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

Red, Green, Blue

Lets you set the red, green and blue values.

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

How to access the Movie Settings dialog box
1. From the top menu, select File > Export > Movie.
2. In the Export to QuickTime Movie dialog box that opens, click Movie Options.
Parameter

Description

Video
Settings

Opens the Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box. This is where you
can set the video compression settings for the movie you will export—see
Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box on page 120.

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

Size

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

Settings

Opens the Standard Video Compression Settings dialog box. This is where you
can you set the sound compression settings for the movie you will export—see
Sound Settings Dialog Box on page 119.

Sound

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

New Scene Dialog Box

New Scene Dialog Box
The New Scene window lets you create a new scene.

How to access the New Scene window
1. Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select File > New.

l

In the File toolbar, click the NewlPress Ctrl + N (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + N (Mac OS X).

button.

The New Scene dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you type in a name for the new scene.

Location

Lists the locations you used most frequently for storing scenes.

BrowseOpens a browser in which you can specify a location for the new scene that is
not listed in the Location list.

Camera Size

Opens a list of resolutions.

+ (Create Custom Resolution)

Opens the New Resolution window in which you can create a custom
resolution that is added to the Camera Size list.

- (Delete Custom Resolution)

Lets you remove a custom resolution from the Camera Size list.

Width

Indicates the width of the resolution you chose from the Camera Size list.

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Frame Rate

Indicates the frame rate of the resolution you chose from the Camera Size list.

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

New Tool Preset Dialog Box

New Tool Preset Dialog Box
The New Tool Preset dialog box lets you create new tool presets and manage them.
Tool presets let you save a variety of settings and are very efficient for accessing the tools you use most often.
That way, the tool is already set with the desired properties, such as colour, line thickness, whether to enable
Draw Behind or Auto Flatten mode, and so on. You can create presets for these tools and many more: Brush,
Pencil, Eraser, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Line.
The difference between a tool preset and a brush preset is that when you save a tool preset, you have the optionof saving the colour and assigning a shortcut, which you cannot do with brush presets.

How to access the New Tool Preset dialog box
1. Do one of the following:l

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

l

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

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

Description

Name

Lets you give the preset a meaningful name.

Icon list

Lets you select an icon for the preset.

Folder icon

Lets you select an image for the preset.

ShortcutLets you assign a keyboard shortcut to the preset.

ColourSaves the current colour into the tool preset.

Tool

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

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Onion Skin and Light Table Transparency Dialog Box
This dialog box lets you adjust the Onion Skin and Light table transparency parameters.

How to access the Onion Skin and Light Table Transparency dialog boxl

In the Drawing view toolbar, click on the Top Light
parency dialog box.

Commandbutton to open the Onion Skin and Light Table Trans-

Description

Onion Skin Opacity

Sets the maximum opacity value for the onion skin opacity display. Moving theslider all the way to the left = 0% opacity. Moving the slider all the way to theright = 100% opacity.

Lighttable Opacity

Sets the maximum opacity value for the light table display. Moving the slider all
the way to the left = 0% opacity. Moving the slider all the way to the right =100% opacity.

LightTable Wash

Sets the washed-out value for the light table display. Moving the slider all theway to the left = 0% opacity. Moving the slider all the way to the right = 100%
opacity.

Bitmap Background
Wash

Sets the maximum opacity value for the background wash. Moving the slider all
the way to the left = 0% opacity. Moving the slider all the way to the right =100% opacity. Only works for bitmap layers.

Pencil Lines Opacity

Sets the maximum opacity value for central vector lines (lines made by the
Pencil or Shape tools). Moving the slider all the way to the left = 0% opacity.
Moving the slider all the way to the right = 100% opacity.

83Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Palette Browser Dialog Box

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

How to access the Palette Browser dialog box
1. Start Harmony and log in.
2. Close the Database Selector dialog box.
3. From the top menu, select Tools > Palette Operations.
1. In the Palette Operations dialog box that opens, select the palette you want to clone at the location andlevel in which it was stored.
2. Click Clone.
Parameter

Description

Palette Location
Environment

The production, project, feature film or series.

Job

The episode and sequence from each environment.

Scene

The scenes from each job.

Element

The layers and columns in each scene.

PaletteThe scene palettes.

New Palette Name

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

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

Element Palette List

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

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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Palette Operations Dialog Box

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

How to access the Palette Operations dialog box
1. Start Harmony and log in.
2. Close the Database Selector dialog box.
3. From the top menu, select Tools > Palette Operations.
Parameter

Description

Environment

The production, project, feature film or series.

Job

The episode and sequence from each environment.

Scene

The scenes from each job.

Element

The layers and columns in each scene.

PaletteThe scene palettes.

Description

Notes, if any, of the project.

Clone

Opens the Palette Browser dialog box from which you can select the level inwhich to store the palette file.

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

DeleteClose

NOTE: It is not recommended to disable the warning message thatappears when you are attempting to delete a palette as this operation cannot be undone.
Closes the Palette Operations dialog box.

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Paste Preset Dialog Box
When pasting key frames and exposures, you can modify the existing presets to your liking. There are three presets
you can modify: the default presets for both key frames and exposures, key frames only and exposures only.

Parameter

Description

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

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

Fill Gap with Previous
Drawing

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

Fill to Next Key
Exposure

Fills selected area till the next key exposure.

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

Rotation: Copies the properties of the selected rotation keyframe to the newframe.
Scale: Copies the properties of the selected scale keyframe to the new frame.
Skew: Copies the properties of the selected skew keyframe to the new frame.
Force Keyframes at Function's Beginning and End: Adds a keyframe to the87Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Paste Preset Dialog Box

beginning and end of the pasted function, reproducing the source function.

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

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

The Paste Special dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Drawings
Do Nothing

Does not create or overwrite drawings.

Update Drawing Pivot

Revises the drawing pivot in the destination to use the same drawing pivot as thefirst drawing in the template. If you have a range of drawings selected in thedestination, the pivot points of all selected drawings will be updated.
89Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Paste Special Dialog Box

Never create drawing files: When adding exposures to a drawing layer, drawing
files will not be created.
Only create drawing files when they do not exist: When adding exposures to a
drawing layer, new drawings will be created only when drawings with the same
name do not already exist in the destination.
Replace existing drawings. Create drawing files when they do not exist:
Replace drawings with the same names to update a scene with new modified
drawings and preserve the animation.

Add/Remove Exposure

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

Symbols
Copy symbols if they
do not exist

This is the default setting for this operation and will prevent Symbols in an Action
template from being copied.

Duplicate symbols

Creates a duplicate of the symbol instead of linking the Symbol instance to the original one. The new Symbol is created in the Library.

Paste all Frames of thesymbol (full movie)

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

Add Remove/Keyframes
MotionCopies the properties of the selected motion keyframe to the new frame.

Velocity

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

Rotation

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

Scale

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

Skew

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

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

Offset Keyframes

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

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Options
Do nothing: Does not create, overwrite, merge or link palettes.
Reuse palettes. Copy palettes if they do not exist: Palettes in the destination
drawings are left as they are.
Copy and overwrite existing palettes: Overwrites destination palettes with thepalettes from the source drawings.
Copy and create new palette files: Creates new palette files, placing them atthe same relative environment and scene level as the source. If the palettes in thetemplates were stored at the environment level of the source scene, the paste
operation will place the palettes in the environment level of the destination scene.
Copy and create new palette files in element folder: Creates new palette files
in the element folders of the destination scene, rather than in the same relative job
or environment.
Palettes

Copy palette and merge colours. Add new colours only: Adds new colours to
the destination palettes and ignores colours that are the same in the two palettes.
Copy palettes and update existing colours: Adds new colours to thedestination palette and updates duplicate colours in the destination with colour
values from the source.
Link to original palettes (colour model): Links the colour palettes in thedestination scene to the palettes in the source. Use this to link drawings to thepalettes in a colour model.
Copy scene palettes and merge colours. Add new colours only: Adds newcolours to the destination scene palettes and ignores colours that are the same in
the two palettes.
Copy scene palettes and update existing colours: Adds new colours to thedestination scene palette and updates duplicate colours in the destination with thecolour values from the source.
Normal (forward):Pastes your selection as is, starting with the first cell and ending with the last.
Reverse: Pastes your selection in reverse, starting with the last cell and ending
with the first.

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

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

Elements

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

Validation

Match by Node/Layer Name: When pasting a template with a hierarchy onto

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another hierarchy, this option looks to match the pasting elements with the samelayer or node name, rather than the same hierarchical structure. This means thateven if the two hierarchies are different, a new pose of a character's body part will
still be pasted on the correct body part layer, as long as both layers are named the
same.

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Pose Copier Dialog Box
The pose copier contains many buttons and other information to facilitate the insertion of poses in the animation.

Parameter

Description

Preview Window

Based on master template's generated thumbnails, previews currently selected
frames.

UPD

Updates the template with the newly selected template.

RST

Reset the template's cache, getting rid of default destination information andexcluded modules.

Template Name

Name of the currently selected template.

Vertical Slider (SLV)

Linked to the slv- node of the node system.

Horizontal Slider 1 (SLH)

Linked to the slh- node of the node system. Default slider for the pose copier if
no guide layers are created.

Horizontal Slider 2 (SLX)

Linked to the slx- node of the node system.

Fill to Next Key Exposure

Having this option checked will automatically extend the exposure of thepasted frame up to the next key.

Use Default Destination Module

When enabled, the pasted keys will automatically refer to the destination
defined in the option Set Default Destination Module.

Paste by Layer Name

When this option is checked the pasted layers will look for the individual layer

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Pose Copier Dialog Box

name instead of matching the hierarchy of the template.
Set Default Destination Module

Instead of selecting the destination every time, the layer set as default destination will automatically paste the keys onto those layers.

Find

This will center on the default destination in the timeline.

Paste

Paste the current position of the pose copier onto the destination.

VerticalCurrently selected frame on the vertical slider. (based on frame name in slvnode)

Horizontal 1

Currently selected frame on the horizontal slider 1. (based on frame name inslh-node)

Horizontal 2

Currently selected frame on the horizontal slider 2. (based on frame name inslx-node)

Frame

Frame number of the selected frame within the master template.

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

NOTE: To learn more about the individual preferences, refer to the Preferences guide.

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

How to access the Preferences dialog box
Do one of the following:lSelect Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Harmony Premium > Preferences (Mac OS X).

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

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Remove Dirt Dialog Box

Remove Dirt Dialog Box
The Remove Dirt dialog box lets you select small dots and hairs on a drawing for removal.

When paper drawings are passed through a scanner, there can be some hair and dirt scattered across them.
These lines and dots need to be cleaned. Harmony provides different tools to help get rid of them quickly.
How to access the Remove Dirt dialog box
1. Do one of the following:l

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

l

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

l

Press Shift + D.

Parameter

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

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

Apply to all drawings

Applies the operation to all drawings in the layer.

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Remove Hair Dialog Box
The Remove Hair dialog box lets you remove any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines
or filled zones. Increasing the Remove Hair level value will select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.

When paper drawings are passed through a scanner, there can be some hair and dirt scattered across them. Theselines and dots need to be cleaned. Harmony provides different tools to help get rid of them quickly.
How to access the Remove Hair dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select the drawing containing the drawing to clean.
2. From the top menu, select View > Show > Show Strokes to display the invisible lines or press K.
3. In the top menu, select Drawing > Clean Up > Remove Hair.
Parameter

Description

SliderLets you adjust the number of length of hairs selected.

Apply to all drawings

Applies the operation to all drawings in the layer.

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Render Write Nodes Dialog Box

Render Write Nodes Dialog Box
The Render Write Nodes dialog box lets you configure your scene to render locally or sent it to a render farm soother computers can render your scenes while you continue working on your station.
In Harmony Stand Alone, the Render Write Nodes dialog box will look as follows:

In Harmony Server, the Render Write Nodes dialog box will have an additional section, Batch Composite
Options, which allows to set parameters for the server's batch rendering service:

There are two approaches to rendering a scene in Harmony Server:llLocal Rendering is done directly by your machine in your Harmony session. Hence, it uses yourmachine's resources and will prevent you from working on the scene until the render is done. You will see
the render progress in real time and will be able to preview the results right after it's finished.
Batch Rendering is done by sending a scene to the server's render queue so it can be processed by therender farm. This allows you to keep working on your scene while the render is being done. The rendering
progress can be monitored in Control Center and, when finished, the results can be previewed in Play.

In either case, the render will be output in the same folder and in the same file formats, as those are determined by
the scene's Write nodes. However, batch rendering supports additional options, such as rendering in chunks, orin different resolutions than the scene's resolution.

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How to access the Render Write Nodes dialog box
1. Do one of the following:l

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

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

The Render Write Nodes dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Range
All Frames

Sends all the frames in the scene to be rendered.

Selected Frames

Sends the specified range of frames to be rendered.

Batch Composite Options

Check this to send the scene to batch rendering and unlock batch rendering
options. Otherwise, the scene will be rendered locally.

Debug

Instructs the batch rendering service to log debug information. When this ischecked, the machine that processes the render will have more information about
the compositing process in its batch rendering service's log.

Chunk

When checked, this splits the render job sent to the server's render queue into
several smaller render jobs, allowing it to be processed by several machines in
the render farm. Note that this only affects Frame renders. If the render includes amovie file, the movie will still be exported as a single file once all the frames havebeen rendered.

Size (Frames)

Specifies the amount of frames each chunk will include. For example, whenrendering a 50 frames scene by chunks of 30, this will make the first render job
render frames 1 to 30, and the second render job render frames 31 to 50.

CameraIf you created a scene with several Camera nodes, this allows you to specify
which one to use for the render.
This allows you to set the width and height of the rendered images or movie,
either:Resolution

By Name: Allows you to select between Default or one of the available resolution
presets. If Default is selected, the scene will be rendered in its own resolution.
By Value: Allows you to set the width and height of the rendered images in pixels.

Field Composite Options
Renders using the 3:2 pull-down approach. Every odd-numbered frame will berendered on 3 images, and every even-numbered frame will be rendered on 2
images.
Add Pulldown

Images will be named in pairs to indicate that they are to be combined together.
Therefore, the output will look like this:Exported Image File

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Render Write Nodes Dialog Box

final-0001-f1.tga

Frame 1 of the scene

final-0001-f2.tga

Frame 1 of the scene

final-0002-f1.tga

Frame 1 of the scene

final-0002-f2.tga

Frame 2 of the scene

final-0003-f1.tga

Frame 2 of the scene

final-0003-f2.tga

Frame 3 of the scene

final-0004-f1.tga

Frame 3 of the scene

final-0004-f2.tga

Frame 3 of the scene

This makes a scene animated in 24 frames per second output in 60 images per
second. Hence, once the paired images are combined, this will make a 30 frames
per second render.
Automatic Combine

Combines each pair of images rendered with Pulldown by interlacing them
together.

Second Field First

By default, when images rendered with Pulldown are combined, the first image ina pair is rendered on odd lines (referred to as the first field), and the second isrendered on even lines (referred to as the second field). This does the
opposite: The second image in a pair is rendered on odd lines and the first one isrendered on even lines.

Preview

When rendering locally, this opens the rendered image sequence in Play
immediately after the render is done.

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

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

Parameter

Description

This Version

Lets you enter a relevant name for the current version.

New Version

Lets you enter a relevant name to save your scene as a new version. Note thatthe drawing files are shared between versions. Only a new version of the timing,
Xsheet, and Node view are saved (information contained in the xstage file).

Overwrite Existing Version

Allows you to save the current state of your scene over an existing scene version.

Description

Enter a short description of the current version.

Mark as Current

After selecting an existing version of your scene, you can make that version thecurrent one that will open by default.

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Scene Settings Dialog Box

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

How to access the Scene Settings dialog box
1. Select Scene > Scene Settings.
The Scene Settings dialog box opens.

Resolution Tab
Parameter

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

‣ HDTV: High definition television delivers a higher quality image than

Resolution Presets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‣ Cloud Preview: This is the resolution used by Web Control Center tocreate its preview.
Selected Resolution Preset Displays the selected resolution preset.
Click the Save Resolution button after you define your new resolution to save it asa preset.
If you are working in Harmony Server, you will be prompter a dialog box asking
you to name the new resolution as well as the level at which you want to save theresolution,conf file.
Save Resolution Setting

Displays the pixel dimensions for your project resolution.
Pixel Dimensions

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

Aspect Ratio

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

Frame per second

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

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

Field of ViewllProjection

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

Custom Fov: After selecting this option, enter a value, in degrees, of theangle that you want the camera cone to be. Increasing this value will makethe camera cone wider (the angle is more obtuse). Widening the FOV will
make the grid and all elements appear farther away. Decreasing the default
value will create the opposite effect.

The Projection settings allows you to modify the type of camera your scene isusing. You can either use a perspective camera (regular camera) or orthographic
camera (no perspective).
lPerspective: The Perspective option is the default and most common
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objects placed further away will be displayed smaller.
l

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

Alignment Tab
Parameter

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

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

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

In the Units Aspect Ratio fields, enter the aspect ratio of the grid you will use. The

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Scene Settings Dialog Box

aspect ratio describes the shape of the grid unit. A square grid unit would have theratio 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.

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 thegrid system described above.
In the Number of Units fields, enter the number of horizontal, vertical and depth
units for your scene’s grid.

Number of Units

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

Coordinates at Centre

Save

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

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

Bitmap Resolution Tab
Parameter

Description

Scene Resolution

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

Width

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

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

Resolution Factor

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

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.

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Scripts Manager Dialog Box

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

How to access the Scripts Manager Dialog Box
1. In the Scripting toolbar, click the Manage Scripts

button.

The Scripts Manager dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Files

A list of the available JavaScript files.

Functions

A list of the available functions for the selected script.

In Toolbar

Adds the selected script to the toolbar.

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

Customize Icon

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

Customize Tooltip

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

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

How to access the Select Colour dialog box in the Timeline view
1. In the Timeline view, click the Change Track Colour

button of the layer you want to modify.

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

Parameter

Description

Basic colours

A basic set of colours to choose from.

Custom colours

Displays the custom colours you previously stored using the Add to Custom
Colours button.

Add to custom colours

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

Colour wheel

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

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Select Colour Dialog Box

Value slider

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

Colour Preview

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

Hue, Saturation, Value

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

Red, Green, Blue

Lets you set the red, green and blue values.

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Selection Presets Dialog Box
As you're animating, you might find that you are constantly selecting the same pegs, drawing layers, bezier points
on a deformation envelope, part of a character rig, etc. You can create a preset that automatically selects any
defined element or group of elements.

How to access the Selection Presets dialog box

1. Add the Scripting toolbar to your interface:lll

Go to the top menu and select Windows > Toolbars > Scripting.
Right-click on the empty space near the top of the interface and from the quick-access menu selecting
Scripting.
Right-click on the empty space near the top of a view and from the quick-access menu selecting
Scripting.

2. In the Scripting toolbar, click on the Manage Scripts

button to open the Scripts Manager window.

3. In the Scripts Manager, in the Files section, select the file TB_SelectionPreset.js.
The functions associated with that file appear in the Functions section.
4. In the Functions section, select TB_SelectionPreset.
The Add script to toolbar

button becomes active.

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Selection Presets Dialog Box

5. Click on the Add script to toolbar
The TB_SelectionPreset script

button.
button is added to the Scripting toolbar.

6. Click Apply.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Scripting toolbar, click on the TB_SelectionPreset

button.

The Selection Presets window opens.
Parameter

Description

RefreshRemoves any highlighted zones from the Group column.

Add Selection Preset

Opens the Save Selection As Preset dialog box. After entering a name for the
new preset and clicking OK, a new Selection Preset is added to the Selection
Presets list. Note: before clicking on the Add button, make a selection in yourscene of the elements for which you wish to create a Selection Preset.

Delete Selection Preset

Deletes the selected Selection Preset from the list.

Group

Double-click in this area, next to the Selection Preset you wish to use, toselect the elements defined by the preset.

Name

Displays the name of the preset.

Apply to Selection

Selects the elements defined by the selected preset from the Name list.

Close

Closes the Selection Presets window.

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Sequence Fill Dialog Box
The Sequence Fill dialog box lets you Lets you create a numbered sequence over a selection. The sequence can be
forward, backward, single, double or higher increment, as a cycle, and so on. The selection can be over one cell or acell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire columns.

How to access the Sequence Fill dialog box
1. In the Timeline or Xsheet view, select a cell range.

2. Do one of the following:l

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

l

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

ll

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

button (you may have to customize the toolbar

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

The Sequence Fill dialog box opens.

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Sequence Fill Dialog Box

Parameter

Description

Starting Value

The first number in the sequence.

Increment

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

Hold

The exposure holding value.

Cycle

Enable this option to cycle the values and enter the number of cycles in the
Cycle field.

End Frame

Enable this option to stop the fill at a specific frame within the selection.
Indicate the frame number in the End Frame field.

Padding

Enable this option to add a 0 padding before the drawing name. In the Padding
field, enter as many hash symbols (#) as digit you want in your drawing name,including the value itself.

Add Key Exposure After

Inserts a key exposure on the frame following the last cell of the new fillselection.

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Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box
The Edit Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box lets you apply ease to multiple functions and keyframes. You
can display the function curve and modify the Bezier or Ease curve.

How to access the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box
1. In the Timeline view, select a keyframe on one or more layers.

2. Do one of the following:l

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

l

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

button.

The Set Ease For Multiple Parameters dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Filters
Motion: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Position X, Position Y,
Position Z and 3D Path functions.
Rotation: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Angle functions.
MotionScale: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Scale functions.
Skew: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Skew functions.
Morphing: Applies the easing parameters to the selected Morphing Velocity
functions. Note that it applies to the Morphing velocity function found in the Layer
Properties window, not the basic morphing ease in the Tool Properties view.

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Set Ease for Multiple Parameters Dialog Box

Other: Applies the easing parameters to all the other the selected functions, suchas all functions created to animate effect parameters.
Left and Right Time Ratio

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

Left and Right Value Ratio

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

Apply/Previous

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

Apply

Applies the easing parameters to the selected keyframes.

Apply/Next

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

Close

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

116Harmony 14 Premium - Reference GuideShow Hidden Columns Dialog Box
The Show Hidden Columns dialog box lets you display all the columns contained in the exposure sheet. It can beused to hide individual columns.

How to access the Show Hidden Columns dialog box
1. In the Xsheet view, do one of the following:lClick the thick grey line that represents a hidden column.

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

lPress Alt + Shift + H.

The Show Hidden Columns dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Show

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

Name

Name of the drawing.

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Show Hidden Columns Dialog Box

TypeIndicates the column type such as column, timing, and expression.

Check

Selects all columns.

Uncheck

Deselects all selected columns.

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

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

Parameter

Description

Compressor

Lets you select a compression type. The default setting is None. This exports
your audio as is without performing any lossy compression or conversion,preserving its fidelity. Other compressors can be used if you need your movie'saudio track to be exported in a specific format, or if disk space or download speed
is critical, but they may impact the quality of your movie's soundtrack negatively.

Rate

Lets you select the audio rate at which to export. It is best to export your audio at
a rate that matches the rate of your original sound files. For example, if your file
has an audio sample rate of 48 kHz and you choose a conversion rate of 22.05
kHz, the sound will play at the same speed, but higher frequencies will be
missing, making it sound muffled. For reference, the standard sound quality is44.1 kHz for films, and 48 kHz for DVD. Lower rates are liable to impact thequality of your movie's soundtrack negatively, but they can be useful if disk spaceor download speed is critical.

Size

Lets you select the encoding size. Also known as Bit Depth, this determines theamount of precision used to record each wavelength in the soundtrack. The
standard size is 16-bit. If you choose 8-bit, the amount of disk space your soundtrack requires is halved, but the audio will sound muffled.

Use

Lets you decide whether to use the Mono or Stereo channel mode. Stereo soundhas a separate sound track for the left and the right speakers, allowing to makethe origin of each sound realistically match the origin of their corresponding
action. If you choose Mono, your sound track may use less disk space, but boththe left and right channels will be merged into a single track.

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Standard Video Compression Settings Dialog Box

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

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

Parameter

Description

Compression Type

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

MotionFrame Rate

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

Key Frames

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

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Compressor
Depth

Lets you select a depth based on your movie’s needs. For example, Millions ofColours+ houses an alpha channel.

Quality

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

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

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

Preview

Displays a preview of the movie to be exported.

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Timeline Scene Marker Dialog Box

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

Drag to select the frame range to mark.

‣

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

Parameter

Description

Colour swatch

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

Note (Tooltip)

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

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Tint Offset/Blend Dialog Box
You can offset, blend, or mix the colours in a colour palette using the sliders and increasing the Amount value.

How to access the Tint Offset/Blend dialog box
1. From the Colour View menu, select Palettes > Tint Panel or right-click and select Tint Panel.
The Blend/Offset Tint panel opens.

Parameter

Description

OffsetOffsets the selected colours by the adjustments made using the HSB and RGB
sliders. Use the Amount slider to adjust the degree of offset. Use the Alpha slider
to adjust the opacity of the selected colour.

Blend

Blends the selected colours with the colour swatch in the top-right corner. Use theAmount slider to adjust the degree of blend. A blend of 100% turns the selectedcolours into the same colour as the swatch. Adjusting the HSB and RGB sliders
affect the swatch colour, which in turn affects the selected colours on the left.
Use the Alpha slider to adjust the opacity of the swatch.

Mixer

Select a Base and Tint colour to form a third colour swatch. Use the slider justbeneath to mix the Base and Tint colours by different amounts. This will affect themixed swatch whether it is selected or not. Select either the Tint or Base swatch
and use the HSB and RGB sliders to adjust its colour. This will affect the mixed
swatch colour, which in turn affects the selected colours on the left.

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Toolbar Manager Dialog Box

Toolbar Manager Dialog Box
The Toolbar Manager dialog box lets you customize the toolbar in any of the views. You can add your favourite
tools to a toolbar for an efficient workflow.

How to access the Toolbar Manager dialog box
1. Right-click on a toolbar in any view and select Customize. Note that the menu will not appear if you rightclick on a disabled icon.

Parameter

Description

Available Tools

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

Toolbar

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

Default

Restores the toolbar with its default items.

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

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

In the Layer section, decide on the layer options.

l

In the Import Options section, select the Convert to Toon Boom Vector Drawing optionlClick Preview.

3. In the Vectorization section, click the Vectorization Parameters

Options Tab
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Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

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

Parameter

Description

Input

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

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

Two Passes

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

Threshold

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

Expand Bitmap

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

Jag Filter

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

Line Art Threshold (%)

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

Colour Art Threshold(%)

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

OutputThe output filters are applied during the vectorization process.
No Colour Art

Does not generate filling zones in the Colour Art layer.

No Texture

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

Generate Matte in
Underlay Layer

Creates an opaque zone behind your drawing’s lines to avoid seeing throughthe layers.

Colour as Texture

Converts colour values into a texture layer.

Optical Registration

The optical registration options are used to automatically align drawings based126Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guideon the position of the peg holes on the animation paper. The peg holes must
appear in the scanned drawings for the optical registration to work.
DPI

Lets you enter the dots-per-inch value of your image. You must enter the samevalue as the DPI used to scan the image.

Peg Side

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

Strictness

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

Field Chart
Post Processing

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

Remove Holes

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

Remove Dirt

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

Remove Hair Size

Removes small strokes that have no line art.

Remove Hair: Number
of Passes

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

Miscellaneous
Close Gaps

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

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

Shows the strokes in the Vectorized Image panel.

Stroke Thickness

Shows the size of the strokes.

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

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Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

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

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

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

•

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

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

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide-pdfc; short form of -peg_distance_from_center-out_peg_position <side (default same)>; wanted position of the peg on the drawing.
•

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

•

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

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

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

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

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

distance from each other. Use -no_break to remove all triangles-no_texture; don't generate textured strokes-color_as_texture; will vectorize the alpha channel and put the RGB colour in a textured colour-noclosegap; disable all gap closing algorithms-no_break; disable the breaking of line art-jag_filter <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap-expand_bitmap <pixels (default 0>; expand the pixels in the vectorization bitmap-fit_errorc <error (default 1.000000>; fitting error for the colour art-fit_errorl <error (default 1.000000>; fitting error for the line art-smoothl <passes (default 1>; number of smooth passes for line art-smoothc <passes (default 1>; number of smooth passes for colour art-first_smooth <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art before breaking triangles-first_smoothl <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art before breaking triangles-first_smoothc <passes (default 0>; number of smooth passes for line art in colour art pass (needs -2pass)-2pass; specify two sets of parameters; one for line art "l", one for colour art "c"129

Chapter 2: Dialog Boxes

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

NOTE: -buildmatte and -buildmatte_colourart are mutually exclusive-copystrokes; copy original strokes when building matte.

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

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

Colour Vectorization Options-color_vectorize; perform a colour vectorization-file2 <colour art filename>; specify the colour art bitmap-penstyle <center alpha (0.0-20.0)> <edge alpha (0.0-20.0)> <gamma (0-10)><centre pressure effect (0.0-1.0)><edge pressure effect (0.0-1.0)><texture bitmap downscaling (0.2-20)> <texture bitmap file (valid filename or "" if nofile)>; generate brush texture for the line art-pressure_variation <strategy (0, 1 or 2)> <min pressure (0.0-1.0)> <max pressure (0.0-1.0)> <max variation (0.01.0)>; specify a pressure strategy for the centre line.
-blur_radius <pixels (default 0)>; blur the penstyle texture generated-color_contour_smooth_passes <times (default 3)>; perform number of smooth passes on contour before
computing texture-ccsp <times (default 3)>; short for -color_contour_smooth_passes-color_rmv_holesl <world units (default 0.000000)>; remove holes of this size when computing texture-color_fill_holesl <world units (default 0.000000)>; fill holes of this size for colour line art

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Vectorization Parameters Dialog Box

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

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

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

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Versions Dialog Box
The Versions window lets you delete any unnecessary versions of scenes when working with Harmony Server.
When working with multiple versions of a scene, you may to clean up the database by deleting the ones you nolonger need.
How to access the Versions window
1. Make sure you have the necessary rights. If you do not, select File > Rights to Modify Scene.
2. Select File > Manage Versions.

Parameter

Description

Existing Versions

Displays the different versions of a scene that you can delete.

Description

Displays information about the selected version.
Removes the selected version of a scene.

DeleteIMPORTANT: This operation cannot be undone.

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Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box

Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box
The Xsheet Column Width dialog box lets modify the width of a column in the Xsheet view and use it as thedefault column width.

How to access the Xsheet Column Width Dialog Box
1. In the Xsheet view, select a column.
2. From the Xsheet menu, select View > Set Columns Width.
The Xsheet Column Width dialog box opens.

Parameter

Description

Columns Width (pixels)

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

Apply

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

Set As Default

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

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Chapter 3: Menus
The Menus section covers all the menu entries available in Harmony. There are several types of menus in Harmony:main menus, quick-access menus and view menus. Menus contains most of the functions available. They may also
have a toolbar button or keyboard shortcut equivalent.
Main Menus

136

Animation Menu

137

Drawing Menu

143

Edit Menu

148

File Menu

151

Help Menu

154

Insert Menu

155

Play Menu

156

Scene Menu

157

View Menu

159

Windows Menu

162

Quick-access Menus

164

View Menus

165

3D Graph View Menu

166

Camera View Menu

168

Colour View Menu

179

Drawing View Menu

181

Function View Menu

189

Library View Menu

191

Model View Menu

193

Node View Menu

194

Node Library View Menu

198

Perspective View Menu

199

Side View Menu

203

Timeline View Menu

206

Top View Menu

209

Xsheet View Menu

212

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Main Menus

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

On Mac OS X, there is also a Harmony Premium category that contains the following commands: Preferences,
About, and Quit.
Animation Menu

137

Drawing Menu

143

Edit Menu

148

File Menu

151

Help Menu

154

Insert Menu

155

Play Menu

156

Scene Menu

157

View Menu

159

Windows Menu

162

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

Command

Description

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which records the position, rotation, scale,skew, etc. of objects as keyframes in the Timeline view. Turn off theAnimate mode to reposition objects for the entire scene. When the
Animate mode is disabled, keyframes are not created when an object's
parameters change.

Stop-Motion Keyframe

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

Delete Keyframe

Deletes the selected keyframes.

Tools
Transform

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

Inverse Kinematics

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

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

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

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

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Maintain Size

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

Spline Offset

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

Reposition Drawing

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

Cell

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Main Menus

Increase Exposure

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

Decrease Exposure

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

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

Extend Exposure

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

Add Key Exposure

Adds a key exposure to the selected cell.

Remove Key Exposure

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

Remove Duplicate Key Exposure

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

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

Fill Empty Cells

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

Insert Blank Cell

Adds an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure

Removes the exposure from the selected cell.

Clear Exposure and Pull

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

Fill Selection

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

Sequence Fill

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

Fill Cells Randomly

Lets you fill in random values over a selection. You can give amaximum and a minimum value and create a range for Harmony to138Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

choose the random values from. The selection can be over one cell or acell range in one column or more or an entire column or many entire
columns.
Hold Exposure

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

Deformation
Set Curves and Offsets
Independent from Parent

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

Transfer Curve Values to Offset

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

Convert Elliptic Deformation ROI
to Shape

After you have created a deformation chain using Elliptic as the Zone ofInfluence type, you can select your deformer and click on this button toconvert it to a Shaped type. Control points will appear around the shapemaking it easy to customize.You can also convert the Elliptic zone ofinfluence to a shape. Select Animation > Deformation > Convert
Elliptic Deformation ROI to Shape. This will create a much smaller
initial zone of influence than if you were to convert it directly to a shape.

Convert Deformed Drawing toDrawings

Convert deformation animations to drawing sequences, so you canadjust the drawings using the drawing tools. You may also want tochange the timing and set it on double frames instead of single frame.

Convert to New Drawing and Add
Deformation Chain

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

Exposure Fill

Using Render Change

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

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

Insert Morphing Key Drawing

Creates a morphing keyframe from a selected morphing frame.

Delete Morphing

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

Convert Morphing to Drawing

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

Contour Hint

The Contour Hint point is used on the colour fill zone and brush lines; inother words, on Contour vectors. It allows you to control the line
thickness and contour position. Also, if a contour is not animatedcorrectly, you can use hints to correct the animation. For example, if a139

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flag is not waving properly.
When adding a Contour Hint point, make sure to place it far enoughaway from the contour so you can see it snap to the contour.
Contour Hint points are yellow.

Zone Hint

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

Pencil Hint

A Pencil Hint point is used to control a pencil line, also known ascentral vector. It can be used on drawings that were done using thePencil, Polyline, Ellipse, Line and Rectangle tools. Like the Contour
Hint, the Pencil Hint snaps to the central vector. Make sure to place it
far enough away from the line so you will see it snap when you move it.
Pencil Hint points are magenta in colour.

Appearing Point Hint

An Appearing Point Hint is used to control the trajectory of an appearing
shape. A shape will appear in the destination drawing when there is nocorresponding shape in the source drawing. If you do not place an
Appearing Point Hint to control the point of appearance, the shape willappear from its centre and expand outwards.
Appearing Point Hint points are violet in colour.

Vanishing Point Hint

A Vanishing Point Hint is used to control the trajectory of a vanishing
shape. A shape will vanish from the source drawing when there is nocorresponding shape in the destination drawing. If you do not place a
Vanishing Point Hint to control the point of disappearance, the shapewill vanish into its centre.
Vanishing Point Hint points are green in colour.

Switch Between Morphing Key
Drawings

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

Go to First Frame

Goes to the first frame of your morphing sequence.

Go to Previous Frame

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

Go to Next Frame

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

Go to Last Frame

Goes to the last frame of your morphing sequence.

Suggest Hints

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

Hide Hints

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option when you have a series of hint points hiding some lines you
would like to see.
IK Constraints
Set IK Nail

Blocks the X, Y and Z positions.

Set IK Hold Orientation

Blocks the angle.

Set IK Hold X

Blocks only the X position.

Set IK Hold Y

Blocks only the Y position.

Remove All Constraints

Removes all nails except the minimum and maximum angles.

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

Auto Lip-Sync Detection

Generates a sound detection for lip-sync.

Map Lip-Sync

Automatically maps drawings in an element to the mouth chart you
have generated for a sound. This can save time when you are lipsynching a voice track.

Flip Horizontal

Flips the selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the selection vertically.

Flip Scale X

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

Flip Scale Y

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

Flip

Linear Motion

Switches between a linear and curved corner.

Lock in Time

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

No Z Dragging

Keeps the Z value constant when you drag a character using theTransform or Translate tool.

Substitute Drawing Previous

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by theprevious drawing.

Substitute Drawing Next

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the next
drawing.

Go to Previous Keyframe

Goes to the previous keyframe.

Go to Next Keyframe

Goes to the next keyframe.

Select Previous Keyframe /Point

Select the previous keyframe/point.

Select Next Keyframe /Point

Select the next keyframe/point.

Select Child Skipping Effects

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

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Select Child

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

Select Children

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

Select Group Content

Selects all of the contents of the group.

Select Parent Skipping Effects

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

Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

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

Lock
Lock

Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.

UnlockUnlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock All

Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.

Unlock All

Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.

Lock All Others

Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

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

Reset All

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

Reset All Except Z

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

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Drawing Menu
The Drawing menu lets you access many tools related to drawing, painting, dirt removal, optimizing strokes, andmore.
How to access the Drawing menulAt the top of the interface, select Drawing.

Command

Description
Activates a drawing tool including:Drawing Tools

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

Clean Up

Paint

Remove Dirt

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

Remove Hair

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

Close Gaps

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

Remove Art Inside Selection

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

Remove Art Inside Selection on
All Drawings

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

Remove Art Outside Selection

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

Remove Art Outside Selection on
All Drawings

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

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Unpaint Selection

Unpaints any art existing inside a selection.

Unpaint Selection on All Drawings

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

Unpaint Outside Selection

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

Unpaint Outside Selection on All
Drawings

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

Repaint Selection

Repaints any art inside a selection.

Repaint Selection on All Drawings

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

Repaint Outside Selection

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

Repaint Outside Selection on All
Drawings

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

ConvertPencil Lines to Brush Strokes

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

Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines

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

Strokes to Pencil Lines

Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.

Break Apart Text Layers

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

Optimize

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

SmoothSmooths selected drawing strokes and removes extra points.

Create Contour Strokes

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

Remove Contour Strokes

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

Remove Extra Strokes

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

Optimize

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

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Crop Brush Textures

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

Reduce Drawing Texture
Resolution

When you import and vectorize as texture (colour) a high resolution
image, the size of your drawing can be heavy. You can reduce the size
and resolution of the textures in a drawing.

Transform
Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

Rotate 180

Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Arrange
Bring to Front

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

Bring Forward

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

Send Backward

Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).

Send to Back

Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).

Create Empty Drawing

Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may
already be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meetsanother drawing, key exposure or a blank cell.

Duplicate Drawings

Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you
modify an existing drawing but retain the original. When duplicating adrawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing. The
exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell isremoved. The original drawing is not deleted from the project folder orother cells in which it is exposed.

Delete Selected Drawings

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

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Rename Drawing with Prefix

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

Rename by Frame

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

Select Strokes with Current Colour

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

Distribute to Layers

Every selected stroke in the Camera view is placed on separate layers;

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

Create Colour Art from Line Art

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

Create Breaking Triangles

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

Generate Auto-Matte

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

Adjust Line Texture Opacity
Lets you adjust the contrast and opacity of textured lines in a drawing.
This feature is very useful when you need to have a full resolution of abitmap image (such as imported bitmaps as .psd or .tga for the
background) for tracing to create a matte directly in Harmony.
By default, Harmony creates small thumbnail images when imported
as bitmap in order to increase performance by using a small thumbnail
image instead of using the original large size bitmap for animation workin Harmony. This will make difficult to view details or trace due to the
low resolution (blurry). This option temporary increases the resolutionof bitmaps up to their original bitmap resolution to make tracing easier.
Change Bitmap Drawing Resolution
NOTE: Regardless of using small thumbnails in Harmony, thefinal render will use the real image resolution so there is no loss ofquality in the final render.

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

Previous Drawing

When a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, displays theprevious drawing.

Next Drawing

When a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, displays thenext drawing.

Previous Layer

When a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, displays theprevious layer.

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Next Layer

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

Colour Protection
Toggle Current Colour Protection

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

Respect Colour Protection

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

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

Command

Description

Undo

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

Redo

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

Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

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

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

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

Paste Cycle

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

Paste Reverse

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

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items
that were not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a
drawing, this command will deselect them and select any other lines
in the drawing that were not selected.

Auto-Apply

Automatically applies changes you make to a property window or dialog box. Harmony applies the modification automatically and displays the result in the Camera view. When working on a heavy
scene, it is useful to turn off this option.If you want to always work in
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Preferences dialog box (General tab). Then, each time you start Harmony, the Auto-Apply mode will be off. You must click the Apply button to see any modifications.
Create Symbol

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

Open Merge Editor

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

Expand Symbol
The symbol's layers will be parented to it in case you createdmotions and transformations on the drawing layer that contain thesymbol. Breaking the hierarchy could result in the loss of any scaling
and animation you may have created.
Expand Selected Symbol in Groups

Expands a symbol within a group to avoid crowding the timeline witha series of layers. When you expand the symbols, the layers will becontained in a group node that you can expand to see the content.

Duplicate Selected Symbol

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

Create Drawing from Drawing Selection

Breaks a character into its main body parts. There is no need to create any layers prior to this process. Make sure your model is wellcentered and sized in the Camera view.

Clone: Drawings Only

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

Clone: Drawings and Timing

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

Duplicate

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

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

•

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

Merge

Group
Group

Groups selected drawing objects in the Camera or Drawing view.

Ungroup

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

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

Ungroup Selected Layers

Ungroups a selected group in the Timeline or Node views.

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

Edit Drawing Mode

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

Edit Palette List Mode

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

Get Rights to Modify Drawing

Manually releases the rights to modify a selected drawing.

Release Rights to Modify Drawing

Manually releases rights to modify a selected drawing.

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

Opens the Preferences dialog box where you can set yourpreferences for Harmony.

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

Command

Description

New

Creates a new scene while closing any scene already open. The New
Scene dialog box opens, asking for directory, name, and resolution
information.

Open

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

Open Recent

Displays a list of the most recently opened scenes.

Clear

Clears the list of recently opened scenes.

Close

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

Save

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

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

Rights to Modify Scene Version

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

Rights to Modify Scene

Allows you to modify the currently selected scene version, but locks
access to the version manager during the opened session.
Determines which drawing files have been modified on disk since you
loaded them. All updated drawings will be reloaded.

Read Changed Drawings
NOTE: Reloading a locked drawing will discard unsaved changes.
Manage Versions

Allows you to manage all the versions of the current scene.
Saves the current file with a different name and at a different location.

Save As

Saves the current state of a scene as another scene. The Save As
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the new scene.

NOTE: The scene name cannot exceed 23 characters.

Save as New Version

Saves the current scene as another version. The Save Version dialog
box prompts you to give a name for this new version. This will create a
new .xstage file in your current project directory.

Back Up Scene

Backs up the current scene to a location you choose.

Update Database Scene

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

Download Database Changes

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

Remove Unused Files

Removes the unused palettes from the scene list.

ImportFrom Scanner

Imports drawings from a TWAIN scanner.

ImagesImports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize.

3D ModelsOnce you have exported a model using a 3D authoring software, you
can import it and integrate it in your 2D animation scene. You have thepossibility to convert your 3D models to *.osb files upon import toHarmony and save them as such. This will allow Harmony to render 3D
files with the associated textures without the need to copy them
manually (as long as the auxiliary files are linked correctly and named
appropriately on your disk).

Link to Images

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

Movie

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

Sound

Lets you import sound files into your project.

Colour Model

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

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

Movie

Exports animation as a QuickTime movie.

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

When working with Harmony Server, you can send your scene to batchprocessing and to a render farm.

Soundtrack

Exports a sound file as a merged soundtrack or series of individual
files. The exported soundtracks are generated as *.wav files.

SWF

Exports a Flash movie file.

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The SWF export supports some bitmap effects (which can bepreviewed in Render View mode) and SWF Blend Modes (vector
effects which can be previewed in OpenGL View mode).

OpenGL Frames

Exports OpenGL frames (fast display mode) for a quick screen rendersof a scene that contain no transparency channel. Heavier scenes
containing 3D, multiple effects and camera moves can be fairly long toexport.

Layout Image

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

Layout Image from Selection

Exports only the selected elements to a layout .psd file.

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

Node View

Prints the Node view for reference purposes.

Print

Quit

Closes the application.

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Main Menus

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

Command

Description

Online Help

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

Getting Started

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

Toon Boom on the Web

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

Customer Experience Improvement
Program

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

About

Identifies the product name and version number.

Show Welcome Screen

Displays the Harmony Welcome screen.

Show End User License Agreement

Displays the End User License Agreement.

Debug Mode

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

Shortcuts

Displays the complete list of keyboard shortcuts for Harmony.

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

Command

Description

Create Empty Symbol in Library

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

Bone

Adds a new Bone layer to the Timeline view.

CameraAdds a new Camera layer to the Timeline view.

Colour-Card

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

Drawing

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

Game Bone

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

Group

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

Kinematic Output

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

Peg

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

Quadmap

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

Particle
Basic Particle System

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

Basic Gravity-based System

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

Keyframe

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

Keyframe and Duplicate Drawing

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

Position Keyframe

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

Control Point

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

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Main Menus

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

Command

Description

Play

Plays and stops the animation.

Render and Play

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

Test SWF Movie

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

Stop

Stops playback.

Playback Speed

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

Loop

Repeatedly plays back your animation indefinitely.

Enable Sound

Turns on sound during playback.

Enable Sound Scrubbing

Turns on sound scrubbing during playback.

Start Frame

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

Stop Frame

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

First Frame

Moves the red playhead to the first frame.

Previous Frame

Moves the red playhead to the previous frame.

Next Frame

Moves the red playhead to the next frame.

Last Frame

Moves the red playhead to the last frame.

Go to Frame

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

Enable Playback
Top View

Plays back your animation in the Top view.

Side View

Plays back your animation in the Side view.

Perspective View

Plays back your animation in the Perspective view.

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

Command

Description

Scene Length

Lets you set the length of the scene in frames.

Frame
Add Frames at Start

Adds the number of frames you specify to the beginning of the scene.

Add Frames at End

Adds the number of frames you specify to the end of the scene.

Add Frames Before Selection
Add Frames After Selection
Remove Selected Frames

Adds the number of frames you specify before or after your selection.
Deletes the selected frames from your scene.

CameraDefault Camera

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

Default Display
Display All
Display
Scene Settings

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

RenderAuto Render

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

Auto Render Write

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

Recalculate All

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

Recalculate Selected

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

Cancel Preview Render

Cancels a render that was started.

Element Manager

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

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

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

Command

Description
Cycles through the following display modes:lToggle Full ScreenllNormal Full-Screen: The main application window becomesfull screen.
View Full-Screen: The selected view becomes full screen andall other views are collapsed.
Normal: The main application window is restored to its original
size and collapsed views are expanded.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animationtable.

Rotate View CCW

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

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Next Colour

Goes to the next colour in the Colour view.

Previous Colour

Goes to the previous colour in the Colour view.

Grid
Show Grid

Displays the grid.

Grid Outline Only

Displays the outline of the grid only.

Underlay

Displays the grid under the drawing elements.

Overlay

Displays the grid over the drawing elements.

Square Grid

Displays a standard square grid.

12 Field Grid

Displays a 12-field size grid.

16 Field Grid

Displays a 16-field size grid.

Onion Skin
Show Onion Skin

Lets you preview the previous and next drawings. By default, the previous drawings appear in a shade of red and the next drawings are dis-159

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played with a shade of green. You can change these colours in the
Preferences dialog box.
Add to Onion Skin

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

Remove from Onion Skin

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

Remove Unselected from Onion
Skin

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

Add All to Onion Skin

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

Remove All from Onion Skin

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

Onion Skinning by Drawing

In Camera view, the onion skin by default is per frame, this option lets
you set it by drawing so you don't see any exposure's onion skin fromthe same drawing.

No Previous Drawing

Removes the previous drawing's onion skin and displays only the next
drawing.

Previous Drawing

Displays the previous drawing.

Previous Two Drawings

Displays the previous two drawings.

Previous Three Drawings

Displays the previous three drawings.

No Next Drawing

Do not show the onion skin for all of the next drawings.

Next Drawing

Show the onion skin for the next drawing.

Next Two Drawings

Show the onion skin for the next two drawings.

Next Three Drawings

Show the onion skin for the next three drawings.

Reduce One Previous Drawing

Reduces the number of previous visible drawings by one.

Add One Previous Drawing

Adds one drawing to the number of previous visible drawings.

Reduce One Next Drawing

Reduces the number of next visible drawings by one.

Add One Next Drawing

Adds one drawing to the number of next visible drawings.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see the previous and subsequent
active layers in washed-out colours. It is useful for seeing the other layers when designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Backlight

Produces a silhouette effect by changing the drawing’s coloured areas
into a single dark, solid colour. Use this to verify the completeness of
the ink and paint process. Any unpainted zones can be seen as thelight shows through the unpainted areas of the silhouetted drawing.

Show

Symbol Pivot

Displays a symbol's pivot. The Symbol pivot is similar to the Drawing
pivot. Each symbol cell can have its own pivot and act the same as theDrawing pivot. The Symbol pivot can also be referred to as embedded
pivot. Inside a symbol, each drawing can have its own pivot.

Safe Area

Displays the TV safety zone and the centre of the camera frame. The
safe area adapts to the scene resolution, as well as the safety zone
and frame’s centre.

Camera Mask

Displays a black mask around the scene’s frame to avoid seeing theunnecessary artwork. This option is handy when you're animating and160

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setting up the scene. It allows you to see your scene’s composition better.
Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Current Drawing on Top

Displays the selected drawing on top of everything while you draw. By
enabling this option, each time you select a drawing tool, the selecteddrawing is displayed in front of everything in the Camera view. The
Timeline and Node view ordering remain unchanged.You only need toenable this option once, it is not necessary to do it each time you selecta drawing tool.

Outline Locked Drawings

Displays drawing that are locked in the Timeline view (cannot be
selected in the Camera view) as wireframes.

Show Strokes

Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines standout.

Show Strokes with Colour Wash

Displays strokes with washed-out colours.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Deformation
Show Current Deformers andHide All Others

Shows all current deformers and hides all other manipulators displayedin the Camera view.

ParticleShow Particles as Dots in
OpenGL
Preview Manager

Displays the particles as dots in the OpenGL preview mode. This
makes the playback speed faster for a heavy scene.
Opens the Preview Manager where you can set options for the qualityof previews, and clearing and updating the cache.

Preview Resolution
Same as Scene Resolution
3/4 of Scene Resolution
1/2 of Scene Resolution

Lets you choose a resolution for previewing a scene.

1/3 of Scene Resolution
1/4 of Scene Resolution
CustomLets you select a resolution from a list of presets or enter X and Y
values for a custom preview resolution.

Bitmap File Quality

Lets you change the quality of the preview of the bitmap file in the
Camera view. It will not affect the final render.

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Windows Menu
The Windows menu lets you customize your workspace to suit your working style, save it as a new workspace,and load it from the Workspace toolbar. You can also show or hide the different toolbars and views in Harmony.
How to access the Windows menulFrom the top menu, select Windows.

Command

Description

Restore Default Workspace

Returns modified workspaces to their original default layout if you do
not like the current modifications or inadvertently closed some
windows.

Workspace
Workspace Manager

Opens the Workspace Manager where you can modify, create,delete, rename and reorder your workspaces.

Save Workspace

Saves the current workspace along with any modifications you
made.

Save Workspace As...

Saves the workspace as a new version to avoid overwriting thecurrent one.

Workspace

Lets you open workspaces designed specifically for animating,compositing, hand drawing, scripting and the default workspace.

Toolbars

Lets you show or hide these toolbars: Tool Presets, Art Layer,
Playback, File, Edit, Advanced Animation, Scripting, Coordinate,
Control Point, Display, Tools, Flip, Onion Skin, Mark Drawing, Easy
Flipping, Workspace, Deformation, Drawing View, Camera View,
Xsheet View and Timeline View.

CameraShows or hides the Camera view.

ColourShows or hides the Colour view.

Coord. and Control Points

Shows or hides the Coordinates and Control Points view.

Drawing

Shows or hides the Drawing view.

FunctionShows or hides the Function view.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Library

Shows or hides the Library view.

Message Log

Shows or hides the Message Log view.

Model

Shows or hides the Model view.

Node LibraryShows or hides the Library view.

Node View

Shows or hides the Node view.

Perspective

Shows or hides the Perspective view.

Side

Shows or hides the Side view.

Timeline

Shows or hides the Timeline view.

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Tool Properties

Shows or hides the Tool Properties view.

Top

Shows or hides the Top view.

XsheetShows or hides the Xsheet view.

3D Graph

Shows or hides the 3D Graph view.

Integrated Help

Shows or hides the Integrated Help view.

Metadata Editor

Shows or Hides the Metadata Editor view.

Script Editor

Shows or hides the Script Editor view.

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Quick-access Menus

Quick-access Menus
A quick-access menu lets you open a list of the commands you will use most often.
How to access a quick-access menu
1. Right-click anywhere in a view.

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View Menus
A view menu contains commands specifically related to that view.
How to access a view menu
1. In the top-left corner of a view, click the Menu

button.

3D Graph View Menu

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Camera View Menu

168

Colour View Menu

179

Drawing View Menu

181

Function View Menu

189

Library View Menu

191

Model View Menu

193

Node View Menu

194

Node Library View Menu

198

Perspective View Menu

199

Side View Menu

203

Timeline View Menu

206

Top View Menu

209

Xsheet View Menu

212

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3D Graph View Menu
The 3D Graph View menu lets you access commands related to the 3D Graph view, such as selecting different
subnodes, disabling and enabling subnodes and inserting the 3D Kinematic Output node.
How to access the 3D Graph menul

In the upper-left corner of the 3D Graph view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit

Copy Subnode Name

Copies the name of the selected subnode for pasting in the Subnode Name
field in the Layer Properties of the 3D Kinematic Output node. You need toenter the name of the subnode into the 3D Kinematic Output node if you add
it to the Node view from the Node Library. If you use the Add 3D Kinematic
Output button or menu command, the 3D Kinematic Output node willautomatically be added and connected in the Node view, with the selectedsubnode name in the Subnode Name field.

Select All

Selects all the items in the 3D graph (all the parts of the 3D model).

Deselect All

Deselects all the items in the 3D graph (all the parts of the 3D model).

Select Parent Subnode

Jumps to the parent subnode of a selected child subnode.

Select Child Subnodes

Jumps to the first child subnode of a selected parent subnode. Use theSelect Next Sibling Subnode menu option to continue down the list ofchildren.

Select Next Sibling
SubnodeSelects the next child subnode, after the selected child subnode in the list.

Select Previous Sibling
SubnodeSelects the child subnode previous to the selected child subnode in the list.

SubnodesEnableEnables the selected subnode in the 3D graph list. Enabling the subnode
displays the corresponding part of the 3D model in the Camera andPerspective views. You can make a multi-selection with this command. You
can also use the Enable Subnode button in the 3D Graph view toolbar to
preform the same function.

DisableDisables the selected subnode in the 3D graph list. Disabling the subnodehides the corresponding part of the 3D model in the Camera and Perspective
views. You can make a multi-selection with this command. You can also use
the Disable Subnode button in the 3D Graph view toolbar to preform thesame function.

Make Properties
Available

Adds the subnode to list of activated subnodes in the Layer Properties of the
Subnode-Animation node, in the Node and Timeline views. This means thatfunction columns (position x, y, z, velocity, scale, etc.) have been created
for the subnode and that it is now animatable. You can also use the Make
Properties Available button in the 3D Graph view toolbar to preform the same

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3D Kinematic Output

Adds a 3D Kinematic Output node under the selected node and sets it to use
the selected subnode's transformation values. You can use the 3D
Kinematic Output node to move another layer in sync with the moves doneon the 3D subnode. An asterisk appears beside the subnode name in the 3Dgraph list to indicate the connection of the 3D Kinematic Output node. You
can also use the Add 3D Kinematic Output node button in the 3D Graph view
toolbar to preform the same function.

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Camera View Menu
The Camera View menu lets you do many things in the Camera view, including selecting and editing objects indifferent views, changing the display, setting morphing parameters, accessing tools and many more.
How to access the Camera menul

In the upper-left corner of the Camera view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Select Stroke With
Current Colour

Select the strokes that contain the currently selected colour.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were notselected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, this command
will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were notselected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

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

Select Child

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

Select Children

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

Select Parent Skipping Lets you select the parent of the selected element in the Timeline view skipping
Effects
effects in the hierarchy.
Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.
Group: Groups selected drawing objects in the Camera or Drawing view.

Group

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

View

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Zoom In: Zooms in the view.
Zoom Out: Zooms out the view.
Reset Zoom: Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Navigation

Rotate View CW: Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like ananimation table.
Rotate View CCW: Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees counter-clockwise,
like an animation table.
Reset Rotation: Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.
Reset Pan: Resets the view’s pan to its default position.
Reset View: Resets the view to its default position.

Switch to Colour Art

Displays the Colour Art layer. When switching art layers, you can edit the
selected layer without affecting the other one.

Preview Line Art
and Colour Art

Displays all Art layers.

Open GL View

Switches the Camera view to fast display, letting you see your animation playin real time. The OpenGL display requires less memory. The final look of youreffects is not shown in the OpenGL View Mode. You must switch to the RenderView Mode to see your effects.

Render View

Switches the Camera view to a fully rendered display showing the final imageof the current frame. If a modification is done to your current frame or if you
move to a different frame, click the Update Preview button to update thedisplay if your preview does not update automatically.The Render View Modedisplay lets you see the final look of your frames including effects andantialiasing. You cannot play back your scene in Render View Mode. To see
your scene fully rendered and to play it back, you must press the Render andPlay button in the Playback toolbar.

Matte View

Switches the Camera view to a matte display showing the alpha channel of theelements in your scene. The transparency level ranges from 0 to 100 percent.
Zero percent is completely transparent and represented by black and 100 percent is completely opaque and represented by white. Everything in between
these extremes has a transparency level somewhere between 1 and 99 percent
and is represented in various shades of grey.
Show Grid: Displays the grid.
Grid Outline Only: Displays the outline of the grid only.
Underlay: Displays the grid under the drawing elements.

Grid

Overlay: Displays the grid over the drawing elements.
Square Grid: Displays a standard square grid.
12 Field Grid: Displays a 12-field size grid.
16 Field Grid: Displays a 16-field size grid.

Onion Skin

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

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Add to Onion Skin: Adds Adds a series of selected elements to the onion skinpreview.
Remove from Onion Skin: Removes Removes a series of selected elementsfrom the onion skin preview.
Remove Unselected from Onion Skin: Removes Removes all elements
except the ones selected from the onion skin preview.
Add All to Onion Skin: Adds Adds all of the scene's elements to the onion skinpreview.
Remove All from Onion Skin: Removes Removes all of the scene's elementsfrom the onion skin preview.
Onion Skinning by Drawing:
No Previous Drawing:
Previous Drawing: Displays the previous drawing.
Previous Two Drawings: Displays the previous two drawings.
Previous Three Drawings: Displays the previous three drawings.
No Next Drawing: Displays no next drawing.
Next Drawing: Displays the next drawing.
Next Two Drawings: Displays the next two drawings.
Next Three Drawings: Displays the next three drawings.
Reduce One Previous Drawing: Reduces the number of previous visible
drawings by one.
Add One Previous Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of previous
visible drawings.
Reduce One Next Drawing: Reduces the number of next visible drawings byone.
Add One Next Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of next visible
drawings.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see Turns on the light table so you can see
the previous and subsequent active layers in washed-out colours. It is usefulfor seeing the other layers when designing, animating or cleaning up youranimation.

Backlight

Produces Produces a silhouette effect by changing the drawing’s coloured
areas into a single dark, solid colour. Use this to verify the completeness of the
ink and paint process. Any unpainted zones can be seen as the light shows
through the unpainted areas of the silhouetted drawing.

Show

Symbol Pivot: Displays a symbol's pivot. The Symbol pivot is similar to the
Drawing pivot. Each symbol cell can have its own pivot and act the same as
the Drawing pivot. The Symbol pivot can also be referred to as embedded pivot.
Inside a symbol, each drawing can have its own pivot.
Safe Area: Displays Displays the TV safety zone and the centre of the camera
frame. The safe area adapts to the scene resolution, as well as the safety zone
and frame’s centre.

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Camera Mask: Displays Displays a black mask around the scene’s frame to
avoid seeing the unnecessary artwork. This option is handy when you're animating and setting up the scene. It allows you to see your scene’s composition
better.
Control: Displays the controls of the selected element.
BBox Selection Style: Lets you change the display style of selected elements
to a bounding box style. This removes the default overlay highlight and leaves
only the bounding box around the selected element.
Outline Locked Drawings: Drawings that are locked in the Timeline view(cannot be selected in the Camera view) are displayed as wireframes.
Show Current Drawing on Top: Displays Displays the selected drawing on
top of everything while you draw. By enabling this option, each time you selecta drawing tool, the selected drawing is displayed in front of everything in the
Camera view. The Timeline and Node view ordering remain unchanged.You
only need to enable this option once, it is not necessary to do it each time you
select a drawing tool.
Show Strokes: Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines
stand out.
Show Strokes with Colour Wash: Displays strokes with washed-out colours.
Highlight Selected Colour:
Show Scan Information: Displays a status bar showing the scanning information at the bottom of the Drawing and Camera view.
Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Render Current Frame

Renders only the current frame.

Auto Render

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

Layer Properties

Displays the Layer Properties window of the selected layer in the Timelineview.

Preview Manager

Opens the Preview Manager where you can set options for the quality of previews, and clearing and updating the cache.

Bitmap File Quality

Lets you change the quality of the preview of the bitmap file in the Camera
view. It will not affect the final render.

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

Clean Up

Remove Hair: Opens the Remove Hair dialog box where you can specify the
number and length of hairs for removal from a selected drawing. This removes
any small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines or filledzones. Increase the value to select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.
Close Gaps: Closes small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible
strokes between the two closest points to close the colour zone. You do not

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need to trace directly over the gap. You can draw it a few millimeters away. The
two closest points automatically close the gap.
Remove Art Inside Selection: Removes any art inside a selection. It is
recommended that you clean your Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke
accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files, especially if
you work in high definition resolutions.
Remove Art Inside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art inside all
drawings selected with the Permanent Selection option in the Select tool.
Remove Art Outside Selection: Removes any art existing outside aselection. It is recommended that you clean the Colour Art level as well. If you
have a stroke accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files,
especially if you work in high-definition resolutions.
Remove Art Outside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art outside
all drawings selected with the Permanent Selection option in the Select tool.
Unpaint Selection: Unpaints any art existing inside a selection.
Unpaint Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art contained inside aselection on all the drawings within the same layer.
Unpaint Outside Selection: Unpaints any art existing outside a selection. If
no selection have been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
unpainted.

Paint

Unpaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art outside aselection on all the drawings within the same layer.
Repaint Selection: Repaints any art inside a selection.
Repaint Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art inside a selection on all
the drawings contained within the same layer.
Repaint Outside Selection: Repaints any art outside a selection. If noselection has been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
repainted.
Repaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art outside aselection on all the drawings contained within the same layer.
Pencil Lines to Brush Strokes: Converts the selected centreline pencil
strokes into contour strokes brush lines.

ConvertBrush Strokes to Pencil Lines: Converts selected contour strokes into
centreline pencil strokes. The brush stroke thickness will be lost.
Strokes to Pencil Lines: Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.
Brush Apart Text Layers: Text is treated as a single drawing object. This
separates the text so each character becomes an individual drawing object you
can select and modify independently.

Optimize

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

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Create Contour Strokes: Adds a permanent invisible line around a shape thatwas drawn directly in Harmony. This allows you to unpaint lines with the Paint
tool but maintain the shape of the lines, should you need to repaint later.
Remove Contour Strokes: Remove any permanently invisible lines that werecreated while scanning and vectorizing drawings or manually adding contour
strokes. This is useful for removing the intersection triangles created during vectorization.
Remove Extra Strokes: Removes strokes inside painted area. This option
only works after the painted drawing is flattened.
Optimize: Reduces Reduces the number of layers, such as overlapping brushstrokes, in the selected drawing objects. Drawing objects will only be flattened
and optimized if the selected objects do not change the appearance of the final
image when they are merged.
Crop Brush Textures: Crops Crops an unnecessarily large texture bitmap thatlies unseen beneath the vector contour of a textured line. This often occurs
when you cut and paste textured lines from one drawing into another. If you cut
a portion from a textured line and paste it into a different drawing, Harmony
pastes the entire unseen texture bitmap from the source drawing into the newone, even if you only took a small portion of the source drawing. Using the Crop
Brush Texture command will crop away extraneous texture that does not touch
the vector area. If there are many textured lines in your scene, this will greatly
reduce the file size.
Reduce Drawing Texture Resolution:
When you import and vectorize as texture (colour) a high resolution image, thesize of your drawing can be heavy. You can reduce the size and resolution of
the textures in a drawing.
Bring to Front: Moves the selected art to the front (on top).
Arrange

Bring Forward: Moves the selected art one level forward (closer to the front).
Send Backward: Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).
Send to Back: Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Transform

Rotate 90 CW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.
Rotate 90 CCW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Rotate 180: Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Creates Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may
Create Empty Drawing already be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meets anotherdrawing, key exposure or a blank cell.

Duplicate Drawings

Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you modify anexisting drawing but retain the original. When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing. The exposure of the original drawingthat was on the current cell is removed. The original drawing is not deleted fromthe project folder or other cells in which it is exposed.
When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing.

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The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell is removed.
The original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or other cells in which
it is exposed.
Delete Selected
Drawings

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

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Lets you use the outline you traced on one of the four embedded layers (line art,
colour art, overlay, underlay) and create invisible strokes to paint your drawings
Create Colour Art From on separate layers. This provides more inking and painting flexibility.
Line Art
You can also configure this option to create the invisible strokes on any of thefour embedded layers.
Automatically creates a matte from a selected drawing or all drawings on alayer.
Generate Auto-Matte

Opens the auto-Matte dialog box where you can set the radius of the lines
depending on how precise or rough your line is.
You can also select the source and destinatin layers from which the matte willbe created.

Adjust Line Texture
Opacity

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

Change Bitmap
Drawing Resolution

Lets you Lets you change the resolution of bitmap art for individual drawings.
You can reduce the resolution of your bitmap file as well as increase it. Be
careful because enlarging the bitmap resolution on an existing drawing will
result in a loss of quality.Harmony will perform a pixel smoothing pass(resampling) and create additional pixels to avoid losing too much quality, but
only to a certain extent. This feature is very useful when you need to have a full
resolution of a bitmap image (such as imported bitmaps as .psd or .tga for the
background) for tracing to create a matte directly in Harmony.By default,
Harmony creates small thumbnail images when imported as bitmap in order toincrease performance by using a small thumbnail image instead of using theoriginal large size bitmap for animation work in Harmony. This will makedifficult to view details or trace due to the low resolution (blurry). This option
temporary increases the resolution of bitmaps up to their original bitmap
resolution to make tracing easier.

Previous Drawing
Next Drawing
Previous Layer
Next Layer

Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you can navigate
between the drawings, frames, and layers. Displays the previous drawing, next
drawing, previous layer or next layer.
Displays the previous drawing, next drawing, previous layer or next layer.
Toggle Current Colour Protection: Temporarily enables/disables the Colour
Protection feature so you can quickly correct wrongly inked or painted areas
under protected colour without readjusting the Current Colour Protection option.

Colour Protection

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

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Drawing Tools
SelectLets you select elements from the Camera and Drawing views.

Contour Editor

Lets you add, remove or modify points on a vector line and control them.

Pencil Editor

Lets you modify the thick and thin contour of a pencil line (basically a central
vector shape). Shape control points along the central spine allow you to adjust
the stroke curve and position.

CutterLets you cut a drawing area to move, copy, cut or delete it.

Smooth Editor

Lets you optimize contours and reduce the number of points on a line.

Perspective

Lets you deform a drawing selection and alter its perspective.

Envelope

Lets you deform and warp part of a drawing using a grid envelope and Bezier
handles.

Reposition All
Drawings

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

Drawing Pivot

Lets you set pivots on a characters, drawings and symbols.

Brush

A pressure-sensitive tool for creating a contour shape with a thick and thin line
effect, as if created with a paint brush.

PencilA pressure-sensitive tool for drawing the final images, such as character
nodes, cut-out puppet and clean animation. Creates a central vector shape.

Text

Lets you type text in your project using various fonts and text attributes.

EraserA pressure-sensitive tool for precisely erasing parts of a drawing.

Dropper

Lets you pick a colour directly from a drawing.

Morphing

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.

Line
Rectangle
Lets you draw straight lines which you can then edit.
EllipsePolyline
Paint

Lets you paint both empty and filled zones.

Ink

Lets you paint only the segment you clicked on between two intersections to be
painted.

Repaint Brush
Close Gap

Lets you close small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes
between the two closest points.

StrokeLets you draw stokes, connect line ends and flatten lines.

Edit Gradient/Texture

Lets you modify the position of a gradient or texture colour within a specific
zone.

Hand

Lets you pan the Drawing or Camera view.

Zoom

Lets you zoom in and out of the Drawing or Camera view.

Rotate View

Lets you rotate the Drawing or Camera view just like with a real animation disc.

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Can also be used in Perspective view.
Animation
Insert Keyframe

Adds a keyframe on the selected cell in the Timeline view. If the Animate modeis enabled in the Camera view, a keyframe is automatically created on thecurrent frame.

Insert Control Point

Adds a control point to a 3D path function.

Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

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

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automaticinterpolation created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will
maintain its position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point andwill then jump to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolationand get the layer to progressively move to the next position.

Flip

Flips the position of an element on its axis.

Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Lets you set the ease in and ease out on multiple functions and keyframes.
This opens the Set Ease For Multiple Parameters where you can modify the
Bezier or Ease curve. You can apply easing parameters to a certain type offunction only, such as rotation or scale.

Linear Motion

Transforms a curved path to a linear path removing tension, bias, andcontinuity.

Lock in Time

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

No Z Dragging

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

Substitute Drawing
Previous
Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the next drawing.
Substitute Drawing
Next
Select Previous
Keyframe/Point
Select the previous keyframe/point.
Select Next
Keyframe/Point
Lock

Locks a layer so it cannot be selected in the Camera view.

Reset

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

Reset All

Resets Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer.
Your keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the starting value. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

Resets Resets all transformations on the current frame except the Z position.

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This is useful when doing cut-out animation. Cut-out puppets often have aparticular Z ordering for the different views of a character. You might want toreset the transformation, but not necessarily the Z position.
Animation Tools
Transform

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

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

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

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

Maintain Size

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

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Reposition Drawing

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

Spline Offset

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

Lets you pull on a character's extremities, such as the hands and feet, andInverse Kinematic Tool have the rest of the body follow. Can be used on any piece connected in ahierarchy.
IK Constraints
Set IK Nail

Blocks the X, Y and Z positions.

Set IK Hold Orientation Blocks the angle.
Set IK Hold X

Blocks only the X position.

Set IK Hold Y

Blocks only the Y position.

Set IK Min Angle

Sets limitations on the angle parameter to prevent the puppet from bending too
far.

Set IK Max Angle
Remove All
Constraints

Removes all nails except the minimum and maximum angles.

Morphing
Morphing

Contour Hint

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.
The Contour Hint point is used on the colour fill zone and brush lines; in otherwords, on Contour vectors. It allows you to control the line thickness andcontour position. Also, if a contour is not animated correctly, you can use hints
to correct the animation. For example, if a flag is not waving properly.
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the contour so you can see it snap to the contour.
Contour Hint points are yellow.

Zone Hint

The Zone Hint point is used on a colour zone to control the proximity rule. The
Zone Hint is placed in the centre of the colour zone. Sometimes a colour zone
is not associated with the corresponding one by default. For example, in asplash animation there are many water droplets that are the same colour.
Harmony automatically morphs the droplet to the nearest one. This is notalways the one you may have predicted. A Zone Hint will force a colour zone tomorph with another one.
Zone Hint points are cyan in colour.

Pencil Hint

A Pencil Hint point is used to control a pencil line, also known as central vector.
It can be used on drawings that were done using the Pencil, Polyline, Ellipse,
Line and Rectangle tools. Like the Contour Hint, the Pencil Hint snaps to thecentral vector. Make sure to place it far enough away from the line so you will
see it snap when you move it.
Pencil Hint points are magenta in colour.

Vanishing Point Hint

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

Appearing Point Hint

An Appearing Point Hint is used to control the trajectory of an appearing shape.
A shape will appear in the destination drawing when there is no corresponding
shape in the source drawing. If you do not place an Appearing Point Hint tocontrol the point of appearance, the shape will appear from its centre andexpand outwards.
Appearing Point Hint points are violet in colour.

Switch Between
Morphing Key
Drawings

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

Suggest HInts

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

Hide Hints

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

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

In the upper-left corner of the Colour view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Palettes
Creates a new colour palette.

New

By default, Toon Boom Harmony is set to the Basic mode. For simple
productions, it is recommended to use the Basic mode. This setting stores thepalettes automatically for you and saves them at the Scene level. When you use
the Advanced Palette Lists mode, you can decide at which level you want to store
your palettes: Environment, Job, Scene, or Element.

Link

Lets you access other palettes created in the project and link them to your scene.

Link to External

Lets you you link an external palette to your scene without copying it in yourproject.

ImportImports a colour palette located on your hard drive.

RemoveDeletes the selected colour palette.

RenameLets you five the selected colour palette a new name.

Duplicate

Creates a copy of the original palette, using the same names and colour values,
but has a different ID and is independent from the original palette. This ensuresthat both the duplicate and original palettes are completely independent.

Clone

Creates a copy of the master palette. The colours in each palette have the same
properties. The colours have the same identification number pointing to the same
colour zones, but they can have different names and RGBA values.

Pencil Texture Palette

Displays the colour palette containing the pencil line textures.

Move Up

Moves the selected colour palette up one level.

Move Down

Moves the selected colour palette down one level.

Colour Editor

Opens the Colour Editor where you can pick and edit colour swatches.

Tint Panel

Opens the Tint panel where you can modify a series of colours to blend a tint inthem or offset their RGBA values.

Display Colour Values

Display the colour values beside their colour swatches in the palette list.

Colours
Cut

Cuts the selected colour swatch from the palette.

Copy

Copies the selected colour swatch which you can paste in a different palette.

Copy Colour ID

Copies a colour swatch's colour ID so you can keep a reference file of colour IDs
or use them with custom plug-ins. Example of a colour ID: 075cf5b552401130.

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Paste Colour Values

Pastes the colour value of the copied swatch over an existing colour swatch.

Paste As New Colours

Creates a new colour swatch from the colour value of the copied swatch.

Paste As Clones

Pastes a copied colour to a new palette as a clone of the original one. Both colour
use the same colour ID. They have to be in different palettes.

New

Creates a new colour swatch from the colour swatch that was last selected.

Edit

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can edit the selected colour
swatch.

DeleteDeletes the selected colour swatch from the palette.

New Texture

Lets you add a bitmap colour swatch to your palette. You can load photos andtextures and paint your drawings with it. The bitmap image must be a .tga or .psd
file format.

Edit Texture

Opens the browser to replace the texture used in a textured colour swatch. Allzones using the swatch will be updated with the new texture.

Scale Down Texture

Lets you set a new maximum texture size or scaling factor.

New Default Colour

Creates a new colour using the default colour set in the preferences.

Protect Colour

Locks a selected colour, so if you ever paint over it accidentally, the work alreadydone will not be affected. You can also block the filling colours if you painted all of
the animation in Line Art and plan to repaint the lines.

Swatch Mode

Displays the colour swatches with its corresponding name inside the swatch.
When this option is not selected, the names of the colour swatches are displayed
beside the swatch.

Independent Bitmap
ColourBitmap colour selection is independent from the vector colour selection.

Bitmap Colour Sliders
RGB

Displays the colour picking sliders as RGB (red, green, blue).

HSV

Displays the colour picking sliders as HSV (hue, saturation, value).

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Drawing View Menu
The Drawing View menu lets you access tools, set morphing parameters, lock or unlock layers, and select elementsin the Drawing view.
How to access the Drawing menul

In the upper-left corner of the Drawing view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Select Stroke With
Current Colour

Select the strokes that contain the currently selected colour.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were notselected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, this command will
deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were not selected.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animation table.

Rotate View CCW

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

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Switch to Colour Art

Displays the Colour Art layer. When switching art layers, you can edit the
selected layer without affecting the other one.

Preview Line Art
and Colour Art

Displays all Art layers.

View

Show Grid: Displays the grid.
Grid

Grid Outline Only: Displays the outline of the grid only.
Underlay: Displays the grid under the drawing elements.

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Overlay: Displays the grid over the drawing elements.
Square Grid: Displays a standard square grid.
12 Field Grid: Displays a 12-field size grid.
16 Field Grid: Displays a 16-field size grid.
Show Onion Skin: Lets Lets you preview the previous and next drawings. By
default, the previous drawings appear in a shade of red and the next drawings are
displayed with a shade of green. You can change these colours in the Preferences
dialog box.
Show Centre Line:No Previous Drawing: Displays no previous drawing.
Previous Drawing: Displays the previous drawing.
Previous Two Drawings: Displays the previous two drawings.
Previous Three Drawings: Displays the previous three drawings.
No Next Drawing: Displays no next drawing.
Onion Skin

Next Drawing: Displays the next drawing.
Next Two Drawings: Displays the next two drawings.
Next Three Drawings: Displays the next three drawings.
Reduce One Previous Drawing: Reduces the number of previous visible
drawings by one.
Add One Previous Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of previous visible
drawings.
Reduce One Next Drawing: Reduces the number of next visible drawings byone.
Add One Next Drawing: Adds one drawing to the number of next visible
drawings.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see Turns on the light table so you can see theprevious and subsequent active layers in washed-out colours. It is useful forseeing the other layers when designing, animating or cleaning up your animation.

Backlight

Produces Produces a silhouette effect by changing the drawing’s coloured areas
into a single dark, solid colour. Use this to verify the completeness of the ink andpaint process. Any unpainted zones can be seen as the light shows through theunpainted areas of the silhouetted drawing.

Show Strokes

Displays the strokes in your drawings so that the invisible lines stand out.

Show Strokes with
Colour Wash

Displays strokes with washed-out colours.

Highlight Selected
ColourIdentify a selected colour swatch used in a drawing.

Show Morphing Key
Drawing Thumbnail

When using the Morphing tools, this displays the source or destination drawing asa reference in the bottom corner of the Drawing view.

Show

Show Scan Information Displays a status bar showing the scanning information at the bottom of the Draw-

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ing and Camera view.
Desk
No Thumbnail
Small Thumbnail
Changes the size of the drawing desk thumbnails.
Medium Thumbnail
Large Thumbnail
Remove Selected
Drawing

Clears selected drawing from drawing desk.

Remove All Drawings

Clears all drawing from drawing desk.

Drawing
Remove Dirt: Opens the Remove Dirt dialog box where you can specify the
number and size of dots removal from a selected drawing.
Remove Hair: Opens the Remove Hair dialog box where you can specify the
number and length of hairs for removal from a selected drawing. This removes any
small strokes created in the Colour Art layer from very thick lines or filled zones.
Increase the value to select larger strokes for removal from the drawing.
Close Gaps: Closes small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes
between the two closest points to close the colour zone. You do not need to trace
directly over the gap. You can draw it a few millimeters away. The two closest
points automatically close the gap.
Clean Up

Remove Art Inside Selection: Removes any art inside a selection. It is
recommended that you clean your Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke
accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files, especially if you
work in high definition resolutions.
Remove Art Inside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art inside all
drawings selected with the Permanent Selection option in the Select tool.
Remove Art Outside Selection: Removes any art existing outside a selection. It
is recommended that you clean the Colour Art level as well. If you have a stroke
accumulation in the Colour Art, it can result in large output files, especially if you
work in high-definition resolutions.
Remove Art Outside Selection On All Drawings: Removes any art outside all
drawings selected with the Permanent Selection option in the Select tool.
Unpaint Selection: Unpaints any art existing inside a selection.
Unpaint Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art contained inside a selection
on all the drawings within the same layer.

Paint

Unpaint Outside Selection: Unpaints any art existing outside a selection. If noselection have been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be
unpainted.
Unpaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Unpaints all art outside a selection
on all the drawings within the same layer.
Repaint Selection: Repaints any art inside a selection.
Repaint Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art inside a selection on all thedrawings contained within the same layer.

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Repaint Outside Selection: Repaints any art outside a selection. If no selection
has been drawn using the Select tool, the entire drawing will be repainted.
Repaint Outside Selection on All Drawings: Repaints any art outside aselection on all the drawings contained within the same layer.
Pencil Lines to Brush Strokes: Converts the selected centreline pencil strokes
into contour strokes brush lines.
Brush Strokes to Pencil Lines: Converts selected contour strokes into
centreline pencil strokes. The brush stroke thickness will be lost.
ConvertStrokes to Pencil Lines: Converts the selected invisible line to a pencil line.
Brush Apart Text Layers: Text is treated as a single drawing object. This
separates the text so each character becomes an individual drawing object you
can select and modify independently.
Flatten: Merges Merges drawing objects and brush strokes into a single layer. If
you draw new lines to fix a drawing or line with many brush strokes, it can be
useful to flatten them all into a single shape. By default, lines are drawn one on topof each other. If you intend to repaint the lines or modify their shape, it will beeasier if they are flattened.
Smooth: Smooths selected drawing strokes and removes extra points.
Create Contour Strokes: Adds a permanent invisible line around a shape thatwas drawn directly in Harmony. This allows you to unpaint lines with the Paint tool
but maintain the shape of the lines, should you need to repaint later.
Remove Contour Strokes: Remove any permanently invisible lines that werecreated while scanning and vectorizing drawings or manually adding contour
strokes. This is useful for removing the intersection triangles created during vectorization.
Remove Extra Strokes: Removes strokes inside painted area. This option only
works after the painted drawing is flattened.
Optimize

Optimize: Reduces Reduces the number of layers, such as overlapping brushstrokes, in the selected drawing objects. Drawing objects will only be flattened
and optimized if the selected objects do not change the appearance of the final
image when they are merged.
Crop Brush Textures: Crops Crops an unnecessarily large texture bitmap thatlies unseen beneath the vector contour of a textured line. This often occurs when
you cut and paste textured lines from one drawing into another. If you cut a portion
from a textured line and paste it into a different drawing, Harmony pastes theentire unseen texture bitmap from the source drawing into the new one, even if you
only took a small portion of the source drawing. Using the Crop Brush Texture
command will crop away extraneous texture that does not touch the vector area. If
there are many textured lines in your scene, this will greatly reduce the file size.
Reduce Drawing Texture Resolution:
When you import and vectorize as texture (colour) a high resolution image, thesize of your drawing can be heavy. You can reduce the size and resolution of the
textures in a drawing.

Arrange

Bring to Front: Moves the selected art to the front (on top).
Bring Forward: Moves the selected art one level forward (closer to the front).

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Send Backward: Moves the selected art one level lower (behind).
Send to Back: Moves the selected art behind everything (bottom / back).
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.
Transform

Rotate 90 CW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.
Rotate 90 CCW: Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Rotate 180: Rotates the current selection 180 degrees.

Creates Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may
Create Empty Drawing already be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meets another drawing, key exposure or a blank cell.

Duplicate Drawings

Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you modify anexisting drawing but retain the original. When duplicating a drawing, the selected
cell is replaced with the new drawing. The exposure of the original drawing thatwas on the current cell is removed. The original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or other cells in which it is exposed.
When duplicating a drawing, the selected cell is replaced with the new drawing.
The exposure of the original drawing that was on the current cell is removed. The
original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or other cells in which it is
exposed.

Delete Selected
Drawings

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

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Lets you use the outline you traced on one of the four embedded layers (line art,
colour art, overlay, underlay) and create invisible strokes to paint your drawings on
Create Colour Art From separate layers. This provides more inking and painting flexibility.
Line Art
You can also configure this option to create the invisible strokes on any of the four
embedded layers.
Automatically creates a matte from a selected drawing or all drawings on a layer.
Generate Auto-Matte

Opens the auto-Matte dialog box where you can set the radius of the lines
depending on how precise or rough your line is.
You can also select the source and destinatin layers from which the matte will becreated.

Adjust Line Texture
Opacity

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

Change Bitmap
Drawing Resolution

Lets you Lets you change the resolution of bitmap art for individual drawings. You
can reduce the resolution of your bitmap file as well as increase it. Be careful
because enlarging the bitmap resolution on an existing drawing will result in a lossof quality.Harmony will perform a pixel smoothing pass (resampling) and create
additional pixels to avoid losing too much quality, but only to a certain extent. Thisfeature is very useful when you need to have a full resolution of a bitmap image(such as imported bitmaps as .psd or .tga for the background) for tracing to createa matte directly in Harmony.By default, Harmony creates small thumbnail images
when imported as bitmap in order to increase performance by using a small

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thumbnail image instead of using the original large size bitmap for animation workin Harmony. This will make difficult to view details or trace due to the low
resolution (blurry). This option temporary increases the resolution of bitmaps up to
their original bitmap resolution to make tracing easier.
Previous Drawing
Next Drawing
Previous Layer
Next Layer

Once a cell is selected in the Timeline or Xsheet view, you can navigate between
the drawings, frames, and layers. Displays the previous drawing, next drawing,
previous layer or next layer.
Displays the previous drawing, next drawing, previous layer or next layer.
Toggle Current Colour Protection: Temporarily enables/disables the Colour Protection feature so you can quickly correct wrongly inked or painted areas under protected colour without readjusting the Current Colour Protection option.

Colour Protection

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

Drawing Tools
SelectLets you select elements from the Camera and Drawing views.

Contour Editor

Lets you add, remove or modify points on a vector line and control them.

Pencil Editor

Lets you modify the thick and thin contour of a pencil line (basically a central
vector shape). Shape control points along the central spine allow you to adjust thestroke curve and position.

CutterLets you cut a drawing area to move, copy, cut or delete it.

Smooth Editor

Lets you optimize contours and reduce the number of points on a line.

Perspective

Lets you deform a drawing selection and alter its perspective.

Envelope

Lets you deform and warp part of a drawing using a grid envelope and Bezier
handles.

Reposition All
Drawings

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

Drawing Pivot

Lets you set pivots on a characters, drawings and symbols.

Brush

A pressure-sensitive tool for creating a contour shape with a thick and thin line
effect, as if created with a paint brush.

PencilA pressure-sensitive tool for drawing the final images, such as character nodes,
cut-out puppet and clean animation. Creates a central vector shape.

Text

Lets you type text in your project using various fonts and text attributes.

EraserA pressure-sensitive tool for precisely erasing parts of a drawing.

Dropper

Lets you pick a colour directly from a drawing.

Morphing

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.

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Line
Rectangle
EllipseLets you draw straight lines which you can then edit.

Polyline
Paint

Lets you paint both empty and filled zones.

Ink

Lets you paint only the segment you clicked on between two intersections to be
painted.

Repaint Brush
Close Gap

Lets you close small gaps in a drawing by creating small, invisible strokes
between the two closest points.

StrokeLets you draw stokes, connect line ends and flatten lines.

Edit Gradient/Texture

Lets you modify the position of a gradient or texture colour within a specific zone.

Hand

Lets you pan the Drawing or Camera view.

Zoom

Lets you zoom in and out of the Drawing or Camera view.

Rotate View

Lets you rotate the Drawing or Camera view just like with a real animation disc.
Can also be used in Perspective view.

Morphing
Morphing

Contour Hint

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different types of hints to help
Harmony morph the animation the way you want it.
The Contour Hint point is used on the colour fill zone and brush lines; in otherwords, on Contour vectors. It allows you to control the line thickness and contour
position. Also, if a contour is not animated correctly, you can use hints to correct
the animation. For example, if a flag is not waving properly.
When adding a Contour Hint point, make sure to place it far enough away from thecontour so you can see it snap to the contour.
Contour Hint points are yellow.

Zone Hint

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

Pencil Hint

A Pencil Hint point is used to control a pencil line, also known as central vector. It
can be used on drawings that were done using the Pencil, Polyline, Ellipse, Lineand Rectangle tools. Like the Contour Hint, the Pencil Hint snaps to the central
vector. Make sure to place it far enough away from the line so you will see it snap
when you move it.
Pencil Hint points are magenta in colour.

Vanishing Point Hint

A Vanishing Point Hint is used to control the trajectory of a vanishing shape. A
shape will vanish from the source drawing when there is no corresponding shape

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in the destination drawing. If you do not place a Vanishing Point Hint to control the
point of disappearance, the shape will vanish into its centre.
Vanishing Point Hint points are green in colour.

Appearing Point Hint

An Appearing Point Hint is used to control the trajectory of an appearing shape. A
shape will appear in the destination drawing when there is no corresponding shapein the source drawing. If you do not place an Appearing Point Hint to control the
point of appearance, the shape will appear from its centre and expand outwards.
Appearing Point Hint points are violet in colour.

Switch Between
Morphing Key
Drawings

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

Go to First Frame

Goes to the first frame of your morphing sequence.

Go to Previous Frame

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

Go to Next Frame

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

Go to Last Frame

Goes to the last frame of your morphing sequence.

Suggest HInts

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

Hide Hints

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

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Function View Menu
The Functions View menu lets you do many things in the Camera view, including selecting and editing objects indifferent views, changing the display, setting morphing parameters, accessing tools and many more.
How to access the Function menul

In the upper-left corner of the Function view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select Next Keyframe

Selects the next keyframe.

Select Previous
Keyframe

Selects the previous keyframe.

Select Left Handle

Selects the left handle of the selected keyframe.

Select Right Handle

Selects the right handle of the selected keyframe.

Select All

Selects all objects in the Function view. This helps you manage multiple objects
as one.

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Function view.

Show Current Frame

Displays the current frame

Toggle Grid

Enables the display of the grid.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

View

Function List
Auto Load Selection
Clear
Load Selection
Add Selection
Remove Selection
Show Motion:
Show

Show Rotation:Show Scale:

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Library View Menu
The Library View menu lets you access commands specific to the Library view, such as opening a Library or getting
the rights to modify a library folder.
How to access the Library menul

In the upper-left corner of the Library view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

View
List

Displays the contents of the selected folder as a list.

Thumbnails

Displays the contents of the selected folder as a thumbnails.

Details

Displays the details of the selected file.

Generate Thumbnails

Creates a thumbnail to display in the preview window.

Edit
Creates a new symbol from a drawing or part of a drawing in the
Drawing or Camera view, a layer in the Timeline view, or a node in the Node view.
New Symbol

If your selection is in the Timeline or Node view, the new symbol appears in the
Symbol folder. The current selection is not replaced by the new symbol. The new
symbol only appears in the library. You must drag it into your scene to use it.
If your selection is in the Drawing or Camera view, the new symbol appears in the
Symbol folder and in the Timeline view as a new layer.

Cut

Cuts the selected file in the Library view.

Copy

Copies the selected file in the Library view.

Paste

Pastes the selected file in the Library view.

DeleteDeletes the selected file in the Library view.

Delete Thumbnails

Deletes any thumbnails that were generated for display in the preview window.
Places you inside the symbol where you can edit it.

Edit Symbol

To return to the project's timeline, click the Top
button in the Camera view's
top-left corner, press Ctrl + Shift + E (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + E (Mac OS
X).

Remove Unused Files

Removes any files not in use in the selected template.

Rename Template

Lets you rename a selected template.

Import Files

Imports vector files such as AI, PDF, and SWF. You requires the right to modify
the library in which you want to import the files.

Folders
New Folder

Creates a new folder in the Library view. Before you can create a new folder, youmust have the right to modify the folder in which you are creating the new folder.

RefreshUpdates the view and its contents.

Open LibraryLets you open a library on your computer.
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Close LibraryView Menus

Unlinks a library folder from your library list.

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Model View Menu
The Model View menu lets you load models and view them in different ways, as well as access some drawing tools.
How to access the Model menul

In the upper-left corner of the Model view, click the menu

button.

Command

Description

Previous Model

Shows the previous model loaded in the Model view.

Next Model

Shows the next model loaded in the Model view.

Import Model

Imports a TVG drawing as a model in the Model view.

Use Current Drawing as Model Loads the currently selected drawing in the scene as a model in the Model view.
Load Default Models

Loads TVG drawings placed in a custom models folder located in the scenefolder.

Clear Model

Removes the model from the Model view.

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Rotate View CW

Rotates the Camera view 30 degrees clockwise, like an animation table.

Rotate View CCW

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

Reset Rotation

Resets the view’s rotation to its default position.

SelectActivates the Select tool. This tools is also available on the Tools toolbar.

Cutter Selection

Allows to cut a section of the model to paste it in your scene.

Dropper

Activates the Dropper tool. This tools is also available on the Tools toolbar.

Zoom

Activates the Zoom tool. This tools is also available on the Tools toolbar.

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Node View Menu
The Node View menu lets you organize the nodes according to how you like to work and the nodes you use mostoften. You can easily add categories and subcategories, remove categories you don't use, and rename
categories.
How to access the Node menul

In the upper-left corner of the Node view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

File
Print

Lets you print the contents of the Node view. You must be connected to a
printer.

Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Paste Special

Lets you copy and paste selected drawings into a different layer or paste theselection in the same layer to duplicate the drawings.

Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing thatwere not selected.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Recalculate Selected

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

Recalculate All

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

Edit

Tag

You can tag elements in the Timeline or Node views to view only thoseelements. When you tag elements, an asterisk appears beside the item in theTimeline view. Once your elements are tagged and you have switched over toView Tagged Layers mode, the Timeline view will display only tagged
elements. The red bar on the left of the layers indicates you are in this viewmode.
Timeline Tag: Tags selected elements in the Timeline or Node views.

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Timeline Untag: Untags selected layer in the Timeline view.
Timeline Untag All: Untags all tagged elements.
Timeline Untag All Others: Untags all elements except the selected one.
Renders a frame each time the current frame is changed.
Auto Render Write
You must have a Write node in your node structure to use this command.
Select Child Skipping
Effects

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

Select Child

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

Select Group Content

Select contents within the group node.

Select Children

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

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

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

Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

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

Zoom In Node View

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out Node View

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Centre on Selection

Centre the display of the Node view on the selected node. This is useful when
you have many nodes in the Node view, you may find it hard to locate which
one is selected.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Show All Nodes

Display all nodes.

Editor

Display the Layer Properties editor of the selected node.

Publish Attribute NodeTo quickly access parameters for nodes that are grouped, you can select yourmost common parameters to modify and make them appear in the group Layer
Properties editor. This way, you can access them directly without having toenter the group every time.

Show Selected
Thumbnails

Displays the thumbnails of selected nodes.

Hide All Thumbnails

Hides all the thumbnails of selected nodes.

View

Hide Navigator: Hides the navigator.
Navigator

Top Right: Places the navigator in the top-right corner of the Node view.
Top Left: Places the navigator in the top-left corner of the Node view.
Bottom Right: Places the navigator in the bottom-right corner of the Node
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view.
Bottom Left: Places the navigator in the top-left corner of the Node view.
Cable Style

Line: Use straight lines to show the connections between nodes.
Bezier: Use curved (Bezier) lines to show the connections between nodes.

Nodes
EnableActivate the selected node.

DisableDeactivate the selected node.

Enable All

Activate all nodes.

Disable All Others

Deactivates all nodes except for those those selected. This operation only
affects the current level layers. It does not affect the nested nodes within agroup. Deactivated nodes appear in red.

Clone Selected Nodes:
Drawings and Timing

Creates a copy of the selected element that is linked to the original. If adrawing is modified in the original or cloned layer, both will be updated.
However, cloned layers can have different timings.

Clone Selected Nodes:
Drawings Only

When you clone a node, it does not automatically connect itself to theComposite node of your scene.
You can clone the drawings only or both the drawings and timing.

Duplicate Selected
Nodes

Creates an independent copy of the selected element. This useful when you
need to modify the element independently, including the timing (exposure).
Changes to the original element do not propagate to the duplicate.

Group Selection

Creates a simple group from your selection. The resulting group displays thesame number of connections as elements in the group.

Group Selection with
Composite

Group a selection.

Ungroup

Ungroups the selected group of nodes.

Move to Parent GroupMoves selected nodes up to the parent group level.

Exit Group

Exits the group.

Clear Published
Attributes

Removes the most common parameters you selected for quick access in theLayer Properties editor of a group.

Composite

Adds a Composite node to the Node view.

Display

Adds a Display node to the Node view.

Drawing

Opens the Add Drawing Layer dialog box where you can specify the type oflayer to add.

Group

Adds a Group node to the Node view.

Parent Peg

Adds a new peg to the timeline as a parent of the selected layer.

Peg

Adds a Peg node to the Node view.

Effects

Lets you add effects from these categories: 3D, Combine, Deformation,
Favourites, Filter, Generator, Group, Misc, Move, Output, Particle, Sapphire,
Shading and Plugins.

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Backdrop

Adds a backdrop to the Node view. Backdrops are a way to work with complex
node systems that let you associate a selected set of nodes by colour.

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Node Library View Menu
The Node Library View menu lets you organize the nodes according to how you like to work and the nodes you
use most often. You can easily add categories and subcategories, remove categories you don't use, and rename
categories.
How to access the Node Library menul

In the upper-left corner of the Node Library view, click the menu

button.

Command

Description

New Category

Adds a new category to the list of categories to which you can organize nodes
according to how you like to work and the nodes you use most often.

Rename Category

Renames an existing category.

Remove Category

Remove a category you no longer need.

Remove Node

Removes a node from a category.

RefreshUpdates the view and its contents.

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Perspective View Menu
The Perspective View menu lets you select and edit elements, manipulate the view during scene setup, setparameters for animation and access animation tools.
How to access the Perspective menul

In the upper-left corner of the Perspective view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing thatwere not selected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

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

Select Child

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

Select Children

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

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

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

Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

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

Zoom In

Zooms into the view, towards the view's pivot point, up to 80,000%.

Zoom Out

Zooms out of the view, away from the view's pivot point, up to 1%.

Move Forward

Moves infinitely forward into the view, using the direction set by the current
position and angle of rotation.

Move Backward

Moves infinitely backwards out of the view, using the direction set by the

View

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current position and angle of rotation.
Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Face Selected to Draw

Resets any rotations made and brings the selected object to the center of theview. Displaying the drawing object at this perspective is intended to facilitatedrawing on the object.

Look at Selected

Resets view to have the selected object at the center, without resetting therotation angles or zoom.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Light Table

Turns on the light table so you can see Turns on the light table so you can see
the previous and subsequent active layers in washed-out colours. It is usefulfor seeing the other layers when designing, animating or cleaning up youranimation.

Camera Cone

Displays the camera cone.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Perspective view.

Animation

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which records the position, rotation, scale, skew,
etc. of objects as keyframes in the Timeline view. Turn off the Animate mode
to reposition objects for the entire scene. When the Animate mode is disabled,
keyframes are not created when an object's parameters change.

Insert Keyframe

Adds a keyframe to the currently selected frame in the Timeline view.

Insert Control Point

Adds a control point to the motion path at the currently selected frame. This
control point does not appear in the Timeline, but can be used to reshape themotion path—see Coordinates and Control Points View on page 685. In orderfor this command to work, layers must be set to 3D Path.

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

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automaticinterpolation created between the selected point and the next one. The layer
will maintain its position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point
and will then jump to the new position. Deselect this option to generateinterpolation and get the layer to progressively move to the next position.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip

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

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Flip Scale Y: Remembers the original Y-axis of the layer and flips the element
following it.
Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Opens the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box where you can change
the velocity of selection functions.

Linear Motion

Straightens out the motion path on either sides of the selected control point.

Lock in Time

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

No Z Dragging

Locks the Z value when you're animating in 3D space. This means you can
only reposition your object along the x and y axes.

Substitute Drawing
Previous

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the next drawing.

Substitute Drawing Next
Select Previous Keyframe/PointSelect the previous keyframe/point.

Select Next Keyframe/PointSelect Next Keyframe /Point
Lock: Locks Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

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

Reset All

Resets Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer.
Your keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the starting value. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

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

Animation Tools
Transform

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

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

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

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

Maintain Size

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them towards or away from the camera.
Skew

Slants the selected element.

Reposition Drawing

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

Spline Offset

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

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Side View Menu
The Side View menu lets you position elements in 3D space, set parameters for animation and access animation
tools—see Side View on page 708.
How to access the Side menul

In the upper-left corner of the Side view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were notselected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, this command will
deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were not selected.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

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

Select Child

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

Select Children

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

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

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

Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

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

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

View

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Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Camera Cone

Displays the camera cone.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Perspective view.

Animation

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which records the position, rotation, scale, skew, etc.
of objects as keyframes in the Timeline view. Turn off the Animate mode toreposition objects for the entire scene. When the Animate mode is disabled,
keyframes are not created when an object's parameters change.

Insert Keyframe

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

Insert Control Point
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

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

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automatic interpolation
created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will maintain its
position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point and will then jump
to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolation and get thelayer to progressively move to the next position.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip

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

Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Opens the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box where you can change thevelocity of selection functions.

Linear Motion

Transforms a curved path to a linear path removing tension, bias, and continuity.

Lock in Time

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

No Z Dragging

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

Substitute Drawing
Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next
Select Previous
Keyframe /Point

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the next drawing.

Select the previous keyframe/point.

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Select Next Keyframe/PointSelect Next Keyframe /Point
Lock: Locks Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

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

Reset All

Resets Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer. Your
keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the starting value. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

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

Animation Tools
Transform

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

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

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

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

Maintain Size

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

Reposition Drawing

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

Spline Offset

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

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Timeline View Menu
The Timeline View menu lets you modify layers, keyframe and timing.
How to access the Timeline menul

In the upper-left corner of the Timeline view, click the menu

Parameter

button.

Description

ImportFrom Scanner

Imports drawings from a TWAIN scanner.

ImagesImports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize.

SoundsLets you import sound files into your project.

Cut cells from Xsheet

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

Edit

Copy cells from Xsheet Copies selected objects and properties.
Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Paste Special

Lets you copy and paste selected drawings into a different layer or paste theselection in the same layer to duplicate the drawings.

Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

Paste Cycle

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

Paste Reverse

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

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Modify Paste Presets

Lets you modify existing presets when pasting keyframes and exposures.
There are three presets you can modify: the default presets for both key frames
and exposures, key frames only and exposures only.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were
not selected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, thiscommand will deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing thatwere not selected.

Select Synced Layers

Selects all the layers synced to the selected layer. The selected layer must bea synced in order for this option to be enabled.

Select Child Skipping
Effects

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

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Select Child

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

Select Children

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

Select Parent Skipping
Effects

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

Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

Lets you select the next element (below current element) in the Timeline view.
Lock: Locks Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

Lock

Lock All: Locks Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Tag

Timeline Tag: You can tag elements in the Timeline or Node views to view
only those elements. When you tag elements, an asterisk appears beside theitem in the Timeline view. Once your elements are tagged and you haveswitched over to View Tagged Layers mode, the Timeline view will display
only tagged elements. The red bar on the left of the layers indicates you are inthis view mode.
Timeline Untag: Untags selected layer in the Timeline view.
Timeline Untag All: Untags all tagged elements.
Timeline Untag All Others: Untags all elements except the selected one.
Mark Current Frame: Places a scene marker on the current frame on which
the playhead is parked. The marker appears in the frame counter area of theTimeline view. You can customize the colour of the scene marker and add text
to display as a tooltip when you hover over the marker—see .

Scene Markers

Create Scene Marker: Creates a scene marker from a selected frame range
in the frame counter area of the Timeline view.
Edit Scene Marker: Lets you edit an existing scene marker.
NOTE: It's important to select the entire length of the scene marker, otherwise
the Timeline Scene Marker dialog box will not open for editing.
Delete Scene Marker: Removes an existing scene marker.

Share Functions

Lets you share an existing function curve. By default, all function curves canonly be used and modified using their original parameter. If you want anotherlayer or parameter to use the same function curve, you must share it.

Cycle to Next View
Mode

Displays the new view mode.

Normal View Mode

Displays the Normal view mode, the default in the Timeline view. It shows

View

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everything connected to the chosen display. In this mode, anything notconnected to the currently set default display will not be shown in the Timeline
view. This also means that you cannot add certain elements to the Timelineview, as by default, when added they are not connected to any display orcomposite node. An example of such an element is a peg.
Selection Only Mode

Displays only elements currently selected in the Camera or Node view. This
makes it easier to concentrate on one or a few elements at a time.
Lets you see only elements which have been assigned a Tagged status. An
item that has been tagged will appear in the Timeline view with a small asterisk
beside its name.

View Tagged Layers

Once your elements are tagged and you have switched over to View Tagged
Layers mode, the Timeline view will display only tagged elements. The red baron the left of the layers indicates you are in this view mode. While in this mode,
the asterisks are not displayed beside the tagged elements.

Show Functions
Centre on Selection

Centers the Timeline view on the selected layer. This useful when you have
many layers in the Timeline view, you may find it hard to locate which one isselected.

Change Track Colour

Opens the colour picker window to modify the colour of the selected layer.

Default Track Colour

Resets the layer colour.

Collapse/Expand

Toggles between expanding and collapsing all parent layers in the Timelineview.

Collapse All

Collapses all parented layers in the Timeline view.

Expand All

Expands all parented layers in the Timeline view.

Set Tempo Marker

Lets you set a marker that synchronizes your animation with a musical score.
This lets you reproduce the FPB (Frames Per Beat) and use the tempo
signature as tempo markers. The Xsheet view lets you pace your animationaccording to the tempo or beat of the soundtrack music or to any rhythmic
sound, such as the ticking of a clock or water leaking from a spout. See .

LayersAdd Synced Drawing Layer

Creates a new drawing layer whose timing is synced immediately with the currently selected drawing layer.

Sync Layer With

Opens the Convert to Synced Drawing Layer dialog box. In this dialog box,
every other drawing layer in the project can be selected, parented and have its
timing synced to the currently selected layer.

Unsync Layer

Unsyncs the parent layer of a synced pairing, when the child layer is selected.

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Top View Menu
The Top View menu lets you position elements in 3D space, set parameters for animation and access animation
tools—see Top View on page 718.
How to access the Top menul

In the upper-left corner of the Top view, click the menu

Commandbutton.

Description

Edit
Cut Drawing Object

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

Copy Drawing Object

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Delete Drawing Object

Removes selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Invert Selection

Deselects the currently selected items and selects all other items that were notselected. For example, if some lines are selected in a drawing, this command will
deselect them and select any other lines in the drawing that were not selected.

Select Child

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

Select Children

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

Select Parent

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

Select Previous Sibling

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

Select Next Sibling

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

Zoom In

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Layer Properties

Shows or hides the Layer Properties view.

Camera Cone

Displays the camera cone.

Control

Displays the controls of the selected element.

View

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Hide All Controls

Hides the controls of the selected element.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Perspective view.

Animation

AnimateEnables the Animate mode which records the position, rotation, scale, skew, etc.
of objects as keyframes in the Timeline view. Turn off the Animate mode toreposition objects for the entire scene. When the Animate mode is disabled,
keyframes are not created when an object's parameters change.

Insert Keyframe

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

Insert Control Point
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

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

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automatic interpolation
created between the selected point and the next one. The layer will maintain its
position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point and will then jump
to the new position. Deselect this option to generate interpolation and get thelayer to progressively move to the next position.
Flip Horizontal: Flips the current selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical: Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip

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

Set Ease for Multiple
Parameters

Opens the Set Ease for Multiple Parameters dialog box where you can change thevelocity of selection functions.

Linear Motion
Lock in Time

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

No Z Dragging
Substitute Drawing
Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the next drawing.

Select Previous
Keyframe /Point

Select the previous keyframe/point.

Select Next Keyframe/PointSelect Next Keyframe /Point

Lock

Lock: Locks Locks one or a multiple selection of layers.
Unlock: Unlocks Unlocks one or a multiple selection of locked layers.

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Lock All: Locks Locks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Unlock All: Unlocks Unlocks all the layers in the Timeline view.
Lock All Others: Locks Locks every layer except the selected ones.

Reset

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

Reset All

Resets Resets all transformations on the current frame in a selected layer. Your
keyframe will remain, but all the values will return to the starting value. Alltransformations are reset regardless of the tool you're using.

Reset All Except Z

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

Animation Tools
Transform

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

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

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

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

Maintain Size

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

Spline Offset

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

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Xsheet View Menu
The Xsheet View menu lets you modify columns, keyframe and timing.
How to access the Xsheet menul

In the upper-left corner of the Xsheet view, click the menu

Parameter

button.

Description

File
Images: Imports bitmap images which you can choose to vectorize.
ImportFrom Scanner: Imports drawings from a TWAIN scanner.
Sounds: Lets you import sound files into your project.

Print

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

Cut cells from Xsheet

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

Edit

Copy cells from Xsheet Copies selected objects and properties.
Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you select in a view.

Paste Special

Lets you copy and paste selected drawings into a different layer or paste theselection in the same layer to duplicate the drawings.

Paste Special Again

Pastes new drawings with the previous Paste Special settings.

Paste Cycle

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

Paste Reverse

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

DeleteRemoves selected objects.

Select All

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

Deselect All

Deselects all selected objects in the Drawing and Camera views.

Insert Mode

Adds a new value or a new value sequence over existing ones, the new values
are inserted between the old ones. The existing timing sequence is pushed
down the column. The Insert mode opposite of the Overwrite mode, which is
the Xsheet default mode.

Gestural Drag Mode

Lets you drag a cell to any other frame in the same column or into anothercolumn.
This feature does not apply to Annotation columns.

Send to Function View

Sends selected objects to the Function view where you can edit and adjust its
function curve and parameters.

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View
Zoom In Xsheet

Zooms in the view.

Zoom Out Xsheet

Zooms out the view.

Reset Zoom

Resets the view’s zoom to its default position.

Reset Pan

Resets the view’s pan to its default position.

Reset View

Resets the view to its default position.

Set Tempo Marker
Collapse Selection:
Expand Selection:
Expand/Collapse
Collapse All:
Expand All:

Column Properties

Lets you rename a column, and enable or disable a column. To view additional
properties, select Edit > Preferences from the top menu. In the Preferences
dialog box, select the Advanced tab, then select the Advanced Element
Mode option.

Show Column List
Lets you add advanced column types to create particular animation paths.
When you create these columns, they are not linked automatically to any
Column Types Manager
particular drawing layer. You can create a motion path using these columns
and then link or unlink several drawing or peg layers to it.
Show Thumbnails

Displays column thumbnails making it easier to identify a particular column.
This option displays a small thumbnail picture of the current frame below thecolumn header.

Show Selection
Set Columns Width

Lets you change the column width (in pixels) and set it as the default.

All Columns to Default
Width

Returns all columns to their default width of 100 pixels.

Change Columns
ColourLets you customize the colour of the column by selecting one from the SelectColour dialog box. The colour you select is also reflected in the correspondng
layer in the Timeline view.

Default Column Colour

Removes the colour you assigned to a column (if any).

Hide Selected Columns Hides selected columns.
Unhide All Columns

Displays all columns.

Show Hidden Columns

Displays columns that were previously hidden.

Enable Playback

Plays back your animation in the Perspective view.

Columns
Add Columns

Lets you add a column. You can specify the column name, type, and set
drawing layer options in the Add Column dialog box that opens.

Delete Columns

Removes the selected column. You have the option to delete the associateddrawing files and element folders.

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Clone Selected
Columns: Drawings
Only
Clone Selected
Columns: Drawings
and Timing
Duplicate Selected
Columns

Creates a copy of the selected column that is linked to the original. If a drawing
is modified in the original or cloned column, both will be updated. However,cloned columns can have different timings.
You can clone the drawings only or both the drawings and timing.
Creates an independent copy of the selected column. This useful when you
need to modify the element independently, including the timing (exposure).
Changes to the original element do not propagate to the duplicate.
There are two methods of merging drawings.
•

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

•

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

Merge Selected
Columns

FramesAdd Frames At Start
Adds the number of frames you specify to the end of the scene.
Add Frames At End
Add Frames Before
Selection
Adds the number of frames you specify before or after your selection.
Add Frames After
Selection
Remove Selected
FramesDeletes the selected frames from your scene.

Drawings
Create Empty Drawing

Duplicate Drawings

Creates Creates a drawing in the selected cell, replacing any drawing that may
already be exposed in that cell and the following ones until it meets anotherdrawing, key exposure or a blank cell.
Lets you duplicate the drawing and work on a copy of it. This lets you modify
an existing drawing but retain the original. When duplicating a drawing, theselected cell is replaced with the new drawing. The exposure of the original
drawing that was on the current cell is removed. The original drawing is notdeleted from the project folder or other cells in which it is exposed.
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 isremoved. The original drawing is not deleted from the project folder or othercells in which it is exposed.

Rename Drawing

Lets you give a selected drawing a new name.

Mark Drawing As

Marks selected drawings as one of the following: Key, Breakdown, Inbetween, RetakeKey, RetakeBD or RetakeIB.
This helps to keep the Xsheet well organized while animating.

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When working with several animators, directors or even other studios, thenecessity for retakes will often arise. Harmony gives you the possibility tomark new drawings as either Retake Key, Retake Breakdown, or Retake Inbetweens.
Substitute Drawing
Previous
Substitute Drawing
Next

Replaces the drawing or cell's symbol on the current frame by the next drawing.

Exposure

Increase

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

Decrease

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

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

Extend Exposure

Lets you extend the length of a selected cell.

Add Key Exposure

Adds a key exposure to the selected cell.

Remove Key Exposure

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

Remove Duplicate Key
Exposure

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

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

Fill Empty Cells

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

Insert Blank Cell

Adds Adds an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure

Removes the exposure from the selected cell.

Clear Exposure andPull

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

Fill Selection

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

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Sequence Fill

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

Fill Cells Randomly

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

Hold Exposure

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

MotionInsert Keyframe
Insert Keyframe andDuplicate Drawing
Delete Keyframes

Deletes the selected keyframes.

Go to Previous
Keyframe
Go to Next Keyframe
Set Stop-Motion
Keyframe

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

Set Motion Keyframe

Sets a motion keyframe. In motion keyframes, there is no automaticinterpolation created between the selected point and the next one. The layer
will maintain its position until the animation reaches the frame of the next point
and will then jump to the new position. Deselect this option to generateinterpolation and get the layer to progressively move to the next position.

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

Delete Morphing

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

Insert Morphing Key
Drawing

Creates a morphing keyframe from a selected morphing frame.

Convert Morphing toDrawing

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

Lip-Sync
Change Mouth Shapeto

Lets you change the mouth shape to one of the following: A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
X.

Auto Lip-Sync
Detection

Generates a sound detection for lip-sync.

Map Lip-Sync

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chart you have generated for a sound. This can save time when you are lipsynching a voice track.
Sound Display
Sound Name

Shows the name of the sound file, as well as the file format. The line running
vertically through the column frames between the same file name indicates acontinuity of the same sound file in these frames.

Mouth Shapes

Shows the letter (or name depending on the way you named your character's
different mouth positions) in the column's frames. There is only one mouth
position allotted per frame and this position should correspond to the sound fileafter performing a lip-sync.

Waveform

Shows a vertical display of the sound file's actual waveform. In the column
header, in the field under the column name, you can type in a percentage tozoom in or zoom out on the waveform, or pass the scroll cursor
over theZoom Waveform
icon.

Sound Edit
Insert Blank Cell

Places an empty cell between other cells.

Clear Exposure andPull

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

Annotation
Import FileLets you import an image file in an Annotation column.

Change Pen Colour

Lets you change the pen colour by selecting one from the Select Colour dialog
box.

Pen Width

Lets you select a pen preset or change the pen width (in pixels).

Eraser Width

Lets you modify the width of the Eraser tool.

Erase All

Removes all text and drawn annotations. Annotations that you type in cannot
be erased using this method.

Erase Selected Images Removes images you select in the Annotation column.
Erase Selected Texts

Removes text you select in the Annotation column.

Enable Drawing

Lets you draw in the Annotation column using your mouse or pen tablet.

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Chapter 4: Nodes
The Node view uses a visual set of connections (nodes) to show how each element in the scene is connected andbrought to the final image. It allows you to add extra elements and effects, and to move beyond the possibilities
offered by the Timeline and Xsheet views. Each node corresponds to a layer in the Timeline view. Very few nodes
are only visible in the Node view.
The basic rules of the Node view are quite simple. Once you understand them, a lot can be accomplished.
Each node used to build a node system is available in the Node Library view as well as through the Insert menu in
the Node view. In addition, each time you create a layer from the Timeline or Xsheet views, the corresponding nodeis created in the Node view.

3D Nodes224

3D Kinematic Output Node

225

Flatten Node

227

Render Maya Batch Node228

Subnode Animation Node229

Z Buffer Smoothing Node232

Combine Nodes

234

Blending Node235

Composite Node240

Composite-Generic Node243

Cutter Node248

Highlight Node

250

Image Switch Node253

Tone Node

255

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Transformation Switch Node258

Deformation Nodes

260

Articulation Node261

Auto Fold Node264

Auto Muscle Node266

Bone Node

269

Curve Node272

Deformation Composite Node275

Deformation Root Node278

Deformation Scale Node279

Deformation Switch Node283

Deformation Uniform Scale Node284

Deformation Wave Node286

Fold Node288

Game Bone Node292

Glue Node294

Kinematic Output Node296

Mesh Warp Node

297

Offset Node300

Stick Node303

Turbulence Node305

Filter Nodes

309

Anti-Flicker Node311

Auto-Patch Node313

Bloom Node315

Blur - Box Node319

Blur-Directional Node322

Blur - Gaussian Node325

Blur - Radial Node327

Blur - Radial Zoom Node329

Blur-Variable Node332

Brightness Contrast Node334

Channel Selector Node

336

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Channel Swap Node338

Chroma-Keying Node340

Colour Banding Node344

Colour Art Node347

Colour-Override Node349

Colour-Scale Node353

Contrast Node355

Dither Node357

Focus Node359

Focus Multiplier Node362

Glow Node364

Grain Node

367

Greyscale Node370

Hue-Saturation Node372

Layer Selector Node375

Luminance Threshold Node377

Matte-Blur Node380

Matte-Resize Node383

Median Node385

Motion-Blur Node

388

Negate Node391

Overlay Layer Node393

Pixelate Node

395

Remove Transparency Node397

Shadow Node

399

Transparency

401

Underlay Layer Node404

Generator Nodes

406

Burn-In Node407

Colour-Card Node410

Element / Drawing Node412

Field Chart Node422

Gradient Node

426

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Grid Node429

Lens Flare Node432

Turbulent Noise Node435

Group Nodes

438

Group Node439

Multi-Port-In Node440

Multi-Port-Out Node441

Miscellaneous Nodes

442

External Node443

Note Node

446

Render Preview Node447

Script Node448

Visibility Node449

Move Nodes

450

Apply Image Transformation Node451

Apply Peg Transformation Node454

Camera Node458

Ortholock Node460

Peg Node

461

Transformation Tab

461

Quadmap Node462

Quake Node464

Output Nodes

467

Crop Node468

Display Node470

Scale Output Node471

Write Node472

Particle Nodes

478

3D Region

479

Baker

481

Baker Composite

483

Bounce483

Explosion

485

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Gravity

487

Image Fracture

488

Kill

492

Move Particles

494

Orbit

495

Planar Region

497

Random499

Region Composite

500

Repulse

501

Rotation Velocity

502

Sink

504

Size

504

Sprite Emitter

506

System Composite

514

Velocity

514

Visualizer

516

Vortex517

Wind-Friction

519

Shading Nodes

520

Light Position Node521

Light Shader Node523

Normal Map Node526

Normal Map Converter Node

530

Tone Shader Node531

Volume Object Node534

Plugin Nodes

536

Sparkle537

Selection Preset Note Node

540

Sound Layer Properties

541

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3D Nodes3D NodesThe nodes found in the 3D category are used to handle and render 3D objects such as animating the sub-nodes orrendering using Maya.
3D Kinematic Output Node

225

Flatten Node

227

Render Maya Batch Node228

Subnode Animation Node229

Z Buffer Smoothing Node

232

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3D Kinematic Output NodeYou can link 2D drawing layers, pegs, other 3D models and more to follow the movements of a part of a 3D model.
To do this, you need to add a 3D Kinematic Output node to your 3D model setup in the Node view. More specifically,
you need to link the 3D Kinematic Output node to both a specific 3D model subnode (part) and to the object that you
would like to follow that subnode.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

By default, all parts of an imported 3D model are visible for display, but not setup for animation. You need to setup
the part of the 3D model to be animated before you can link another object to its movements.

Properties
Use the 3D Graph view to obtain the name of the 3D model's subnode.
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3D NodesParameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node. It is recommended to use the SubnodeName + -Output.

Subnode Name

Use this field to enter in the part of the 3D model whose movements you would
like to track. Entering the name of the 3D model subnode into this field is whatlets the 3D Kinematic Output node know which part of the model to read.

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Flatten Node
The Flatten node is used to transform 3D objects into flat planes when ordered in the Composite node. That plane
can then be moved arouned like any other drawing. Instead of intersecting with 2D layers, the 3D object will either bebehind or in front.

When all objects are at the same distance (z value) from the camera, the order is based on the Composite ports.
When elements are placed at different distances from the camera, the z axis value overrides the composite port
ordering.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties
Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

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3D NodesRender Maya Batch NodeThis node uses the script renderMayaBatch();This script starts a Maya Batch session, renders the 3D elements on that frame, and then closes the session. It
will open and close the session for every frame to be rendered.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Tabs
Attributes

In this field, specify the renderer you would like Maya to use. If it is not thedefault, Maya must have this renderer plug-in installed. Check the Specifications tab for the list of renderers supported by Harmony.

Specifications

View the renderers supported by Harmony.

SoftrenderEnter or browse for script to be used by the Render Maya Batch node.

Initialization

Enter or browse for script that will run once per session, when the scene isloading.

CleanpEnter or browse for script that will run once per session, when the scene isbeing closed.

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Subnode Animation Node
A typical 3D model is comprised of many parts (subnodes). Not all of these parts need to be animated; most are justused for display. However, if you would like to animate a specific part, you need to add a Subnode Animation node
under your 3D model.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties
All animatable 3D model subnodes appear in a list in the Subnode Animation Layer Properties. Expand any of thesubnodes in the list to view its individual properties.

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3D NodesClick on any of the Function buttons

to open the Function Editor for that parameter.

If movements have already been created in the Camera view, you may not be able to edit some of the fields. They
just display the value of that parameter at the given position in the Timeline. If you would like to edit these fields,change the field type to Local.
Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.
Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.

Position

Path: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you choose the path type. You
can do this form the field menu, located after the Function button.
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the desired position.
Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.
Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at whichmovement occurs across the X, Y and Z axes.
Quaternion: Rotations made on the X, Y and Z axes are linked, as is thevelocity which acts on the three rotation functions simultaneously.
Euler Angles: Rotations can be made on the X, Y and Z axes independent ofeach other; each has its own velocity.

Rotation

3D Rotation: When the Quaternion option is selected, lets you choose thepath type. You can do this form the field menu, located after the Function
button.
(x) Axis: Lets you enter the horizontal rotation value in degrees.
(y) Axis: Lets you enter the vertical rotation value in degrees.
(z) Axis: Lets you enter the depth scale value in degrees.
Velocity: When the Quaternion option is selected, lets you set the speed atwhich rotation occurs across the X, Y and Z axes.
Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash andstretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you enter the horizontal scale value.

Scale(y) Axis: Lets you enter the vertical scale value.
(z) Axis: Lets you enter the depth scale value.
Scale in Fields: Instead of using the standard scaling units, when this option
is enabled, images are scaled using field units, based on the traditional
animation field chart. Enter in the x, y, z values respectively in the fields below.

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3D NodesZ Buffer Smoothing Node
When batch rendering 3D models originating from Maya, some unwanted artifacts may appear, particularly onmodels with outlines. This is due to problems with the depth information. You can use the Z-Buffer Smoothing
node to smooth out the edges.

Connect the node following the example below.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

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Name

Use this field to rename the node.
Lets you define the range of clean pixels in the depth histogram when rendering
3D models. Only opaque or semi-transparent values are considered.

Histogram Range

Kernel Size

A low value means fewer pixels are used in the depth calculations and may
flatten your object, while a higher value uses more pixels in the depth
calculations, but may not eliminate all the image artifacts.
Lets you determine the size of the matrix used for calculating the depth of asingle pixel. For example, for an operation with a kernel size of 3 pixels,
Harmony uses the pixels within a 1-pixel radius to calculate the effect. A larger
kernel size means longer calculations.

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Combine Nodes

Combine Nodes
The nodes found in the Combine category are used to take two or more elements are combine them into a newimage.
Blending Node235

Composite Node240

Composite-Generic Node243

Cutter Node248

Highlight Node

250

Image Switch Node253

Tone Node255

Transformation Switch Node

258

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Blending NodeEffects nodes, like the Tone node and Highlight node, can control the colour and alpha composite operations for you.
These nodes were created with preset colour and alpha composite operations to fit the most frequently used,composite operations.

You might, however, still want to control the colour and alpha composite operation between two images using theBlending node, to create a multiplicity of lighting, shadow, filter or ambient effects. The Blending node combines two
images into one output image, following the parameters you choose for your movie and images sequence or SWF
movie exports.
The drawing node connected to the Blending effect will act as the blending image and will be applied to all thedrawing layers situated under them in the Composite node or Timeline view order.

NOTE: It is possible to select two different blending modes in the same Blending effect layer, in the event thatyou want to export your project to both a Bitmap and an SWF movie file with different results.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Combine Nodes

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Lets you rename the node.
Choose the blending effect mode you wish to apply to your layer. The Blend
Mode type will only be visible when the Camera view is set to Rendermode and will only export to a bitmap movie file or sequence of images.

Blend Mode and SWF Blend
Mode

Both the Blending node and Composite-Generic node have regular blending
modes and legacy blending modes. The regular blending modes will take thesource images and unmultiply them before blending the two inputs together.
The images will be remultiplied when being output from the node. The legacy
blending modes use the pre-multipled source images as is in order to apply theeffect. Unmultiplying the images before processing them will give a final resultcloser to what can be found in software such as Adobe Photoshop.
•

Normal: The layer attached to the effect acts as a normal layer and will
not create any blending mode effect.

•

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output image. This will darken the colour of the overlapping area.

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Combine Nodes•

Screen: This operation multiplies the inverted colour of the blending
element with the image. This will lighten the colour of the overlapping
area.

•

Lighten (Lighten Legacy): This operation lightens the area of theoutput image which, is darker than the blending element’s colours. The
lighter colours will remain unchanged.

•

Darken: This operation darkens the area of the output image, which islighter than the blending element’s colours. The darker colours willremain unchanged.

•

Difference (Difference Legacy): This operation subtracts theblending elements colour from the output image colours or vice-versa,
depending on which of them has more bright colours. The final result will
be colours that are more vibrant.

•

Add (Add Legacy): This operation lightens the output image using theblending element.

•

Subtract (Subtract Legacy): This operation darkens the output image
using the blending element.

•

Invert: This operation inverts the output image colours on the area
overlapping the blending layer colours.

•

Overlay (Overlay Legacy): This operation multiplies or screens thecolours from the blending image, with those of the output image,depending on the base colour. Colours from the blending element
overlay the colours of the drawing elements, while preserving thehighlights and shadows of the base colour. The base colour is not
replaced, but mixed with the blend colour to reflect the lightness, or
darkness, of the original colour.

•

Hardlight(Hardlight Legacy): This operation multiplies, or screens,the colours of the blending layer with those of the output image,depending on the blend colour. If the blend colour is lighter than 50%
grey, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful for
adding highlights to an image. If the blend colour is darker than 50%
grey, the image is darkened, as if it were multiplied. This is useful for
adding shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results inpure black or white. Play with the Opacity value to create a subtler look.

•

Alpha: This operation will blend the alpha value of the blending layer
with the output image. This effect is not available for SWF Blend Mode.

•

Erase: This operation produces a cutter effect using the blending
element. This effect is not available for SWF Blend Mode.

•

Divide (Divide Legacy): This operation divides the output image colour
values by the blending layer colour values. The blending image colour
values are inverted, creating a negative image. The negative image’s
colour values are then multiplied by the right image colour values. Thiseffect is not available for SWF Blend Mode.

•

Replace: This operation replaces the output image by the blending
layer. This effect is not available for SWF Blend Mode.

•

Softlight: This operation darkens or lightens the colours in a soft and238

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diffuse way, depending on the blend colour (image in left port). If theblend colour is lighter than 50% grey, the image is lightened. If the blend
colour is darker than 50% grey, the image is darkened. Painting withpure black or white produces a distinctly darker or lighter area, but does
not result in pure black or white.
•Linear Light: This operation burns or dodges the colours by decreasing
or increasing the brightness depending on the colour of the underlying
colour. If the blend colour is lighter than 50% grey, the colour islightened because the brightness is increased. If the blend colour isdarker than 50% grey, the colour is darkened because the brightness isdecreased.

•

Pin Light: This operation will replace the colours, depending on theunderlying colour . If the blend colour is lighter than 50% grey, pixels
darker than the underlying colour are replaced, and pixels lighter thanthe underlying colour do not change. If the blend colour is darker than
50% grey, pixels lighter than the underlying colour are replaced, andpixels darker than the underlying colour do not change.

•

Vivid Light: This operation burns or dodges the colours by decreasing
or increasing the brightness depending on the colour of the underlying
colour. If the colour is lighter than 50% grey, the blend colour islightened because the contrast is decreased. If the colour is darker than
50% grey, the blend colour is darkened because the contrast isincreased.

•

Exclusion: This operation produces a similar result to the Differencemode, but with a lower contrast.

•

Dodge: This operation will lighten the colour.

•

Burn: This operation will darken the colour.

•

Hue: This operation will result in a colour that will take the luminosity
and saturation of the underlying colour, and the hue of the source colour.

•

Saturation: This operation will result in a colour that will have the same
luminosity and hue of the underlying colour, and the saturation of thesource colour.

•

Colour: This operation will result in a colour that will have theluminosity of the underlying colour, and the hue and saturation of thesource colour.

•

Luminosity: This operation will result in a colour which has the hue andsaturation of the underlying colour, and the luminosity of the source
colour. This mode is opposite to the Colour mode.

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Combine Nodes

Composite Node
The Composite node allows you to use several images and output a single image. You can compare that to doing
pre-compositions in editing software. You can connect several drawing, image generators and effect nodes inyour Composite node and one bitmap (or vector in some cases) comes out of it.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

By default, the image resulting from the Composite node is a bitmap. The layers are composited together
depending on their position on the Z-axis (forward-backward) first, then their order in the Composite node. If two
images are at the same position on the Z-axis, their order in the Composite will determine which one is displayedin front and which one is displayed behind.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

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views.
Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.
As Bitmap: Composites all images into a single, flat bitmap image. The Z
value of the final image is based on the Output Z selection.
As Vector: Composites all the images as a single vector image. The Z value ofthe final image is based on the Output Z selection. Bitmap elements are
ignored and do not appear in the final frame.

Mode

As Seamless Bitmap: Composites all the images into a single, flat bitmap
image (just like the As Bitmap compositing mode). The main difference
between the As Bitmap and As Seamless Bitmap modes is that the seamlessversion ensures that there is no visible seam between adjacent vector
drawings that have matching geometries. This can be useful for cut-out
animation, where multiple drawings may align perfectly like pieces of a puzzle(using masking/cutter). This can also be useful when building a 3D set out offlat drawings rotated in 3D. In this case, using the Seamless mode will produce
the correct result when two drawings are intersecting or nearly intersecting.
When using this mode, the following effects are not supported: Shadow, Glow,
Blending and Focus.
Pass Through: No compositing operations occur. No image is merged or
flattened. Each individual image keeps its own properties. The compositing
operations happen only in the next Composite node connected below. In thiscase, the port ordering is ignored.
If a Composite set to Pass Through it is the last one in the compositing chain,
it will act the same as the As Bitmap option. At that point, the Input Ordering
options are considered.
2D: Elements connected in the node are composited based on their port
ordering. The Z-axis (forward-backward) values are ignored. The scaling value
will be correct, but the actual position on the Z-axis is ignored.
You can use the 2D composite type to create effects such as a camera
recording overlay on your scene. Since you always want this element to be infront regardless of the other elementsè Z-axis position, you can set the option
to 2D.

Input Ordering

3D Flat: The Z-axis value of the elements connected in the Composite node
are considered, so the visual representation is correct in the Camera view. The

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output is a flat image.

3D: The Z-axis value of the elements connected in the composite node areconsidered, so the visual representation is correct in the Camera view. The
image is not flattened. The 3D aspect of the elements are kept. For example, if
you rotated elements on the three axes, the information is retained andelements composited in lower levels are able to intersect with the elements
coming from a 3D Composite node.
The 3D Composite node should only be used in advanced cases. It is better to
use a Pass Through composite type than a 3D composite type. This way, all
the elements are composited in the final Composite node.
Output Z: Identifies which element’s front-back value from the current
composition is applied to the entire composited image in the next operation. If
you select Portnumber, identify the appropriate port by its position using thePort For Output Z menu.
Output Options

Port for Output Z: When using the Portnumber option in the Output Z menu,
you can select which port you want to use as the Z value for the Composite
node. The port used appears in a bright green colour on the Composite node.
By default, the leftmost port is displayed in front and the rightmost port isdisplayed behind.
These options are active when you select the As Bitmap mode.

Bitmap Options

Apply Focus: Activates the Focus effect for this node in the composite
operation.
Focus Multiplier: The value entered in this field is used as a multiplier for theradius value specified in the Focus or Focus-Multiplier nodes.
These options are active when you select the As Vector mode.
Palette Name: When you render files using As Vector Composite nodes, use
this field to set the name of the palette files that Toon Boom Harmony will
create for them.

Vector Options

Flatten: Flattens vector drawings into one vector drawing file. Anytransparency will be lost in the process. This creates smaller vector files, but
might increase the time required to composite the drawings. This can be usefulwhen reusing drawings. Because they will be vector files, you can still apply
vector-based transformations and effects.

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Composite-Generic NodeDuring the composition of images, colour and alpha values of an input image are combined with the image
underneath to produce the output image.
Effects nodes, like Tone and Highlight, can control the colour and alpha composite operations for you. A Composite
node was created, in which the colour and alpha composite operation are preset to the standard, and more frequently
used, composite operations.
You may, however, still want to control the colour and alpha composite operation between two images using theComposite-Generic Node which combines two images into one output image. The image linked to the left port of thenode is layered on top of the image in the right port based on the selected colour and alpha composite operation.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

The following abbreviations are used in the descriptions of composite operations:ll

ORGB: RGB values of the Output ImageThe Output Image is the resulting image from a composite operation. In the formulas for the composite operations, this image is also processed through a composite operation, representing the bottom layer in the composited image.

l

LRGB: RGB values of the Left Imagel

RRGB: RGB values of the Right Imagel

LA: Alpha of the Left Image

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RA: Alpha of the Right Imagel

OA: Alpha of the Output Image

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node. It is recommended to use the SubnodeName + -Output.
The colour values of the output image are determined based on the alpha andcolour values of the left and right image.
Both the Blending node and Composite-Generic node have regular blending
modes and legacy blending modes. The regular blending modes will take thesource images and unmultiply them before blending the two inputs together.
The images will be remultiplied when being output from the node. The legacy
blending modes use the pre-multipled source images as is in order to apply theeffect. Unmultiplying the images before processing them will give a final resultcloser to what can be found in software such as Adobe Photoshop.
Right: The colour values in the output image are derived from the image in theright port. Colour values in the left port are ignored.
Left: The colour values in the output image are derived from the image in theleft port. Colour values in the right port are ignored.

Colour Operation

Apply With Alpha: ORGB=[RRGB*(1-LA)]+LRGB. This is a standard
composite operation called "alpha blending." During this operation, colour
values of the left and right images are combined based on the alpha value ofthe left image. Where the left image is completely opaque (LA=1), the ORGB
will be replaced completely with LRGB. Where the left image is completelytransparent (LA=0), the ORGB is unaffected. Where the left image is partiallytransparent, you get a blend of the RRGB and the LRGB, where the values areadded together and clipped to 255. The LA is the opacity of the left image. This
operation (1-LA) calculates the amount of opacity to retain in the output image.
The operation [RRGB*(1-LA)] removes as much of the output image as you
are about to add from the left image. Remember that LRGB has been premultiplied by the LA, so the equation is really ORGB=[RRGB*(1-LA)]+(LRGB*LA), which is simply the weighted average of L and R, with LA
supplying the weight.
Apply Tone Highlight: ORGB=RRGB+(LRGB*RA). This operation restricts
the output of the tone to the region of the matte (RA), and uses thetransparency and colour value of the input image to determine the colour
values of the output. This is used to lighten or darken the output image.
Darkening occurs when RRGB contains negative values.
Apply Add (Apply Add Legacy): ORGB=RRGB+LRGB. This operation
uses the transparency and colour value of the left image to determine theoutput values. Effects such as shadows and glows are calculated in thismanner. Unlike the Apply Tone Highlight operation, the result is not clipped tothe matte (RA) of the output image.

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Apply Matte For Overlay: ORGB=RRGB*(1-LA).This operation prepares
the output image using the overlay's matte; the matte's RGB values are
ignored. This operation prepares the output image to receive the colour portionof the overlay. It is typically used when an overlay and its matte are stored inseparate images.
Apply Overlay Into Matte: ORGB=RRGB+(LRGB*RA). This operation
maps an overlay into an area prepared by a matte. It is typically used when an
overlay and its matte are stored in separate images, and Apply Matte For
Overlay has been used to prepare the output image to receive the RGB portionof the overlay.
Apply Transparency: ORGB=RRGB*(1-LA). This operation is used for acutter matte to prepare the output image to receive the colour values of anotherimage. It has the effect of increasing the transparency of ORGB (but not OA),
based on the LA. This function is the equivalent to Apply Matte for Overlay. It
is almost always used with Apply Transparency Matte, an Alpha Composite
Operation.
Apply Multiplicative Tone: ORGB=RRGB*(LRGB+1-LA). This operation
multiplies the left and right images (see the Multiply colours selection), to be
combined with the right image colour, creating a darker output colour. Thiseffect created by this operation is identical to the Multiply Colour Blending
effect in Photoshop.
Multiply Colours: ORGB=RRGB*LRGB. This operation multiplies the left
and right image colours. Multiplying colours filters the colour values of the rightimage from the output image. For instance, to make the left image less blue,
you can add a right image to this node with a blue colour value and select thisoption.
Linear Light: This operation burns or dodges the colours by decreasing or
increasing the brightness depending on the colour of the underlying colour. If
the blend colour is lighter than 50% grey, the colour is lightened because thebrightness is increased. If the blend colour is darker than 50% grey, the colour
is darkened because the brightness is decreased.
Pin Light: This operation will replace the colours, depending on the underlying
colour . If the blend colour is lighter than 50% grey, pixels darker than theunderlying colour are replaced, and pixels lighter than the underlying colour do
not change. If the blend colour is darker than 50% grey, pixels lighter than theunderlying colour are replaced, and pixels darker than the underlying colour do
not change.
Vivid Light: This operation burns or dodges the colours by decreasing or
increasing the brightness depending on the colour of the underlying colour. If
the colour is lighter than 50% grey, the blend colour is lightened because thecontrast is decreased. If the colour is darker than 50% grey, the blend colour isdarkened because the contrast is increased.
Exclusion: This operation produces a similar result to the Difference mode, butwith a lower contrast.
Dodge: This operation will lighten the colour.
Burn: This operation will darken the colour.

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Hue: This operation will result in a colour that will take the luminosity andsaturation of the underlying colour, and the hue of the source colour.
Saturation: This operation will result in a colour that will have the same
luminosity and hue of the underlying colour, and the saturation of the source
colour.
Colour: This operation will result in a colour that will have the luminosity of theunderlying colour, and the hue and saturation of the source colour.
Luminosity: This operation will result in a colour which has the hue andsaturation of the underlying colour, and the luminosity of the source colour.
This mode is opposite to the Colour mode.
Divide Colours (Divide Colours Legacy): ORGB=RRGB/LRGB. This
operation divides the right image colour values by the left colour values. The
left image colour values are inverted, creating a negative image (1/LRGB). The
negative's colour values are then multiplied by the right image colour values.
Lighten (Lighten Legacy): This operation looks at the colour information
coming from both the images in the left and right ports and selects the base or
blend colour - whichever is lighter - as the result colour. Pixels darker than theblend colour are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend colour do notchange.
Softlight (Softlight Legacy): This operation darkens or lightens the colours ina soft and diffuse way, depending on the blend colour (image in left port). If theblend colour is lighter than 50% grey, the image is lightened. If the blend colour
is darker than 50% grey, the image is darkened. Painting with pure black orwhite produces a distinctly darker or lighter area, but does not result in pure
black or white.
Hardlight (Hardlight Legacy): This operation multiplies or screens thecolours of the image in the left port with those of the image in the right port,
depending on the blend colour. If the blend colour (left port image) is lighter than
50% grey, the image is lightened, as if it were screened. This is useful for
adding highlights to an image. If the blend colour is darker than 50% grey, theimage is darkened, as if it were multiplied. This is useful for adding shadows to
an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white. Playwith the Opacity value to create a subtler look.
Overlay (Overlay Legacy): This operation multiplies or screens the colours
from the image connected to the left port, with those on the right, depending on
the base colour. Colours from the left-port element overlay the colours of thedrawing elements connected to the right, while preserving the highlights andshadows of the base colour. The base colour is not replaced, but mixed withthe blend colour to reflect the lightness or darkness of the original colour.
Opacity

The level of transparency.
Right: The transparency of the output image is derived from the alpha valuesof the image in the right port. The values in the left port are ignored.

Alpha Operation

Left: The transparency of the output image is derived from the alpha values of
the image in the left port. The values in the right port are ignored.
Apply: OA=[RA*(1-LA)]+LA. This operation computes the output alpha of the246Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

output image based on the alpha values of the left and right images. This is thestandard method of combining alpha channels. Notice its similarity to the
Apply With Alpha colour Composite Operation.
Add: OA=RA+LA. This operation adds the alpha values of the two images to
produce the alpha value of the output image.
Subtract: OA=RA-LA. This operation subtracts the alpha values of the input
image from the alpha values of the output image. It is useful in situations where
two tone levels have been drawn with overlap, but a double-darkening in theoverlap is not wanted. This operation will reduce the opacity of overlapping
regions.
Apply Transparent Matte: OA=RA*(1-LA). This operation is used toincrease the transparency of the output alpha in the final composited image.
Black: OA=0. Sets the matte of the entire output image to black, so that it istransparent.
White: OA=1. Sets the matte of the entire output image to white, so that it isopaque.
Leftmost: Indicates that the Z value for the output image will be taken from thenode in the left port.
Rightmost: Indicates that the Z value for the output image will be taken fromthe node in the right port.
Output Z

Backmost: Indicates that the Z value for the output image will be taken fromthe image that is the farthest back in the scene.
Frontmost: Indicates that the Z value for the output image will be taken fromthe image that is closest to the front of the scene.
Portnumber: Indicates that the Z value for the output image will be taken fromthe node in the selected port. Enter the appropriate port in the Port for Output
Z field.

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Cutter Node
T-HFND-010-009
The Cutter effect cuts out a portion of an image. To accomplish this, it needs to be connected to the drawing it isintended to cut as well as to a matte layer. The cutter will take the shape of the drawing in its matte layer and cut
this shape out of the drawing layer. This is especially useful if you want to make a character disappear between abackground element, or if you want to cut out a hole in the middle of a character.
The Cutter effect has an Inverted parameter, which is disabled by default. When enabled, the Cutter will have therevert effect: Instead of cutting the matte's shape out of the drawing, it will cut everything outside of the matte's
shape out of the drawing, leaving only the parts of the drawing that are covered by the matte.
The Cutter effect can be used with 2D-3D integration. Rendered 2D drawings, integrated with 3D models, display
soft, anti-aliased edges, even where the Cutter effect is applied.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.

Inverted

When this option is enabled, the Cutter node will invert the matte shape to cut thedrawing. Instead of cutting the image intersecting with the matte, it will cut any
artwork outside of the matte shape.

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Highlight Node
T-HFND-010-009C
The Highlight effect lets you to turn a drawing's area lighter to simulate a light source. For this effect, you willneed to create a matte to determine the shape and position of the highlight on another element and so you can blurthe edges to create a softer effect. By adjusting the Highlight properties, you can control the type and amount ofblur, as well as the colour of the highlight effect.

AuthorChristina Halstead
2D Animator and Character Designer
shadowbrushcreations.com

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo achange of depth or scale. When disabled, the effect's values will remainunchanged regardless of depth or scale changes. It is recommended that thisoption be disabled when multiple drawings are composited and attached thiseffect.

Blur Type

Radial: The edges of the matte are blurred evenly around points that make up theedge of the matte.
Directional: The matte is blurred in the direction you select.

RadiusEnter a value for the size of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the blur251

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effect. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
If you selected the Directional Blur type, you can set the direction of the blur byentering a value from 0 to 360 in this field.
0: Blurs the image to the west.
Directional Angle

90: Blurs the image to the south.
180: Blurs the image to the east.
270: Blurs the image to the north.
The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.

Directional Falloff Rate

0: Makes the blur fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of thecharacter to the farthest edge of the blur.
1: Makes the blur fade out quickly. The blur is heaviest closer to the edge of theimage.

Invert Matte

Inverts the matte used to create the tone, shadow, or highlight.

Use Matte/Source Colour

Creates the shadow or tone using the matte shape's colour. Be sure that you are
in render mode
to see this effect and that your background is NOT white andthat you do NOT have a white colour card node attached to the composite. As thematte only gives colour information, but no alpha, the matte is automatically multiplied with the background colours. If there is no colour card attached and thebackground appears black, you will see the matte colour at full opacity. If it is multiplied with a white background, the colours disappear into the full 255.

Multiplicative

Multiplies the tone or shadow colours with the background.

ColourRGBAEnter a value to add or subtract from the colour channels in the drawings or attachthese values to function curves.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker where you can specify the colour.

Intensity

Lets you set a value to determine the strength of the effect or attach a function toanimate the effect.

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Image Switch Node
The Image Switch effect lets you use multiple effects, such as Colour Override, and choose which port will be sent
to rendering if you want to apply different variations of an effect that cannot be changed over time. You then create
multiple separate versions of the effect, connect them all to the Image Switch, and then if you want to change to adifferent version of the effect at different points in your scene, you would add a curve and animate the port number.
Image Switch simply lets you change over time which port is being rendered.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

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Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Port Index

Switches from one image to another. There is no gradual animation from one
colour to another as you are only changing (over time) which port will be rendered.
Use whole values.
Click the Function
over time—see .

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Tone Node
The Tone effect lets you add a dark-coloured region to your drawing and simulate the shaded area away from a lightsource. To produce the tone effect, create a drawing to control where the tone will appear. The Tone effect uses a
matte to determine the shape and position of the tone on your drawing and can be blurred at the edges to create asofter effect.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergoa change of depth or scale. When disabled, the effect's values will remainunchanged regardless of depth or scale changes. It is recommended that thisoption be disabled when multiple drawings are composited and attached thiseffect.

Blur Type

Radial: The edges of the matte are blurred evenly around points that make up
the edge of the matte.
Directional: The matte is blurred in the direction you select.

RadiusEnter a value for the size of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the blureffect. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
If you selected the Directional Blur type, you can set the direction of the blur byentering a value from 0 to 360 in this field.
0: Blurs the image to the west.

Directional Angle

90: Blurs the image to the south.
180: Blurs the image to the east.
270: Blurs the image to the north.

Directional Falloff Rate

The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.
0: Makes the blur fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of256

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the character to the farthest edge of the blur.
1: Makes the blur fade out quickly. The blur is heaviest closer to the edge ofthe image.
Invert Matte

Inverts the matte used to create the tone, shadow, or highlight.

Use Matte/Source Colour

Creates the shadow or tone using the matte shape's colour. Be sure that you
are in render mode
to see this effect and that your background is NOT
white and that you do NOT have a white colour card node attached to the composite. As the matte only gives colour information, but no alpha, the matte is
automatically multiplied with the background colours. If there is no colour card
attached and the background appears black, you will see the matte colour atfull opacity. If it is multiplied with a white background, the colours disappear
into the full 255.

Multiplicative

Multiplies the tone or shadow colours with the background.

ColourRGBAEnter a value to add or subtract from the colour channels in the drawings or
attach these values to function curves.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker where you can specify the colour.

Intensity

Lets you set a value to determine the strength of the effect or attach a function
to animate the effect.

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Transformation Switch Node
The Transformation-Switch node acts as a on and off switch for the deformation chains. It is used when building
multi-pose (multiple deformation chains) rigs. the Transformation-Switch can also be used with other node types
than Deformation nodes. It can be used with any transformation nodes such as Peg and Quadmap nodes.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

The Transformation-Switch replaces the Deformation-Switch node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Element Columns

Full Name: Select which element to connect to the node from the list ofelements that already exist in your scene.
Drawing Path: Displays the full path to the current drawing.

Timing Columns

Name: Path to the file you want to link to.

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Timing Column: Link to the column that contains the desired timing.
Extension: When linking to a background file, enter its file name extension.
Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of thepaper on which the animation was drawn.
Transformation Names

List the drawing names associated to each transformation chain. You canenter additional drawings and separate the names with semi-colons (;).

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Deformation Nodes
The deformation rigs are composed of several different types of nodes. Additional ones such as the Kinematic
Output node can be used to enhance the results.
Articulation Node261

Auto Fold Node264

Auto Muscle Node266

Bone Node

269

Curve Node272

Deformation Composite Node275

Deformation Root Node278

Deformation Scale Node279

Deformation Switch Node283

Deformation Uniform Scale Node284

Deformation Wave Node286

Fold Node288

Game Bone Node292

Glue Node294

Kinematic Output Node296

Mesh Warp Node

297

Offset Node300

Stick Node303

Turbulence Node

305

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Articulation Node
The Articulation node is no longer used in the current release of Harmony. This node is still available for compatibility
purposes with previous deformation rigs.
The Articulation node is used between two bones (legacy) to create a joint where the limb or element will rotate. The
current Bone and Game Bone nodes include the articulation parameters.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, andNode views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Resting Parameters
Rest Radius

Lets you set the resting radius of the articulation (size of the circle).

Resting Orientation

Lets you set the resting rotation angle value of the articulation.

Rest Bias

Lets you set the resting bias value of the articulation, which can also
be seen as the steepness of the articulation. The smaller the bias
value, the smoother the articulation angle, and the larger the bias
value, the more angular the articulation is.

Deformation Parameters
RadiusLets you set the radius of the articulation (size of the circle). Whenanimated, this value will be connected to a function.

Orientation

Lets you set the rotation angle value of the articulation. When animated, this value will be connected to a function.

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Bias

Lets you set the bias value, which can also be seen as the steepnessof the articulation. When animated, this value will be connected to afunction.

Region of Influence
Influence Fade RadiusThis defines the size of the fade area around the actual region of influence's
boundaries.
When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
the Left and Right transversal radius values. When disabled, it controls thesize of the left transversal radius. By default, this value is set to 2.

Transversal Influence Radius
Left

Transversal Influence Radius
Right

Longitudinal Influence Radius
Begin

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field becomesinactive. The Left Transversal radius value is automatically applied to the Right
Transversal. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is disabled, it
controls the size of the Right Transversal radius. By default, this value is set to2.

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field becomesinactive. The End Longitudinal value is automatically applied to the Begin
Longitudinal value. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option isdisabled, it controls the size of the Begin Longitudinal radius. By default, thisvalue is set to 0.25.

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
both the Begin and End Longitudinal radius values. When this option isdisabled, it controls the size of the End Longitudinal radius. By default, thisvalue is set to 0.25.
Longitudinal Influence RadiusEnd

Symmetric Ellipse Influence

Enabled by default. The shape of the ellipse will be symmetrical on both thetransversal and longitudinal radii. In this case, use the Transversal Influence
Radius Left field to set the transversal radius value and use the Longitudinal262

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Influence Radius End field to set the longitudinal radius value. The two otherfields will remain unused unless you disable the Symmetric Ellipse Influence
option. In that case, you can set up different radius sizes for the four radii
directions.

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Auto Fold Node
The AutoFold node lets you automatically fix the folding area of a deformer, so no line overlap occurs. If yourdrawing pieces are separated on different layers, you will not need the AutoFold node. The AutoFold node issimilar to the Fold node, but since it's automated, it is optimized to fit the most standard folding point with fewer
controls to set up. You can also avoid this issue by separating your drawing onto two layers or separating yourdrawing in two pieces using the Cutter tool and repasting it in place in the same drawing.

Connect the AutoFold node directly under the Deformation node which is causing the unwanted line effect, forexample the forearm.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Name this field to rename the node.

Enable AutoFold

Type 1 to enable it or 0 to disable the effect.

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If you connect this option to a function, then you can enable or disable theeffect at a specific point in your animation.
Sets the length of the fold axis line.

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Auto Muscle Node
The Auto-Muscle node is used to simulate muscle movement. This will allow your characters to flex theirmuscles when they lift something or to create muscle tone when they move. When the Auto-Muscle node isconnected to a Bone Deformer that is rotated, the drawing is automatically inflated to simulate muscle movementin the limb.

NOTE: Connect the Auto-Muscle node above the drawing you want to add a muscle to and after the Bonechain.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.
This option is enabled by default. When enabled, the left side of the Bone Deformer will
inflate as the articulation is rotated toward the direction of the Bone Deformer. Disable
this option if you do not want the left side of the bone to inflate.

Muscle Left

Left Start

The default value of the starting position of the left muscle is set to -2. This means it
will start at the deformer situated two steps before the position where the Auto-Muscle
is connected. You can change the starting point by typing the number corresponding to
the deformer node.

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Left Span

This parameter controls the length (muscle length) over which the effect node will beapplied to the left side of the deformer. By default the setting is 1, representing thelength of the deformer to which it is applied.
This parameter controls the physical size of the left muscle. Increase the value tomake the muscle bigger, decrease the value to make it smaller.

Left Amplitude

This option is enabled by default. When enabled, the right side of the Bone Deformer
will inflate as the articulation is rotated toward the direction of the Bone Deformer.
Disable this option if you don't want the right side of the bone to inflate.

Muscle Right

Same as Left

This option is enabled by default, allowing each side of the Bone Deformer to inflate tofollow the rotation of the articulation. Enable this option to synchronize the right muscle

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Deformation Nodeswith the left so both muscles inflate when the articulation is rotated to the left.

The default value of the starting position of the right muscle is set to -2. This means it
will start at the deformer situated two steps before where the Auto-Muscle isconnected, in this case, Bone. You can change the starting point by typing the number
corresponding to the deformer node.

Right Start

Right Span

This parameter controls the length (muscle length) over which the effect node will beapplied to the right side of the deformer. By default the setting is 1, representing thelength of the deformer to which it is applied.

Right Amplitude

This parameter controls the physical size of the right muscle. Increase the value tomake the muscle bigger, decrease the value to make it smaller.

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Bone Node
The Bone node is one of the main nodes used to build a deformation rig. Each Bone node consists of a bone and anarticulation. You can chain Bone nodes to create a skeleton chain for your character. The Rigging tool can be used tocreate and connect those nodes automatically.

Properties

Parameter

Descriptions

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Resting Parameters Rest Offset(x) AxisThis is the bone x-axis (horizontal) coordinates for the resting position.

(y) AxisThis is the bone y-axis (vertical) coordinates for the resting position.

Rest RadiusThis is the articulation's radius value (articulation size) for the resting position.

Rest Orientation

This is the bone's orientation angle for the resting position.

Rest Bias

This is the articulation's bias (roundness and smoothness) for the resting position.

Rest Length

This is the bone's length for the resting position.

Deform Parameters Offset
2D PathWhen this option is enabled, the X and Y-axis parameters are controlled by thesame 2D path function.

Separate

When this option is enabled, the X and Y-axis parameters are individual one
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Path

When using a 2D Path, this field displays the name of the function.

(x) AxisThis is the bone X-axis (horizontal) coordinates for the animation position. Thisparameter can be linked to a function to be animated over time.

(y) AxisThis is the bone y-axis (vertical) coordinates for the animation position. Thisparameter can be linked to a function to be animated over time.

RadiusThis is the articulation's radius value (articulation size) for the animation position. This parameter can be linked to a function to be animated over time.

Orientation

This is the bone's orientation angle for the animation position. This parametercan be linked to a function to be animated over time.

Bias

This is the articulation's bias (roundness and smoothness) for the animation
position. This parameter can be linked to a function to be animated over time.

LengthThis is the bone's length for the animation position. This parameter can belinked to a function to be animated over time.

Region of Influence
Influence Fade RadiusThis defines the size of the fade area around the actual region of influence's
boundaries.
When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
the Left and Right transversal radius values. When disabled, it controls the sizeof the left transversal radius. By default, this value is set to 2.

Transversal Influence Radius
Left

Transversal Influence Radius
Right

Longitudinal Influence Radius
Begin

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field becomesinactive. The Left Transversal radius value is automatically applied to the Right
Transversal. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is disabled, it
controls the size of the Right Transversal radius. By default, this value is set to2.

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field becomesinactive. The End Longitudinal value is automatically applied to the Begin
Longitudinal value. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is disabled,
it controls the size of the Begin Longitudinal radius. By default, this value is set
to 0.25.

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When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
both the Begin and End Longitudinal radius values. When this option is disabled,
it controls the size of the End Longitudinal radius. By default, this value is set to
0.25.
Longitudinal Influence RadiusEnd

Symmetric Ellipse Influence

Enabled by default. The shape of the ellipse will be symmetrical on both thetransversal and longitudinal radii. In this case, use the Transversal Influence
Radius Left field to set the transversal radius value and use the Longitudinal
Influence Radius End field to set the longitudinal radius value. The two otherfields will remain unused unless you disable the Symmetric Ellipse Influence
option. In that case, you can set up different radius sizes for the four radii
directions.

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Curve Node
The Curve node is one of the main nodes for building a deformation rig. You can chaining Curve nodes to create aBezier handles skeleton. The Rigging tool can be used to create and connect the nodes automatically.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Resting Parameters Resting Offset(x) AxisThis is the curve x-axis (horizontal) coordinates for the resting position.

(y) AxisThis is the curve y-axis (vertical) coordinates for the resting position.

Resting Orientation 0This is the orientation for the first Bezier handle for the resting position.

Rest Length 0This is the length for the first Bezier handle for the resting position.

Resting Orientation 1

This is the orientation for the second Bezier handle for the resting position.

Rest Length 1

This is the length for the second Bezier handle for the resting position.

Deform Parameters Offset
2D PathWhen this option is enabled, the X and Y-axis parameters are controlled by
the same 2D path function.

Separate

When this option is enabled, the X and Y-axis parameters are individual one
from another.

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide(x) AxisThis is the curve X-axis (horizontal) coordinates for the animation position.

(y) AxisThis is the curve Y-axis (vertical) coordinates for the animation position.

Orientation 0This is the orientation for the first Bezier handle for the animation position.

Length 0This is the length for the first Bezier handle for the animation position.

Orientation 1

This is the orientation for the second Bezier handle for the animation position.

Length 1

This is the length for the second Bezier handle for the animation position.

Envelope Parameters

Apply Parent Modifier's Transformation

When this option is disabled, the deformation from the parent curves are nolonger affecting the current curve. Interesting effects can be achieved whendisabling this effect on the last child curve and rotating the Offset point. The
curve tail end will remain pinned on the spot while the rest of the curves
deforms.

Close Contour

When this option is enabled, the extrimity of the curve is snapped to the initial chain's Offset point. This creates an Envelope deformation. More than
one curve can be linked to the Offset point.

Region of Influence
Influence Fade RadiusThis defines the size of the fade area around the actual region of influence's
boundaries.
When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
the Left and Right transversal radius values. When disabled, it controls thesize of the left transversal radius. By default, this value is set to 2.

Transversal Influence Radius
Left

Transversal Influence Radius
Right

Longitudinal Influence Radius
Begin

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field
becomes inactive. The Left Transversal radius value is automatically applied
to the Right Transversal. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option isdisabled, it controls the size of the Right Transversal radius. By default, thisvalue is set to 2.

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field
becomes inactive. The End Longitudinal value is automatically applied to the
Begin Longitudinal value. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option isdisabled, it controls the size of the Begin Longitudinal radius. By default, thisvalue is set to 0.25.

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When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
both the Begin and End Longitudinal radius values. When this option isdisabled, it controls the size of the End Longitudinal radius. By default, thisvalue is set to 0.25.
Longitudinal Influence RadiusEnd

Symmetric Ellipse Influence

Enabled by default. The shape of the ellipse will be symmetrical on both thetransversal and longitudinal radii. In this case, use the Transversal Influence
Radius Left field to set the transversal radius value and use the Longitudinal
Influence Radius End field to set the longitudinal radius value. The two otherfields will remain unused unless you disable the Symmetric Ellipse Influence
option. In that case, you can set up different radius sizes for the four radii
directions.

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Deformation Composite Node
Just like a standard Composite node, the Deformation-Composite node is used to bring together all the elementsthat are connected to it, allowing you to customize parameters that will influence the result of the output. The
Deformation-Composite links the deformation chain to the graphic element to which it is related.

Properties
Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, andNode views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Output Kinematic Only

This option is disabled by default, allowing the deformation chain to output deformation and position information. This option should be enabledin order to output the chain information position only. This will allow you
to connect a part to the hierarchy without it undergoing the deformation
applied to the rest of the chain.
This option is important if you have several deformation chains for one
element, as in the case of a character with multiple poses.
•

When this option is enabled, it will only use the selected chain,
which you will be able to define in the Output Kinematic Chain
options of the Deformation-Composite. In some situations, thisoption is enabled and setup automatically (For example, when
you are working with the Create Posed Deformer in Create
Deformation Above/Under enabled)—see Creating a Full
Character Turnaround Deformation Rig on page 1.

•

When this option is disabled, all the different chains for thiselement will be used at once.

Output Selected Port Only

Output Kinematic Chain

Lets you select a deformation chain option to use. This parameter isused when the Output Selected Port Only option is enabled.

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Rightmost: Only the first chain connected to the right of the composite
node will be used.
Leftmost: Only the first chain connected to the left of the composite
node will be used.
Select: If you select this option, you can define which chain to output
according to the order they are connected from left to right.
Use First Connected Element’s Exposure as Key: Allows the deformation effect to automatically detect which deformation chain to use (subgroup) by detecting the exposure of the first element connected to thedeformation. This option is used in the case of a multiple pose rig—see
Creating a Full Character Turnaround Deformation Rig.
Use Parent Composite’s Connected Element Exposure: When the
Output Kinematic Only option enabled, the information from the parent
element’s exposure is used to attach the child to the correct chain, following which pose is exposed—see
When the Output Selected Port Only option is selected AND the Selectoption is used as the Output Kinematic Chain setting, this field defines
which deformation chain you want to use on your element. Select the
number which corresponds to the left to right order that the chains areconnected to the Deformation-Composite node.

Output Kinematic Chain Selection

You can attach this value to a function and enable different chains over a
period of time on specific frames. This value can be modified in theTimeline view by using the Deformation-Switch layer. Since theDeformation-Composite node is only visible in the Node view, the layer
has a reference to this parameter enabling you to easily edit the value

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when working in the Timeline view.

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Deformation Root NodeThe Deformation-Root is used when creating manual legacy multi-pose rigs. It can be placed at the start of thedeformation chains. This node is no longer used for the current multi-pose rig structure.
You can modify the quality level of the Deformation effect in the Deformation-Root Layer Properties window:

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.
Defines the number of slices the graphic is split into and used when undergoinga deformation. The higher the quality level, the more slices are created and thesmoother the deformation applied to the graphic. There are five levels of
quality:•Low•

Medium•High•

Very High (default value)•

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Deformation Scale Node
The deformers can only be scaled along the centre axis to adjust the length of the limb. The Deformation-Scale canbe used in combination with a Bone or Curve deformer to scale a drawing so it follows the opposite direction of thedeformer axis (the width). For example, when combined with function curves this can be used to create advanced
muscle effects. All these settings can be animated over time.
How to set up the Deformation-Scale effect node
1. In the Node view, navigate to the node to which you want to add a Deformation-Scale effect.
2. In the Node Library view, select a Deformation-Scale node and drag it to the Node view.
3. Connect the Deformation-Scale node directly under the lower deformer node of your chain.

4. In the Node view, select the Deformation-Scale node and select View > Show > Control to display its controls in the Camera view.

5. Click on the square yellow button of the Deformation-Scale node to open the Layer Properties window. You
can animate the different parameters of the Deformation-Scale node by enabling the Animate
mode in the
Tools toolbar and adding keyframes. In this case, different values will be connected to functions.

NOTE: If the controls are too far away from the deformer, you can change the default display of the
Deformation-Scale and Deformation-Uniform-Scale controls in the Preferences dialog box to bring themcloser.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

This series of options controls the left scaling deformation.

Scale Left

This option is enabled by default. It allows the left side of the deformer to bescaled. In the Camera view, the dark blue controls are used for the left side. If
you disable this option, the controls will be hidden and no scaling deformation will
occur for this side.

Left Fade In

The value is set to 0 (no fade) by default. Increase the value to add a fade effectto smooth the transition between the starting point of the scale and the area
before it.

Left Fade Out

The value is set to 0 (no fade) by default. Increase the value to add a fade effectto smooth the transition between the Left Span point of the scale and the area
after it.

Left Start

Defines the starting point of the left scale deformation. The default value is 0 andrepresents the Deformation-Root. Each main control point count for +1.
Move the first blue arrow along the deformer’s central axis to set the starting point

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guideof the Deformation-Scale and the last arrow to set the length (span) of thetransformation.

Left Span

Defines the length of the left scale effect.
Defines the start of the left scale effect.
Drag the square scaling curve control points away and forward from the deformer
axis to set the scaling value at the starting and ending point.

Left Start Scale

Left End Scale

Defines the end of the left scale effect.
Defines the starting position of the left handle.

Left Start Handle Position

Drag the two middle blue arrows along the deformer’s centre axis to set theposition of the curve handles.

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Left End Handle Position

Defines the ending position of the left handle.
Defines the starting position of the left scale handle.
To modify the scaling value of the curve, drag the two control handles away andforward from the deformation axis.

Left Start Handle Scale

Left End Handle Scale

Defines the ending position of the left scale handle.

Scale Right

This option is enabled by default. It allows the right side of the deformer to bescaled. In the Camera view, the light blue controls are used for the right side. If
you disable this option, the controls will be hidden and no scaling deformation will
occur for this side.

Same as Left

This option is disabled by default. It means that the left and right sides will use
different scaling parameters. If you enable this option, the right side controls will
be hidden in the Camera view and the left parameters will be used for both side
for a symmetrical scaling effect.

The right side parameters are a mirror of the left side parameters

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Deformation Switch NodeThe Deformation-Switch (Legacy) node acts as a on and off switch for the deformation chain. It is used whenbuilding legacy multi-pose rigs. It is also the node which controls the Region of Influence Fade area. The
Deformation-Switch also displays a Kinematic Chain Selection Reference option, which allows you to modify thechain selection directly in the Timeline view.
The Deformation-Switch has been replaced with the Transformation-Switch node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.
Defines the quality of the deformation effect when your drawings are stretchedand deformed. There are five levels of quality:

Vector Quality

•

Low

•

Medium•High•

Very High (default value)•

ExtremeInfluence Fade Exponent

A value of 1 is similar to a linear curve. A higher value will result in an ease-in typeof curve. A lower value will result in an ease-out type of curve.

Fade Inside Region

This option is disabled by default. The fade effect will occur outside the zone ofinfluence. Enable this option to have the fade effect inside the Zone of Influence.

Enable Deformation

Acts as an on/off switch for the deformation. The value of this field is set to 1 bydefault, which means the deformation is enabled. Enter a value of 0 to disable it.

Kinematic Chain Selection
Reference

Determines which chain is selected and used at a specific frame. It is a reference
to the option in the Deformation-Composite node. Having this reference in the
Deformation-Switch node allows you to use and modify the chain selection value
directly in the Timeline view since the Deformation-Composite node is only visible in the Node view.

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Deformation Uniform Scale NodeThe Deformation-Uniform-Scale effect node let you create the squash and stretch effect on your animateddeformation rig. You can scale the rigged element on the opposite axis of the deformer (width).
How to use the Deformation-Uniform-Scale node
1. In the Node view, navigate to the deformation node to which you want to add a Deformation-Uniform-Scale
node.
2. In the Node Library view, select the Deformation-Uniform-Scale node and drag it to the Node view.
3. Connect the Deformation-Uniform-Scale node directly below the lowest deformation node in your chain.

4. Connect the Deform-Uniform-Scale node to all the drawing nodes it should scale.
5. In the Node view, select the Deformation-Uniform-Scale node.
6. Display the Uniform Scale controls in the Camera view by pressing Shift + F11.
7. In the Camera view, drag the handle to resize the width of the limb. You can also use the Scale field toenter a specific value. These parameters can be animated over time.

NOTE: If the controls are too far away from the deformer, you can change the default display of the Deformation-Scale and Deformation-Uniform-Scale controls in the Preferences dialog box to bring them closer.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Scale

Use this field to type in the value to resize the width of the limb.

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Deformation Wave NodeThe Deformation-Wave effect deforms the chain by adjusting the scaling in a waveform style. It can be used toanimate a wave deformation effect on your deformation chain over a period of time.
How to use the Deformation-Wave effect
1. In the Node view, navigate inside the Deformation node to which you want to add a Deformation-Wave
effect.
2. In the Node Library view, select an Deformation-Wave node and drag it to the Node view.
3. Connect the Deformation-Wave node to your deformation chain.
A wave deformation is applied to the limb or art connected to the deformation chain.

4. In the Node view, open the Layer Properties window of the Deformation-Wave node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

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Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Nodeviews.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Wave Left

This option is enabled by default, allowing the Deformation-Wave effect to be
applied on the left side of the deformer chain. Disable this option to prevent theeffect from being applied.

Left Start

Defines the length of the left wave effect.

Left Span

Defines the starting point of the left wave deformation. The default value is 0
and represents the root point. Each main control point count for +1.

Left Offset Deformer

This is the parameter you may want to connect to a function. It controls theoffset of the deformation on the left side and allows you to create a fluid wave
animation along the deformer axis.

Left Amplitude

Controls the height of the left wave effect.

Left Offset Scaling

Used to apply an offset value to the amplitude of the left wave. The wave will
be lifted and become higher, or dropped and become lower, depending whether
the value is increased or decreased.

Left Period

Controls the interval of occurrence of the left waves. By default the value is 1,
meaning that a wave will occur for every deformer. If you decrease the value to0.5, it will result in a wave occurring every half deformer.

Wave Right

By default this option is enabled, allowing the Deformation-Wave effect to be
applied on the right side of the deformer chain. Disable this option to preventthe effect from being applied.

Same as Left

This option is disabled by default. It allows the left and right size of the
Deformation-Wave to be controlled separately. Select this option if you want
the effect to be symmetrical and controlled by the left side parameters.

Right Start

Defines the starting point of the right wave deformation. The default value is 0
and represents the Deformation-Root. Each main control point count for +1.

Right Span

Defines the length of the right wave effect.

Right Offset Deformer

This is the parameter you might want to connect to a function. It controls theoffset of the deformation on the right side, allowing you to create a fluid wave
animation along the deformer axis.

Right Amplitude

Controls the height of the right wave effect.

Right Offset Scaling

Used to apply an offset value to the amplitude of the right wave. The wave will
be lifted and become higher, or dropped and become lower, depending whether
the value is increased or decreased.

Right Period

Controls the interval of occurrence of the right side waves. By default the value
is 1, meaning that a wave will occur for every deformer. If you decrease thevalue at 0.5 it will result in a wave occurring every half deformer.

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Fold Node
The Fold effect is used when bending a deformation further than the drawing is able to take it. This may result inan unwanted overlap of the line art at the junction of the articulation or deformation. The Fold effect lets you
control certain parameters that will help eliminate the unwanted line effect. You can also avoid this issue by
separating your drawing onto two layers or separating your drawing in two pieces using the Cutter tool andrepasting it in place in the same drawing.

The Fold effect works best with the Curve deformers.
How to set up the Fold node
1. In the Node view, navigate to the Deformation node causing the unwanted overlap (in this case, an articulation).
2. In the Node Library view, select the Fold node and drag it to the Node view.
3. Connect the Deformation-Fold node directly under the deformation effect node which is causing theunwanted line effect.

4. In the Node view, select the Deformation-Fold node.
5. From the top menu, select View > Show > Control or press Shift + F11 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + F11(Mac OS X) to display its controls in the Camera view.
6. In the Tools toolbar, select the Transformtool.

7. In the Camera view, set up the Deformation-Fold. You can also set these parameters directly in the
Deformation-Fold properties:

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Click on the fold axis and rotate it to match the angle of the bend articulation.

‣

Use the middle arrow to position the axis along the deformer’s central line. It should be in the corner of thebending area.

‣

Use the right and left arrows to control the appearance of the two overlapping lines.

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Use the axis’s square handle to lengthen or shorten the axis.

8. If your character moves a lot and you need to adjust the fold at different positions to follow the limb animation, you can set up the Deformation-Fold node in a different position over time. To do this, enable theAnimationmode in the Tools toolbar and add keyframes. In this case, the different values will be connected to functions.
9. You can also enable/disable the Deformation-Fold node over time by connecting a function to the Enable
Fold parameter in the Layer Properties. A value of 1 enables the effect, a value of 0 disables the effect.

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Game Bone Node
The Bone node is one of the main node used to build a deformation rig. Each Bone node consists of a bone and anarticulation. Chaining Bone nodes will create a skeleton chain for your character. The Rigging tool can be used tocreate and connect those nodes automatically.

Parameter

Descriptions

Resting Parameters Rest Offset(x) AxisThis is the bone X-axis (horizontal) coordinates for the resting position.

(y) AxisThis is the bone Y-axis (vertical) coordinates for the resting position.

Rest RadiusThis is the articulation's radius value (articulation size) for the resting position.

Rest Orientation

This is the bone's orientation angle for the resting position.

Rest Length

This is the bone's length for the resting position.

Deform Parameters Offset
2D PathWhen this option is enabled, the X and Y axis parameters are controlled by thesame 2D path function.

Separate

When this option is enabled, the X and Y axis parameters are individual fromeach other.

Path

When using a 2D Path, this field displays the name of the function curve.

(x) AxisThis is the bone X-axis (horizontal) coordinates for the animation position. Thisparameter can be linked to a function curve to be animated over time.

(y) AxisThis is the bone Y-axis (vertical) coordinates for the animation position. Thisparameter can be linked to a function curve to be animated over time.

RadiusThis is the articulation's radius value (articulation size) for the animation position. This parameter can be linked to a function curve to be animated overtime.

Orientation

This is the bone's orientation angle for the animation position. This parametercan be linked to a function curve to be animated over time.
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LengthThis is the bone's length for the animation position. This parameter can belinked to a function curve to be animated over time.

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Glue Node

The Glue effect lets you repair the cracks that appear between joints during animation.

The Glue node has three ports:•

Left Port (Matte): Receives the matte.

•

Middle Port (Port A): Receives the element that will not be used to fill the joint.

•

Right Port (Port B): Receives the element that will be used to fill the joint.

For most effects with the Glue node, the default options are sufficient. However, you can modify these options
using the Glue editor.

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Glue Properties
Parameter

Description

Bias

Indicates the tendency to favour the static or moving element. Set to 0, it favours
element A; set to 1 it favours element B; set to 0.5 it is in between A and B.

TensionIndicates how tight the joint will be. Set to 1, the tension has no effect; set lessthan 1, the tension decreases; set greater than 1, the tension increases.

Type

From this menu, select the type of joint to create. You can choose from among
Curve (default), Line and Corner.

Use Z for Composition Order

You can use this option to choose the drawing with the higher front-back value tocreate the joint.

A Over B

Indicates which image is rendered on top in the final image. By default, A is
rendered on top of B, which indicates that the image in the middle port (A) is
rendered on top of the image in the right port (B).

Spread A

By default, the image in port B is spread to fill the joint. You can use this option tochoose the image in the A port to create the joint. If you select this option, thedrawing node must receive position information from the "B" element. Thus, youmust connect the Drawing node of the "B" element to the Drawing node of thematte.

Invert Matte

Activate this option to invert the matte used to fill the joint. If you want to use the"B" element as the matte, you must select this element.

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Kinematic Output Node
The Kinematic Output node lets you hook a separate element that you want to be linked to the deformation chain
but not be part of the deformation, such as a hand to an arm or an arm to the body. These elements will follow the
movement of the chain just like a regular cut-out character hierarchy piece without being influenced by the
deformation of the arm. If you don't use the Kinematic Output, the piece's pivot will not follow the deformation.
Connect a Kinematic Output node below the deformation node you want your drawing to follow.

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Mesh Warp NodeUse the Mesh Warp effect to distort your drawings. With this node you can create effects such as a character in awarped mirror and looking through a glass jar. You can also animate the position of the grid to perform the distortion
over time.
The Mesh Warp node is a position node, same as a Peg node.

How to use the Mesh Warp Effect
1. In the Node Library, under the Filter tab, select the Mesh Warp node and drag it to the Node view.
2. In the Node view, connect the Mesh-Warp node to your drawing or group nodes to deform.

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3. In the Node view, select the Mesh Warp node.
4. Select View > Show > Control or press Shift + F11 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + F11 (Mac OS X) to display
the deformation grid.

5. Move the intersection points and move the Bezier handles to deform the grid.

6. Grab the grid in the void spaces to pan it around. Using keyframes, you can animate its position over time.
Mesh Warp Properties
Use the Mesh Warp editor to adjust the grid size, deformation quality and the region of interest.

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Parameter

Description

Rows

Increase or decrease the Rows value to change the amount of rows to use in the
deformation grid.

Columns

Increase or decrease the Columns value to change the amount of columns to use
in the deformation grid.

Region of Interest

Select the 2D Path option if you want both your X and Y curves to be controlled by
the same velocity function. Select the Separate option if you want your X and Y
curves to be independent and have independent velocity.

(x) AxisThis is the X position of the gird. This value can be animated overtime to move thegrid horizontally.

(y) AxisThis is the Y position of the gird. This value can be animated overtime to move thegrid vertically.

WidthThis is the width value of the gird. This value can be animated overtime to squash
or stretch the grid horizontally.

HeightThis is the height value of the gird. This value can be animated overtime tosquash or stretch the grid vertically.

Deformation Quality

This is the quality of the warm deformation. It ranges from Low to Extreme. The
higher the quality, the better the formation will look, but the longer it will take torender.

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Offset Node
The Offset node lets you position the root of your deformation chain. It is automatically added to your deformation
rig when you create a Curve or Envelope deformation rig using the Rigging
tool.

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

(x) Axis

Sets the resting position on the X (east/west) axis.

(y) Axis

Sets the resting position on the Y (north/south) axis.

Resting Orientation

Sets the rotation angle of the resting position.
Lets you choose the type of coordinates to use:

Offset Type

Separate: The two coordinates are set separately. If they are connected to afunction, each one will have its own function curve. This is the default setting.
2DPath: The two coordinates are set together within a single 2D pathfunction.

(x) Axis(y) AxisThis option is only available when the Type is set to Separate. It is used to set
the active position value of the Deformation-Root on the X (east/west) and Y(north/south) axis.
You can enter the value, use the up and down arrow buttons to choose a value,
or use the Transform tool, when Setup mode is NOT enabled, to move thedeformation chain. Remember, that if you want to add a keyframe, you need toenable Animation mode from the Tools toolbar.

PathThis option is only available when the Type is set to 2D Path. It is used to set
the active position value of both the Y and X axis. Use the Transform tool when
Setup mode is NOT enabled to move the deformation chain along the 2D path.
Remember, if you want to add a keyframe, you need to enable the Animation
mode on the Tools toolbar.

Orientation

Sets the rotation angle of the active position of the Deformation-Root. You canenter the angle, use the up and down arrow buttons to choose the desired
value, or use the Transform tool when Setup mode is NOT enabled to rotate
the deformation chain. Remember, if you want to add a keyframe, you need toenable Animation mode on the Tools toolbar.

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Apply Parent Modifier's Trans- When this option is disabled, the parent's deformations no longer affect the curformation
rent deformer.

Refract

Use the Refract effect to create effects such as ripples and heat haze. This effect is based on the refraction of light,
which occurs when a beam of light passes through media of different density, causing the light to refract or change
angles. This effect makes objects appear distorted or offset from their actual positions. If you imagine an object in apool of water the part beneath the surface of the water appears offset from its true position.

To create a refraction effect, you need a matte with alpha values. This creates the effect of a volume passing over
an image, refracting the light that bounces off the contents below. For a ripple effect moving across an image, youmust move the matte with a Peg layer.
If your matte is only black and white, meaning that there is no gradients and only solid colours in your matte drawing,
you will need to connect a Blur Radial node after your matte Drawing node to soften the edges and get nicer waves.

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Refract Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.
The amount of refraction to apply to the image.

Intensity
You can attach the value to a function curve to change its value over time.

Height

The amount of depth to add to the refraction effect. When coupled with the
Intensity effect, this value can create the effect of bending the objects below
the refraction matte.
You can attach the value to a function curve to change its value over time.

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Stick Node
The Stick node is available for compatibility with previous versions of deformation rigs. This node is the legacy Bonenode. When the Stick node is imported in the Node view, it is renamed Bone.

Parameter

Descriptions

Rest Length

This is the bone's length for the resting position.

LengthThis is the bone's length for the animation position. This parameter can belinked to a function to be animated over time.

Region of Influence
Influence Fade RadiusThis defines the size of the fade area around the actual region of influence's
boundaries.
When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
the Left and Right transversal radius values. When disabled, it controls the sizeof the left transversal radius. By default, this value is set to 2.

Transversal Influence Radius
Left

Transversal Influence Radius
Right

Longitudinal Influence Radius
Begin

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field becomesinactive. The Left Transversal radius value is automatically applied to the Right
Transversal. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is disabled, it
controls the size of the Right Transversal radius. By default, this value is set to2.

When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field becomesinactive. The End Longitudinal value is automatically applied to the Begin
Longitudinal value. When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is disabled,
it controls the size of the Begin Longitudinal radius. By default, this value is set
to 0.25.

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When the Symmetric Ellipse of Influence option is enabled, this field controls
both the Begin and End Longitudinal radius values. When this option is disabled,
it controls the size of the End Longitudinal radius. By default, this value is set to
0.25.
Longitudinal Influence RadiusEnd

Symmetric Ellipse Influence

Enabled by default. The shape of the ellipse will be symmetrical on both thetransversal and longitudinal radii. In this case, use the Transversal Influence
Radius Left field to set the transversal radius value and use the Longitudinal
Influence Radius End field to set the longitudinal radius value. The two otherfields will remain unused unless you disable the Symmetric Ellipse Influence
option. In that case, you can set up different radius sizes for the four radii
directions.

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Turbulence Node
The Turbulence effect is a mathematically generated effect that uses fractal noise to create turbulent distortions in
an image. You can see the effect when used with an image as the background. You can create flowing water,
funhouse mirrors, and waving flags.

For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.

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Turbulence Properties

Parameter

Description

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Lets you select a type of noise pattern.
Perlin: Creates pseudo random patterns. The greyscale contains a continuity
between different tones of grey.
Simplex: Creates a more contrasted noise pattern with more variation than Perlin. There is a smooth variation of intensity.
Sinusoidal: Creates a repeated wavelike pattern.
Noise TypeSub Scaling: Applies Perlin noise twice. The second noise is added where
dark areas appear in the original. The frequency of the second iteration ishigher so the noise is smaller.
Rocky: Uses the Perlin pattern but converts the very high and low values tomore moderate values. For example, the whites become light greys and theblacks become dark greys.
Small Bumps: Uses the Perlin pattern. The transitional grey areas between
blacks and whites become inverted so they look like dark lines. The extremes,
black and white areas, become whitish.
Transforms the noise pattern, created by the Noise type and controls the way
layers are composited. These are variations of the basic noise.
Turbulent Twist: Applies a turbulent effect on the pattern so it changes thetransition between black and white by adding more modulation.

Fractal Type

Fractional Brownian: Applies a basic application of noise and composites byadding subsequent layer with the Complexity parameter.
Threshold: Changes the dark greys into black values so there is more black in
the noise for higher contrast.
Invert Threshold: Inverts all the values of the Threshold type so a negative
image of it is created.
Terrain: Adds contrast and converts the dark greys into white or light greys.

Pinning

Constrains the effect within the image boundaries.

AmountSpecifies the amplitude of displacement.

Frequency

The density of displacement appearing in the noise. A higher value produces agreater amount of displacement in a given area; a lower value produces a smaller amount.

OffsetMoves the entire image.

Seed

This value determines the starting noise pattern on the first evolution of theeffect.

LockedApplies parameter value while retaining the X and Y ratio.

Separate

Allows you to apply different parameter values to X and Y.

xy

When locked, applies parameter values to both X and Y. When separated,allows you to apply different value to X and Y.

Evolution

Determines the displacement pattern over time.
Evolution Frequency: This factor makes the complexity iterations animate ortransform at a higher speed. In other words, the second, third, etc. passes, controlled by the Complexity parameter, will mutate faster than the main one.

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Complexity

Deformation Nodes

Complexity: The number of noise layers that make up the noise. Eachsuccessive layer has a higher frequency, resulting in a smaller noise effect.
You can have up to seven passes. Increasing this number increases the depth
and amount of detail in the noise. Use Complexity with Sub Scaling when thevalue is 1 or greater. Note: Increasing the Complexity results in longer
rendering times.
Gain: Controls the amount of opacity present in the iteration of noise. This also
affects the layer when using Sub Scaling. With a value of 0, you will not see
the sub noise. A value of 1 will show the sub noise just as strong as the mainone. For example, with water ripples, a higher amount of Gain will reveal more
ripple or subripples.
Sub Scaling: The factor by which the main noise is modified at each iterationof complexity. A value of 1 make the two noises identical. A value of 2 makes
the sub noise twice as small. The next iteration would be 4 times smaller. Values must be greater than 1.

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Filter Nodes
Here is the list of the main filter effects available in Harmony.
Anti-Flicker Node311

Auto-Patch Node313

Bloom Node315

Blur - Box Node319

Blur-Directional Node322

Blur - Gaussian Node325

Blur - Radial Node327

Blur - Radial Zoom Node329

Blur-Variable Node332

Brightness Contrast Node334

Channel Selector Node336

Channel Swap Node338

Chroma-Keying Node340

Colour Banding Node344

Colour Art Node347

Colour-Override Node349

Colour-Scale Node353

Contrast Node355

Dither Node357

Focus Node359

Focus Multiplier Node362

Glow Node364

Grain Node

367

Greyscale Node370

Hue-Saturation Node372

Layer Selector Node375

Luminance Threshold Node377

Matte-Blur Node380

Matte-Resize Node383

Median Node385

Motion-Blur Node

388

Negate Node

391
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Overlay Layer Node393

Pixelate Node

395

Remove Transparency Node397

Shadow Node

399

Transparency

401

Underlay Layer Node

404

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Anti-Flicker NodeUse the Anti-Flicker to compensate for flickering in your output to TV formats. The Anti-Flicker effect applies avertical blur to the rendered output. You should place the Anti-Flicker before a Write node in the Node view.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Use the Anti-Flicker editor to control the amount of blur that is applied to rendered output. In the Radius field, enter avalue for the number of pixels to be considered in the blur.

Properties

Parameter

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Name

Use this field to rename the node.

RadiusSize of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the strength or reach of the blur.
The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position. Click the
Edit Curve button to change these values over time by adjusting the function
curve.

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Auto-Patch Node
T-RIG-005-001
The Auto Patch node is used mainly when creating joint patches for cut-out puppets drawn with pencil lines andpainted in the Colour Art layer. Instead of removing a portion of the outline to attempt to create a seamless joint, you
can draw complete pieces, and with the Auto Patch node, automatically create a perfect articulation.

The requirements for this effect to work are:l

Drawing outlines must be drawn in pencil lineslDrawing outlines must be drawn in the Line Art layerlDrawing fill colours must be painted in the Colour Art layer

Pencil lines are central vector lines. The vector is located along the centre of the line. This means that when you
paint a zone delimited by a pencil line, the colour fill will expand to the centre of the pencil line.

When using the regular patch technique, recommended for the brush line, the result with pencil lines is very odd
looking because the colour fill zone is bigger than the pencil line inner contour.

Instead of using the regular patch method, you can use the Auto Patch node. It will automatically extract the Colour
Art and clip it to the right size. Then, you can connect it in front of the piece to be covered.
The node connection for the Auto Patch is quite simple. Once your basic character rigging is done, add the AutoPatch node to the joints you want to cover. There is no need to set any parameters.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

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Bloom Node
The Bloom effect is used to make a specular area blurrier on a bitmap image, such as street lamps at night.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

It's a combination of the Luminance Threshold, Cutter, Blur - Gaussian and Composite Generic nodes—see
Luminance Threshold Node on page 377, Cutter Node on page 248 Blur - Gaussian Node on page 325, andComposite-Generic Node on page 243.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.

ThresholdControls how much of the dark value to clamp off. A high value will keep only the brightareas of your image.

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Brings back the entire spectrum of luminance in areas defined by the threshold to avoid
having only bright values.

Soften Colours

Multiplies the gamma value to make the area brighter or darker. A value of 1 keeps the
gamma the same as the original image. You can use the gamma modification on the whole
image if you use a threshold of 0 for example.

Gamma Correction

Output Greyscale
Matte

Allows you output an image in grey values to use in combination with a Blending or Cutter
node elsewhere in the node structure.

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Invert Matte

Lets you invert the mask shape if you connected a mask image to the node's left port.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo a change of
depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values remain unchanged
regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option should be deselected when multiple
drawings are composited and attached to this effect.

RadiusAdjusts the amount of blur applied to the image.

Quality

Controls the quality of the blur. A higher quality yields better results, but will be slower torender.

Composite with
Source Image

Blends the area defined by the threshold with the original image.

Blend Mode

Defines the blending mode between the original image and the area defined by thethreshold to avoid having to add a Composite Generic node after the Bloom node.

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Blur - Box Node
The Blur - Box effect is a quick and easy way to create a blurring effect. The Box blur changes the colour value ofeach pixel based on the pixels next to it in the vertical and horizontal directions. The look of the blur is similar to thelook achieved using Gaussian blur, but renders much faster. This effect is useful when a fast rendering time isimportant, and the quality of the blur is less important. Also, you can use a matte with this effect to isolate areas of
the image.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergoa change of depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values
remain unchanged regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option
should be deselected when multiple drawings are composited and attached tothis effect.

Repeat Edge Pixels

Makes the blur algorithm operate as if the pixel values beyond the edge of thelayer are the same as the values of the edge pixels. This keeps edges sharp,
preventing them from darkening and becoming more transparent.

BlurrinessAmount of blur applied to the layer.

Directional

Blurs according to the length, width, and angle you specify. For example, if acharacter is walking east, the blur may fall to the west.

RadiusSize of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the strength or reach of the
blur. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
Click the Edit Curve button to change these values over time by adjusting thefunction curve.

LengthLength of the blur.

Width

Thickness of the blur.

Angle

The direction in which the blur is applied: sideways, up, down, 90 degrees, 45
degrees, and so on.

Bidirectional

Applies the blur on both sides of the pixel.

Fall OffThe distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1. A fall-off rate of 0 causes the blur to fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of the character to the farthest edge ofthe blur. A fall-off rate of 1 causes the blur to fade out quickly, so the blur isheaviest closer to the edge of the image.

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Number of Iterations

The number of times the blur is applied to the image. A higher number of iterations creates smoother transitions between colours and increases the blur,
but also increases render time.

Precision

Precision: Blurs the image the number of times the precision indicates atdifferent radius (between 0 and the specified radius).

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Blur-Directional Node
The Blur-Directional effect creates the effect of a motion blur that pulls and smears the image from one contour
edge to a different direction or angle. This effect is useful in creating the impression of speed, such as the streaksof colour that follow a car travelling at high speed.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo achange of depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values
remain unchanged regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option should
be deselected when multiple drawings are composited and attached to this effect.

RadiusSize of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the strength or reach of the blur.
The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position. Click the
Edit Curve button to change these values over time by adjusting the function
curve.

Falloff Rate

The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1. A fall-off rate of 0 causes the blur to fade out slowly, distributing
the blur evenly from the edge of the character to the farthest edge of the blur. A
fall-off rate of 1 causes the blur to fade out quickly, so the blur is heaviest closer
to the edge of the image.
The direction of the blur. Enter a value from 0 to 360.
0: Blurs the image to the west.

Angle

90: Blurs the image to the south.
180: Blurs the image to the east.
270: Blurs the image to the north.

Direction of trail

If you do not set an Angle for the direction of the blur, you can select a direction(north, south, east, or west) from this menu. The calculations for this feature are
faster than the calculations for the Angle setting.

Ignore Alpha

Controls the leading edge of the blur. Deselect this option for a solid or hard leading edge on the blur.

Extra Final Blur

Adds a second blur after the Blur-Directional is created. If you have a Blur-Directional that begins at 0 and gradually gets stronger, deselect this option toensure a smooth progression.

Number of Iterations

The number of times the blur is applied to the image. A higher number of iterations
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increases render time.

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Blur - Gaussian Node
The Blur - Gaussian effect softens the image, reducing the amount of noise and detail. The look of the Gaussian bluris smooth, but does take some rendering time. This effect is useful when rendering time is less important, andquality is more important. Also, you can use a matte with this effect to isolate areas of the image.

For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

s

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergoa change of depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values
remain unchanged regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option
should be deselected when multiple drawings are composited and attached tothis effect.

Repeat Edge Pixels

Makes the blur algorithm operate as if the pixel values beyond the edge of thelayer are the same as the values of the edge pixels. This keeps edges sharp,
preventing them from darkening and becoming more transparent.

BlurrinessDirectional

Blurs according to the length, width, and angle you specify. For example, if acharacter is walking east, the blur may fall to the west.

BlurrinessAmount of blur applied to the layer.

Horizontal BlurrinessLength of the blur.

Vertical Blurriness

Thickness of the blur.

Angle

The direction in which the blur is applied: sideways, up, down, 90 degrees, 45
degrees, and so on.

Bidirectional

Blurs in both horizontal and vertical directions.

Matte

Precision: Blurs the image the number of times the precision indicates atdifferent radius (between 0 and the specified radius).

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Blur - Radial Node
T-HFND-010-007
The Blur-Radial effect creates an effect that softens, fogs or obscures the image evenly in all directions. This effectis useful when you want to make cloudy images not realistically seen in detail, such as a drawing object that is
farther back or in the background of your scene, usually blurry due to the laws of atmospheric perspective. Other
uses include the general softening of objects such as snow, stars and shadows that do not naturally have a hardoutline.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergoa change of depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values
remain unchanged regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option
should be deselected when multiple drawings are composited and attached tothis effect.

RadiusSize of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the strength or reach of the
blur. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
Click the Edit Curve button to change these values over time by adjusting thefunction curve.

Quality

Select High for a slow and accurate operation or Low for a faster operation witha more raw look.

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Blur - Radial Zoom Node
The Blur - Radial Zoom effect creates blurs around a centre point, simulating the look of a zooming or rotatingcamera. You can use a matte to isolate the area of the image from which you want the effect to radiate from. For
example, in the illustration below, a circular matte was created to mask the eyeball and a Negate effect was appliedso the blur is outside the matte. Then the centre point was positioned on the character's iris, which is the centre of
the matte.

For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergoa change of depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values
remain unchanged regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option
should be deselected when multiple drawings are composited and attached tothis effect.
2D Path: Lets you move the centre point visually in the Camera view.

Focus

Separate: Lets you control the x and y axis by entering values in the fields orby moving the centre point visually in the Camera view.

(x) and (y) Axis

When the Separate type of centre is selected, lets you individually set the x
and y coordinates for the centre.

BlurrinessAmount of blur applied to the layer.
Constant: An equal, constant blur is applied on all pixels.

Variation

Linear: A gradual blur is applied on all pixels.
Quadratic: An exponential blur is applied on all pixels.

Direction

Lets you select preset blur types or create a custom blur.

Presets

A set of preset radial, zoom, and spiral blurs to get you started. You can thenadjust the type to customize the blur.

CustomCreate your own blur by entering a value for the direction of the blur lines.

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Fall OffThe distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1. A fall-off rate of 0 causes the blur to fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of the character to the farthest edge ofthe blur. A fall-off rate of 1 causes the blur to fade out quickly, so the blur isheaviest closer to the edge of the image.

Bidirectional

Applies the blur on both sides of the pixel.

QualityAffects the quality of the blur by defining how fine the reference radial grid is on
the image. This determines the width of all the wedges. A higher quality yields
achieve better results, but will be slower to render.

Matte

Precision: Blurs the image the number of times the precision indicates atdifferent radius (between 0 and the specified radius).

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Blur-Variable NodeUse the Blur-Variable effect to create a radial blur that varies within a single image based on the white and black
values in the matte you supply. You can set one blur value for the black regions in the matte, and another blurvalue for the white regions. The blur value for each grey region is interpolated between your black and white blur
settings.

The following example is a network for a Variable Blur effect. A black and white copy of the character was used tocreate the effect. Use the Blur-Variable editor to control the blur value for the white and black radius.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Black radius

The amount of blur to apply to the black (transparent) values in the matte. Higher
values create more blur in the colour image's regions that correspond to the black
matte region.

White radius

The amount of blur to apply to the white (opaque) values in the matte. Higher values create more blur in the colour image's regions that correspond to the whitematte region.

Quality

Select High for a slow and accurate operation or Low for a faster operation with amore raw look.

Keep inside source image

This option confines the blur to the source image.

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Brightness Contrast Node
The Brightness and Contrast effect lets you modify the brilliance or dullness of an image or to create a greater
difference between the lights and darks of an image by increasing their respective intensities. This effect can beused when an image appears too flat. Increasing the brightness or contrast can give a drawing a more attractive
and 3D quality. This can be useful if you want to push your background to the rear by making it look dull and flatand pulling your foreground elements to the front by giving them a higher contrast.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Brightness

A value less than 0 will darken the image; a value greater than 0 will brighten it.
Attach a Bezier or Ease function to change the brightness over time.

Contrast

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contrast. Attach a Bezier or Ease function to change the contrast over time.
Legacy Brightness/Contrast

If you are using an older version of this effect, the Legacy Brightness andLegacy Contrast options are automatically selected. This ensures that the resulting effect looks the same as in older versions.

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Channel Selector Node
The Channel Selector effect lets you isolate one of the four colour channels of an image.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.

Red

Lets you select the red channel of an image.

Green

Lets you select the green channel of an image.

Blue

Lets you select the blue channel of an image.

Alpha

Lets you select the alpha channel of an image.

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Channel Swap Node
The Channel Swap effect lets you take the image information from one channel and use it in another channel toachieve interesting effects. You can extract the following: red, green, blue, alpha values, hue, saturation,lightness, and luminance, as well as turn the information on or off.

For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha
Channel From

Lets you select the image information to feed into the red, green, blue, and alphachannels. Full On sets all values to 255 and Full Off sets all values to 0.

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Chroma-Keying Node
The Chroma-Keying effect lets you create an alpha channel (transparency zone) for a bitmap image or image
sequence. For example, if you have a series of bitmap images with a character filmed on a green or blue screen,
you can use this node to create an alpha channel based on the screen colour and cut it out from your image
sequence.

The Chroma-Keying node MUST be connected to a bitmap image. The Chroma-Keying node will create an alphachannel that can be seen in the Camera view in the Matte Render mode. To cut the background colour from yourimage, you will need to use a Cutter node.

To obtain a better result than just extracting the raw colour, you can adjust some parameters such as the contour
blurriness and the matte size. You can see all the options available in the Chroma-Keying properties.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.

Colour
Red/Green/Blue/Alpha

Lets you enter the RGBA values for the colour to extract from your image.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker window where you can select a colour from the paletteor use the Dropper
tool to select a colour directly from your image—see
Selecting a Colour in a Drawing in Chapter 7: Ink and Paint in the PaperlessAnimation Guide.

MatteBlack Point

Increases the transparent (black) portion of the Chroma Key matte. This will
reduce the edge of the visible image.

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Reduces the transparent (black) portion of the Chroma Key matte. This will
increase the edge of the visible image.

White Point

Blur Passes

Lets you set the number of times the image will be blurred.

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When blurring the matte edge's with the Blur Passes parameter, the Adjacent
Pixel parameter will blur the matte border with the next few pixels (amount indicated in the field) to create a nicer edge.

Adjacent Pixels per Pass

OutputThreshold Mate

Applies a threshold (tolerance) to the selected colour to be removed. The
Threshold amount is set in the Threshold field.
Increases or decreases the tolerance for the selected colour to be removed fromthe image. The higher the value, the more coloured pixels will be considered in the
Chroma-Keying matte. The pixel colour value will not have to be as close to the
RGB value as the one selected in the colour swatch. A lower Threshold valuemeans the RGB values must be closer to the selected colour in order to be part ofThresholdthe matte.

Cut Colour

Removes the selected colour from the image and leaves a transparent zone so
you can see the background and other layers behind the image. If the option is disabled, the colour will remain, but an alpha channel is created that you can use
with any other nodes with a a Matte input.

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Colour Banding NodeUse the Colour Banding effect to add a colour banding visual effect to your elements. The node will associate aflat colour to the different regions of your element. These regions are delimited according the alpha values that are
set up in the effect node and which will be recognized on the original element. You can use this effect to change
the visual style of a particle node, for example, by giving it a more cartoonish look.

In this example, a Colour Banding node has been connected to a fire created with particle effects.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties
In the Colour Banding properties, there are four sections with which to set up the four different region's alpha andcolour override values.

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This is how the regions range are calculated.
lRegion1: Threshold 1 to Threshold 2lRegion2: Threshold 2 to Threshold 3lRegion3: Threshold 3 to Threshold 4lRegion4: Threshold 4 to 100% alphaParameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Threshold 1

Use this first threshold field to determine the first region outer limit. A value of 0
represent an alpha of 0 which is completely transparent. A value of 100 represents an alpha of 255 which is completely opaque. If for example, you enter avalue of 5 for the first threshold, the region of your element which is within therange of alpha going from 5% to the Threshold 2 value, will be coloured with the
Area 1 colour value.

RGBA

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region colour.
Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker where you can specify the colour for the first region.

Blur1–4

Add a blur effect to the edge of the first, second, third, and fourth region.

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Colour Art Node
The Colour-Art effect lets you isolate the colour art in a layer. Placing a Colour Art node after a drawing node in the
Node view only displays the Colour Art output. You can connect the Colour-Art node after nodes of any type. Any
bitmap information will pass through the node and be processed.

This effect will only work if there is something on the Colour Art layer of the drawing.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

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Parameter

Description

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.
When placing the node below a Composite node containing several drawing
nodes, such as a cut-out character, you can use this option to flatten theextracted result. For example, when extracting a series of outlines, parts that
may have been hidden by colour fills might now be visible. Enable the Flatten
option to cut the extra artwork. Harmony will use the colour fills to cut
unnecessary artwork. If your zones are not painted, nothing will be cut. This
option works with both pencil lines and brush strokes.

Flatten

Apply to Matte Ports on Input
Effects

At times, you may have situations where your node is placed below a Cutter
node using a mask input and a drawing input. By default, the effect only
processes the colours in the drawing input. The mask drawing remains
untouched. If you want to also filter the mask drawing, select the Apply to
Matte Ports on Input Effects option.

Antialiasing Quality

Smoothness setting applied to Colour-Art. Choose from Low (no antialiasing),
Medium Low, Medium and High (extensive antialiasing). The higher the setting, the greater the amount of antialiasing applied. Higher quality images
require more time to render and more memory from your system. Use a lower
quality when rendering a pencil test.

Antialiasing Exponent

Controls the extent of the area around the Colour-Art edges used in the antialiasing process. A higher value uses less area, resulting in sharper edges,
while a lower value uses more area, resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing
Quality value is set to Low (no antialiasing), this value is ignored.

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Colour-Override Node
The Colour-Override effects processes the colours in a drawing layer. Using this effect, you can change colours
from the palette without affecting the actual palette, swap clone palettes, or even replace a specific colour zone.
You can also substitute colour areas with bitmap textures. The drawings in this layer must be .tvg files as theColour-Override uses the colour palettes linked to them.

The Colour-Override effect lets you:l

Change colour values in drawings during the compositing process.

l

Use colour values from a specific colour palette in the palette list.

l

l

l

Establish the priority of override palettes in the palette list. For example, you may have different clones of thesame palette, such as a daytime and nighttime version.
Isolate specific areas of a drawing by selecting certain colours. For example, using specific colours to generate a matte for a glow effect.
Hide certain colours.

To learn how to use the advanced functions of the Colour Override node, see:
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Interface

Palettes
The Palettes section displays the palettes in the palette list of the selected layer. You can move these palettes
into the Whole Palette Overrides section to reorder them. If you have cloned palettes, the higher one in the list will
override the others. This is useful for overriding the clone palette ordering set in the scene through the Colourview.
You can load additional palettes in the palette list from either your project, by clicking on The Paletteor your computer by clicking on the Browse
button.
llbutton,The Palettebutton allows you to load a palette contained within the project hierarchy (Environment,
Job, Scene and Elements).
The Browse
button allows you to load a palette located outside the project hierarchy, anywhere on
your system or server. If you link to a palette outside of your project, you will be prompted with the following warning message:

You can hover your mouse over the palette name in any of the override sections to display the path to the palette.

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Colours
The Colours section displays the colour swatches of the selected palette. Move a swatch into the Colour-Overrides
section to change its value.

Whole Palette Overrides
The Whole Palette Overrides section forces the use of a particular palette (clone palette) or palette list ordering
during the compositing process. You must drag palettes from the Palettes section to change their order. Harmony
uses the palettes in the order they appear in the palette list to find the colour values associated with the colour IDs ofeach colour zone. To apply a different version of a colour palette to, for example, switch from a day to a night palette,
use the Override section to change the order of the colour palettes (you must be working with cloned palettes).

Individual Colour Overrides
When you drag a swatch from the Colours section to this section, you can override its value. You can also override acolour with a texture. The default override mode is set to New RGBA so you can override the RGB value as well as
the transparency value.
The Current column always displays the colours from the currently active palette. Selecting a clone palette in the
Palettes area will not change the colours if you haven't changed the active palette in the Whole Palette Overrides
section. The update will be done once you close and reopen the Colour Override Layer Properties window.

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Render Selected Colours Only
The Render Selected Colours Only section is used to display some colours and ignore all others. You may, forexample, want to display only the colour used for the character outline and ignore all the filling colours.

Only the colour swatches listed in the Rendered Selected Colours Only section will be rendered. The option is not
activated by default. If you want to display only the selected colours, you must select the correct option from theRendering menu:lllRender All: This is the default option. All colours in the palettes are rendered regardless of the listed selection. This allows you to quickly switch back and forth between your selection of colours and all the colours
without having to delete and add your swatches from and to the list.
Render Selected Colours: When this option is selected, the Colour Override module displays only thecolours listed in your selection.
Rendered Selected Colours and Bitmaps: This option displays all colours listed as well as any bitmap
images passing through the Colour Override node. For example, if you have a Composite node grouping aseries of drawing and bitmap nodes, the vector colours will be filtered through the Colour Override nodes
but the bitmap images will pass through without being affected. Note that you must be in Render View
mode to see the colours and bitmaps.

You might have situations where your Colour Override node is placed below a Cutter node using a mask input anda drawing input. By default, the Colour Override only processed the colours in the drawing input. The mask
drawing remains untouched. If you want the Colour Override to also filter the mask drawing, select the Apply to
Matte Ports on Input Effects option.

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Colour-Scale Node
The Colour-Scale effect offsets an image's colours. This effect is useful in creating ambient transitions, such as
from daytime to nighttime.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

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Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Red, Green, Blue, Alpha

The red, green, blue and alpha used to offset the image.

Hue

The colour or hue to offset the image.

Saturation

The amount of colour to offset the image.
Enter the value for the colour to offset the image. The actual colour values of
the image are not changed; instead, the channels are multiplied by a selectedamount. For example:

Value

l

l

l

A value of 1 does not change the colour values.
A value greater than 1 brings the colour channel value closer to 255 (orwhite).
A value less than 1 brings the colour channel value closer to zero (0 orblack).

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Contrast NodeUse the Contrast effect to increase or decrease the level of contrast in an image. This is done by changing thecontrast in the dark and bright pixels and setting the transition point between dark and bright.
You can enter static values in the dialog box fields or you can attach these values to function curves to change overtime.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.
The value that separates dark from bright colours. The midpoint is a value
between 0 and 1 that represents the percentage of the 0 to 255 RGB channel
range.

Mid Point

Pixels with colour values lower than the midpoint: These are considereddark pixels.
Pixels with colour values higher than the midpoint: These are consideredbright pixels.
The amount of contrast to be applied to pixels that fall on either side of the Mid
Point value.

Dark Pixel Adjustment andBright Pixel Adjustment

A value equal to 1: No change
A value less than 1: The node makes the pixel colours brighter
A value greater than 1: The node makes the pixel colours darker

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Dither Node
Dithering is the process of approximating a higher number of colours in a low bit-depth colour system. Use the Dither
effect to give the appearance of greater colour variability in 8-bit per channel colour images.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

The Dither effect is useful in the case of a gradient that varies between 100 and 105 in the blue channel, for example.
Since the difference in the colour values is not great, banding might appear in the image. In this case, use the Dither
node to give the impression of greater values of blue, decreasing the unwanted banding effect.
The results of the dither operation may be imperceptible.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Magnitude

A magnitude of 1 performs a normal dithering operation, using all bands of colour.
A magnitude greater than 1 introduces a bias towards brighter colours. A mag-

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nitude of less than 1 creates a faster transition between bands of colour, lessening the bias towards brighter colours.
Correlate

When selected, the three colour channels (RGB) are changed simultaneously, forbetter colour accuracy. When this option is not selected, the three channels are
dithered separately, resulting in smoother transitions.

RandomThe standard algorithm for the dithering operation.

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Focus NodeUse the Focus effect to set up depth-of-field effects for your scene. The Focus node is used to determine how muchblur will be applied to images, based on their distance from the focal point.

The focal point can be the zero value of your scene or you can link the Focus node to another node, such as a
drawing or peg layer, to retrieve the focal point from the node's Z-axis position.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Use the Focus editor to determine how the focus will change as objects move farther from the focal point.
In the Side view window, you can see how the blur values change based on their distance from the focal point.
Select the Focus node in the Node view, make sure you are using the Transform tool, then right-click on the Side
view window and select Control from the pop-up menu.

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If you edited the function curve and adjusted the velocity, you can also adjust the Bezier handles in the Side view.

Properties

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Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Mirror

Select this option to also blur images in front of the focal point.

Mirror Front/Back Ratio

When the Mirror option is selected, this ratio is applied to the calculation of theblur on images in front of the focal point. The default ratio of 1:2 produces realistic
results. Experiment with different values to create customized effects.

RadiusControls the amount of blur applied to an element based on its distance from the
focal point. Click on the Edit Curve button to change these values by adjusting
the function curve.

Quality

Controls the quality of the blur. A higher quality will achieve better results but will
be slower to render.

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Focus Multiplier Node
The Focus Multiplier effect works with the Focus node. This node applies a blur to the selected layer, based on
the blur radius in the Focus node.

Use the Focus Multiplier node when you want to apply the focus to selected elements or when you need to apply
the focus before doing more effects in a composite operation.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

You must disable the Apply Focus option in the Composite node in order to apply the focus effect to the selected
node only. If you do not disable that option, the focus effect will be calculated twice on the selected node.
Use the Focus Multiplier editor to multiply the Focus Radius by a selected value. You can enter a static value inthe Multiplier field or attach it to a function curve.

Properties

Parameter

Description

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Name

Use this field to rename the node.

MultiplierThis is the value by which the normal focus radius value is multiplied.

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Glow Node
T-HFND-010-009B
The Glow effect turns your image into a glow area with a bright soft-edged light or diffuse light region around an
image. The Glow effect is useful for creating a shining rim around objects, such as the sun or stars. Clone yourlayer or connect it a second time to the Composite node to display the original image on top of the glow.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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NOTE: If this effect is connected below a Composite node set to Pass-Through, the effect will be applied toeach element connected in the Composite node individually. If some of these elements are overlapping, theeffect will also overlap.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo achange of depth or scale. When disabled, the effect's values will remain365Chapter 4: Nodes

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unchanged regardless of depth or scale changes. It is recommended that thisoption be disabled when multiple drawings are composited and attached thiseffect.

Blur Type

Radial: The edges of the matte are blurred evenly around points that make up theedge of the matte.
Directional: The matte is blurred in the direction you select.

RadiusEnter a value for the size of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the blureffect. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
If you selected the Directional Blur type, you can set the direction of the blur byentering a value from 0 to 360 in this field.
0: Blurs the image to the west.

Directional Angle

90: Blurs the image to the south.
180: Blurs the image to the east.
270: Blurs the image to the north.
The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.

Directional Falloff Rate

0: Makes the blur fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of thecharacter to the farthest edge of the blur.
1: Makes the blur fade out quickly. The blur is heaviest closer to the edge of theimage.

Invert Matte

Inverts the matte used to create the tone, shadow, or highlight.

Use Matte/Source Colour

Creates the shadow or tone using the matte shape's colour. Be sure that you are
in render mode
to see this effect and that your background is NOT white andthat you do NOT have a white colour card node attached to the composite. As thematte only gives colour information, but no alpha, the matte is automatically multiplied with the background colours. If there is no colour card attached and thebackground appears black, you will see the matte colour at full opacity. If it is multiplied with a white background, the colours disappear into the full 255.

Multiplicative

Multiplies the tone or shadow colours with the background.

ColourRGBAEnter a value to add or subtract from the colour channels in the drawings or attachthese values to function curves.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker where you can specify the colour.

Intensity

Lets you set a value to determine the strength of the effect or attach a function toanimate the effect.

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Grain NodeUse the Grain effect to add a film grain to an image; the film grain looks like video noise.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

You can also use the Matte port to determine where the grain area will be applied. Connect the original image to the
Matte port to cover it entirely with grain.

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The Grain node has two input ports.
•

On the left port, attach the element that will act as the matte defining the grain area.

•

On the right port, attach the element on which you want to apply the grain effect.

Use the Grain editor to adjust the amount of grain to add to an image; you can also use it to adjust the sharpness
or softness of the grain.

Grain Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Noise

The amount of grain to add to the image based on the percentage of pixels toalter. The larger the value, the courser the grain. The smaller the value is to 0
(zero), the finer the grain.

SmoothThe amount of blending to apply to the grain effect, based on the blur radius, tomake the effect appear less pixelated. The larger the value, the greater thesmoothing.

Random at Each Frame

Computes the colour shift in the grain using a different value at each composite. This means that your images will look different each time you renderthem. Deselect this option and select a Seed Value to ensure the same result
every time you composite the grain effect.

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Seed Value

This value corresponds to a unique pattern in the grain. If you want to retain
this pattern in other frames, you can reuse this value.

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Greyscale Node
The Greyscale effect lets you convert a colour image to greyscale. This example demonstrates what happens
when you set the greyscale to 100% using the Greyscale node.

You can also use the Contrast node to adjust the darkness and lightness of the pixels in your element.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

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Name

Lets you rename the node.

Percent

Lets you enter the percentage of black and white to apply to the image. You
can enter a static value in the Percent field or attach the value to a function
curve to change over time.

Matte Output

Maintains the colour values. However, alpha values are read from the colours
you see in the Camera view Matte View mode.

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Hue-Saturation NodeThe Hue-Saturation effect lets you adjust the hue, saturation and lightness values individually or by using the
HLS picker or Hue Range picker. You can achieve effects over the entire image, such as a sepia tone. Changes
you make to the values are additive to the final image.

For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

MasterAllows you to remap all the colours at the same time using the Hue, Saturationand Lightness fields.
Note: When using the Master parameters, the Colorize parameters are disabled.
Opens the Hue Range Picker which displays the original colour spectrum of theimage in the top bar and the new colour spectrum in the bottom bar. The
Saturation and Lightness in the upper bar can range from -100 to 100, allowing you
to decrease the original values.

Colourize

Lets you set the hue, saturation, and lightness by entering values or by using the
HSL Picker. In the Colorize mode, Lightness can range from -100 to 100.

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Select a colour by moving the colour picker.
Note: When using the Colourize parameters, the Master parameters and othercolour tabs are disabled.
Hue

The colour or hue of the image.

Saturation

The amount of colour in the image.

Lightness

The brightness of the image.

Colour Swatch

Opens the HLS Picker where you can specify the colour.

Tabs

Reds, Greens, Blues, Cyans, Magentas, Yellows
Opens the Hue Range Picker. The top bar displays the colour spectrum witharrows for defining the colour range more precisely. The triangles indicate thefalloff of the effect, which you can also adjust.

Specify the hue as an angle from 0° to 360° that corresponds to a location on thecolor wheel. Specify saturation and lightness (B) as percentages (0 to 100).
Reset Range

Resets only the range of hue values over which the effect is applied, i.e. thearrows and triangles. The HSL adjustments are maintained.

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Layer Selector Node
The Layer Selector effect lets you isolate and display one or more art layers:lOverlaylLine ArtlColour Artl

Underlay

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Read Overlay, Line Art, Colour Turns the display of the Overlay, Line Art, Colour Art and Underlay layers on orArt, Underlay
off.
When placing the node below a Composite node containing several drawing
nodes, such as a cut-out character, you can use this option to flatten theextracted result. For example, when extracting a series of outlines, parts that
may have been hidden by colour fills might now be visible. Enable the Flatten
option to cut the extra artwork. Harmony will use the colour fills to cut
unnecessary artwork. If your zones are not painted, nothing will be cut. This
option works with both pencil lines and brush strokes.
Flatten

Apply to Matte Ports on Input
Effects

At times, you may have situations where your node is placed below a Cutter
node using a mask input and a drawing input. By default, the effect only
processes the colours in the drawing input. The mask drawing remains
untouched. If you want to also filter the mask drawing, select the Apply to
Matte Ports on Input Effects option.

Antialiasing Quality

Smoothness setting applied to the art layer. Choose from Low (no antialiasing),
Medium Low, Medium and High (extensive antialiasing). The higher the qualityof the chosen setting, the greater the amount of antialiasing that is applied.
Higher quality images require more time to render and more memory from yoursystem.

Antialiasing Exponent

Controls the amount of area around the art layer edges that is used in theantialiasing process. A higher value uses less area, resulting in sharper edges,
while a lower value uses more area, resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing
Quality value is set to Low (no antialiasing), this value is ignored.

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Luminance Threshold Node
The Luminance Threshold effect generates a matte by thresholding the luminance of an image. This works well withbitmap images that have many shades of colours. A pure vector image with flat colors could use a color override toisolate areas.

Thresholding is a method to segment or isolate certain zones in an image. This effect will isolate areas based on theimage's luminance. Thresholding is used within the Bloom effect—see Bloom Node on page 315.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

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Name

Allows you to change the node's name.
Controls how much of the dark value to clamp off. A high value will keep only the bright areasof your image.

ThresholdBrings back the entire spectrum of luminance in areas defined by the threshold to avoid
having only bright values.

Soften Colours

Multiplies the gamma value to make the area brighter or darker. A value of 1 keeps the
gamma the same as the original image. You can use the gamma modification on the whole
image if you use a threshold of 0 for example.

Gamma Correction

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Allows you output an image in grey values to use in combination with a Blending or Cutter
node elsewhere in the node structure.

Output Greyscale
Matte

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Matte-Blur NodeUse the Matte-Blureffect to blur a matte or change its colour. Here is an example of a network with the result of aMatte-Blur effect.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

NOTE: If this effect is connected below a Composite node set to Pass-Through, the effect will be applied toeach element connected in the Composite node individually. If some of these elements are overlapping, theeffect will also overlap.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo achange of depth or scale. When this option is deselected, the effect's values
remain unchanged regardless of any depth or scale changes. This option should
be deselected when multiple drawings are composited and attached to this effect.

Blur Type

Directional: Blurs the matte in the direction you select. For example, if acharacter is walking east, the blur may fall to the west.
Radial: Blurs the edges of the matte evenly around points that make up its edge.

RadiusEnter a value for the size of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the blureffect. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
If you select a Blur Directional type, you can select the direction of the blur byentering a value from 0 to 360 in this field.

‣ 0: Blurs the image to the west.
Directional Angle‣ 90: Blurs the image to the south.
‣ 180: Blurs the image to the east.
‣ 270: Blurs the image to the north.
The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.

Directional Fall-off Ratell

A fall-off rate of zero causes the blur to fade out slowly, distributing the blurevenly from the edge of the character to the farthest edge of the blur.
A fall-off rate of 1 causes the blur to fade out quickly so that the blur isheaviest closer to the edge of the image.

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Invert Matte

Inverts the matte used to create the glow. The matte will become a black silhouette while the glow fills the background space.

Use Source Colour

Uses the colours painted in the matte for the glow effect. If you deselect thisoption, select a colour and alpha values in the Colour section.

Multiplicative

Creates a more diffused glow.

ColourLets you choose the colour and alpha values for the glow effect.

Intensity

Lets you set a value to determine the strength of the effect or attach a function toanimate the effect.

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Matte-Resize Node
The Matte-Resize effect lets you evenly expand a matte outward in all directions. The matte increases size from its
centre.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

If you use the Matte-Resize node to create a pulsating glow, you can enlarge the region without softening the edges.
Using the Blur-Radial effect, the effect may be softer than you intend. This node produces a limited antialiased
matte, which can have slightly jagged edges. You could use this node in combination with other nodes, such as:
l

Tone

l

Highlight

l

Glow

l

Shadowl

Matte-Blur

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

RadiusLets you enter a static value for the radius (size increase or decrease) of thematte. You can also attach the Radius value to a function column to change
the value over time.

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Median Node
The Median effect lets you reduce the noise in a drawing while preserving its edges. Harmony sorts the values ofpixels within a specified radius and uses the median value. You can also use this effect to create a Impressionist
type of style.

The Median effect is only visible when the Camera view is set to Render
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.
Lets you specify the size of the area of values to consider determining the median value. A
median is calculated by sorting all the pixel values from the surrounding area into
numerical order. Then the middle pixel value is used to replace the pixel being considered.

RadiusThe median tends to make an image look a bit blurrier because it reduces the contrast ofadjacent pixels. However, it does a good job of smoothing the image and removing
artifacts.
Determines the number of levels per colour channel. The larger the number, the morelevels of colour are used in the image and the more time it takes to render. Conversely, thelower the colour depth, the fewer colours are used, the faster it is to render.

Colour Depth

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Motion-Blur Node
The Motion-Blur effect is used to create a faded trail behind objects animated on a motion path. You cannot createa Motion-Blur on a hand-drawn animation. The layer must be moving along a trajectory (motion path) in order towork properly.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

You can also use a matte to apply the blur only on a certain area of the drawing.

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The Motion- Blur effect automatically creates a matte for the drawing layer attached to it, so it is not necessary toconnect any matte into the Mask layer.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Number of Frames in Trail

Number of frames before the current frame that will be used in the trail.

Number of Samples

Number of copies of each drawing used in the trail. The higher the number, themore continuous the trail appears.
The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.

Fall-off Rate

A fall-off rate of 0 causes the trail to fade out slowly, distributing the colour evenly
from the edge of the character to the farthest edge of the trail.
A fall-off rate of 1 causes the trail to fade out quickly so that the trail is moreopaque closer to the edge of the image and transparent at the end of the trail.

Intensity

Select a value to define the opacity of the trail between 0 and 10. A value of 10 will
make the trail very dark and almost opaque, where as a value of 0 will make thetrail quite pale and ghostly transparent.

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Use Mirror on Edges

When enabled this option appear when the image is close to the edge of the camera frame. It forces the software to use a mirror of the image to calculate the blurso that it appears on both sides of the drawing object. Without this option once
your drawing reaches the edge of the Camera frame, it gets cropped so does thetrail.

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Negate Node
The Negate effect lets you invert the colour and/or alpha values in the Colour Art and Line Art of an image. The
original value of each channel (RGB or A) is subtracted from the maximum value of that channel (255 for 8-bit
channels) to produce the negative image.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Negate Colour

Inverts the values of the colour channels.

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Negate Alpha

Inverts the transparency value (alpha channel).

Negate Colour Clamp to Alpha

Limits the negated area to the alpha channel.

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Overlay Layer Node
The Overlay Layer effect lets you read an element's Overlay Art layer. By placing an Overlay Layer node after adrawing node in the Node view, you can display only the node's Overlay layer output. The Overlay Layer node canbe connected after nodes of any type. Any bitmap information will pass through and be processed.

This effect will only work if something has been drawn or painted on a drawing's Overlay Art layer.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

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Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.
When placing the node below a Composite node containing several drawing
nodes, such as a cut-out character, you can use this option to flatten theextracted result. For example, when extracting a series of outlines, parts that
may have been hidden by colour fills might now be visible. Enable the Flatten
option to cut the extra artwork. Harmony will use the colour fills to cut
unnecessary artwork. If your zones are not painted, nothing will be cut. This
option works with both pencil lines and brush strokes.

Flatten

Apply to Matte Ports on Input
Effects

At times, you may have situations where your node is placed below a Cutter
node using a mask input and a drawing input. By default, the effect only
processes the colours in the drawing input. The mask drawing remains
untouched. If you want to also filter the mask drawing, select the Apply to
Matte Ports on Input Effects option.

Antialiasing Quality

Smoothness setting applied to the art layer. Choose from Low (no antialiasing),
Medium Low, Medium and High (extensive antialiasing). The higher the qualityof the chosen setting, the greater the amount of antialiasing that is applied.
Higher quality images require more time to render and more memory from yoursystem.

Antialiasing Exponent

Controls the amount of area around the art layer edges that is used in theantialiasing process. A higher value uses less area, resulting in sharper edges,
while a lower value uses more area, resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing
Quality value is set to Low (no antialiasing), this value is ignored.

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Pixelate Node
The Pixelate effect lets you apply a mosaic effect to an image (and its matte) based on the matte you supply.
Pixelation makes the image look like it is made up of square tiles.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

FactorLets you control the amount the image is pixelated. You can attach the Factor

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value to a function curve to change the value over time.

Antialiasing Exponent

Controls the amount of area around the art layer edges that is used in theantialiasing process. A higher value uses less area, resulting in sharper edges,
while a lower value uses more area, resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing
Quality value is set to Low (no antialiasing), this value is ignored.

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Remove Transparency Node
The Remove Transparency effect negates transparent values in an image. You can use the Remove Transparency
node to remove the result of antialiasing around an image.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

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Filter NodesThresholdAll values above the Threshold represent a transparent value. In this field, youmust identify the value above which all alpha values are considered transparent.
Alpha is measured from 0 to 255.

Remove Colour Transparency

Determines which pixels in the Colour-Art (RGB channels) to make fully opaqueor fully transparent.

Remove Alpha Transparency

When selected, the Threshold value is used to determine which pixels in thealpha channel to make fully opaque or fully transparent.

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Shadow NodeWith the Shadow effect, you can turn a drawing into a shadow. It doesn't matter if the drawing layer is a fully
coloured character. The Shadow effect will render it into a grey, semitransparent, slightly blurry silhouette. Clone
your image or connect it a second time to the final Composite node to see the original image displayed on top of the
shadow.

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

NOTE: If this effect is connected below a Composite node set to Pass-Through, the effect will be applied toeach element connected in the Composite node individually. If some of these elements are overlapping, theeffect will also overlap.

Properties
Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Enables or disables the selected node in the Camera, Timeline, and Node views.

Colour Swatch

Changes the node and layer colour.

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Truck Factor

Activated by default, this option readjusts the blur when the elements undergo a399

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Filter Nodeschange of depth or scale. When disabled, the effect's values will remainunchanged regardless of depth or scale changes. It is recommended that thisoption be disabled when multiple drawings are composited and attached thiseffect.

Blur Type

Radial: The edges of the matte are blurred evenly around points that make up theedge of the matte.
Directional: The matte is blurred in the direction you select.

RadiusEnter a value for the size of the blur. The larger the value, the greater the blureffect. The blur radius is affected by the drawing scale and camera position.
If you selected the Directional Blur type, you can set the direction of the blur byentering a value from 0 to 360 in this field.
0: Blurs the image to the west.

Directional Angle

90: Blurs the image to the south.
180: Blurs the image to the east.
270: Blurs the image to the north.
The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.

Directional Falloff Rate

0: Makes the blur fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of thecharacter to the farthest edge of the blur.
1: Makes the blur fade out quickly. The blur is heaviest closer to the edge of theimage.

Invert Matte

Inverts the matte used to create the tone, shadow, or highlight.

Use Matte/Source Colour

Creates the shadow or tone using the matte shape's colour. Be sure that you are
in render mode
to see this effect and that your background is NOT white andthat you do NOT have a white colour card node attached to the composite. As thematte only gives colour information, but no alpha, the matte is automatically multiplied with the background colours. If there is no colour card attached and thebackground appears black, you will see the matte colour at full opacity. If it is multiplied with a white background, the colours disappear into the full 255.

Multiplicative

Multiplies the tone or shadow colours with the background.

ColourRGBAEnter a value to add or subtract from the colour channels in the drawings or attachthese values to function curves.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker where you can specify the colour.

Intensity

Lets you set a value to determine the strength of the effect or attach a function toanimate the effect.

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Transparency
T-HFND-010-008
The Transparency effect is used to make an image partially transparent. The Transparency effect is useful whenfading images in and out, such as a phantom or to make something partially see-through, such as a window.

AuthorChristina Halstead
2D Animator and Character Designer
shadowbrushcreations.com

Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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You can enter a value in the Transparency field or change the transparency value over time by linking it to afunction curve. Entering a value of 100 in the Transparency field will make the element 100% transparent, in otherwords, invisible. Entering a value of 0 will render the element completely opaque.
It is also possible to adjust a layer/node's transparency directly in the Layer Properties window without using theTransparency node. In the layer's properties, go to the Drawing tab and adjust the Opacity parameter. Thisparameter is visible in OpenGL mode.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Allows you to change the node's name.

Transparency

Lets you set the opacity of an element. Values range from 0 to 100. A value of
100 will make the element 100% transparent and a value of 0 will render the ele-

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ment completely opaque.

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Underlay Layer Node
The Underlay Layer effect lets you read an element's Underlay Art layer. By placing an Underlay Layer node after
a drawing node in the Node view, you can display only the node's Underlay layer output. The Underlay Layer node
can be connected after nodes of any type. Any bitmap information will pass through and be processed.

This effect will only work if something has been drawn or painted on a drawing's Underlay layer.
Refer to the following example to connect this node.

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Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

When placing the node below a Composite node containing several drawing
nodes, such as a cut-out character, you can use this option to flatten theextracted result. For example, when extracting a series of outlines, parts that may
have been hidden by colour fills might now be visible. Enable the Flatten option to
cut the extra artwork. Harmony will use the colour fills to cut unnecessary
artwork. If your zones are not painted, nothing will be cut. This option works withboth pencil lines and brush strokes.
Flatten

Apply to Matte Ports on Input
Effects

At times, you may have situations where your node is placed below a Cutter nodeusing a mask input and a drawing input. By default, the effect only processes thecolours in the drawing input. The mask drawing remains untouched. If you want toalso filter the mask drawing, select the Apply to Matte Ports on Input Effects
option.

Antialiasing Quality

Smoothness setting applied to the art layer. Choose from Low (no antialiasing),
Medium Low, Medium and High (extensive antialiasing). The higher the quality of
the chosen setting, the greater the amount of antialiasing that is applied. Higher
quality images require more time to render and more memory from your system.

Antialiasing Exponent

Controls the amount of area around the art layer edges that is used in theantialiasing process. A higher value uses less area, resulting in sharper edges,
while a lower value uses more area, resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing
Quality value is set to Low (no antialiasing), this value is ignored.

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Generator Nodes
The nodes found in the Generator category are nodes that generate an image on their without using any external
TVG or bitmap drawings. You can adjust the parameters to control the image outputted by these nodes.
Burn-In Node407

Colour-Card Node410

Element / Drawing Node412

Field Chart Node422

Gradient Node426

Grid Node429

Lens Flare Node432

Turbulent Noise Node

435

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Burn-In Node

The Burn-In effect lets you add scene information which is visible in the Camera view. The information is displayed
on top of any content in the scene. You can choose to display the scene name, timecode, frame count, environment
and job, as well as add a frame offset if you need blank frames to precede the scene content. Also, to make theinformation more visible, you can also add a background and choose its colour, and customize the text font andalignment.
When you attach a Burn-In node to a Composite node, the burn-in information is rendered when you export thescene.

NOTE: When you're working with 3D objects with a high Z position value, you may find the objects obscuring
the scene information. To work around this, use a peg to ensure the burned in scene information is always visible.

How to add burn in scene information
1. In the Node Library, drag a Burn-In node to the Node view.

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2. Connect it to the Composite node.
3. On the Burn-In node, click the square yellow properties button.
The Burn-In property window displays.

4. In the Show section, enter the following information:‣

Frame Number: The frame number to start the burn-in information.

‣

Time code: The time code at which the burn-in information starts.

‣

Scene name: By default the scene name, environment and job information is display. Type thefollowing to display specific types of information.
Scene Name: %s
Environment: %e
Job: %j‣

Frame Offset: Add lead-in frames before the scene begins or at a specific frame. Use positive values
for frames that precede the scene content and negative values to start your scene information at a
certain frame number.

5. In the Text section, customize the text that is displayed.
6. In the Background section, add a background box to make the text more visible and then customize the colour.

Burn-In Properties
Parameter

Description

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Name

Allows you to change the node's name.

Show
Frame Number

Displays the number of the current frame.

Time CodeDisplays the time code of the current frame.
Lets you display different types of information, including the scene name, environment and job. You can display one or all of these pieces of information. To
do so, type the following in the Scene Name field:

Scene Name•

Scene Name: %s•

Environment: %e• Job: %j
You can rearrange the order in which the information is displayed. For example,
you may want to see the job before the environment.
Frame Offset

Lets you add blank lead-in frames before the scene or somewhere in thescene. Use positive values for frames that precede the scene content and negative values to start your scene information at a certain frame number.

Text
Font

Lets you select a font for the information displayed.

Alignment

Lets you set the alignment of the text: Left, Center, Right.

Size

Lets you set the size of the text.

Background
Add Background Box

Adds a box behind the scene information which is useful when the scene contains colours or content that may make it difficult to read the scene information.

Colour
Red/Green/Blue/Alpha

Lets you enter R, G, B and A values for the colour of the background box.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker window where you can select a colour from thepalette or use the Dropper
tool to select a colour directly from your image—see Selecting a Colour in a Drawing in Chapter 7: Ink and Paint in the
Paperless Animation Guide.

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Colour-Card Node

The Colour Card is a solid background the same size as the camera. The Colour Card lets you fill the scene's
background with a solid colour when there is no background image. If no background or colour card is added to thescene, the resulting export will appear with a black background.
By default, the Colour Card has a Z ordering value of 12 Backward. This puts the Colour card behind all elementsthat have a value lower than 12 Backward. Most of the time, the Colour card will appear automatically behind all
the scene elements as they are all set to 0 Backward, unless you have changed the Z ordering of the scene
components. If so, the Colour Card will be in front of the elements that are pushed back to more than 12 fields
backward.

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Colour Card Properties
Parameter

Description

Depth

The value used to determine composition order when the Z value of two elements
is the same.

Offset Z

The front-back position of the Colour Card layer in 3D space. This value can beverified in the Top view.

Red/Green/Blue/Alpha

The colour and transparency of the Colour Card. You can also attach theseparameters to function columns to change their values over time.
Click the colour swatch to open the Colour Picker window and select a colour.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can specify the colour.

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Element / Drawing Node
The drawing layer's properties is composed of the following tabs:
Transformation Tab
The Transformation tab contains parameters for adjusting the position, scale, rotation, skew and pivots of anelement.
When the Enable 3D option is selected, additional parameters appear in the Rotation and Pivot sections to rotate
objects on 3 axis in the 3D space.

Parameter

Description

Enable 3D

Displays additional parameters for working with 3D objects.

Position

3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.

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Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.
Path (x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.
Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at which
Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash andstretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.
Scale(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.
Scale in Fields: Instead of using the standard scaling units, when this option
is enabled, images are scaled using field units, based on the traditional
animation field chart.
Ignore Parent Scaling: When this option is enabled, any scaling value
applied to a parent layer is ignored in the current layer. This can be handy in
cut-out rigs when you need to scale an arm without affecting the forearm.

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

Skew

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

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

Permanent Pivot

This is a permanent pivot, sometime referred to as peg pivot, that is applied tothe entire drawing or peg layer. If you modify its position, it will be changed forthe entire layer, modifying the animation, scale and rotation interpolation. The
permanent pivot is set using the Rotate, Translate or Scale tool. The
Transform tool will only move that pivot temporarily for positioning purposes,
but the animation interpolation will be done from the original permanent pivot's
position. The Transform tool is designed to move the pivot temporarily during
the animation process. It also permits you to select multiple pegs and apply acommon temporary pivot.

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To permanently move a peg pivot, use the Rotate or Scale tool. You can also
directly type the values in the Layer Properties window in the Pivot section's(x) Axis and (y) Axis fields.
In the Layer Properties window, in the Drawing Pivot section, select the Don't
Use Embedded Pivot option to use the permanent pivot.
lDrawing Pivot

The Drawing pivot is contained within each drawing. In one layer, each drawing
can have its own pivot. If you have many different views of a character within
one layer, the pivot positions can be different and the animation will adjust to
the pivot. The Drawing pivot can also be referred to as embedded pivot. If you
are not mixing different views within the same layers or are using pegs toanimate your layers, it is recommended to use the permanent pivot.
You can set a different pivot for each one of your drawings. For example, if you
have a series of drawings from different views, they are not likely to rotate fromthe same location. In that case, you can set a different pivot for these drawings
by using the Drawing Pivot
tool.

In the Layer Properties window, in the Drawing Pivot section, select the Apply
Embedded Pivot on Drawing Layer option to use the drawing pivot directlyon the drawing layer. If you want to apply the drawing pivot to a parent peg toforce the peg to follow the drawing pivot variations, enable the Apply
Embedded Pivot on Parent Peg option.
lSymbol Pivots

The Symbol pivot is similar to the Drawing pivot. Each symbol cell can have its
own pivot and act the same as the Drawing pivot. The Symbol pivot can also
be referred to as embedded pivot. Inside a symbol, each drawing can have its
own pivot. If you are not mixing different views within the same layers or areusing pegs to animate your layers, it is recommended to use the Peg pivot.
For a simple character rig, it is recommended to set the Peg pivot (even on
drawing layers) using the Rotate
tool.

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

Parameter

Description

Element Columns

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

Timing Columns

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

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

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When an image is created with an external software and that image has sometransparency, there are several formats the software can use when writing the
RBG channels. The purpose of the four import options for the transparency is forthe user to tell Harmony how to interpret the RGB channels of the imported
image. The correct option has to match the ouput format of the software that wasused to create the image in the first place. For instance, if the you used Adobe
Photoshop and exported an image as Straight, then it should be imported inHarmony as Straight in order to get the correct result.
Note that if the image has no alpha channel or if it does have an alpha channel andall the pixels are 100% opaque, it does not make any difference which option is
selected.
Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images. If thismodule reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether thecolour should be read or ignored. If this module reads 1-channel bitmaps, thisselection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When thisoption is selected with 1-channel images, the resulting image will be a greyscale
image.
Bitmap File Options

Transparency: Controls the production of alpha information from bitmap images.
If this module reads a 1 or 3-channel image, this option will create a matte fromthe colour values in the image. If the module reads a 4-channel image and thisoption is not selected, the alpha information in the image will be ignored.
Transparency Type
Premultiplied with Black: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black.
Premultiplied with White: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with white.
Straight: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are left as is (unmatted).
Clamp Colour to Alpha: Semi-transparent pixels in the original image are
blended with black. On import, each of the RGB channels is clamped so that acolor value never exceed the alpha value for a given pixel. When the RGB values
are multiplied with the alpha value, that is to say, if you have a pixel of value
R=247, G=188, B=29 and the alpha is 50% or the image has a 50% transparency,
then the actual RGB values output would be half of the amounts listed above.

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Controls Tab

The Controls tab contains animation control options.
Parameter

Description

Animation

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

Angle Limit Values

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

Spline Offset

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

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

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Parameter

Generator Nodes

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

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

Alignment

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Centre Fit: Centers the drawings.

•

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

•

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

•

Centre TB: Aligns the drawings in the top-bottom centre of thealignment rectangle. Harmony scales the drawings to match theirwidths to the width of the alignment rectangle of the scene.

•

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

•

As Is: Leaves the drawings aligned as they are.

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

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

Line Thickness

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

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l

•

Adjust Pencil Lines Thickness: Lets you work with pencil lines andadjust their thickness. You will not see any changes to lines in the Camera view OpenGL mode. You must switch to the Render mode.
Normal Thickness: Disables all overrides on the brush stroke line thickness. This option must be enabled in order for the pencil line thickness
parameter and pencil lines to appear. If you want to modify the brushstroke thickness, deselect this option. To enable brush strokes to workwith the line thickness feature, you must first create central strokes in
the Colour Art layer. The central strokes control the line variation of yourbrush strokes in the Line Art layer. Select Drawing > Create Colour
Art from Line Art.
Zoom Independent Thickness: Select this if you want your line thickness to remain constant independently from the camera move.
Everything else will increase in size, but the line thickness will stay thesame.
Proportional: Enter a multiple by which you want to increase the line
thickness base on its original thickness. A value of 1 will result in nochange; a value of 0 (zero) will hide the lines.
Constant: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) to indicate the amount of pixels you want to add around theexisting line.
Minimum: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) for the minimum line thickness allowed.
Maximum: Enter a value in pixels (based on a 720x540 screen resolution) for the maximum line thickness allowed.
Antialiasing Quality: A smoothness (antialiasing) setting applied to thefinal rendered image.
•

Low: No antialiasing•

Medium Low: Basic antialiasing•

Medium: Improved antialiasing (blurs the textures)•

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

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

Antialiasing Exponent: Controls the size of the area around the final
image edges used in the antialiasing process. A higher value uses lessarea, resulting in sharper edges, while a lower value uses more area,
resulting in softer edges. If the Antialiasing Quality value is set to Low(no antialiasing) or Medium Low, this value is ignored. Values: Between
0 and 1.

•

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

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

Nearest: This option chooses the colour of the closest pixel to a420

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point. (Lower Quality)•

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

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

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

•

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

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Field Chart Node

The Field Chart node displays a traditional animation field chart, which allows you to position elements in the
Camera view. The Field Chart node doesn't export. If you want to export a field chart, use the Grid node—see Grid
Node on page 429.

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Field Chart Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Drawing
Size

Adjusts the number of units in the grid (field chart). The grid size will always be a
4:3 ratio, as per traditional animation standards. The gird is available in 12 or 16
fields.

OpaqueInserts a white background behind the grid and covers everything else behind it.
By default, you can see through the grid.
•

Antialiasing•

Low: No antialiasing•

Medium Low: Basic antialiasing•

Medium: Improved antialiasing (blurs the textures)•

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

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

Alignment Rule

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

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

The alignment rule selections are intended to deal with drawings that werecreated on paper of a different size or orientation from the default alignment rule(set up in the Scene Settings dialog box) or imported bitmap images. The

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drawings are then scaled to match the Harmony alignment rectangle. Note thatalignment rules are not based on the camera frame, but on the scene frame. Referto the Fundamentals Guide to learn more about scene alignment and scene
settings.
•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

Centre Fit: Centers the drawings.

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

As Is: Leaves the drawings aligned as they are.

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

Turn Before Alignment

Turn Before Alignment: Rotates the drawings in the selected element 90
degrees to the left before scaling and aligning them according to the alignment
rule, and before performing any offset, rotation or scaling for the element or peg.
This and the Alignment Rule are intended for drawings that were created on paperof a different size or orientation than the other paper in the scene, and requiresalignment so they are treated accurately.

Depth

Overrides the order of cables in the node system to determine the424Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

forward/backward order in which this element is rendered. The Z position value
overrides the depth value.
Position

Animate Using Animation
Tools

By default, the grid can be animated using the same parameters as a peg, but you
can disable this feature so the field chart remains in place. You can connect it to apeg to animate it or move it.
When this option is deselected, you cannot move the layer in the Camera viewusing the Transform and Advanced tools. This prevents you from accidentallydisplacing or modifying a layer.
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path function to animate an element.
Separate: Lets you independently edit the different coordinate fields.

Position

Path (x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.
Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.
Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash and stretch).

Scale(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.
(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.
Scale in Fields: Instead of using the standard scaling units, when this option isenabled, images are scaled using field units, based on the traditional animation
field chart.

Angle Z

Lets you type in a degree value for the rotation angle. Note that you can enter
values greater than 360 and -360 degrees. If you enter 720, the object will rotate
twice.
(x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

Pivot(y) Axis: Lets you ype in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

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Gradient Node

The Gradient effect lets you create a transition of colour or alpha values between two areas of colours. You cancreate a linear or radial gradient. Use two points to indicate where those two coloured areas are. You can thenmove these points to create the transition.

The Gradient node covers the entire camera frame and beyond. You do not need to scale it up or down. It willautomatically cover an infinite zone. You simply need to connect it behind your scene's elements. You canconnect it in front of some elements you want to cover. By default, the Gradient has a Z ordering value of 0. Whenyou select the Gradient node, the Camera view displays yellow triangles to indicate that it's selected.
Use the Gradient property editor to modify the values of the gradient and the position of its output.

Controlling the Gradient in the Camera View
If you want to control the gradient's orientation and points position in the Camera view, you can use the Control
command to display the points and move them.
How to control the gradient in the Camera view
1. In the Tools toolbar, select the Transform

tool.

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2. In the Node view, select the Gradient node.
3. From the top menu, select View > Show > Control.
4. In the Camera view, click the Gradient's points and move them.

Gradient Properties

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Parameter

Description

Gradient Type

Lets you select a linear or radial gradient.

Point 1, Point 1

These sections control the values of the first point (point 0) and the second
point (point 1) in the gradient.

Red, Green, Blue, Alpha

The colour and alpha values of the corresponding point. You can also click thecolour swatch to open the Colour Picker window and select a new colour.
These colours can be animated over time if the value parameter is attached toa function curve. Default values: 0,0,0 and 255, 255, 255.

(x) Axis

Sets the X coordinate for the corresponding point.

(z) Axis

Sets the Y coordinate for the corresponding point.

Offset Z

Enter the front-back position of the Gradient layer in 3D space. You can verify
this value in the Top view.

Depth

Determines the composition order when the Z value of two elements is the
same.

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Grid Node

The Grid node displays a grid, in field chart unit, which allows you to position elements in the Camera view.

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Grid Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Size

Adjusts the amount of units in the grid (field chart). The grid size will always be
a 4:3 ratio, as per traditional animation standards, but will adjust the camera
frame width. You can change the grid to adjust to the camera frame bydeselecting the Fit Vertical option.

Aspect

The grid size default format is 4:3 ratio, as per traditional animation standards,
but will adjust the camera frame width. You can change the grid ratio by enteringa new ratio. To find your scene ratio, select Scene > Scene Settings.

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Fit Vertical

Makes the grid size adjust the camera width or height.
Display Text

Turns the display of numbers on or off.

Fill

Makes the grid's background opaque. Nothing behind will be shown. You canalso click on the colour swatch to open the Colour Picker window and select abackground colour.

RGBA

The colour and alpha values of the corresponding point. You can also click on
the colour swatch to open the Colour Picker window and select a grid orbackground colour. Default values: 0,0,0 and 255, 255, 255.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can specify the colour.

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Lens Flare Node

The Lens Flare effect simulates the refraction caused by shining a bright light into a camera lens. The shape ofthe lens flare can be circular or hexagonal.
For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.
Here is how a typical lens flare can be set up:

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Lens Flare Properties

Parameter

Description

FlaresCustom: Lets you use your own custom art or drawing.
Flare TypeType 1: Circular lens flare.

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Type 2: Hexagonal lens flare.
Lets you apply a normal or screen blending mode to the image.
Normal: When selected, this operation will not create any blending mode effect.
Blend Mode: Normal/Screen

Position X, Y, Z

Screen: When deselected, this operation multiplies the inverted colour of theblending element with the image. This lightens the colour of the overlapping area.
Screen is the default blending mode.
Lets you precisely orient the flare in the x, y, and z axes.

Brightness
Intensity

The strength of the lens flare.

Red

Red values of the image.

Green

Green values of the image.

Blue

Blue values of the image.

Alpha

Alpha values of the image.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker where you can specify the colour of the main flare.

Flare 1–10

Lets you create custom lens flares by associating them with specific drawings.
You can create up to 10 different flares.
Drawing: Lets you specify a drawing to use for the flare.
Position: The position of the flare.
Size: The size of the flare.
Blur Intensity: The strength of the flare.

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Turbulent Noise Node

The Turbulent Noise effect uses Perlin noise to create greyscale noise for organic-looking backgrounds,
displacement maps, and textures, or to simulate clouds, fire, lava, steam, flowing water, or vapour. The Turbulent
Noise effect models turbulent systems with smaller noise features moving more quickly than larger noise features.
The Turbulent Noise effect creates smooth animations and takes less time to render than other noise or grain
effects.
For detailed video tutorials and sample scenes by Adam Phillips, see toonboom.com/resources/videotutorials/chapter/adam-phillips-harmony-effects.

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Turbulent-Noise Properties
Parameter

Description
Perlin: Creates pseudo random patterns. The greyscale contains a continuity
between different tones of grey.
Simplex: Creates a more contrasted noise pattern with more variation than Perlin. There is a smooth variation of intensity.
Sinusoidal: Creates a repeated wavelike pattern.

Noise TypeSub Scaling: Applies Perlin noise twice. The second noise is added where
dark areas appear in the original. The frequency of the second iteration ishigher so the noise is smaller.
Rocky: Uses the Perlin pattern but converts the very high and low values tomore moderate values. For example, the whites become light greys and theblacks become dark greys.
Small Bumps: Uses the Perlin pattern. The transitional grey areas between
blacks and whites become inverted so they look like dark lines. The extremes,
black and white areas, become whitish.
Transforms the noise pattern, created by the Noise type and controls the way
layers are composited. These are variations of the basic noise.
Turbulent Twist: Applies a turbulent effect on the pattern so it changes thetransition between black and white by adding more modulation.

Fractal Type

Fractional Brownian: Applies a basic application of noise and composites byadding subsequent layer with the Complexity parameter.
Threshold: Changes the dark greys into black values so there is more black in
the noise for higher contrast.
Invert Threshold: Inverts all the values of the Threshold type so a negative
image of it is created.
Terrain: Adds contrast and converts the dark greys into white or light greys.

Frequency

The density of displacement appearing in the noise. A higher value produces agreater amount of displacement in a given area; a lower value produces a smaller amount.

OffsetMoves the entire image.

LockedApplies parameter value while retaining the X and Y ratio.

Separate

Allows you to apply different parameter values to X and Y.

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When locked, applies parameter values to both X and Y. When separated,allows you to apply different value to X and Y.

Evolution

Determines the displacement pattern over time.
Evolution Frequency: This factor makes the complexity iterations animate ortransform at a higher speed. In other words, the second, third, etc. passes, controlled by the Complexity parameter, will mutate faster than the main one.

Complexity

Complexity: The number of noise layers that make up the noise. Each successive layer has a higher frequency, resulting in a smaller noise effect. You
can have up to seven passes. Increasing this number increases the depth andamount of detail in the noise. Use Complexity with Sub Scaling when the valueis 1 or greater. Note: Increasing the Complexity results in longer rendering
times.
Gain: Controls the amount of opacity present in the iteration of noise. This also
affects the layer when using Sub Scaling. With a value of 0, you will not see
the sub noise. A value of 1 will show the sub noise just as strong as the mainone. For example, with water ripples, a higher amount of Gain will reveal more
ripple or subripples.
Sub Scaling: The factor by which the main noise is modified at each iterationof complexity. A value of 1 make the two noises identical. A value of 2 makes
the sub noise twice as small. The next iteration would be 4 times smaller. Values must be greater than 1.
Depth: This value determines the composition order when the Z value of twoelements is the same.

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Group Nodes

Group Nodes
The nodes found in the group category are used to organize the Node view by grouping nodes and providing input
and output ports for these groups.
Group Node439

Multi-Port-In Node440

Multi-Port-Out Node

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Group NodeYou can group your elements to keep your work organized.
How to group nodes
1. In the Node view, drag a selection around the nodes you want to group.

2. In the Node menu, do one of the following:lSelect Edit > Group > Group Selected Layers.

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

You can also right-click in the Node view and select one of the following:llGroup > Group Selection With Composite or press Ctrl +Shift + G (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ +Shift + G (Mac OS X).
Group > Group Selection or press Ctrl + G (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + G (Mac OS X)

The selected nodes are grouped.

NOTE:
To ensure that you have a Multi-Port Out node in your group and that your group remains connected, include a
Composite node in your selection and make sure it is connected to the main Composite node of the scene
before grouping.

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Multi-Port-In Node
A Multi-Port-In node is added by default in a new Group node. Use it to add one or more input ports to the Groupnode so that you can process an image through the nodes in the Group node.

When you plug an element to a Multi-Port-In node, an input port appears at the top of the Group node. You can add
additional ports to the nodes as needed.
Pass your cursor over the Group node input port to see the name of the Port Image In node that it connects to.
You will notice that the Group node in these examples has no output port. It requires a Multi-Port-Out node to
output data from its network.
A Multi-Port-In is automatically added when you create a group.
Use the Multi-Port-In editor to rename the node.

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Multi-Port-Out Node
A Multi-Port-Out node is added in a new Group node by default. Use it to add output ports to the Group node so thatyou can output the result of the group operation to the rest of the network. After you plug an element to a Multi-PortOut node, an output port appears on the bottom of your Group node. You can add additional output ports as needed.

A Multi-Port-Out is automatically added when you create a group.
Use the Multi-Port-Out editor to rename the node in the network.

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Miscellaneous Nodes

Miscellaneous Nodes
The nodes found in the Miscellaneous category are various nodes used to either add notes to the Node view, use
external scripts or previous and hide elements in OpenGL and Render view.
External Node443

Note Node

446

Render Preview Node447

Script Node448

Visibility Node

449

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External NodeUse the External node to process images through external programs and input the resulting images back into the
network. Note that not all programs work with the External node.

Using the External node lets you avoid having to export your animation to another software to do some processing
over it and then bringing it back to Harmony. This way, you can modify your scene and animation as much as you
want and still use the effects or render process from a third-party software.

NOTE: Harmony also supports OpenFX plugins.

The External node writes input files to temporary files on the system. It then calls the external program, which willprocess the input images. If two images are input into the node, the program must composite them together toproduce one output image. Finally, the file produced by the external program is read back into the network.
The command is sent to the external program in the following format:
program_name file_1 file_2 output_file numerical_param extension

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Use the External editor to control the program that is launched by the node, the files that it reads, and the file that
it outputs into the network.

In this example, the ImageMagick 6.3 software was used without a matte connection.
Use the External editor to write down the parameters matching the chosen external program.

External Properties
Parameter

Description
The name of the program launched by the External node. This field can include
a full or relative path to the executable file. If no path is entered, the user's pathis searched to locate the program.
Enter the command directly into this field.
For example:

External Programmogrify -spread $NUM $IN1
Where:
mogrify: Is the name of the program
spread: Is the option to be applied,$NUM and $IN1: Are the numerical parameter and first input file variable444Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

declared in the External node.
The name and location of the temporary file that Harmony will write to the file
Program First Input File ($IN1) system for the external program to read. It must not include the dot or the extension; the External node will add these based on the Extension field.
Program Second Input File($IN2)

When processing two files through this node (such as an image and a matte),
this is the name and location of the second temporary file that Harmony writes
to the file system for the external program to read. It must not include the dot or
the extension; the External node will add these based on the Extension field.

Program Output File ($OUT)

The name and location of the temporary file that the external program will write
to the file system so that Harmony can read it back into the network.

Extension ($EXT)

The file type that will be processed by the external program.

Numerical Parameter($NUM)

A value passed to the external program as a file processing option. It can be
attached to a function curve to change over time.

The program files are temporary files that are overwritten at each frame as the node is executed. They are only
meant to temporarily store the image that is being processed at each frame.

Generate Unique FileNames

If this option is enabled, the temporary output file will have a unique identification number added to its name to avoid any file override if another scene orExternal script is rendered at the same time. It could be possible to have an
override when two scenes using the External nodes are rendered in batch processing.

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Note Node
The Note node allows you to record any textual information that is relevant to your project. You can add
comments, suggestions or reminders. You can add Note nodes anywhere in the network, including groups.

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Render Preview Node
To adjust the effect's visual controls in OpenGL mode, from the Node Library view, drag a Render Preview node to
the Node view. Connect it between the effect and the Composite nodes.

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Script NodeUse the script node to enter your own scripts to execute whatever custom functions you desire.

Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Use this field to rename the node.

Tabs
Attributes

By default this tab does not specify any function. You can enter script in theSpecifications tab to create functions for the Attributes tab.

Specifications

Enter code to create functions for the Attributes tab.

SoftrenderEnter or browse for script to be used during software rendering operations.

Initialization

Enter or browse for script that will run once per session, when the scene isloading.

CleanpEnter or browse for script that will run once per session, when the scene isbeing closed.

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Visibility Node
The Visibility node lets you control whether an item is visible in OpenGL mode versus the Soft Render mode in the
Camera view. If the Soft Render option is not enabled, the layer will not be exported.

Visibility Properties
Parameter

Description

Display in OpenGL View

Displays your render in OpenGL mode.

Soft Render449

Chapter 4: NodesMove NodesMove Nodes
The nodes found in the Move category are used to animate layers as well as camera motions.
Apply Image Transformation Node451

Apply Peg Transformation Node454

Camera Node458

Ortholock Node460

Peg Node

461

Transformation Tab

461

Quadmap Node462

Quake Node

464

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Apply Image Transformation Node
The Apply Image Transformation effect is mainly used when you want to pan an object out of the camera frame andthat object has an effect such as a Glow or a Blur on it. When you use a peg or the Apply Peg Transformation node totranslate an object such as the sun out of the camera frame, as soon as the sun starts to go outside of the camera
frame, the sun's circle is cropped and the blur is applied on the shape left over. This also means that when the sun iscompletely out of the frame, the Blur is not calculated anymore and the Blur pops out.
To prevent this from happening, you must use the Apply Image Transformation node to pan the sun out.
The Apply Image Transformation node applies the panning transformation once the full drawing of the sun is blurred,
once the image is composited. Here is an example of this network:

Here is how to connect the Blur effect for a sun panning out:

Here is the visual result of the blurred sun:

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Look at the following example to understand better why using the Apply Image Transformation instead of a regularpeg or the Apply Peg Transformation node.

The normal rendering behaviour is to crop the image before applying the effects. When planning a sunset using
either a Peg or the Apply Peg Transformation node, as soon as the drawing of the sun is out of the camera frame,
the drawing is cropped and there is no image left to blur. This means that the glowing edge pops out of the camera
instead of panning out gradually. Using the Apply Image Transformation node, the image is blurred before being452

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panned out, so this means that even once the drawing is out of the camera frame, its glowing edge will still show
until the drawing is far enough from the camera border. This way, there is no pop when panning out blurred objects.
Use the Apply Image Transformation editor to change the name of the node.

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Apply Peg Transformation NodeUse the Apply Peg Transformation node to apply a transformation coming from a Peg, Ortholock, or Quadmap
node on a single node or a group of nodes. When using the drawing layer's No Clipping option, you can use thisnode to apply all Camera and Peg transformations once all of the effects and nodes connected above the drawing
node are calculated.

You can use this effect node to create a simple highlight on a cut-out puppet or use the No Clipping option
available in the drawing layer.
The No Clipping option, found under the drawing Layer Properties' Advanced tab is used when you do not want tocrop your images before all effects are applied to your drawing. No camera motion or peg transformation will beapplied to your drawing until you connect an Apply Peg Transformation.
The advantage of this node is that you can create a second output of your image or puppet and offset it, scale it orapply any kind of transformation on it.
The transformations set in the Peg, Ortholock, or Quadmap node connected to the Apply Peg Transformation
node are applied BEFORE the image is composited.
Here is an example of how to connect the Apply Peg Transformation node:

The transformation set in the Peg node from the example above is applied before the image is composited, whichis the equivalent of the following network:

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In the following images you can see the result of the transformation without the Apply Peg Transformation node andwith it:Using the Apply Peg Transformation you can apply transformation on drawings that are outside the camera frame
and make them appear inside the frame.
If you are using the Apply Image Transformation node to create a drop-down shadow for a character, it will work
correctly so long as the character is not going outside of the camera frame or that the drawing connected in it is a
VECTOR drawing. The reason is the Apply Image Transformation node applies the transformation once the drawing
is rendered, moved by its own set of Pegs, motion paths and quadmap and cropped to the camera frame size. This
crop operation does not occur if the drawing is a vector drawing (*.TVG). Although, as soon as the drawing is passed
through an effect node or a bitmap type Composite node, the drawing is turned into a bitmap image and gets
cropped.
So, if you offset a bitmap half inside and half outside the camera frame, the outside part is cropped out and thenmoved by the Apply Image Transformation node. A part of the original drawing is cut. You need to use the Apply Peg
Transformation node for the transformation to be applied before the image is processed and cropped.

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Advanced Apply Peg Transformation
You can use the Apply Peg Transformation's middle port to apply the transformation you connected to the node
after one of the Peg or Quadmap connected above the drawing node.
In the following example, two pegs were added to control the different motions on independent trajectories:l

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When there is no Apply Peg Transformation node, the Peg-Translation is the first trajectory to affect the drawing
node. Then, once the translation is applied, the Scale trajectory affects the drawing node.
When using an Apply Peg Transformation node without using the middle port, the Peg-Rotation connected in the
APT node is applied at the top of everything. The order in which the trajectories are applied to the drawing node is:
1. Peg-Rotation
2. Peg-Translation
3. Peg-Scale
When the Peg-Translation is connected in the Apply Peg Transformation's middle port, the Peg-Rotation is applied
after the Peg-Translation and before the Peg-Scale. This means that the translation is done before the rotation
instead of the rotation before the translation.
The order in which the trajectories are applied to the drawing node is:
1. Peg-Translation
2. Peg-Rotation
3. Peg-Scale
Use the Apply Peg Transformation editor to rename the node.

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Camera NodeYou can setup the camera position by entering coordinates and values in the Layer Properties view.

Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Turns the camera layer on or off.

Change Track Colour

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

Name

Displays the current layer name. You can rename the layer by typing in a newlayer name.

Position

Displays the current position of the camera layer using X-axis (East/West), Yaxis (North/South) and Z-axis (Forward/Backward) coordinates. To reposition
your camera frame, type in the new values corresponding to the desired position coordinates. You can also use the up and down arrows to set the value ofeach field.

Angle

Displays the current rotation value. To set a new rotation position, type in a
new angle value. You can also use the up and down arrows to set the newangle value.

Pivot

Displays the current position of the rotation pivot of the camera layer. The camera will perform a rotation taking the position of the pivot as its angle centre. Bydefault, the pivot is set at the centre of the camera frame. To reposition thepivot point, enter new X and Y coordinates values in the appropriate field. To
see the pivot's position, the Rotate tool must be selected.

Clipping Planes

You can change the near and far clipping planes of the camera. The near plane

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plane is the far end of the camera cone. Nothing outside that range is visible.
This is useful when dealing with 3D elements and 3D sets. For example, thecamera can be looking inside a 3D box or room and you might want theforeground wall to not obstruct the view of the interior. By default, the nearclipping plane is set to 1 field and the far clipping plane is set to 1000 fields.
Override Scene FOV

Enable the FOV field in which you can type in a new field-of-view value.

FOV

Displays the current field-of-view default value. When enabled, you can type ina new zoom value for your camera frame. You can also use the up and downarrows to set the new zoom value.
Click on the Create Function button to animate the camera zoom value.

Set Default FOVResets the custom zoom value to its default value.

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Ortholock Node
When you create a 3D camera move in your scene, notice that layers are treated as flat objects. That is,
animation layers that are supposed to face the camera at all times will look like a flat sheet of rotating paper.

Use the Ortholock layer when mixing flat animation layers with a set built in 3D. Ortholock forces your drawing
layer to always follow the Camera angle. It does not follow its position or zooming level, only the rotation. This
prevents drawings from being distorted by the camera motion.

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Peg Node
Find below a description of all the Peg node parameters.

Transformation Tab
Parameter

Description

Enable 3D

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

Position

Path (y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.
Path (z) Axis: Lets you ype in a new Forward/Backward coordinate
corresponding to the desired position.
Velocity: When the 3D Path option is selected, lets you set the speed at which
Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. The X and Y axes scale
proportionally
Separate: Resizes the element allowing to modify the ratio (squash and stretch).
(x) Axis: Lets you type in the horizontal scale value.

Scale(y) Axis: Lets you type in the vertical scale value.
Scale in Fields: Instead of using the standard scaling units, when this option isenabled, images are scaled using field units, based on the traditional animation
field chart.
Ignore Parent Scaling: When this option is enabled, any scaling value applied toa parent layer is ignored in the current layer. This can be handy in cut-out rigs
when you need to scale an arm without affecting the forearm.

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

Skew

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

Pivot(y) Axis: Lets you ype in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

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Quadmap NodeThe Quadmap transformation layer lets you deform the shape of an element. For example, you can use it tocreate a drop-shadow effect on an element.

You can edit the Quadmap visually in the Camera view.
How to edit the Quadmap in the Camera view
1. In the Timeline view, click the Add Layerbutton and select Quadmap.

2. Connect the drawing you want to deformto the Quadmap.
‣

In the Node view, add a Quadmap node and connect to the drawing element node that you want theeffect to act on.

3. In the Tools toolbar, disable the Animate mode to change the value for the Quadmap over the entire duration of the element.
4. In the Timeline view, click on the Quadmap layer to select it.
5. From the top menu, select View > Show > Control or pressShift + F11.
The quadmap handles appear around the element in the window. There is also a pivot point at the centre of
the quadmap frame that you can reposition.

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6. In the Camera view window, use the Transform tool to move the points on the quadmap. Shift + click to
select multiple points.

The value of each point on the quadmap can be changed gradually. To do this, use the Quadmap node Layer
Properties to attach the points to function curves.
Only the X and Y values of each point in the quadmap can be changed.

Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

2D PathChanges the X and Y values simultaneously and control the velocity of thechange.

Separate

Changes the X and Y values separately. Each one can be attached to separate
function curves.

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Quake NodeThe Quake node lets you create a very common camera move, the camera shake. Using the Quake node, you
can generate an automated quake instead of manually entering random keyframes. This way, you can simulate
the shock of something heavy falling on the ground, like an earthquake or a strong vibration.

How to use the Quake node to create a camera shake
1. From the Node Library view, drag a Quake node to the Node view.
2. If you do not have a Camera node already, drag one from the Node Library view to the Node view.
3. Connect the Quake node to the Camera node.

4. Click on the Quake node's yellow square properties button to open the Quake properties.
5. In the Quake properties window, adjust the properties.

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Quake Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Hold Time

Lets you enter the number of frames you want one of the quake vibrations (position) to hold for. Most camera shakes are done in a single frame (1) or double
frame (2).

Interpolate

An interpolation is generated between the random values. Instead of jumping to
the next position, it will slowly progress forwards to the next position. It is thesame principle as stop-motion keyframes and motion keyframes.

Move Amplitude

This is the strength of the quake. The higher the value, the stronger the quake. If
the value is set to 0, there will be no motion. To have the motion start and stop at
a specific frame during the scene, you can create a function curve and animate
the amplitude over time. Simply click the Function
button to generate the function, then click on it again to open the Function editor.

Apply on X, Y, Z

Applies the quake to the X, Y and Z-axis.

Rotation Amplitude

When the value is higher than 0, a rotating quake is applied. The higher the value,
the stronger the quake.

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Random Seed

Move Nodes

Generates a different randomization pattern. If you cascade two Quake nodes ormore to apply a different amplitude on a different axis, you can change the Random Seed value to generate a different randomization pattern. If the X quake has
a strong amplitude and the Y quake a weak amplitude and you do not want them
to follow the same random pattern, then set the Random Seed value of the Quake
nodes to different numbers.

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Output Nodes
The nodes found in the Output category are used to control the image outputted in the various views as well as
during the rendering process.
Crop Node468

Display Node470

Scale Output Node471

Write Node

472

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Output Nodes

Crop NodeTo output two files with different aspect ratios, such as 16:9 and 4:3, you can use the Crop node. This node isused to crop the final image in order to discard excess information without distorting the render.
If you start with a higher resolution and want to crop down to a lower resolution, such as HDTV to NTSC, you willneed to combine the Crop node with a Scale Output node.

Find below the Crop node properties.

Cropping Tab

Parameter

Description

X Resolution

This is the X (width) value in pixel of the resolution to crop the final image to.

Y Resolution

This is the Y (height) value in pixel of the resolution to crop the final image to.

X OffsetThis is the X (horizontal) offset value in pixel to move the crop box to in the final
image.

Y OffsetThis is the Y (vertical) offset value in pixel to move the crop box to in the final
image.

Draw Frame

Enable the Draw Frame option if, instead of cropping the images, you prefer tohave Harmony draw the frame over the rendered scene.

Red, Green, Blue, Alpha

These are the RGBA values used for the frame colour if you enabled the Draw

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Frame value. You can also modify the colour using the Colour Picker window
by clicking on the colour swatch below.
Colour Swatch

Click in the colour swatch to adjust the frame colour using the Colour Picker
window if you have enabled the Draw Frame option.

Enabling Tab

Parameter

Description

Always Enabled

Enable this option for the Crop node to always be enabled.

Enabled when Resolution
Name isEnable this option for the Crop node to only crop the final images when the scene
resolution is set to a specific resolution preset.

Filter Name

Select one of the existing resolution preset from the list for the Crop node to only
crop images when that resolution is set at the scene settings level.

Enabled when Resolution is

Enable this option for the Crop node to only crop the final images when the scene
resolution is set to the X and Y resolution specified in the X resolution and Y resolution fields.

X Resolution

X (horizontal) value in pixel of the scene resolution the Crop node will become active.

Y Resolution

Y (vertical) value in pixel of the scene resolution the Crop node will become active.

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Output Nodes

Display NodeThe Display node is an important node; it is used by the export and views to display your scene, primarily the
Camera and Timeline views. By default, a scene's node system always has a Display node which can be used toshow your entire scene, a single node or a group of nodes through a Composite or Group node. You might use it tosee one single character as you animate it, debug your node system as you create complex effects or export yourcomplete scene or a portion of it.

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Scale Output NodeOnce your Write nodes are connected, you need some Scale-Output nodes to change the resolution output of theWrite node without changing the scene settings. For example, if you export in a high resolution and a low resolution,
you need one Scale-Output node.
Set the project’s resolution to the highest resolution needed for this export and use the Scale-Output nodes to scale
down the other outputs.
DO NOT scale up the output size, that will not provide a good result. It is also better to use the Scale-Output node toscale down in a same aspect ratio so that it does not distort the image.

Find below the Scale-Output node properties.

Parameter

Description

Resolution Name

Select one of the existing resolution preset from the list to indicate the resolution
you want the finale images to be scaled at. Always make sure the selected resolution is smaller than the scene setting one.

Custom Resolution

Enable this option to set a resolution that is not available in the Resolution preset
list.

Width

X (horizontal) value in pixel of the resolution to scale the images down to.

HeightY (vertical) value in pixel of the resolution to scale the images down to.

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Output Nodes

Write Node
The Node view allows you to make advanced connections and isolate certain portions of your project. It also
allows you to perform multiple exports from the entire node structure or from specific sections.
For this kind of process, use the Write node. The Write node lets you render and output the connected image
information. Using the Write node, you can export a project as a QuickTime movie or as image sequences. You
can export one format at a time or both simultaneously.
To export an image sequence, you need to adjust a few settings in the Write node’s properties.
Here is a list of all the image formats supported for rendering with Write nodes.
FormatSpecification

TVG

Description
Toon Boom Vector Graphic (*.tvg)
Toon Boom's proprietary format for storing vector drawings.

NOTE: To export TVG files, your Write node must be connected to a vector drawing layer or to a vector composite node.
The exported TVG files will contain the vector and bitmap drawing information, but will ignore effects and deformations.
TGA

Full colour

Truevision TGA/TARGA (*.tga)

TGA1

Greyscale

TGA3

Full colour

A standard image format with lossless compression and support fortransparency.

TGA4

Full colour with transparency

SGI

Full colour / 8 bits perchannel

SGI1

Greyscale / 8 bits perchannel

SGI3

Full colour / 8 bits perchannel

SGI4

Full colour with transparency / 8 bits per channel

SGIDP

Full colour / 16 bits perchannelSGIDP3Full colour / 16 bits perchannelSGIDP4

Full colour with transparency / 16 bits per channel

PSD

Full colour / 8 bits per

Silicon Graphics Image (*.sgi)
A highly capable format with lossless compression as well as
support for double precision and transparency.

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channel

An Adobe Photoshop proprietary format used for image editing.

PSD1

Greyscale / 8 bits perchannelPSD files exported by Harmony contain a single background layer
with the rasterized image.

PSD3

Full colour / 8 bits perchannel

PSD4

Full colour with transparency / 8 bits per channel

PSDDP

Full colour / 16 bits perchannel

PSDDP1Greyscale / 16 bits perchannel

PSDDP3Full colour / 16 bits perchannel

PSDDP4

Full colour with transparency / 16 bits per channel

YUV

Y'UV frame (*.yuv)
A legacy format optimized for NTSC television. The image
information is encoded in the Y'UV color space, which means Luma(Y') and Chrominance (UV).

NOTE: YUV images must be exported in NTSC resolution (720x 540), or they will not be legible.
PAL

PAL frame (*.pal)
A legacy format optimized for PAL television.

NOTE: PAL images must be exported in PAL resolution (768 x576), or they will not be legible.
SCAN

Toon Boom Scan Files (*.scan)
A Toon Boom proprietary format used by Scan to store scanned
image information along with its registration (peg) information.
SCAN files are in gresycale.

PNG
PNG4

Full colour / 8 bits perchannelPortable Network Graphics (*.png)

A highly portable image format with lossless compression as well
Full colour with transas support for transparency and double-precision. PNG is typicallyparency / 8 bits per chan- used for Web applications, graphical user interfaces and image
nelsharing.

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Output Nodes

PNGDP

Full colour / 16 bits perchannelPNGDP3Full colour / 16 bits perchannelPNGDP4

Full colour with transparency / 16 bits per channel

JPG

Jpeg (*.jpg)
A very compact image format with lossy compression. It is typicallyused for Web pages and photo sharing. Because it does notpreserve image quality, it is recommended to never use it except
when disk space or rendering time is critical and image quality isexpendable.

BMP

Full colour

Bitmap (*.bmp)

BMP4

Full colour with transparency

A standard uncompressed image format commonly used on
Microsoft operating systems.

IFF

8 bits per channel

Interchange File Format (*.iff)
A container file format which can store text, image and sound data,
and which is commonly used for exchanging data between different
platforms.

IFF_16

16 bits per channel

IFF files exported by Harmony contain the rendered image as wellas Z-depth information for each pixel. If your scene has multiplaneor 3D elements, this format can be used for compositing youranimation with other graphical elements in 3D animation software.

NOTE: Contrary to EXR and DTEX images, this format does
not support antialiasing. It is recommended to use EXR orDTEX if possible.
OPT

Full colour

Toon Boom OPT image (*.opt)

OPT1

Greyscale

OPT3

Full colour

A legacy Toon Boom proprietary format that stores raw image datawith lossless compression.

OPT4

Full colour with transparency

VAR

Toon Boom VAR image (*.var)
A legacy Toon Boom proprietary format that stores raw image datawith lossless compression in greyscale.

TIFF

Tagged Image File Format (*.tiff)
An image format with many compression and encoding settings. It
is often used for image exchange in visual arts and publishing.

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TIFF images exported by Harmony are uncompressed, encoded ona per-pixel (interleaved) basis in PC byte order.
DPX
DPX3_8
DPX3_108 bits per channel / Full
Digital Picture Exchange (*.dpx)
color / RGB channel order
A professional photo format that supports various different
8 bits per channel / Fullapproaches to storing colour information, which can be used forcolor / RGB channel order storing, exchanging and editing raw information recorded bycameras. It is commonly used in film production.
10 bits per channel / Fullcolor / RGB channel order

DPX3_12

12 bits per channel / Fullcolor / RGB channel order

DPX3_16

16 bits per channel / Fullcolor / RGB channel order

DPX3_10_
INVERTED_CHANNELS

10 bits per channel / Fullcolor / BGR channel order

DPX3_12_
INVERTED_CHANNELS

12 bits per channel / Fullcolor / BGR channel order

DPX3_16_
INVERTED_CHANNELS

16 bits per channel / Fullcolor / BGR channel order

EXR

OpenEXR (*.exr)
A highly capable deep image format. Each pixel in an EXR file isexported with its Z-depth information, as well as color and depth
information of pixels further back for semi-transparent pixels. If yourscene has multiplane or 3D elements, this format can be used forcompositing your animation with other graphical elements in 3D
animation software.

PDF

Portable Document File (*.pdf)
Typically, PDF files are used to store, archive, share and print
documents. However, Harmony uses the PDF format for its
capability to store bitmap images and vector graphics.
If the write node is connected to a vector drawing layer or to a vector
composite, the exported PDF files will contain the image as a vector
graphic. It will ignore bitmap layers, effects and deformations.
Otherwise, the PDF files will contain the rendered image as a
bitmap.

DTEX

Deep Texture (*.dtex)
A commonly used deep image format. Each pixel in an DTEX file isexported with its Z-depth information, as well as color and depth
information of pixels further back for semi-transparent pixels. If yourscene has multiplane or 3D elements, this format can be used forcompositing your animation with other graphical elements in 3D

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Output Nodes

animation software.

NOTE: Exporting in Deep Texture requires RenderMan to beinstalled on the machine and the path to RenderMan properly
configured in Harmony. For more information, see the Setting
3D Renderer Paths topic of the User Guide.

Output Tab

Parameter

Description

Drawing Folder

Click Choose and browse to the directory where you want to save the output.
You can also use the default directory to save in the default frames folder
included in the scene directory.

Drawing Filename

Type the image sequence’s name prefix. It is recommended to leave thehyphen (-) at the end of the name to separate the image name from the image
number.

Drawing

Select this option to create an image sequence.

Start

Select the starting number for the image sequence.

Leading Zeros

Select the number of digits you want to see after the sequence prefix.

Drawing Type

Select the file format in which your project will output. When the file format
includes a "4" at the end of its name, it means that an alpha channel will be created.

Movie

Select this option to create a QuickTime move. When enabled the Movie
Filename and Movie Folder fields appear. Type in the movie output name andselect the output folder.

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Movie Options

Click the Customize button to open the QuickTime movie settings dialog box
to customize the movie output.

Enabling Tab

Parameter

Description

Always Enabled

Enable this option for the Crop node to always be enabled.

Enabled when Resolution
Name isEnable this option for the Crop node to only crop the final images when the scene
resolution is set to a specific resolution preset.

Filter Name

Select one of the existing resolution preset from the list for the Crop node to only
crop images when that resolution is set at the scene settings level.

Enabled when Resolution is

Enable this option for the Crop node to only crop the final images when the scene
resolution is set to the X and Y resolution specified in the X resolution and Y resolution fields.

X Resolution

X (horizontal) value in pixel of the scene resolution the Crop node will become active.

Y Resolution

Y (vertical) value in pixel of the scene resolution the Crop node will become active.

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Particle Nodes

Particle Nodes
You can access the Particle effects through the Node Library view. The Particle category contains all the nodes
needed to build various Particle effect systems.

This section explains each node's purpose, its layer properties and how to adjust these properties.
3D Region

479

Baker

481

Baker Composite

483

Bounce483

Explosion

485

Gravity

487

Image Fracture

488

Kill

492

Move Particles

494

Orbit

495

Planar Region

497

Random499

Region Composite

500

Repulse

501

Rotation Velocity

502

Sink

504

Size

504

Sprite Emitter

506

System Composite

514

Velocity

514

Visualizer

516
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Vortex517

Wind-Friction

519

3D Region

479

Baker

481

Baker Composite

483

Bounce483

Explosion

485

Gravity

487

Image Fracture

488

Kill

492

Move Particles

494

Orbit

495

Planar Region

497

Random499

Region Composite

500

Repulse

501

Rotation Velocity

502

Sink

504

Size

504

Sprite Emitter

506

System Composite

514

Velocity

514

Visualizer

516

Vortex517

Wind-Friction

519

3D Region

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Particle Nodes

The 3D Region effect lets you define the 3D region, which can take many forms, such as a sphere, cone, cylinderor box. The 3D Region node acts in contrast to the Planer Region node, which generates and emits particles froma 2D plane.
You can connect a 3D Region to a Sprite-Emitter to define the region from which particles are generated. It could
also be connected to a Bounce node to define a region against which particles bounce. If connected to a Sinknode, it will define a region where the particles will disappear.

How to preview the 3D Region
1. From the top menu, select View > Show > Control or press Shift + F11 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + F11(Mac OS X).

3D Region Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.
Choose a shape for the 3D Region by clicking on the Type drop-down menu
and selecting either Box, Cylinder, Cones, Sphere or Image.

Shape

If you select Image, you must connect the node of a vector drawing or avectorized bitmap image to the left port (blue node) of the 3D Region node. The
particles will then be emitted from that image' shape. Don't forget that you canrotate your vector drawing in 3D space by enabling the 3D option in its Layer
Properties.

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Size

Enter different values into the Width, Height and Depth fields to change thedimensions of the 3D Region's selected shape. Depending on the shapeselected, some fields may be greyed-out if they are not applicable. You canalso modify the shape with the Transform Tool by grabbing the control handles(turquoise squares) in the Camera or Perspective views. You can also change
the dimensions of the region over time by click on the function button at the endof each field.

RadiusEnter different values in the Max or Min fields to change the inner or outerradius of applicable shapes, such as a cylinder, cone or sphere. You can alsochange the radii by grabbing the control handles (turquoise squares) in the
Camera or Perspective views. The radii of the region can be changed over timeby clicking the function button at the end of each field.

Baker

The Baker effect, also known as Particle-Baker, lets you make decisions about the particle system's position,
angle, number, etc. in the same way that a baker would make decisions about the ingredients that go into baking a
cake. The Baker performs the particle simulation, combining all the ingredients specified to get the final result. The
Baker must always be connected to the Particle-Visualizer.

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Particle Nodes

Particle Baker Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Seed

Allows you to apply a random effect to the particle system. There may betimes when you want to copy the particle system to two different locations on
your screen. You can take the out-port of the Particle System Composite node,and plug this into two separate Bakers and Visualizers. Then you could move
one system over by attaching a peg into the left side of one Visualizer. This
makes the two systems look exactly the same. Add a random Seed to makethem look different.

Simulation Quality

Defines how many simulation steps per frame are performed. The lowest
quality creates one step per frame. Raising the quality will divide the simulation
time and create two or more steps of simulation for each frame. This increases
the computation time, but also increases the quality of the result.

Number of Pre-roll Frames

Allows you to select a start position in the particle effect sequence, other than
the start (generation) of the sequence. This allows you to start the particle
effect part-way through its cycle, even if it starts on frame 1 of your project. An

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example of when this parameter might come in handy is when you want it to bealready raining at the start of your scene. If you don't change the number ofPre-roll Frames, it will always start to rain at the beginning of the scene.
Maximum Number of Particles

Lets you put a limit on the number of particles that will be created; particles willstop being generated once this number is reached.

Age Particles

Tracks how long a particle has existed in its cycle from the time of its
inception. Knowing a particles "age" means you can tack other parameters
onto its life span, such as having the particle start to disappear or changecolour at a certain time.age.

Move Position

Allows the particles to move position, otherwise the particles cannot flow in a
specified direction. This option also exists in the Move Particles node. You do
not always need a Move Particles node; this is why this option exists in the
Baker. This option is also useful when your Move Particles node is cut off by asink—see Sink on page 504.

Move Angle

Allow particles to flow from different angles. This option also exists in theMove Particles node. You do not always need a Move Particles node; this is
why this option exists in the Baker. This option is also useful for when yourMove Particles node is cut off by a sink—see Sink on page 504.

Baker Composite

The Baker Composite effect is used to composite more than one Particle-Baker, as well as any other elements thatneed to be combined before they pass through the Particle Visualizer.

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Particle Nodes

The Bounce effect lets you to make particles bounce off a surface with realistic physical modelling. This node
should have a region connected to it, and that region will act as a bounce plane so when any particle hits it, it willbounce off at the correct angle.

Bounce Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

FrictionEnter a value in this field to increase the amount of friction each particle experiences as it makes contact with the planar surface. A positive value creates
more friction and slows the particle down. A negative value lessens the friction
and makes the surface appear more slippery.

Resilience

Increases or decreases the bounciness of the particle. A value of zero causes
the particle to hit the planar surface once and slide off any downward facing
angle. A positive value, even by decimal increments, causes the particle tobecome bouncy. A negative value deadens the effect, the same way a lack ofRegion would.

Cutoff Speed

Increasing this value widens the bounce arc. If the connected Planar Region iscompletely flat, a value of zero will cause the particle to bounce up and down inplace. A tilted plane in the direction of the bounce will also widen the arc.

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Explosion

The Explosion effect lets you create an explosion. As it is an Action node, it should be connected to the Particle
System Composite after the Sprite Emitter. As the explosion occurs, the particles will burst rapidly away from thecentre of the explosion (the centre of the defined Region), then gradually slow down.

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Explosion Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Coordinates

Use the X, Y and Z fields to enter different position values to move the particle
system around in 3D space. You can also connect a Peg node to the Explosion
to manipulate its position with the Transform or Move tool.

RadiusDefines the surface of an invisible sphere. As the explosion occurs, theexploded particles inside the boundaries of this sphere will be effected by theforce of the explosion, while the particles that eventually pass through willremain unaffected.

Sigma

The higher the Sigma value, the longer it takes for the particles to completely
disappear, even if the initial explosion seems to occur just as rapidly.

Magnitude

Defines the magnitude of the explosion. The greater the magnitude, the fasterthe particles break up.

EpsilonThis value works in opposition to the Sigma value. The higher the value, theslower the initial explosion occurs. If the value is high (an integer value) then larger particles remain suspended for a longer period of time from the initial explosion and takes a while to gradually break down. A smaller (decimal) value
breaks the particles down to smaller forms more rapidly from the time of the initial explosion.

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Gravity

The Gravity effect lets you define the gravity of the particle system.

Gravity Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

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Apply Gravity

Forces the particle system to adhere to the force of gravity. Values must beentered into the Direction fields, along with enabling this option, in order for it towork. If this option is not selected, the particle system will explode outwards fromits origin point.

X Direction

Directs the particle stream to the left or right (along the X-axis). A value of 1
forces the particle stream to the right, while a value of -1 forces the particle
stream to the left.

Y Direction

Directs the particle stream up or down (along the Y-axis). A value of 1 forces theparticle stream to flow upwards, while a value of -1 forces the particle stream toflow downwards.

Z Direction

Directs the particle stream forwards or backwards (along the Z-axis). A value of 1
forces the particle stream to flow forwards, while a value of -1 forces the particle
stream to flow backwards.

Apply Gravity between
Particles (Relative Gravity)

Applies gravity between each particle, taking their masses into account. The
mass of the particle can be specified at emission time via the Sprite or Image
Emitter.

Relative Gravity Magnitude

Adjust the amount of gravity applied between particles.

Relative Gravity Epsilon

The acceleration falls off the further the particles get from each other. When theparticles are very close to each other, the acceleration becomes very high, so you
should define a small region around the particles so they never actually touch.

Relative Gravity Maximum
Distance

Adjusts the radius beyond which particles do not affect each other.

Image Fracture

The Image Fracture effect breaks an image into pieces. This effect requires two image objects: the image to be
cut and the shape of the cut pieces (matte). The image to be cut can be anything from a vector drawing to abitmap image to an entire scene's composite—effects and all. The image to be cut should be hooked to the Image
Fracture's right port.
The matte should be flattened if you want it to work like a cookie cutter (hollow shape with a frame) and can becomposed of brush or pencil lines. It can also be a solid shape, many solid filled shapes, and even many solid
filled overlapping shapes. When the matte is made of overlapping pieces, the cut image will be multiplied at thosezones to break apart in multiple layers. The matte drawing should be hooked to the Image Fracture's left port.
The two image objects overlap perfectly when combined in the Image Fracture. This means that you must takethe 12 by 12 field into account when judging the scale and proportion of these objects. If the matte does not

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overlap a part of the image, that part of the image will not be cut. The matte does not have to be a continuous shape.
It could be three separate circles, which would then be cut and pulled away from the image.

NOTE: You can display the grid and use the Light Table feature in the Drawing view while drawing or scaling theimage and matte to ensure that they're the correct size relative to one another.

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Image Fracture Properties

Generation Tab
Parameter

Description

Emission
Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Type

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ance of the particle system. In this case, you should put each drawing on its
own cell in the drawing layer. Each drawing will then be a new type of particle.
Type Generation Strategy

Lets you sequentially or randomly assign a type (moving from one drawing to
the next).

Particle Type 0This is the frame number of the first drawing. If you have a 5-frame cycle thatstarts on frame 1, you would put a 1 here.

Particle Type 1

This is the frame number of the last drawing. If you have a 5-frame cycle thatstarts on frame 1, you would put 5 here.

Age
Age at BirthA different start frame number can be entered in this field. This means that a
particle can start with a different drawing than the drawing on frame 1.

Age at Birth Standard Deviation

Allows a random deviation for the birth of the particles. If you have a five-frame
cycle that starts on frame 1, but you want the particles to be a random type,then you may want to set the Age and Birth to 3 with a standard deviation of 2.
That means the particles will randomly be born at any frame from 1 to 5.

Advanced
Particles Mass

Defines a mass for the particles which will affect how the particles interact
with gravity.

Align Initial Velocity

Aligns the initial velocity with the region from which the particles are being emitted. If you are emitting from a sphere, the particles will all start out moving
away from the centre of the sphere.

Rendering Tab
Parameter

Description

Transformation
Size over AgeLets you determine the size of the particle as it ages. Attach a function to this
attribute if you would like to, for example, have the particles get smaller as timegoes on.

Directional Scale

Scales the particle in the direction of its movement.

Directional Scale Exponent
FactorSets an exponent here for how much you would like that particle to scale.

Align with Direction

Aligns the particle in the direction of its movement.

Axis to Align

Select the axis that you want to align. This axis refers to the axis of the Drawing
grid from the Drawing node plugged into the emitter.

Flip X Axis to Match Direction

You may want to have the particle align to the X direction of movement. You can
see this property being used in the Lemmings example.

Flip Y Axis to Match Direction

Similar to flipping the X axis, you may want to flip the Y axis of a drawing to matchthe direction of the particle movement.

Use Rotation of Particle

Enables rotation on the particle.

Keep Volume

When you choose to do a Directional Scale, this will automatically maintain thevolume of the particle by squashing it proportionally to how much it stretches as aresult of the directional scale.

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Colouring
Colouring Strategy

Lets you choose how to define the colour of the particle.

Use Drawing Colour

The particle remains the same colour as it was drawn with.

Map RGB Based on Age

Attach a function to this to vary the Red, Green, and Blue values of the particle as
it ages.

Map RGBA Based on Age

Attach a function to this to vary the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha values of theparticle as it ages.

Apply Opacity Based on Age

Keeps the original RGB values from the drawing, but vary the Alpha (Opacity)
according to a function that you define here.

Map RGB Based on Frame

Changes the Red, Green, and Blue values of the particles based on the frame.
Changing based on the frame means that ALL particles will change colour on thatframe, regardless of their age.

Map RGBA Based on Frame

Changes the Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha values of all particles on a given frame
by attaching a function.

Apply Opacity Based on
Frame

Uses the original RGB values from your drawing, but varies the Alpha (Opacity) of
the particles on a certain frame by attaching a function to this.

Red, Blue, Green, AlphaThis is where you can attach functions to the Red, Blue, Green and Alpha values.
You can also click on the colour swatch to adjust the colour.

Compositing
Blur

Lets you attach a function to define how you want the particles to blur based on
the age, frame or camera distance of each particle. There are low and high quality
blurs. Also, you can attach a function to define how all particles should be blurred.

Blur Intensity

Lets you set a value or attach a function to animate the blur according to the typeof blur that was defined from the drop-down list.
The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image. Select a value
between 0 and 1.

Falloff Rate

A falloff rate of 0 causes the blur to fade out slowly, distributing the blur evenly
from the edge of the drawing to the farthest edge of the blur.
A falloff rate of 1 causes the blur to fade out quickly so that the blur is heaviest at
the edge of the drawing.

Blend Mode

Defines a blend mode for the particles to get cool effects.

Blend Intensity

This is a percentage of how opaque you want the particles to be blended. 50 =50% transparent. 100 = opaque.

Kill
The Kill effect lets you determine when particles disappear.

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Kill Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Use Maximum LifespanMakes particles disappear when they reach their maximum lifespan.
To use this parameter, you must attach a function to this property because if you
select this option at time 0, you will never see any particles. If you set Kill
Younger to 10, at time 0, there will be no particles older than 10, so you will neversee any particles.

Kill Younger

It may be useful to have the particles animating over time, and at some point in
time, you may want to kill all the younger particles. An example would be an
animation where the particles change from blue to yellow. At every frame, newparticles are generated, and the particles that already exist age. Then you would
add an explosion that kills all particles younger than 10 frames. It would kill all theblue particles, leaving only the yellow particles.

Kill Younger ThanThis is where you can animate the effect for Kill Younger.

Kill Older

Makes particles disappear when they reach a certain level of maturity.

Kill Older Than

Lets you set the age at which particles disappear.

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Particle NodesMove Particles

The Move Particles effect lets you determine whether the particles are stationary (like grass) or moving (like rain),and you can animate this function on and off.

Move Particles Properties
Parameter

Description

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.
Ages the particles. Note that if you select the Move Position and Move Angle,
then the particles will age implicitly. If you do not want the particles to move,but still want them to age, deselect Move Position and Move Angle, and selectAge Particles.

Age Particles

Move Position

The Age Particles parameter also exists in the Baker, however whatever
happens in the Baker happens after everything else in the particle system. So,
if for example you have a Kill node, it will kill the particles before they age. You
probably want to age the particles before you determine whether to kill them.
Therefore, if you have a Kill node, make sure to age the particles in your Movenode before you kill them. If you age the particles both in the Move and Baker
node, then the particles will age twice on that frame instead of once.
Lets you enable movement on the particles. There is also a Move Particles
option in the Baker. If it's deselected in the Baker and in the Move node, theparticles will not move; they will simply generate in place and stay there. If theoption is selected on the Baker, the particles will move. But if you need the494Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

particles to interact with another Action, say a Sink, then you want theparticles to move before they reach the sink. This is why you have a separate
Move node, so you can place this Move before (to the right of) the Sink in yourparticle system composite.
Move Angle

Like the Move Position, this enables the rotation of particles in the particle
system.

Move Particles Follow Each
Other

Allows one particle to follow another particle, through an attraction between theparticles. This is particularly useful when you want to create a snake-like
effect, where the particles are animating across the screen and following eachother.

Follow Intensity

Lets you adjust the strength of the attraction between particles following eachother.

Orbit

The Orbit effect lets you define an axis the particles will be attracted to and orbit around. You can place a Peg layer
into the orbit to move the position of the orbit without adjusting the parameters in the Layer Properties.
Fine-tuning the Orbit effect can take a bit of finesse because the orbit takes into account the velocity of the particles,
and uses this to determine whether:•

The particle will orbit around the axis•

The particle will be influenced but eventually escape•

The particle will hardly be influenced at all.

This is just like how gravity between astral bodies works in space. Here are some examples of how having the orbit
in the wrong place can give some cool (but perhaps not useful) effects:

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You will also want to make sure that your initial velocity is varied, so use an interpolated speed and set two
different values. That way, there will be a spread between them. If not, then you will get the effects as shown
above.
Also, you should use the Peg layer to move the position of the Orbit node around until you find the right spot to get
the look you're trying to achieve. It also helps to set some pre-roll frames on your Baker to get things ramped-up
before you start to manipulate the position of the Orbit node.
Here's an example of what a typical node structure with an Orbit node looks like:

Orbit Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Orbit Type

Lets you select the type of Orbit you want to use. For most scenarios, likeasteroids orbiting a planet, a point will suffice. If you want to rotate around an
axis instead, choose between the X, Y, Z axes or set up your own custom

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axis.

Magnitude

Adjust the amount that the acceleration of each particle will be adjusted. The
higher the value, the more the particle will accelerate towards the orbit. A
magnitude of 0.001 is a good number to use for this. When the magnitude is set
too high, the particles will simply fly out into space.

Point X

Defines the X position of the centre of the Orbit. You may also leave this at 0
and use a peg to move the position of the Orbit node.

Point Y and Z

Defines the Y and Z position of the centre of the Orbit.

Direction X

Defines the X component of the axis of rotation for the orbit. This is only taken
into account if you choose to set up a custom axis. If this is set to 1, and Y and
Z are set to 0, then the axis will be going in the same direction as the X axis. If
the X component is set to 1, and the Y component is also set to 1, then the axis
will be at a 45 degree angle between the two.

Direction Y and Z

Defines the Y and Z components of the axis of rotation for the orbit.

Planar Region

Like the 3D region, this determines a region that you can use as a source or as a bounce plane, but instead of a 3D
region, it's a 2D plane. Connect a peg to the right in-port to adjust the position of the plane.

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Planar Region Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.
Lets you define the shape of the plane. The parameters that you can adjust
below will be greyed out depending on the shape type you choose. Each shape
can be adjusted from the Camera view using the Transform tool by selecting
the Planar Region and then selecting View > Show > Control.

Shape Type

Rectangle: The width and height on a rectangle.
Disc: The point (the centre) of the disk. You can also adjust values for theminimum and maximum radius. A minimum radius of 0 will simply be a circle.
Triangle: The three points of the triangle independently.

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Line: The two points on a line.
Point: The position of one single point.
Image: If you choose to use the Image option, then you should use the left inport of the Planar-Region to connect a drawing layer that can be used as amask.
Mirror Negative Frames

Mirrors the input peg transformation to generate positions for frames before thescene begins.
Width: The width of a rectangular region.

Size
Height: Adjust the height of a rectangular region.
Minimum: The minimum radius on a disc region.
RadiusMaximum: Adjust the maximum radius on a disc region.
P1

X: The X position of Point 1. Point 1 could refer to the point on a triangle, line, orpoint.
Y: The Y position of Point 1.
X: The X position of Point 2. Point 2 could refer to the point on a triangle or line.

P2
Y: The Y position of Point 2.
X: The X position of Point 3. Point 3 refers to a point on a triangle.
P3
Y: The Y position of Point 3.

RandomThe Random effects lets you put a random seed on some qualities like acceleration, speed, rotation speed, andposition. There's also a Seed value in the Baker, but you may only want to make one particular aspect of the system
random. This effect gives you control over the randomness of a particular property.

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Random Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Parameter

Lets you choose a parameter to make random: None, Acceleration, Speed,
Rotation Speed, and Position.

Region Composite

The Region Composite effect lets you composite multiple regions, 3D regions or planar regions. You may want toemit particles from multiple regions in the same particle system.

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RepulseThe Repulse effect repulses a particle around a region, but is different than the Bounce node as it is repelled before it
physically hits the region.

Repulse Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Magnitude

This value should be between 0 and 2. The higher the value, the more drastically

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the particles will be repulsed.
Look Ahead

Determines how far ahead of the particle's current position to see whether there's
an obstacle coming. This value should be between 0 and 100.

EpsilonAffects how quickly the effect of the repulse wears off. The smaller the number,the longer the effect lasts. This value should be between 0.1 and 0.0001.

Rotation Velocity

The Rotation Velocity effect lets you define the initial rotational velocity of the particles. The values that you set
up for this node refer to each individual particle's drawing axes. This means that if you choose to rotate around the
X-axis, it will rotate around each particle's local X-axis as defined by its drawing plane.
The rotational velocity should be set before you emit the particles, such as to the right, so the velocity is taken
into account when the particles are created.

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Rotation Velocity Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.
Trigger: An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.
Axis Type: Lets you select the type of axis to use.
•

GeneralUse Input Shape: Uses a region to define the rotational axis of theparticles. The axis of each particle's rotation will be perpendicular to theplane that particle is created on.
•

Constant Axis: If you choose to rotate the particles around a constantaxis, then each particle will rotate around the same axis. This axis willthen be defined as Axis0.

•Interpolated Axis: If you choose to rotate the particles around aninterpolated axis, that means each particle will have its own rotational
velocity which lies somewhere between Axis0 and Axis1.

Axis0 X: Defines the X component of Axis0. If you set the X to 1, and the Y and Z
to 0, then the particle will rotate around its X-axis as defined by its drawing plane.
If you set X to 1 and also Y to 1, then it will rotate around an axis that is 45
degrees between X and Y.
Axis0 Y: Defines the Y component of Axis0.
Axis

Axis0 Z: Defines the Z component of Axis0.
Axis1 X: Defines the X component of Axis1. This applies only when you haveselected an Interpolated axis.
Axis1 Y: Defines the Y component of Axis1.
Axis1 Z: Defines the Z component of Axis1.
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Minimum: The minimum initial rotation that a particle can have, in degrees perframe.
Speed (Degrees/Frame)
Maximum: The maximum initial rotation that a particle can have, in degrees perframe.

Sink
The Sink effect causes particles to disappear when outside the region that is plugged into the sink. It can also be
inverted, so the particles disappear when they enter the region instead.

Sink Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Invert

The default behaviour of the sink is for particles to disappear when they departthe region. When inverted, the particles disappear when they enter the region
instead.

Size
The Size effect lets you animate the size of the particles.

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Particle NodesSize Properties
Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.

Size Type

Lets you select a type for the size. If you choose Constant Size, then allparticles will be animated to have the same size. If you choose Input Shapeinstead, then you must input a Region into the in-port of the Size node. It will
use this region to determine the size of the particles.

Size

Lets you adjust the size of the particles.

::

Sprite Emitter

The Sprite Emitter effect is an all-purpose emitter. You can plug it into a drawing layer to generate particles thatlook like your drawing layer. You could also just output dot particles if you have no image layer connected. There
are many parameters to control how particles are emitted.

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Sprite Emitter Properties
Generation Tab

Parameter

Description
Trigger: An on/off switch using binary code. 1 = on, 0 = off.
Number of Particles: This is where you can define how many particles will be emitted oneach frame.

Emission

Probability of Generating Any Particles: This is a probability percentage between 0
and 100. If the probability is set to 100%, it will generate the Number of Particles
specified. If you set the percentage to 50%, then there's only a 50% chance that it will
generate the number of particles set in the Number of Particles. You can play with thisvalue to add random spacing to the generation of particles.
Streak Seed: The number of streaks to generate.
Source Sampling Time Offset: Sets the streak start at a different time to offset its
position.

Generator

Source Sampling Duration: This parameter is the key to generating streaks. If set to 0,
the behaviour is the same as before. If set to -10 for example, it will sample the input
region (in this example the Planar-Region) 10 frames in the past. If in this mode, theNumber of Particles parameter is the number of streaks to generate. If you want togenerate five streaks for example, you need to set the Streak Size to a value different
than 0, otherwise all the streaks will be at the same spot.
Source Samples Per Frame: The number of subdivisions for each frame. A value of 1
generates a particle for each frame. A value of 16 generates a particle on each 1/16th of aframe.
Streak Size: The radius of the sphere used for sampling the offset of the streak.

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Region Size for Baked Particle Input: The Baked Particle Input property refers to when
you use a Baker as an input to a Sprite Emitter. You can do this when you want togenerate particles from other particles. When you do this, you have the option of setting a
sphere around the source particle from which the new particle system will generateparticles. That is the region which is referred to in this value. If you look at the following
example, you'll see that the purple smiley faces are generating smaller green, blue, andyellow smiley faces. This is done by plugging the Baker from the purple smiley faces into
the Sprite Emitter of the other smiley faces. See the following images:

You may want to design a variety of different drawings that will vary the appearance ofyour particle system. To do this, you should put each drawing on its own cell in thedrawing layer. Each drawing will then be a new Type of particle.
Type Generation Strategy:
Lets you sequentially or randomly assign a type (moving from one drawing to the next).
Type

Particle Type 0:
This is the frame number of the first drawing. If you have a 5-frame cycle that starts onframe 1, you would put a 1 here.
Particle Type 1:
This is the frame number of the last drawing. If you have a 5-frame cycle that starts onframe 1, you would put 5 here.

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Initial Parameters Tab

Parameter

Description
Age at Birth: A different start frame number can be entered in this field. This means thata particle can start with a different drawing than the drawing that you have on frame 1.

Age

Age at Birth Standard Deviation: Allows a random deviation for the birth of theparticles. If you have a 5-frame cycle that starts on frame 1, but you want the particles tobe of a random type, then you may want to set the Age and Birth to 3 with a standard
deviation of 2. That means that particles will randomly be born at any frame from 1 to 5.
Set Maximum Lifespan: Makes particles die automatically.
Maximum Lifespan: This is how long the particle will exist before dying.
Maximum Lifespan Sigma: The lifespan variation of particles. If set to 0, all particles
will have the same lifespan. A larger value means that particle lifespans will be
distributed over a larger range.
Particles Mass: Define a mass for the particles. This mass will affect how the particles
interact with gravity.
Copy Particle Velocity for Baked Particle Input: If you select this option, the velocityof the parent system will be applied to the child system when a Baker is used as theregion for a Sprite Emitter.

Advanced

Add Particle Age for Baked Particle Input: If you select this option, the age of theparent system will be inherited by the child system when a Baker is used as the region fora Sprite Emitter.
Align Initial Velocity: This aligns the initial velocity with the region from which theparticles are being emitted. If you are emitting from a sphere, then the particles will all
start out moving away from the centre of the sphere.
Minimum Initial Rotation: Define a minimum rotation in degrees that the particle canhave when it is generated. There is also a separate Rotation-Velocity node in which you
can define this parameter.

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Maximum Initial Rotation: Define a maximum rotation in degrees that the particle canhave when it is generated.

Rendering Tab

Parameter

Description
Rendering Strategy: Select a method to determine the particle type definedfor each particle that is created.
•

Render as Dot: Renders each particle as a dot. This is usefulmainly for previewing the effects of your particle system without
using the drawing layer (sprite).

•

Use Frame Number: As the frame number increases, the type ofparticle will change to match the frame number. This means that
ALL particles in the system will change together as the frame
number changes. If you only have a few drawings, then you may
want to enable Cycling to cycle those drawings.

•

Use Frame Number as Index in Selector: When you select thisoption, you can use the Selector to animate the Frame Number it
uses over time. So, instead of taking the current frame as the Frame

Sprite Selection

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Number, you can write your own function instead. For example, if
you animate the selector so that at frame 1, it starts out at 2, then 8frames later you add another keyframe to set the value to 4.
Between frame 1 and frame 8, the particles will all change type
together from what they look like on frame 2 to what they look like onframe 4.
•Use Particle Type: Each particle that is generated will look like theParticle Type that was assigned on the Generation tab. For
example, if you use a value of 1 for Particle Type 0, and 6 forParticle Type 1, then each particle will be assigned a type from 1 to6. This type corresponds to the drawing that appears on the sprite onthat frame number. So if you have a drawing layer called Sprite thatis plugged into the left in-port of the Emitter, it will look for thedrawings in cells 1 to 6 of Sprite to assign those drawings to eachparticle.

•

Use Particle Type as Index in Selector: This option allows you to
use the Selector to manually create a function that assigns how
many of which particle will be created.
For example, you can set the Particle Type to go from 1 to 100 in the
Generation tab. Then use the Selector to remap the particle types toa certain drawing. So for example you could create five drawings,
labelled 1 to 5, and use the selector to create mainly 1s, no 2s, a few
3s, 4s, and a very few 5s. What it's doing is looking at the X-axis tofind what the particle "type" is, then looking at the Y-axis to find out
which drawing to assign to that "type." When you use 1 to 100 as a
type, then when you're setting the values, they act as a percentage.

•

Use Age: As the particle ages, it will change appearance from what
appears on the Sprite's first drawing to the subsequent drawings.
This means that each particle can have its appearance animated as
it gets older.

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Use Age as Index in Selector: You can animate the Selector tochange how a particle ages over time. For example, if you have a
Sprite with six drawings on it, you might want to animate it so itchanges from drawing 1, on frame 1, to drawing 2, on frame 10, thendrawing 3 on frame 14, drawing 4 on frame 16, drawing 5 on frame
17, etc. so the particle rapidly ages. This allows you to change thetiming of the aging dynamically through the selector, instead of
having to modify the exposure of the cells on the Sprite.

Selector: Animates the Selector in conjunction with the Rendering Strategy toadjust the parameters that control the particle’s appearance at birth and overtime.
Cycling: If you're using rendering strategies like Frame Number or Age, you
may want to cycle the drawings. For example, if you are using Frame Number,but you've only got 5 frames worth of drawings in your Sprite, then if you use"No Cycle," your Particles will disappear after frame 5. You can choose tocycle Normally (1-2-3-4-5-1-2-3-4-5) or Back and Forth (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1).
Number of Drawings in Cycle: Lets you indicate how many frames from your
Sprite you'd like to cycle.
Size over Age: Lets you determine the size of the particle as it ages. Attach afunction to this attribute if you want to, for example, have the particles get
smaller as time goes on.
Directional Scale: Scales the particle in the direction of its movement.
Directional Scale Exponent Factor: Sets an exponent here for how muchyou want that particle to scale.
Align with Direction: Aligns the particle in the direction of its movement.

Transformation

Axis to Align: Select the axis that you want to align. This axis refers to the axisof the Drawing grid from the Drawing node plugged into the emitter.
Flip X Axis to Match Direction: You may want to have the particle align to the
X direction of movement. You can see this property being used in theLemmings example.
Flip Y Axis to Match Direction: Similar to flipping the X axis, you may want toflip the Y axis of a drawing to match the direction of the particle movement..
Use Rotation of Particle: Enables rotation on the particle.
Keep Volume: When you choose to do a Directional Scale, this willautomatically maintain the volume of the particle by squashing it proportionallyto how much it stretches as a result of the directional scale.
Colouring Strategy: Lets you choose how to define the colour of the particle.
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Use Drawing Colour: The particle remains the same colour as it
was drawn with.

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Map RGB Based on Age: Attach a function to this to vary the Red,
Green, and Blue values of the particle as it ages.

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Map RGBA Based on Age: Attach a function to this to vary the

Colouring

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Red, Green, Blue, and Alpha values of the particle as it ages.
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Apply Opacity Based on Age: Keeps the original RGB values fromthe drawing, but vary the Alpha (Opacity) according to a functionthat you define here.

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Map RGB Based on Frame: Changes the Red, Green, and Bluevalues of the particles based on the frame. Changing based on theframe means that ALL particles will change colour on that frame,
regardless of their age.

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Map RGBA Based on Frame: Changes the Red, Green, Blue, andAlpha values of all particles on a given frame by attaching afunction.

•

Apply Opacity Based on Frame: Uses the original RGB values
from your drawing, but varies the Alpha (Opacity) of the particles ona certain frame by attaching a function to this.

Red, Blue, Green, Alpha: This is where you can attach functions to the Red,
Blue, Green and Alpha values. You can also click on the colour swatch toadjust the colour.
Blur: Lets you determine the Blur to apply to the particles.
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No Blur: No blur will be applied to the particles.

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Directional Blur Based on Age: Attaches a function to define how
you want the particles to blur based on the age of each particle. The
particle will blur in the direction of movement.

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Directional Blur Based on Frame: Attaches a function to define
how all particles should be blurred at a particular frame. The particle
will blur in the direction of movement.

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Low Quality Radial Blur Based on Age: Attaches a function todefine how you want the particles to blur based on the age of eachparticle. This will be a low quality blur.

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Low Quality Radial Blur Based on Frame: Attaches a function todefine how all particles should be blurred at a particular frame. This
will be a low quality blur.

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Low Quality Radial Blur Based on Camera Distance: Defines
how you want the particles to blur based on their distance from thecamera. This is a low quality blur.

•High Quality Radial Blur Based on Age: Attaches a function todefine how you want the particles to blur based on the age of eachparticle. This is a high quality blur.

•High Quality Radial Blur Based on Frame: Attaches a function todefine how all particles should be blurred at a particular frame. Thisis a high quality blur.

•High Quality Radial Blur Based on Camera Distance: Defines
how you want the particles to blur based on their distance from thecamera. This is a high quality blur.

Compositing

Blur Intensity: Lets you set a value or attach a function to animate the bluraccording to the type of blur that was defined from the drop-down list.

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Falloff Rate: The distance where the blur fades from the edge of the image.
Select a value between 0 and 1. A falloff rate of 0 causes the blur to fade out
slowly, distributing the blur evenly from the edge of the drawing to the farthestedge of the blur. A falloff rate of 1 causes the blur to fade out quickly so that theblur is heaviest at the edge of the drawing.
Blend Mode: Defines a blend mode for the particles to get cool effects.
Blend Intensity: This is a percentage of how opaque you want the particles tobe blended. 50 = 50% transparent. 100 = opaque.

System Composite
The System Composite node is where you connect all the "Actions" of your particle system. An action includes
any of the light-purple nodes, like Gravity, Emitters, and velocity parameters. All of the "Actions" help to define
the behaviour of the particle system.

Velocity
The Velocity effect defines the initial velocity of the particles that are emitted in the particle system. You canselect this node and select View > Show > Control to display the manipulation handles to help you set theparameters of this node. Use your Transform tool to modify the manipulation handles in the Camera or
Perspective view.

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Velocity Properties
Parameter

Description
Trigger: Is an on/off switch using binary code, where 1 = on, while 0 = off.
Velocity Type

General•Use Input Shape: If you plug a Region into the in-port of the Velocity
node, it will take the shape of this region to determine the initial velocityof the particles. They will take a velocity that is perpendicular to thesurface of the shape.

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Constant Speed: Sets a constant speed for the initial velocity of theparticles.

•

Interpolated Speed: Each particle is assigned an initial speed that issomewhere between the two values set for Interpolated Speed.

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Random in All Directions 2D: All particles will be assigned a random
velocity in any direction on a 2D plane.

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Random in All Directions 3D: All particles will be assigned a random
velocity in any direction.

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Random in Cone: Particles will be assigned an initial velocity
anywhere in the shape of a cone.

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Random in 2D-Pie: Particles will be assigned an initial velocity
anywhere in the shape of a pie slice on a 2D plane.

Bilateral: Generates positive and negative velocities in a given direction. For
example, you can generate particles with cone-shaped velocity, (e.g. a bazooka
firing) going only in the forward direction, but you can also generate velocities in
the opposite direction.
Direction of Normal (for Random in all Directions 2D)

Lets you input values for the perpendicular direction for the Random property in All
Directions 2D.
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X: Sets a value between 0 and 1 to determine how much influence the X-axis hasover the direction of the normal. For example, if the X value is set to 1, and Y and
Z are set to 0, then the perpendicular (normal) will be going in the X direction. If X
is set to 1, and Y is also set to 1, then the axis will be 45 degrees, halfway
between X and Y. Feel free to use the Manipulation Handles for the velocity node
by selecting the Velocity node and then selecting View > Show > Control. This
will allow you to use the Transform tool in the Camera View or the Perspective
View to set the appropriate values.
Y: Set a value between 0 and 1 to determine how much influence the Y-axis hasover the direction of the normal.
Z: Set a value between 0 and 1 to determine how much influence the Z-axis hasover the direction of the normal.
Speed

Minimum: There are some speeds that are constant, and some that are a range ofvalues between a minimum and maximum. Set the minimum speed here.
Maximum: Set the maximum speed for interpolated speeds.

Deviation from Direction

Minimum Angle: This is used for Cone and Pie shapes. Put a non-zero value
here if you want there to be a hole in the middle of your cone or pie.
Maximum Angle: Set the maximum angle for your cone or pie here.

Visualizer
The Particle-Visualizer effect renders and flattens the particle system down to a single plane. You can plug a peg
module into the left port to animate the position of the whole particle system. Plugging a peg into the right port will
move the depth where the flat plane is generated, so you can move it behind or in front of various other drawing
layers in your scene. You can even have two Visualizers with pegs in the right in-ports that are at different depths
to display some particles in front of and some particles behind a character or drawing in the scene.

Visualizer Properties

Parameter

Description

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Force Render as Dots

Temporarily renders your system as Dots when previewing a simulation. All
drawings are ignored and the system is forced to render as dots.
Note: You can also use the option View > Particle > Show Particles as Dotsin OpenGL. When enabled, the particles will always be displayed as dots in the
OpenGL preview mode to make playback speed faster for heavy scenes.
Lets you set the order in which you want the particles to appear in the render.
Back to Front: Added particles will appear behind existing particles.
Front to Back: Added particles will appear in front of existing particles.

Rendering Order

Oldest to Youngest: Older particles will appear behind younger particles.
Youngest to Oldest: Older particles will appear in front of younger particles.
Ascending Types: Lower types will appear behind higher types.
Descending Types: Lower types will appear in front of higher types.

Fix Output AlphaThis is an important option when using some filters like Screen or Multiply in
the Blend Mode that can be specified in the Rendering tab of the Emitter. When
working with premultiplied images, if the alpha is not fixed in the visualizer, you
may see some unusual artifacts.

Scale Particle System Using
Parent Peg

Respects the scaling of a particle system so you can position and resize it as
you like. Old scenes with particle system will still work as this option is disabled.

Global Scaling Factor

Lets you set the scaling factor for particle system.

VortexThe Vortext effect allows you to define an axis as a vortex, so the particles will spin around this axis.

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Vortex Properties
Parameter

Description

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code, where 1 = on and 0 = off.

X Direction

Defines the X portion of the axis of rotation for the Vortex.

Y Direction

Defines the Y portion of the axis of rotation for the Vortex.

Z Direction

Defines the Z portion of the axis of rotation of the Vortex.

RadiusDefines the radius at the top of the vortex.

Exponent (1=cone)

Defines a curve that gives the Vortex a certain silhouette. 1 forms a cone,
greater than 1 curves inward.

Up Acceleration

Defines the vertical acceleration of the particles that are inside the Vortex.

In Acceleration

Defines the inward acceleration of particles that are outside the Vortex.

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Around Acceleration

Defines the acceleration around the vortex of particles that are inside the Vortex.

Wind-Friction
The Wind-Friction effect lets you define the amount of wind in the scene, and animate the wind over time.

Wind-Friction Properties
Parameter

Description

Trigger

An on/off switch using binary code, where 1 = on and 0 = off.

Friction/Wind X, Y, Z

Defines the amount that the wind will dampen or increase the speed of theparticles in the X, Y or Z direction.

Min Speed

The minimum speed of particles that will be affected by the wind. Particles moving slower than this will not be affected

Max Speed

The maximum speed of particles that will be affected by the wind. Particles moving faster than this will not be affected.

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Shading Nodes
Harmony provides you with a wide series of parameters to customize your light shading effects.
Light Position Node521

Light Shader Node523

Normal Map Node526

Normal Map Converter Node

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Tone Shader Node531

Volume Object Node

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Light Position Node
The Light Position node is the actual light source interacting with all the defined volume objects. You can set its
position in relation to the objects and animate it over time. All volumes will react according to the light's motion.

This is not where you set the light type or colour. You'll be adjusting these in the Light Shader and Tone Shader
nodes.

Light Position Properties

Parameter

Description

SourceLets you control the value of the light source.

Target

The point or direction at which the light is pointing
3D Path: Lets you use a 3D path when animating the light.
Separate: Lets you enter separate values for the X, Y and Z axes.
(x) Axis: Lets you type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.
(y) Axis: Lets you type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to thedesired position.

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Shading Nodes(z) Axis: Lets you type in a new Forward/Backward coordinate corresponding to
the desired position.

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Light Shader Node
The Light Shader node lets you adjust the highlight parameters, such as the colour, to create the desired ambiance.
You can animate most parameters over time to create a mood change, sunset or any other type of light transition.
The beveling height and smoothing is set in the Normal Map node.

Light Shader Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

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Light

Light Type

Directional: A light that is parallel in the scene. Each “beam” of light follows the
direction defined by the light source and target, and point in the same direction.
This type of light is used when the light source is far away or very big, like thesun.
Point: A light that illuminates everything around it. Its “beam” of light will go in all
directions like a fire.
Spot: A light that forms a conical shape like a flashlight.

Cone Angle

The value that defines the light’s cone angle. This option is only accessible with
the Light Type set to Spot.

DiffusionLets you play with the diffusion of the light on the surface of the drawing. In otherwords, it is the edge softness. This option is only accessible with the Light Typeset to Spot.

Light Source Elevation

Defines the height of the spotlight. This option is only accessible when the Light
Type set to Spot or Point.
Smooth: The light and tone fx will have smooth edges.

Shading TypeSharp: The light and tone fx will have sharp edges.
Define the polarization of the light.
When the Shade type is set to Smooth, it defines the width of the light’s smooth
zone.
Bias

When the Shade type is set to Sharp, the Bias defines the antialiasing on theedge of the hightlight or tone zone. But,if the Shade type is set to Sharp, the Bias
option need a small value such as 0.1 or 0.2. The exponent will be able tocompensate the limitation of this small value.

Abruptness

This is a multiplier value of the Bias option. It will define how quick thepolarization of the light will change from a value to another.

Adjust Light Intensity

Lets you adjust the light intensity.

Intensity

Lets you set the strength of the light.

MultiplierMultiplies the value of the Intensity option.

Surface Reflectivity

This option is useful for exaggerating the light on the edge of the 3D geometry.
The closer an edge is to the light source, the more intense the light will be.

Colour

Red/Green/Blue/Alpha

The colour and transparency of the Colour Card. You can also attach theseparameters to function columns to change their values over time.
Click the colour swatch to open the Colour Picker window and select a colour.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can specify the colour.

Use Image Colour

Lets you use the colour of the drawing in a lighter or darker colour for the highlightand tone fx.

Image Colour Intensity

Lets you blend the colour of the light with the image colour.

Flatten Fx

This is useful when there are several highlight and tone fx, one over the other, but
are supposed to be merged together. Sometimes, shadows and lights look better

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when they do not overlap.

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Normal Map Node
The Normal Map node lets you centralize all Volume Object nodes and chisel out the shading 3D geometry (bevel
height, smoothing, carving, etc.). It could be described as carving a bas relief. You only need one Normal Map
node per light shading effect and, in general, only one per scene.

A normal map can be used to create other effects. If you're are working with an OpenFX plugin or other plugin
requiring a normal map, you can use the Normal Map Converter node to translate the Harmony normal map to aformat supported by your plugin. The Normal Map Converter node has been optimized to work with GenArts®
plugins, but you also have the ability to use it on custom plugins..

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Normal Map Properties

Parameter

Description

Volume Creation

Lists all the different volume object IDs are listed. This is where you can define
the basic volumetric shape of each Volume Object node connect to the Normal
Map.
Let you add or remove Volume Object nodes that are connected to the Normal
Map node.

ObjectAdd All Defined Objects: Adds all Volume Object nodes connected to theNormal Map node.
Remove Selected Objects: Removes all Volume Object nodes from the Volume
Creation list.

Name

The name that was previously set ineach Volume Object node. This information
can be really helpful when there are many volume objects listed. With a good
name, it is easy to discover what the ID number is related to. When you hoverover this column, a tooltip appears listing all volume objects with the same ID.
In the following image, the tooltip indicates that three copies were made from
FootR-Object. By keeping the same name, you can easily see that each time you
see a Volume Object named “FootR-Object”, the ID will be the same.

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In the second example, a specific name was created for each volume object,even if they have the same ID. That way, it is easy to find a specific nodenodewhen searching for an element with the Search tool in the NetworkNode view.

The identity number that was previously set in the volume object nodenodeappears here. The tooltip in the ID column lists all drawing elements that areconnected to the volume object with this identity number.

ID

Bevel Size

Defines the size of the bevel on the contour of all the drawings related to a
specific ID number

Elevation

Defines the elevation of a specific volume object. The higher the value, the more
the volumetry of this Volume Object resembles a conical or pyramidal shape.

Elevation Smoothness

Complementary to the Elevation column. Instead of keeping a conical or
pyramidal shape, the shape will be smoothed to create a sphere or a bump shape.
The edge will be round instead of sharp.

Bevel Multiplier

A multiplier of the Bevel Size value in the board. This affects every object listed.

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Elevation Multiplier

A multiplier of the Elevation value in the board. This affects every object listed.

Elevation Smoothness Multiplier

A multiplier of the Elevation Smoothness value in the list. This affects every
object listed.

Consider Truck Factor

Keeps the same ratio for the Light Shading system when the camera zooms in orout. This parameter cannot work properly if the size of the drawing, with a volume
object nodenode, is changed on the drawing itself. In other words, if the animation
is directly created on the drawing layer.

Override Modelling by Colour
Add Colour

Lets you add or remove any colour that will affect the Adding/ Carving options in
the list beneath. When you select this button, each colour palette in the scene islisted and all their swatches are displayed.

Swatches

The first column of the Override Modelling by Colour board is the Swatches. This
column does not have a name. When you select a colour swatch from the Add
Colour list, the colour swatch appears at the beginning of the list.

Generate Normals

Activates or deactivates the generation of the Normal Map.

Normal Map Quality

Lets you change the Quality of the Normal Map from low to high.
When selected, the Elevation is calculated and appears in the soft render mode.

Output Elevation in Blue Chan- When deselected, the object ID appears in the soft render mode.
nel
Because it is connected to the blue channel of a drawing, the result will only affectthe blue channel.

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Normal Map Converter Node
The normal map will carve and emboss a flat plane using vectors. The X, Y and Z coordinates of the normal map
vectors are stored in RGB values to convert the 3D aspect into a visual result and use it to create various effects,
such as light reflections (light shading). The X value is stored in the Red channel. The Y value is stored in theGreen channel. The Z value is stored in the Blue channel.

NOTE: Note that not all normal map formats are supported.

The Normal Map Converter uses the following formula per channel:lvalue * (+/- length) + offsetl* +/- depending if inverse is set to true ("-" if true)

Parameter

Description

Conversion TypeBy default, the conversion type is set to Genarts. If you work with a different
manufacturer and want to adjust the parameters, set the conversion type toCustom.

OffsetOffsets the original position of the vector. You need to read the plugin documentation to know the offset you need to use. You must use the same offset
value as the manufacturer is using. By default the offset is set to 0.

LengthThe Normal Map Converter normalizes Harmony vectors to 1. By default thelength value is set to 1. If your plugin requires shorter or longer vectors, enter avalue smaller or greater than 1. It will multiply the vector length.

Invert Red

Inverts the red value (x). If your value is 125, the invert setting will transform it
to -125.

Invert Green

Inverts the green value (y). If your value is 125, the invert setting will transform
it to -125.

Invert Blue

Inverts the blue value (z). If your value is 125, the invert setting will transform it
to -125.

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Tone Shader Node
The Tone Shader node lets you adjust the tone parameters, such as the colour, to create the desired ambiance. You
can animate most parameters over time to create shade transitions. The beveling height and smoothing is set in theNormal Map node.

Tone Shader Properties

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Parameter

Description

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Light

Light Type

Directional: A light that is parallel in the scene. Each “beam” of light follows
the direction defined by the light source and target, and point in the same
direction. This type of light is used when the light source is far away or very
big, like the sun.
Point: A light that illuminates everything around it. Its “beam” of light will go in
all directions like a fire.
Spot: A light that forms a conical shape like a flashlight.

Cone Angle

The value that defines the light’s cone angle. This option is only accessible
with the Light Type set to Spot.

DiffusionLets you play with the diffusion of the light on the surface of the drawing. In
other words, it is the edge softness. This option is only accessible with theLight Type set to Spot.

Light Source Elevation

Defines the height of the spotlight. This option is only accessible when theLight Type set to Spot or Point.
Smooth: The light and tone fx will have smooth edges.

Shading TypeSharp: The light and tone fx will have sharp edges.
Define the polarization of the light.
When the Shade type is set to Smooth, it defines the width of the light’ssmooth zone.
Bias

When the Shade type is set to Sharp, the Bias defines the antialiasing on theedge of the hightlight or tone zone. But,if the Shade type is set to Sharp, theBias option need a small value such as 0.1 or 0.2. The exponent will be able tocompensate the limitation of this small value.

Abruptness

This is a multiplier value of the Bias option. It will define how quick thepolarization of the light will change from a value to another.

Adjust Light Intensity

Lets you adjust the light intensity.

Intensity

Lets you set the strength of the light.

MultiplierMultiplies the value of the Intensity option.

Surface Reflectivity

This option is useful for exaggerating the light on the edge of the 3D geometry.
The closer an edge is to the light source, the more intense the light will be.

Colour

Red/Green/Blue/Alpha

The colour and transparency of the Colour Card. You can also attach theseparameters to function columns to change their values over time.
Click the colour swatch to open the Colour Picker window and select a colour.

Colour Swatch

Opens the Colour Picker window in which you can specify the colour.

Use Image Colour

Lets you use the colour of the drawing in a lighter or darker colour for thehighlight and tone fx.

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Image Colour Intensity

Lets you blend the colour of the light with the image colour.

Flatten Fx

This is useful when there are several highlight and tone fx, one over the other,
but are supposed to be merged together. Sometimes, shadows and lights lookbetter when they do not overlap.

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Volume Object Node
The Volume Object node lets you define a volume zone the light will interact with.

If there is a single drawing on which you want to apply shading, you only need one Volume Object node. For cutout characters, you will require more as you will define which should be different volumes. For example, you could
decide that the arm, forearm, and hand will form one shape for the light to hit and create a highlight. You could
then define the body as a separate volume. If you use different Volume Object nodes on the arm pieces, you will
get odd carvings and bumps where the joints overlap. Before adding light shading to your rig, you should analyze
how the parts will interact with one another.
All the Volume Object nodes in your structure will be gathered in the Normal Map node where you can define theparameter for each volume.

Volume Object Properties

Parameter

Description

Name

With the light shading feature, the naming of the nodes becomes important.
Since there isn’t any limitation on the number of Volume Object nodes that canbe added to a node structure, it's quite important to give a good name to each
Volume Object node. These names will later appear in the Normal Map node, inthe Volume Creation section.

ID

This is the identity number you assign to a drawing or a group of drawings thatwill be represented in the same volume once it is generated by the Normal Map
node. This ID is also in the Normal Map node, where a list of all Volume
Objects is applied.

Cut Volume Cues with Geometry

When this option is not selected, Harmony cuts the 3D geometry (shading bas
relief) of the drawing after it has been generated by the Normal Map node.

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Some nodes, such as filters, can affect the shape or colour of the drawing.
Those nodes will be processed and recognized by the Normal Map node.
Therefore, it is possible to limit the 3D geometry only on a part of the drawing,
but not all of it. The 3D geometry follows the edge of the entire drawing and will
not be affect by the filters.
Use Drawing to Create
VolumeDuring the generation created by the Normal Map node, the shape of thedrawing or group of drawings identified with the same ID will be recognized tocreate the volume. When this option is selected, the Light Shader and Tone
Shader effect appear inside the contour of those drawings.

Elevation Baseline

The baseline defines how much you can add or carve the Volume Object. The
drawing or group of drawings connected to this Volume Object node share thesame baseline value. Because this setting is closely tied to the adding/curving
option called Intensity (0-100) (accessible in the Volumetric Colour Informationof the Normal Map node), both places need to have some parameters set.
Playing only with the Geometry Intensity won’t change anything if there aren’t
any parameters set in the Normal Map node.

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Plugin Nodes

Plugin Nodes
There are 2 plug-in node effects available in Harmony:lBrightness-Contrast—see Brightness Contrast Nodel

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SparkleThe Sparkle effect transforms a vector drawing into sparkles. You have a high degree of control over the appearanceof the sparkles.
The sparkle effect can only be used with vector drawings. If the sparkle effect node is attached to a composite,verify that the Composite editor is set to Vector Flatten Output.

Use the Sparkle editor to modify how the Sparkle node creates the sparkle effect. You can also use Bezier and Ease
function curves to change the values of factors over time.

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Sparkle Properties
Parameter

Description

Start Angle

Enter a value between -360 and 360 to indicate the angle of rotation of eachsparkle.

Scale

Sparkles are determined by the size of the bounding box of the coloured areasin the drawing. Enter the multiple to use to scale the sparkle size.

FactorEnter a value between 0.1 and 1 to determine how pointy the sparkle is. A
value closer to 0 will result in a more pointed sparkle. A value closer to 1 will
result in a more rounded sparkle.

Density

Adjusts the density level.

Number of Points

Enter the number of points you want each sparkle to have.

Probability of Appearing

Enter the percentage of possibility that sparkles will be displayed. Enter 100 toalways show sparkles. Enter 0 to always hide sparkles.

Point NoiseEnter a value between 0.1 and 1 to indicate the amount by which points in a
sparkle will distort.

Centre NoiseEnter a value between 0.1 and 1 to indicate the amount by which the angles
between each point in a sparkle will distort.

Angle NoiseEnter a value between 0.1 and 1 to indicate the amount by which the Start
Angle in a sparkle will distort.

Random Seed

Enter a positive integer value that will be used to determine the sparkle pattern.

Use Drawing Colours

Select this option to use the colour attributes of the drawing for the sparkle colour. When this selection is disabled (default setting), the colour values will be
used as they are entered in the editor.

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Flatten Sparkles of Same Colour

Flatten all drawings of the same colour into a single layer.

Red/Green/Blue/AlphaIn the RGBA fields, enter the values to use for the sparkle colour.

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Selection Preset Note NodeSelection Preset Note Node
The Selection Preset Note node appears in the Node view after an initial Selection Preset is created.

Selection Preset Note Properties
Parameter

Description

Enable/Disable

Checking this option enables the node. Unchecking this option disables thenode.
Click on this swatch to open the Select Colour window. Select a colour andclick OK to mark the node with the selected colour.

Track Colour

Name

Lets you rename the node.

Text

Displays the code text for the Selection Presets list that can be found in the
Selection Presets window.

Close

Closers the Properties window.

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Sound Layer Properties
When you select a sound layer in the Timeline view, the options related to that layer appear in the Layer Properties
view.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties
Harmony has a wide variety of drawing and manipulation tools and each one of them has a series of options andmodes available in the Tool Properties view. This section covers these options.

Brush Tool Properties (Vector)

545

Size and Smoothness Tab

546

Paper Texture Tab

547

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

549

Tip Tab551

Transparency Tab

556

Dual Tip Tab

559

Paper Texture Tab

563

Close Gap Tool Properties

566

Contour Editor Tool Properties

567

Cutter Tool Properties

569

Drawing Pivot Tool Properties

571

Dropper Tool Properties

573

Ellipse Tool Properties

574

Size and Smoothness Tab

577

Texture Tab

578

Envelope Tool Properties

579

Eraser Tool Properties

581

Size and Smoothness Tab

582

Soft Eraser Tab

583

Ink Tool Properties

584

Inverse Kinematics Tool Properties

586

Mode

586

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

IK Options

587

Selection

587

Line Tool Properties

589

Size and Smoothness Tab

592

Texture Tab

593

Morphing Tool Properties

595

Paint Tool Properties

598

Pencil Tool Properties

602

Size and Smoothness Tab

605

Texture Tab

606

Pencil Editor Tool Properties

608

Perspective Tool Properties

612

Polyline Tool Properties

614

Size and Smoothness Tab

615

Texture Tab

616

Rectangle Tool Properties

618

Size and Smoothness Tab

620

Texture Tab

621

Reposition All Drawings Tool Properties

623

Rigging Tool Properties

625

Mode

625

Options

625

Operations

626

Select Tool Properties

627

Smooth Editor Tool Properties

634

Stroke Tool Properties

636

Text Tool Properties

637

Transform Tool Properties

640

Zoom Tool Properties

642

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Brush Tool Properties (Vector)
When you're drawing on a vector layer and select the Brush tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool
Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow to display
advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer
the control points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Brush Presets

Presets are created by saving the properties of the current tool to a newpreset, which you can reuse for repeated tasks. You can create as many
presets as you need.

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

New Dynamic Brush

Allows you to create a new dynamic brush to clone custom patterns.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously exported
via the Export Brushes command.

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Brush Tool Properties (Vector)

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on a different
computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.
When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paintbehind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you
release the tool.

Draw Behind

The Repaint Brush is used to repaint zones that have already been
painted, it will not affect empty zones or pencil lines. You can use thismode to paint tones or highlights onto your character.
Repaint BrushAs you draw in the Line Art layer, the Automatically Create Colour Art
option instantly creates the corresponding strokes in the Colour Art layer.
Automatically Create
Colour Art

Auto-Flatten Mode

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automatically flattens the new lines
created with the existing artwork as you draw in the Drawing or Camera
view. Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes and pencil lines will
flatten with pencil lines.

Respect Protected Colour

The Respect Protected Colour option prevent the colours you marked asprotected, in the Colour view, to be repainted using the Repaint Brushmode or any of the painting tools.

Use Stored Colour
Gradient

The Use Stored Colour Gradient option makes your tool use the previously
stored gradient position. This way, every new brush line or colour fill will
use the stored gradient position.

Size and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Tool Name

Description

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the width of
the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value will beignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smoothout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.

Tip Shape

Lets you select a tip shape—from round and square ones to star shaped. This option
is disabled when using a textured brush.

Paper Texture Tab
You can create texture brushes to draw on vector layers. Enable the Paper Texture option to access the options.
Parameter

Description
The hardness value corresponds to the softness of the line edge. The lower thevalue, the softer the line edge will be. The higher the value, the sharper the line

Hardnessedge will be.

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Maximum Opacity

Brush Tool Properties (Vector)

This value corresponds to the transparency of the stroke when the pressure isheavy.
This value corresponds to the transparency of the stroke when the pressure islight and is a percentage of the Maximum Opacity value.

Minimum Opacity

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Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)
When you're drawing on a bitmap layer and select the Brush tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool
Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow to display
advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.

Flow

The Flow parameter lets Lets you set the range for the rate at which paintflows from the brush. The analogy works better with a pen. The greater theflow, the more ink comes out, which gives you a more consistent line
colour and texture. If the flow is light, then the colour and texture of the line
may look spotty. The flow works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen
tablet.

Opacity

The Opacity parameter are where you set the transparency for a brushstroke. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

Brush Presets

Presets are created by saving the properties of the current tool to a newpreset, which you can reuse for repeated tasks. You can create as many
presets as you need.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously exported
via the Export Brushes command.

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on a different
computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.
When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paintbehind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you
release the tool.

Draw Behind

The Repaint Brush is used to repaint zones that have already been
painted, it will not affect empty zones or pencil lines. You can use thismode to paint tones or highlights onto your character.
Repaint Brush

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Tip TabTool Name

Description

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Brush Tip
Library

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

This is where you select the shape of the brush tip. By default it is round. Note that some tips aredesigned to have semitransparent areas, even when the maximum brush opacity is set to 100%.
To create a custom brush tip, you must prepare the file ahead of time, either in Harmony or in a thirdparty software, such as Adobe Photoshop. Colour is not supported and transparency is notsupported in the traditional sense. Black appears as 100% opaque, white appears as 100%transparent and all the shades of grey in between appear as varying degrees of semitransparency. A
range of file formats are supported—.jpeg, .png, .tif, .psd, .tga to name a few. Alpha channels are
disregarded on import. It is recommended that your file be between 100 x 100 pixels and 400 x 400
pixels.
You can also import brush tips that you exported from Harmony, so you can share them withcolleagues.
The minimum and maximum sizes of your drawing tool produce the thick and thin effect on yourstroke. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.
l

MinimumandMaximum
SizelMaximum Size: Defines the maximum width of the stroke.
Minimum Size: Defines the minimum width of the stroke in relation to and as a percentage ofthe maximum size.

NOTE: Setting the Minimum Size value to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating width variation on your stroke. In other words, you would be forcing a uniform line width using the Maximum Size value.
The Roundness and Angle parameters allow you to change the shape and orientation of the brushtip.
Roundnessand AnglellRoundness: Squashes the height of the brush tip from its centre point. 100% roundness =the native height of the brush tip. A smaller percentage will make the brush tip look flatter andmore narrow. The squashing is NOT relative to the angle value—if the brush tip is rotated, thesquashing function still uses the brush tip's original orientation.
Angle: Rotates the brush tip counter-clockwise. 0° = the brush tip's native orientation.

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The Hardness and Spacing parameters allow you to change the softness and spacing of the marks
made by the brush tip. You can preview the hardness and spacing at the top of the Bitmap Brush
Properties window, stroke preview area.
The hardness value corresponds to the softness of the brush tip's edges. The lower the value, thesofter the tip edge. The higher the value, the sharper the tip edge. Be aware that some brush tips are
not 100% opaque, so they will always appear somewhat soft, even at 100% hardness.
HardnessDefines the amount of space between each stamp of the brush. A value of 100% sets the stamp
marks edge to edge, if there is no white space around the shape. The larger the value, the greater
the space between marks. A really large value can make the brush stroke appear as a string ofindividual marks. Conversely, a small spacing value will give the appearance of a fluid brush stroke.
Spacing is only evident when making a continuous stroke.

Spacing

Randomness

The Randomness parameters let you create a varied bitmap brush stroke. Refining these options
can give your stroke a lovely, non-mechanical look.

RandomSize

You can create variation between the thick and thin of your brush stroke just by setting theMaximum and Minimum Size values. If you add randomness to the mix, pressure sensitivity fromyour drawing tablet will still be applied. Light pressure will create random values around theminimum, while heavy pressure will create random values closer to the maximum. The larger thepercentage, the larger the range of random variation.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

NOTE: Setting the Minimum Size to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating width variation
on your stroke, whether you are applying randomness or not. Therefore, you would be forcing auniform line width using the Maximum Size value.
Sets the range for random rotation around the set Angle value. For example, if the Angle is set to 45°
and the Random Angle set to 10°, the software will choose values between 40°–50° (plus or minus 5
degrees, equaling a total of 10 degrees).

RandomAngle

RandomSpacing

Sets the range for random spacing around the set Spacing value. For example, if the Spacing is set
to 50% and the Random Spacing is set to 10%, then Harmony will choose values between 45%–55% (plus or minus 5 percent, equaling a total of 10 percent).

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

Transparency Tab

Tool Name

Description
The Maximum and Minimum Flow parameters let you set the range for the rate
at which paint flows from your brush. The analogy works better with a pen.
The greater the flow, the more ink comes out, hence the more consistent thecolour and texture of the line. If the flow is light, then the colour and texture of
the line may look spotty. This feature works with the pressure sensitivity of apen tablet.

Maximum and Minimum FlowllMaximum Flow: Sets the maximum rate at which colour and texture
are applied as you create a fluid stroke.
Minimum Flow: Sets the minimum rate at which colour and texture areapplied as you create a fluid stroke. It is defined as a percentage of theMaximum Flow value. If the Minimum Flow value is set to 100%, thentablet pressure sensitivity will no longer be applicable. The flow will be
set to the constant rate of the Maximum Flow value.

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The Maximum and Minimum Opacity parameters are where you set theopacity range for a brush mark. This works with the pressure sensitivity of apen tablet.
llMaximum Opacity: Sets the transparency limit of the brush markwhen the pressure is heavy.
Minimum Opacity: Sets the transparency limit of the brush mark when
the pressure is very light. It is defined as a percentage of the Maximum
Opacity value. If the Minimum Opacity value is set to 100%, then tablet pressure sensitivity will no longer be applicable. The opacity will be
set to the constant rate of the Maximum Opacity value.

Maximum Opacity and Minimum Opacity

RandomnessTh Randomness parameter lets you set the range for the randomness of theflow and opacity. This works with the pressure sensitivity of a pen tablet.

Randomness Flow

You can create variation in the flow of your brush stroke just by setting theMaximum and Minimum Flow values. If you add randomness to the mix,pressure sensitivity from your drawing tablet will still be applied. Lightpressure will create random values around the minimum, while heavypressure will create random values closer to the maximum. The larger thepercentage, the larger the range of random variation.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

NOTE: Setting the Minimum Flow value to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating flow variation on your stroke, whether you are applying
randomness or not. That is, you would be forcing a uniform flow using theMaximum Flow value.

You can create variation in the opacity of your brush stroke just by setting theMaximum and Minimum Opacity values. If you add randomness to the mix,pressure sensitivity from your drawing tablet will still be applied. Lightpressure will create random values around the minimum, while heavypressure will create random values closer to the maximum. The larger thepercentage, the larger the range of random variation.
Random Opacity
NOTE: Setting the Minimum Opacity value to 100% eliminates the possibility of creating opacity variation on your stroke, whether you are applying randomness or not. That is, you would be forcing a uniform opacity
using the Maximum Opacity value.
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Dual Tip Tab
The Dual Tip tab lets you set the parameters for creating a dual tip brush. The primary bitmap brush tip and the dual
tip always work together. You can set the parameters for the primary tip in the Tip tab and those for the dual tip in theDual Tip tab. The Blend mode you select determines how the tips are combined.
You must select the Dual Tip option to access the tab's parameters.
By default, the Blend Mode is set to Multiply and the Random Angle to 360°.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

Tool Name

Description

Blend Mode

The Blend modes let you decide how the primary tip and the dual tip are combined.

Multiply

This is the default blend mode. When the two brush tips are combined in thismode, they essentially cut each other out in overlapping areas, where one or bothtips have an area of 100% transparency. The less opaque the brush tips are, thelighter their combination.

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Colour Dodge

In this mode, the primary tip cuts out the shape of the dual tip. Where the tip
shapes overlap, within the boundaries of the primary shape, the colour and opacity
appear darker.

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CombineBrush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

This mode treats the two tips as two different and separate brushes that have thesame colour and follow the same path.

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Paper Texture Tab
The Paper Texture tab lets you view and select a paper-like texture for your brush. You can also import paper
textures that were previously exported.
You must select this option to access the tab's parameters.

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Brush Tool Properties (Bitmap)

Tool
Name

Description

TextureScale

Increase or decreases the size of the paper texture.

Additive

This option layers the texture on top of itself as you scribble overlapping lines in one continuous
stroke. If this option is turned off, areas of overlapping lines from a single, continuous stroke willappear the same, in terms of darkness and texture, as non-overlapping areas.

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This option defines the way separate, overlapping strokes behave. If this option is enabled, thepaper texture's position does not change with each sweep of the brush. If this option is disabled,each sweep of the brush produces a different texture position. The texture orientation always stays
the same.

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Close Gap Tool Properties

Close Gap Tool Properties
When you select the Close Gap tool, its properties and options appears in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Auto-Flatten Mode

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automaticallyflattens the new lines created with the existingartwork as you draw in the Drawing or Camera view.
Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes andpencil lines will flatten with pencil lines.

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Contour Editor Tool Properties
When you select the Contour Editor tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt totemporarily switch between the Marquee and Lassomodes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt
to temporarily switch between the Marquee and Lassomodes.

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it
on. As soon as you move it close enough to anotherline, your point or selection will snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line
while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you
can also snap your anchor point to.

Show Contour Editor Controls

Use the Show Contour Editor Controls option to show
the contour editor controls. You can use these controls
to scale, reposition and rotate the selected anchor
points.

Apply to Line and Colour Art The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses the567

Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Contour Editor Tool Properties

concept of Line Art and Colour Art layers. Use thisoption to apply an action such as selecting, resizing or
erasing a drawing on both Line Art and Colour Art
layers, as well as the Overlay and Underlay layers.
Smooth Selection

The Smooth operation lets you smooth out selecteddrawing strokes and remove extra points.
lSplit Pencil Line and Join
Pencil Lines

568

From the top menu, select Drawing> Optimize> Smooth or press Alt + Shift + S.

When drawing with the Polyline tool, your drawing has
an even line thickness. You can use the Pencil Editor toadjust the thickness point by point, but if you want toadjust it quicker, you can use the Split Pencil Line andPoint Pencil Lines options to create segments andapply a pencil stencil to your drawing. Note that if you
did not join the pencil lines on your polyline stroke, thesegments between the points will act as separated
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Cutter Tool Properties
When you select the Cutter tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Ico- ToolnName

Description

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt to temporarily switch between the Marqueeand Lasso modes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt to temporarily switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Apply to The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses the concept of Line Art and Colour Art layers. UseLine and this option to apply an action such as selecting, resizing or erasing a drawing on both Line Art andColour Art Colour Art layers, as well as the Overlay and Underlay layers.
Apply toSyncedDrawing
LayersApplies to the Camera view only. Works in conjunction with the Works on Single Drawing. Only
selects lines from the current drawing and drawing layers synced to the current drawing.
Layers are synced when drawings need to be separated on different layers, but need to have thesame timing. When you enable the Apply to Synced Drawing Layers option, only drawings onlayers synced with other layers will be available for cutting. When you click on a synced layer in
the Timeline view, the other layers that it is synced with will display the link icon.

In the example above, the torso layer is synced with the torso_pattern_1 and torso_
pattern_2 layers.
Use
Mouse
GestureWhen using the Lasso selection type, the Use Mouse Gesture option lets you automaticallydelete any extra sections of line in your artwork by simply dragging your mouse over it.

NOTE: For this operation to work, you lines CANNOT be flattened.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Use
Mouse
GestureBreakerMode

Cutter Tool Properties

When using the Lasso selection type, the Use Mouse Gesture Breaker Mode option lets you
draw an invisible stroke on a pencil line to cut it in two individual objects. Once a pencil line is cut
with this option, you will be able to select the two portions independently with either the Cutter
tool, Pencil Editor tool or Select tool.

NOTE: This option only works with pencil lines.
Tip StyleIf you erase the end of a pencil line or erase a pencil line through the centre, new line tips or line
ends are created. Use the Tip Style option to customize the shape of the new line tips that are
created.

Antialiasing

When drawing on a bitmap layer, lines are no longer clean vector shapes. For the edges to besmooth, a slight amount of antialiasing is used. When using the Cutter tool, you can cut a portionof your drawing with or without antialiasing. By default, the option is enabled. If you want to cut
your drawing using a hard edge, you can select the Antialiasing Off option.

Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.
Degrees
CW
Rotate 90 Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Degrees
CCW

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Drawing Pivot Tool Properties
The Drawing Pivot tool lets you set the pivots on your character. You can set the drawing pivots on drawings andsymbols.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Setting the Drawing Pivot
for Symbols on All Frames

The Set the Pivot for Symbol on All Frames option isenabled by default. When you set a drawing pivot on asymbol, all of its cells use the same drawing pivot. Thismeans you do not have to set a drawing pivot on all
frames. Once you set it, it is done.
If you prefer to set a different drawing pivot for a seriesof cells, you can deselect the option and set your pivots
on each cell or cell range.

NOTE: If you have already set several different
pivots on your symbol's cells and selected the Set
the Pivot for Symbol on All Frames option, once
you set a new pivot on the same symbol, all of its
pivots will be reset and will use your new pivot.
Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it
on. As soon as you move it close enough to anotherline, your point or selection will snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line
while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you
can also snap your anchor point to.

Snap to Grid

Snaps your selection following the currently enabled
grid.

Reset Pivot

When you click the Reset Pivot option, the drawing
pivot of the selected drawing or symbol is reset to thecentre of the Camera view.

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Drawing Pivot Tool Properties

Copying Pivot on Parent
SymbolWhen you import new extra drawings, such as hands
and mouths, you can use the drawing pivot that was set
on your drawings and report them to the symbol's cells.
Use the Copy Pivot to Parent Symbol command for
this.

NOTE: When you copy drawing pivots to the parent symbol, there is no link between the drawings'
pivots and the symbol's pivots. If you modify thedrawing pivot later, it will not link to the symbol.
You would need to perform the operation again. If
you need to modify the symbol's pivots, you can doit directly on the symbol's cells.

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Dropper Tool Properties
When you select the Dropper tool, its properties and options appears in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Sample All Layers

On bitmap layers, if strokes with transparency locatedon separated art layers overlap, the Dropper will pickthe combination of the two colours. When disabled, theDropper will pick the colour on the current art layer.

Do not Pick Transparency

On bitmap layers, when enabled, the dropper will pickthe colour at 100% of opacity even if the selection has
some transparency.

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Ellipse Tool Properties

Ellipse Tool Properties
When you select the Ellipse tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view. There are a few
less options available when working on a bitmap layer.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow todisplay advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.

Shape

You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

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l

l

l

Presets

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first
tip you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip
you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line
curves abruptly. You could also define the Join style as thecorner style. You can choose between Round, Mitre and Bevel
style.

Harmony provides a variety of presets and also lets you create andsave your own. It is a good idea to create and save pencils with precise
sizes and parameters when you draw and design for efficiency andconsistency.
All tools using pencil lines share the same preset list. Therefore, thePolyline, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Pencil tools share the same
preset list.

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously
exported via the Export Brushes command.

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on adifferent computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.
When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paintbehind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you
release the tool.

Draw Behind

Automatic Filling

Use the Automatic Filling option to automatically fill your shape with theselected colour as you draw. By default, the Shape tool creates theoutline of an empty shape that you can later fill using the Paint tool.
This option is unavailable for the line tool.

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Ellipse Tool Properties

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it on. As soon as
you move it close enough to another line, your point or selection will
snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line while displaying
temporary rulers as a guide that you can also snap your anchor point to.
Snaps your selection following the currently enabled grid.

Snap to Grid

As you draw in the Line Art layer, the Automatically Create Colour Art
option instantly creates the corresponding strokes in the Colour Art
layer.
Automatically Create
Colour Art

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automatically flattens the newlines created with the existing artwork as you draw in the Drawing or
Camera view. Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes and pencil
lines will flatten with pencil lines.

Auto-Flatten Mode

NOTE:
Using the Select tool, you can use select and remove a segment offlattened pencil lines. Overlapping pencil lines drawn with the AutoFlatten mode are essentially cut into segments by the overlap andcan be treated as individual lines.

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The Use Stored Colour Gradient option makes your tool use theUse Stored Colour Gradipreviously stored gradient position. This way, every new brush line orentcolour fill will use the stored gradient position.
Enable this option to draw perfect circle (ratio 1:1) without holding any
keyboard shortcuts. As an alternative, you can hold down the Shift key.

Draw Circle

Size and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

Tool Name

Description

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the width of
the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value will beignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smoothout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape
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l

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Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves
abruptly. You could also define the Join style as the corner style. You canchoose between Round, Mitre and Bevel style.

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Ellipse Tool Properties

Texture Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Copy to Preferences

You can add a pencil texture to your preset preferences.

New Texture

Adds a new custom pencil texture to the list.

Delete Texture

Deletes a texture preset from the list.

Rename Texture

Renames the selected texture to keep the list organized.

Presets

Harmony provides a variety of pencil texture presets and also lets you
create and save your own.

Pencil Texture Palette

Displays the colour palette assigned to hold the pencil textures. Use
the Colour View menu to assign a new palette.

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Envelope Tool Properties
Selecting the Envelope tool displays its properties and options in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Width and Height

Increase the width and height values to add morecolumns and rows to the deformation grids.

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt totemporarily switch between the Marquee and Lassomodes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt
to temporarily switch between the Marquee and Lassomodes.

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it
on. As soon as you move it close enough to anotherline, your point or selection will snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line
while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you
can also snap your anchor point to.

Snap to Grid

Snaps your selection following the currently enabled
grid.

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Envelope Tool Properties

Show Advanced Controls

To display more controls,you can click on the Show
Advanced Controls button.

Apply to Line and Colour Art The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses theconcept of Line Art and Colour Art layers. Use thisoption to apply an action such as selecting, resizing or
erasing a drawing on both Line Art and Colour Art
layers, as well as the Overlay and Underlay layers.
Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 Degrees CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 Degrees CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

SmoothYou can modify the central line smoothness of your line
using this option. This parameter smooths the deformedlines. Increasing the value will result in a smoother linewith fewer control points. The more you increase thevalue, the less details and curves you will get. Use theleft and right arrows to increment the value by one fullunit. Use the Up - Down slider to quickly increment thevalue.

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Eraser Tool Properties
When you're drawing on vector layer and you select the Eraser
Properties view.

tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool

The bitmap eraser options are identical to those of the bitmap brush with one obvious exception. Instead ofcustomizing the parameters of a mark or stroke, you will be customizing the parameters for the absence of a mark or
stroke.
It is a good idea to create an eraser preset with the identical properties of a brush preset and to use them as a pair.
That way, when part of a stroke is erased, its soft textured look is not interrupted with a hard edged eraser mark.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow to display
advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer
the control points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Eraser Presets

Presets are created by saving the properties of the current tool to a newpreset, which you can reuse for repeated tasks. You can create as many
presets as you need.

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

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Eraser Tool Properties

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously exported
via the Export Brushes command.

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on a different
computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.

Apply to Line and Colour
Art

The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses the concept of Line Art andColour Art layers. Use this option to apply an action such as selecting,resizing or erasing a drawing on both Line Art and Colour Art layers, aswell as the Overlay and Underlay layers.
If you erase the end of a pencil line or erase a pencil line through thecentre, new line tips or line ends are created. Use the Tip Style option tocustomize the shape of the new line tips that are created.

Tip Style

Applies to the Camera view only. Works in conjunction with the Works on
Apply to Synced Drawing
Single Drawing. Only selects lines from the current drawing and drawing
Layerslayers synced to the current drawing.

Size and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

Tool Name

Description

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Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the widthof the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value willbe ignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smoothout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.

Tip Shape

Lets you select a tip shape—from round and square ones to star shaped. This
option is disabled when using a textured brush.

Soft Eraser Tab
You can create texture brushes to draw on vector layers. Enable the Soft Eraser option to access the options.

HardnessDefines the softness of the stroke edge. The lower the value, the softer the strokeedge will be. The higher the value, the sharper the stroke edge will be.

Saturation

Lets you adjust the softness of edge feathering. Works in conjunction with theHardness, e.g. 100% Hardness will yield no results in saturation change. 0%
Hardness will allow a fine tuning of the feathering of the soft stroke edge.

Maximum Opacity

The transparency of the brush when the pressure is heavy. A smaller value will
leave semi-transparent colour and texture. A larger value will ensure thateverything is properly erased. This option in unavailable if the Keep Vectors
option is disabled.

Minimum Opacity

Sets the minimum transparency of the brush, in relation to the Maximum Opacity,when the pressure is very light. A smaller value will leave semi-transparent colour
and texture. A larger value will ensure that everything is properly erased. This
option in unavailable if the Keep Vectors option is disabled.

Keep Vectors

Keeps the vector frames around your strokes intact, only the texture fill disappears. Disabling this option will cut the stroke's vector frame into different
pieces when the Eraser tool passes over it. If you disable this option, the maximum and minimum opacity sliders are disabled as well.

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Ink Tool Properties

Ink Tool Properties
When you select the Ink tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Tool

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold
Alt to temporarily switch between the Marqueeand Lasso modes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click andhold Alt to temporarily switch between the
Marquee and Lasso modes.

Show Inkable Lines

Highlights all pencil lines (no brush strokes) on theselected layer. Pencil line segments that are
already inked with the selected swatch colour
from the colour palette are also not highlighted.

Be Smart on Connecting Lines

As you hover and move the cursor acrossintersecting pencil lines, the path that you create
will be highlighted. When you click on your mouseor stylus the highlighted segments are inked. With
this option disabled, all the intersecting segmentsthat your cursor comes near will be highlighted
and become part of the selection, even if they
were not situated in the direction of the chosen
path.

NOTE: This option only works if the Ink tool
is in Hover mode.

Select ModeUse this mode instead of the Hover Mode. In the
Hover Mode, any potentially inkable pencil line
will have its central vector line highlighted as the
Ink tool’s cursor hovers over it. Use Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ (Mac OS X) to toggle between
the two modes.

Select Newly Painted, Repainted,
and Unpainted Contours/Lines

In the Paint tool properties, this option keeps aselection highlighted around the latest paintedzone after using the Paint, Repaint, Unpaint, orPaint Unpainted tool.

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Raise

As you ink the pencil line, the segment will be
moved on top of the other intersecting strokes.
Disable this option for the line to be sent behind.
Hold down the Alt key to perform the opposite
operation as you ink.

Mitre

As you hover over two perpendicular or nearly perpendicular segments, a highlighted path with acorner is created. Clicking on these highlighted
segments inks both segments and makes themappear as a single stroke with a corner or bend.
Options include: As Is, Round, Miter, and Bevel.

Tip StyleLets you customize the edge of the Ink tool.
Options include: Round, Flat, and Bevel.

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Inverse Kinematics Tool Properties

Inverse Kinematics Tool Properties
The IK tool has a series of different modes and options available in the Tool Properties view.

Mode
Mode

ButtonDescription
Enabled by default, this mode lets you click on any bone in acharacter and move it without having to select the actual layer.

Bone Selection

When you disable this mode, you cannot move any bone except the
selected one. This allows you to grab and rotate the selected partfrom many angles and locations. You can click completely outside
the character and move the pieces.
•

Simple Chain Mode: This is the default mode and will
only allow for the movement of parts attached to a single chain
up to the point of intersection. A single chain is a straight linewith no secondary chain attached.

•

Direct Chain Mode: This mode allows you to move parts
up a simple secondary chain to a principle chain, as long astranslation movement is possible (the principle chain is
attached to its own peg), but will ignore all secondary chains.
A direct chain is a single chain which goes directly to the core.

•

All Chain Mode: This mode allows you to move all parts
attached to all chains in the IK skeleton. All chains areattached and move simultaneously when one part is moved.

Chain

The main working mode for the IK tool. Enable this mode when you
want to animate and position a puppet.
IK Manipulation

Ctrl + click (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + click (Mac OS X) on a body partto select it. You do not need to select a part to be able to move it.

Apply IK Constraints

Lets you correct a part's position on a series of frames. For example,
if the character's foot is sinking into the floor, you can correct its position and angle over a series of frames.

Edit Min/Max Angle

Lets you set a rotation restriction on some of your parts, such as
elbows, knees and ankles.

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Bone Editing

Lets you fix the bone orientation on extremities, such as hands andfeet.

IK Options
Parameter

Description

IK Keyframe

Used in combination with the IK Constraints mode, this option determines thestarting frame of the constraint you will apply.

Ease Shape

While animating with the IK tool and before doing a movement, set an easingpreset so the motion is not so mechanical.
Before moving the part, select a preset from the Ease Shape menu:

If you select a new preset in the list and move the part again on the same
keyframe, the easing will automatically update.

Selection
Parameter

Description

Enable Translation If Top of
Hierarchy
Used only on master pegs. This option is useful when you have this particluar situation: You want the character to do a perfect split (sitting down with the legs atright angles to the body or at the sides with the torso facing forwards), then the hip
will need to translate and not just rotate on the spot. And since IK is all about rotation, you would select the hip layer and enable the translation option.

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Inverse Kinematics Tool Properties

This option is enabled by default. The pivot disappears but you can still see thebone. When this option is disabled, the selected part cannot be rotated and willremain in the same position. You can use this option to simulate an arm in aplaster cast.
Exclude from IK

This option lets you exclude certain parts of the puppet from the IK influence,such as the eyes and mouth.

IK Nails

These options let you temporarily fix a part of a character to a spot either in translation or rotation, or enable maximum and minimum angle usage.

Stiffness

When a certain part is selected, you can apply a stiffness value to it. A different
stiffness value can be set to each body part individually. The greater the stiffness,the more difficult it is to make that part rotate, thereby rendering it stiff while theother parts continue to move freely on their joints.

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Line Tool Properties
When you select the Line tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view. There are a few less
options available when working on a bitmap layer.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow to display
advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.

Shape

You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

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Line Tool Properties

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Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip
you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip
you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line
curves abruptly. You could also define the Join style as the cornerstyle. You can choose between Round, Mitre and Bevel style.

Harmony provides a variety of presets and also lets you create and saveyour own. It is a good idea to create and save pencils with precise sizes
and parameters when you draw and design for efficiency and consistency.
Presets
All tools using pencil lines share the same preset list. Therefore, thePolyline, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Pencil tools share the same preset
list.
New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously exported
via the Export Brushes command.

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on a different
computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.
When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paintbehind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you
release the tool.

Draw Behind

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it on. As soon as you
move it close enough to another line, your point or selection will snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you can also snap your anchor point to.

Snap to Grid

Snaps your selection following the currently enabled grid.

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As you draw in the Line Art layer, the Automatically Create Colour Art
option instantly creates the corresponding strokes in the Colour Art layer.
Automatically Create
Colour Art

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automatically flattens the new lines
created with the existing artwork as you draw in the Drawing or Camera
view. Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes and pencil lines will
flatten with pencil lines.

Auto-Flatten Mode

NOTE:
Using the Select tool, you can use select and remove a segment offlattened pencil lines. Overlapping pencil lines drawn with the AutoFlatten mode are essentially cut into segments by the overlap andcan be treated as individual lines.
When using the pencil tool, you can automatically close strokes with aninvisible stroke.

Auto-Close Gap

It is recommended to keep this option enabled when drawing with thePencil tool.
Line Building Mode

The Line Building mode is very useful when drawing long lines and curves

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Line Tool Properties

in small increments with pencil lines or the Line tool. As the pencil lines
are central vector lines, it may be difficult to align the line tips perfectly tocreate a uniform stroke and close all gaps.
In this mode, you can draw lines in small increments and the tips are
merge into one single stroke.

NOTE: This mode only works with pencil lines or the line tool.
The Use Stored Colour Gradient option makes your tool use the previously
Use Stored Colour Gradistored gradient position. This way, every new brush line or colour fill willent
use the stored gradient position.
Draw Circle

Enable this option to draw perfect circle (ratio 1:1) without holding any keyboard shortcuts. As an alternative, you can hold down the Shift key.

Size and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

Tool Name

Description

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the widthof the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value willbe ignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smooth592

Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guideout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape
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l

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you
drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves
abruptly. You could also define the Join style as the corner style. You canchoose between Round, Mitre and Bevel style.

Texture Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Copy to Preferences

You can add a pencil texture to your preset preferences.

New Texture

Adds a new custom pencil texture to the list.

Delete Texture

Deletes a texture preset from the list.

Rename Texture

Renames the selected texture to keep the list organized.

Presets

Harmony provides a variety of pencil texture presets and also lets you
create and save your own.

Pencil Texture Palette

Displays the colour palette assigned to hold the pencil textures. Use the593

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Line Tool Properties

Colour View menu to assign a new palette.

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Morphing Tool Properties
As you create and adjust your morphing sequences, you will often use the Tool Properties view. Using this view
allows you to do things such as toggle between your key drawings, adjust the easing or select a hint type.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Hint TypeThe Hint Type drop-down menu allows you to select thecorrect hint to remedy any problem areas in yourdrawing.

You can have more than one hint type in your drawings.
You can mix all of the hint types in your morphing
sequence.
Do not Pick Transparency

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The Hide Hints button temporarily Temporarily hides thehint points from the key drawings. Use this option when
you have a series of hint points hiding some lines you
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Morphing Tool Properties

Show Morphing in PlaceThe Show Morphing In Place option is used withmorphing layers. Enabling this option prevents thecurrently selected morphing layer from being shown on
top of the others and maintains the correct layerordering.

Suggest Hints

The Suggest Hints option is used to automatically set
Automatically sets hint points on key drawings as ahelp tool. If you're not sure where to set hints, you can
use this option. It will set the main hints which you canthen fine tune.

Switch Between Drawings

The Switch Between Drawings button is used to toggle
Toggles between the two key drawings in yourmorphing sequence. This option is useful while setting
hints. You can use the default keyboard shortcut F4 totoggle between your drawings.

Flatten

The Flatten option is used when you have to morph asequence with a semi-transparent or transparent colour
in it.

Quality

The Quality setting is used to make the lines of themorphed drawings smoother. Adjust this parameter
when you are doing an extreme close up of youranimation.

Morphing Layers

The Morphing Layers option is used when working withmorphing layers. You can add, remove and manage
your different morphing layers in this space.

To create new drawings, double-click on the blank area
under the From section to create the source drawing
and the To section for the destination drawing and typea different value than the ones used for the main layer.
Add Layer

Adds a new Morphing layer.

Delete Layer

Deletes the selected Morphing layer.

Move Up

Moves the new layer up in the stack.

Move Down

Moves the new lower up in the stack.

Start

Indicates the start frame of the selected Morphing layer.

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Stop

Indicates the end frame of the selected Morphing layer.

Ease in and Ease out

The Easing option is used to adjust the starting andending velocity of your morphing sequence so that the
motion is smooth and not mechanical.
You can adjust the Ease In and Ease Out value by
dragging your cursor up and down or typing a new value.
The values go from -1.0 to 1.0.

Convert Hints

The Convert Hints option is used to switch the type ofthe selected hint points. This option is useful when you
position hints and then realize they are not the righttype. You can select them and convert them to thecorrect type instead of deleting them and setting newones.

Use the Morphing tool to select the hints and thenconvert them by going to the Tool Properties view andselecting the new hint type from the Convert Hints dropdown menu.
Time

The Time field is used to set the timing on Appearing
Point and Vanishing Point hints. These hints are used to
set the trajectory of appearing and vanishing objects,
With the Time field, select your Appearing Point or
Vanishing Point hint and type the frame number onwhich the object will start its appearing or vanishing
animation.

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Paint Tool Properties

Paint Tool Properties
When you select the Paint tool, its properties and options appears in the Tools Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt totemporarily switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt totemporarily switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Paint Modes

The Paint tool has four different modes available:
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l

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l

Paint and Remove Textures

The Paint mode paints everything it touches, including
empty and filled zones.
The Paint Unpainted mode paints only empty zones.
Any line or filled zone will remain unchanged.
The Repaint mode paints everything it touches except
empty zones. Any zone that is not painted will remain
intact.
The Unpaint mode unpaints everything it touches,
including empty and filled zones.

The Paint and Remove Texture option is used when you
vectorized images as greyscale texture style. An image
vectorized as texture is a mix of bitmap filling encapsulated ina vector-based frame. Painting a textured zones with the
Paint tool will change the tint of the textured lines. Painting
the textured zones using the Paint and Remove Texture
option transforms the bitmap filling into a 100% vector basedzone and fills it with a solid colour.

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Apply to Multiple Drawings

The Apply to Multiple Drawings option is used for fast painting
in hand-drawn animation. When you want to paint several
drawings in a same layer at once, such as a walk cycle, you
can enable this option and make a selection in the Camera or
Drawing view. All the closed zones located within your Paint
tool selection are painted with the selected colour swatch.

You do not need to enable the Onion Skin preview to use thisoption. The option will stay enabled only for the next action. If
you want to use it again, you must click on the Apply toMultiple Drawings button again, or press Alt + A.
Apply to All Visible Draw- The Apply to All Visible Drawings option is used to paintings
several drawings on separated layers on the current frames. If
you have a character broken in several layers, you can enable
this option to paint all your layers at once. The operation is
only applied on the current frame. This option will stayenabled only for the next action. If you want to use it again,
you must click on the Apply to All Visible Drawings button
again.

NOTE: This option is only available in the Camera viewand does not affect symbols.
Respect Protected Colour

The Respect Protected Colour option is enabled by default. In
your Colour view, you can protect some colour swatches toavoid repainting or unpainting the zones linked to that swatch.
If you disable this option the Paint tool will not follow theprotect colour rule and will repaint or unpaint the protectedcolours on your drawings until you enable the option again.

Use Stored Colour Gradi- When you paint a zone with a gradient or textured colour
entswatch, the gradient or texture’s position is set relative to thesize of the zone you are painting. If you want the Paint tool to
use a particular size and position, you must first store yourdesired position and size using the Select tool and thenenable the Use Stored Colour Gradient option in the Paint tool
properties.

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Select Newly Painted,
Repainted, andUnpainted Contours/Lines

In the Paint tool properties, this option keeps a selection
highlighted around the latest painted zone after using the
Paint, Repaint, Unpaint, or Paint Unpainted tool.

Close Gap

The Close Gap option has four modes available. When theoption is enabled, Harmony will consume more resources
while painting.

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600

No Close Gap: The moment a zone has a gap in it, thePaint tool will not fill the area.
Close Small Gap: If a zone has a small gap in it, thePaint tool will fill the area. You can zoom out to makethe gap appear smaller and the Paint tool will paint.
Close Medium Gap: If a zone has a medium gap in it,
the Paint tool will fill the area. You can zoom out tomake the gap appear smaller and the Paint tool will
paint.
Close Large Gap: If a zone has a large gap in it, thePaint tool will fill the area. You can zoom out to makethe gap appear smaller and the Paint tool will paint.

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Pencil Tool Properties

Pencil Tool Properties
When you select the Pencil

Icon

tool, its properties and options appears in the Tool Properties view.

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow to display
advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer
the control points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first
tip you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.

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End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip
you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line
curves abruptly. You could also define the Join style as thecorner style. You can choose between Round, Mitre and Bevel
style.

Harmony provides a variety of pencil presets and thickness stencils andalso lets you create and save your own. It is a good idea to create andsave pencils with precise sizes and parameters when you draw anddesign for efficiency and consistency.

Presets

A thickness stencil saves the thickness information across the length ofthe line. When drawing with a thickness stencil, the pressure sensitivityof the tablet is discarded. A thickness stencil can be used while
drawing, or applied afterwards.
You also have the possibility to apply different textures to your lines byeither using the default presets or importing your own.
You can export the pencil presets that you have created and importthose that others have created. This is a good way for you and project
collaborators to keep a consistent look for the project.

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously exported
via the Export Brushes command.

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on a different
computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.
When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paintbehind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you
release the tool.

Draw Behind

As you draw in the Line Art layer, the Automatically Create Colour Art
option instantly creates the corresponding strokes in the Colour Art
layer.
Automatically Create
Colour Art

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Pencil Tool Properties

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automatically flattens the newlines created with the existing artwork as you draw in the Drawing or
Camera view. Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes and pencil
lines will flatten with pencil lines.

Auto-Flatten Mode

NOTE:
Using the Select tool, you can use select and remove a segment offlattened pencil lines. Overlapping pencil lines drawn with the AutoFlatten mode are essentially cut into segments by the overlap andcan be treated as individual lines.
When using the pencil tool, you can automatically close strokes with aninvisible stroke.

Auto-Close Gap

It is recommended to keep this option enabled when drawing with thePencil tool.
The Line Building mode is very useful when drawing long lines andcurves in small increments with pencil lines or the Line tool. As the
pencil lines are central vector lines, it may be difficult to align the line
tips perfectly to create a uniform stroke and close all gaps.
In this mode, you can draw lines in small increments and the tips are
merge into one single stroke.

Line Building Mode

NOTE: This mode only works with pencil lines or the line tool.

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The Auto Adjust Thickness tool is useful when you want to render aportion of a line thicker. When tracing a drawing on paper, you will often
go back to a section of a curve to make it thicker to add dynamism to theline. Using the Auto Adjust Thickness tool, you can draw highlightstrokes over the section to make thicker. Once you release the pen or
mouse, the line becomes thicker following the shape and curve of theoriginal stroke. This way is much faster and smoother than using thePencil Editor tool. You do not have to add extra points and adjust theposition and Bezier handles.
Auto Adjust Thickness

The default overlay colour is light yellow. If this colour is difficult to see
because of the background or drawing colour, you can adjust the colour.

Line Pushing Mode

The Line Pushing Mode option lets you draw highlight strokes overexisting pencil lines. You can reshape the curves. Depending how you
draw the pushing stroke over your line, the highlighted section will bereshaped in one direction or the other.
The default overlay colour is light yellow. If this colour is difficult to see
because of the background or drawing colour, you can adjust the colour.

You can change the colour for the Line Pushing Mode anf the Auto
Adjust Thickness option by clicking on the Colour swatch and selecting
a new colour in the Colour Picking window.
ColourSize and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Pencil Tool Properties

Tool Name

Description

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the widthof the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value willbe ignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smoothout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape
l

l

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you
drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves
abruptly. You could also define the Join style as the corner style. You canchoose between Round, Mitre and Bevel style.

Texture Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Icon

Tool Name

Description

Copy to Preferences

You can add a pencil texture to your preset preferences.

New Texture

Adds a new custom pencil texture to the list.

Delete Texture

Deletes a texture preset from the list.

Rename Texture

Renames the selected texture to keep the list organized.

Presets

Harmony provides a variety of pencil texture presets and also lets you
create and save your own.

Pencil Texture Palette

Displays the colour palette assigned to hold the pencil textures. Use theColour View menu to assign a new palette.

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Pencil Editor Tool Properties

Pencil Editor Tool Properties
When you select the Pencil Editor tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Ico- Tool
n
Name
Lasso

Description
Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt to temporarily switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

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Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt to temporarily switch between the
Marquee and Lasso modes.

Maximum Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the width of theSizestroke.
Minimum
Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If you do nothave pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value will be ignored.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape
l

l

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you drew. You canchoose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew. You canchoose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves abruptly. You
could also define the Join style as the corner style. You can choose between Round,
Mitre and Bevel style.

Harmony provides a variety of pencil presets and thickness stencils and also lets you createand save your own. It is a good idea to create and save pencils with precise sizes andparameters when you draw and design for efficiency and consistency.

Presets

A thickness stencil saves the thickness information across the length of the line. Whendrawing with a thickness stencil, the pressure sensitivity of the tablet is discarded. A
thickness stencil can be used while drawing, or applied afterwards.
You also have the possibility to apply different textures to your lines by either using the default
presets or importing your own.
You can export the pencil presets that you have created and import those that others havecreated. This is a good way for you and project collaborators to keep a consistent look for the
project.

New
Brush

Allows to create a new preset from the selected pencil line.

DeleteBrush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

RenameBrush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Small
Thumbnail, Large
Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large square thumbnails or a
Thumblist of stroke preview.
nail, and
StrokeView

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Pencil Editor Tool Properties

Copy toPreferences

You can add a pencil texture to your preset preferences.

New Texture

Adds a new custom pencil texture to the list.

DeleteTextureDeletes a texture preset from the list.

RenameTextureRenames the selected texture to keep the list organized.

Presets

Harmony provides a variety of pencil texture presets and also lets you create and save yourown.

Pencil TexDisplays the colour palette assigned to hold the pencil textures. Use the Colour View menu totureassign a new palette.
PaletteThe Smooth operation lets you smooth out selected drawing strokes and remove extra points.
l

From the top menu, select Drawing> Optimize > Smooth or press Alt + Shift + S.

SmoothSelection

The Pump Pencil Pressure option is used to increase the line thickness of a selected area ona pencil line.

Pump Pencil Pressure

The Deflate Pencil Pressure option is used to decrease the line thickness of a selected area
on a pencil line.

DeflatePencilPressure

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Pencil lines are central vector lines and it might be difficult to match pencil line’s tips properly
to align them and make it look like it is one single line. With the Select tool, you can selectseveral pencil lines and merge them as one single object using the Merge Pencil Lines option.
The ends of your lines are adjusted to form one single line.

Merge
PencilLines

The Reverse Pencil Thickness option inverts the thick and thin section on a selected pencil
line. This option will take the thickest size on the line and apply it to the thinnest, and it will
apply the thinnest to the thickest.

ReversePencilThickness

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Perspective Tool Properties

Perspective Tool Properties
Selecting the Perspective tool displays its properties and options in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt
to temporarily switch between the Marquee andLasso modes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold
Alt to temporarily switch between the Marquee andLasso modes.

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position
it on. As soon as you move it close enough toanother line, your point or selection will snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line
while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you
can also snap your anchor point to.

Snap to Grid

Snaps your selection following the currently enabled
grid.

Selection Tool Options

Apply to Line and Colour Art The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses theconcept of Line Art and Colour Art layers. Use thisoption to apply an action such as selecting, resizing
or erasing a drawing on both Line Art and Colour Art
layers, as well as the Overlay and Underlay layers.
Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 Degrees CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 Degrees CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-612

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clockwise.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Polyline Tool Properties

Polyline Tool Properties
When you select the Polyline tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow todisplay advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Size

Presets

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.
Harmony provides a variety of presets and also lets you create andsave your own. It is a good idea to create and save pencils with precise
sizes and parameters when you draw and design for efficiency andconsistency.
All tools using pencil lines share the same preset list. Therefore, thePolyline, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Pencil tools share the same
preset list.

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously

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exported via the Export Brushes command.
Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on adifferent computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it on. As soon as
you move it close enough to another line, your point or selection will
snap to it.
As you draw in the Line Art layer, the Automatically Create Colour Art
option instantly creates the corresponding strokes in the Colour Art
layer.

Automatically Create
Colour Art

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automatically flattens the newlines created with the existing artwork as you draw in the Drawing or
Camera view. Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes and pencil
lines will flatten with pencil lines.

Auto-Flatten Mode

NOTE:
Using the Select tool, you can use select and remove a segment offlattened pencil lines. Overlapping pencil lines drawn with the AutoFlatten mode are essentially cut into segments by the overlap andcan be treated as individual lines.

Size and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Polyline Tool Properties

Tool Name

Description

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the widthof the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value willbe ignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smoothout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape
l

l

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you
drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves
abruptly. You could also define the Join style as the corner style. You canchoose between Round, Mitre and Bevel style.

Texture Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Icon

Tool Name

Description

Copy to Preferences

You can add a pencil texture to your preset preferences.

New Texture

Adds a new custom pencil texture to the list.

Delete Texture

Deletes a texture preset from the list.

Rename Texture

Renames the selected texture to keep the list organized.

Presets

Harmony provides a variety of pencil texture presets and also lets you
create and save your own.

Pencil Texture Palette

Displays the colour palette assigned to hold the pencil textures. Use theColour View menu to assign a new palette.

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Rectangle Tool Properties

Rectangle Tool Properties
When you select the Rectangle tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view. There are a few
less options available when working on a bitmap layer.

Icon

Tool Name

Description
The Preview area lets you see a preview of the selected or customized
stroke. You can click on the Show Extended Properties arrow todisplay advanced customization parameters.

Previewing the Stroke

Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines
the width of the stroke.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape

l

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first
tip you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip

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you drew. You can choose between Round or Flat style.
lPresets

Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line
curves abruptly. You could also define the Join style as thecorner style. You can choose between Round, Mitre and Bevel
style.

Harmony provides a variety of presets and also lets you create andsave your own. It is a good idea to create and save pencils with precise
sizes and parameters when you draw and design for efficiency andconsistency.
All tools using pencil lines share the same preset list. Therefore, thePolyline, Line, Rectangle, Ellipse, and Pencil tools share the same
preset list.

New Brush

Allows to create a new preset.

Delete Brush

Allows you to delete your custom presets.

Rename Brush

Allows you to rename a custom preset.

Import Brushes

Allows you to import a set of XML Harmony presets previously
exported via the Export Brushes command.

Export Brushes

Allows you to export Harmony presets to backup or import on adifferent computer.

Small Thumbnail, Large
Thumbnail, and Stroke
View

Allows you to display the presets as small square thumbnails, large
square thumbnails or a list of stroke preview.
When drawing on vector layers, the Draw Behind mode lets you paintbehind existing art. By default, strokes appear over your work until you
release the tool.

Draw Behind

Use the Automatic Filling option to automatically fill your shape with theselected colour as you draw. By default, the Shape tool creates theoutline of an empty shape that you can later fill using the Paint tool.
This option is unavailable for the line tool.
Automatic Filling

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it on. As soon as
you move it close enough to another line, your point or selection will
snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line while displaying
temporary rulers as a guide that you can also snap your anchor point to.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Rectangle Tool Properties

Snaps your selection following the currently enabled grid.

Snap to Grid

As you draw in the Line Art layer, the Automatically Create Colour Art
option instantly creates the corresponding strokes in the Colour Art
layer.
Automatically Create
Colour Art

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automatically flattens the newlines created with the existing artwork as you draw in the Drawing or
Camera view. Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes and pencil
lines will flatten with pencil lines.

Auto-Flatten Mode

NOTE:
Using the Select tool, you can use select and remove a segment offlattened pencil lines. Overlapping pencil lines drawn with the AutoFlatten mode are essentially cut into segments by the overlap andcan be treated as individual lines.
The Use Stored Colour Gradient option makes your tool use theUse Stored Colour Gradipreviously stored gradient position. This way, every new brush line orentcolour fill will use the stored gradient position.
Draw Square

Enable this option to draw perfect square (ratio 1:1) without holding any
keyboard shortcuts. As an alternative, you can hold down the Shift key.

Size and Smoothness Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Tool Name

Description

Maximum Size

Defines the maximum size of your drawing tool. This parameter defines the width of
the stroke.

Minimum Size

Defines the minimum size of your stroke as a percentage of the maximum size. If
you do not have pressure sensitivity from a pen table, the minimum size value will beignored.

Smoothing

Defines the number of control points added to the centre line. The fewer the control
points the smoother (but less faithful) the line.

Contour Smoothing

Defines the number of points on the contour share of your stroke. This will smoothout the bumps and waves on tour contour shape of your brush strokes.
You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

Shape
l

l

l

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew.
You can choose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves
abruptly. You could also define the Join style as the corner style. You canchoose between Round, Mitre and Bevel style.

Texture Tab
You can access advanced properties by clicking on the Previewing the Stoke button in the Tool Properties view.

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Icon

Rectangle Tool Properties

Tool Name

Description

Copy to Preferences

You can add a pencil texture to your preset preferences.

New Texture

Adds a new custom pencil texture to the list.

Delete Texture

Deletes a texture preset from the list.

Rename Texture

Renames the selected texture to keep the list organized.

Presets

Harmony provides a variety of pencil texture presets and also lets you
create and save your own.

Pencil Texture Palette

Displays the colour palette assigned to hold the pencil textures. Use
the Colour View menu to assign a new palette.

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Reposition All Drawings Tool Properties
When you use the Reposition All Drawings tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

OptionDescription

Apply to Synced Drawing Layers

Applies to the Camera view only. Works in conjunction with the Works on Single Drawing. Only
selects lines from the current drawing and drawing layers synced to the current drawing.

Flip Horizontal

Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate 90 Degrees CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 Degrees CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees
counter-clockwise.
Use the Offset X and Offset Y operation fields toenter specific values and precisely reposition theselected shape.

Offset X and Y

1. X: Type a value in this field to reposition
your selection along the X-axis.
2. Y: Type a value in this field to reposition
your selection along the Y-axis.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and downarrows to modify the value in the X or Y
value field.
Use the Width and Height operation fields toenter specific values to resize the selected

Width and Height623

Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Reposition All Drawings Tool Properties

shape with precision.

1. Width: Type a value in this field to resize
the width of your selection.
2. Height: Type a value in this field to resize
the height of your selection.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and downarrows to modify the value in the Width or
Height fields.
4. Lock icon: Click the lock icon to lock or
unlock the ratio between the Width andHeight values.
The Angle operation lets you to enter specificvalues and accurately rotate the selected shape.

Angle

1. Angle: Type a degree value in this field torotate your selection.
2. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and downarrows to modify the value in the Angle
value field.

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Rigging Tool Properties
In the Tool Properties view, you can customize not only the behaviour of the tool but also the settings of thedeformers that you will create.

Mode
Name

ButtonDescription

Automatic Mode

Sets the Rigging tool to automatically create a Bone or Curve
deformer, corresponding to the movement of the cursor in the
Camera view.

Bone Mode

Sets the Rigging tool to create Bone deformers.

Curve Mode

Sets the Rigging tool to create Curve deformers.

Envelope Mode

Sets the Rigging tool to create Envelope deformers.

Game Bone Mode

Sets the Rigging tool to create Game Bone deformers.

Options
Parameter

ButtonDescription

Show All Manipulators(Show All Controls)

Lets you immediately see the resting position in red (Setup) andthe animated position in green.

Show All Regions of Influence

Lets you visualize the area within which the art will be influenced
by the deformation effect—see Rigging Tool Properties on page
625.

Automatically Create
Group when Creating a
New Deformation Rig

This option automatically creates a deformation group connectedto the input port of the selected element. This group includes all
the necessary deformation nodes you created.

Bone and Curve Zone ofInfluence

The Zone of Influence setting used as the default when creating
an articulation, bone deformer or curve deformer using the Rigging tool.
Zero Influence: The Zone of Influence does not exist. No

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Rigging Tool Properties

deformation will happen.
Infinite Influence: This is the default option and is the most commonly used. The Zone of Influence has no boundary and covers
the whole element to which the deformer is linked and its children, excluding areas that are already part of another elliptic or
shaped Zone of Influence. The Infinite Influence zone will extend
from the centre of your skeleton to infinity, working perpendicularly to the skeleton.
Elliptic Influence: The Zone of Influence boundary is defined byan elliptical shape; its size can be customized using the Bone,orArticulation or Curve node properties or by using the Transformtool. The Elliptic Influence will most likely be used on a bitmap
picture you want to deform.
Shaped Influence: The Zone of Influence boundary is definedby a shape which you can customize using the Transform tool.
The Shaped Influence will most likely be used on a bitmap picture you want to deform.
Influence Radius: This value is the size of the influence zone.
The default value is 2.

Operations
Name

ButtonDescription

Convert Elliptic Zone of Influence to Shape

After you have created a deformation chain using Elliptic as
the Zone of Influence type, you can select your deformer
and click on this button to convert it to a Shaped type.
Control points will appear around the shape making it easy
to customize.You can also convert the Elliptic zone ofinfluence to a shape. Select Animation > Deformation >Convert Elliptic Deformation ROI to Shape. This will
create a much smaller initial zone of influence than if you
were to convert it directly to a shape.

Reset Deform (Reset Current Keyframe)

Copies the resting position of the deformation skeleton to
the current frame.

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Select Tool Properties
When you use the Select tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt totemporarily switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt totemporarily switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Snap to Contour

Snaps your selection or point to any line you position it on. As
soon as you move it close enough to another line, your point or
selection will snap to it.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you can also snap youranchor point to.

Snap to Grid

Snaps your selection following the currently enabled grid.

Select by Colour

Lets you select all the zones and lines in your drawing painted
with the same colour swatch.

Selection Tool Options

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Chapter 5: Tools Properties

Select Tool Properties

In the Camera or Drawing view, click on any zone or line in yourdrawing. All zones and lines of the same colour are selected.
Click the Select tool again to return to the regular Select mode.

NOTE: Only the zones painted with the SAME colour
swatch will be selected. If another zone is coloured with theexact same RGB value (same colour), but not painted withthe same colour swatch, it will not be selected.
Permanent Selection

Lets you maintain a selection over multiple drawings. Once thisoption is enabled, the selection zone made using the Select tool
will remain as you navigate through drawings of the same layerand drawings from other drawing layers. This option can be used
to simultaneously delete artwork inside or outside of the selection
on several drawings when combined with the Apply to Multiple
Drawings option.

Apply to Multiple Draw- The Apply to Multiple Drawings option is used to perform an
ings
action on all the drawings contained in a layer. With the Selecttool, this option can be used to select and remove vector shapeson all the drawings contained in a layer. To use it, activate
Permanent Selection option and make a selection that can beapplied to all your drawings. Then, activate the Apply to Multiple
Drawings option and press delete. This will delete all the shapesthat would have been selected by the permanent selection on
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remove dirt and registration on the same areas of all the drawings
simultaneously on a layer.
The Apply to Multiple Drawings option disables itself after eachaction.

Apply to Line and Colour Art

The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses the concept of Line
Art and Colour Art layers. Use this option to apply an action suchas selecting, resizing or erasing a drawing on both Line Art andColour Art layers, as well as the Overlay and Underlay layers.

Apply to Synced Draw- Applies to the Camera view only. Works in conjunction with theing Layers
Works on Single Drawing. Only selects lines from the current
drawing and drawing layers synced to the current drawing.
Works on Single Draw- By default, when you draw a selection box in the Camera view,ing
the Select tool will select only the drawing strokes of the current
drawing. If you prefer the Select tool to select all the strokes on
all layers, you can disable the Works on Single Drawing option in
the Tool Properties view or disable the Select tool Works on
Single Drawing preference. To do this, go to the top menu, select
Edit > Preferences > Camera (Windows/Linux) or Harmony
Premium > Preferences > Camera (Mac OS X) and uncheckthe Select tool Works on Single Drawing option.

Ico- ToolnName

Description

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Select Tool Properties

Selection Tool Operations
Flip Hori- Flips the current selection horizontally.
zontalFlip Vertical

Flips the current selection vertically.

Rotate90
Degrees
CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate90
Degrees
CCW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

SmoothSmooth out selected drawing strokes and remove extra points.

FlattenMerges drawing objects and brush strokes into a single layer. If you draw new lines to fix adrawing or line with many brush strokes, it can be useful to flatten them all into a single shape. Bydefault, lines are drawn one on top of each other. If you intend to repaint the lines or modify theirshape, it will be easier if they are flattened.

CreateColour
Art from
Line Art

Lets you use the outline you traced on one of the four embedded layers (line art, colour art,
overlay, underlay) and create invisible strokes to paint your drawings on separate layers. This
provides more inking and painting flexibility.

Distribute toLayersThe Distribute to Layers option is used to separate the selected art strokes and send them to new
drawing layers. In the Camera view, once you have drawn your artwork, you can select thestrokes you want to distribute using the Select tool and click on the Distribute to Layers button;
you can also select Drawing > Distribute to Layers. It will automatically take every stroke fromthe drawing selection made in the Camera view and separate them into a different layer for each.
If an artwork is composed of several strokes, you must group them using Edit > Group > Group
before using the Distribute to Layers option. This option cannot be done from the Drawing view.

You can also configure this option to create the invisible strokes on any of the four embedded
layers.

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference GuideStore Col- Use the Store Colour Gradient operation to record the selected gradient’s position. This reuses
our Gradi- the stored position of the gradient when drawing new brush lines or painting colour zones. Enableent
the Use Stored Colour Gradientoption in the Paint or Brush Tool Properties view to do this.
Pencil to
Brush

Converts the selected centre line pencil strokes into contour strokes brush lines.

Merge
PencilLines

Pencil lines are central vector lines and it might be difficult to match pencil line’s tips properly toalign them and make it look like it is one single line. With the Select tool, you can select several
pencil lines and merge them as one single object using the Merge Pencil Lines option. The endsof your lines are adjusted to form one single line.

NOTE: Points must be close enough to be merged. If there is a large gap between the lines,
they will not be merged.
ReversePencilThickness

The Reverse Pencil Thickness option inverts the thick and thin section on a selected pencil line.
This option will take the thickest size on the line and apply it to the thinnest, and it will apply thethinnest to the thickest.

Offset X
and Y

Use the Offset X and Offset Y operation fields to enter specific values and precisely reposition
the selected shape.

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Select Tool Properties

1. X: Type a value in this field to reposition your selection along the X-axis.
2. Y: Type a value in this field to reposition your selection along the Y-axis.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify the value in the X or Y value
field.
Width
and
Height

Use the Width and Height operation fields to enter specific values to resize the selected shapewith precision.

1. Width: Type a value in this field to resize the width of your selection.
2. Height: Type a value in this field to resize the height of your selection.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify the value in the Width or Height
fields.
4. Lock icon: Click the lock icon to lock or unlock the ratio between the Width and Height values.
Angle

The Angle operation lets you to enter specific values and accurately rotate the selected shape.

1. Angle: Type a degree value in this field to rotate your selection.
2. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify the value in the Angle value
field.
Adjustingthe Pencil Line
Thickness

When you select a pencil line with the Select tool, additional options appear in the Tool Properties
view.
Use the Adjusting the Pencil Line Thickness operation field to resize the selected centreline
strokes. This operation is not permitted on contour line shapes, such as brush strokes or shapefills.

1. Minimum Size: Type a value in this field to set the minimum thickness of the selected
centreline stroke.
2. Maximum Size: Type a value in this field to set the maximum thickness of the selected
centreline stroke.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify the value contained in the632Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

Thickness value field.
PencilLine
Shape

You can adjust the start, end, and joint style of a pencil line.

l

l

l

PencilStencils

Start: Lets you select the style of the start tip, which is the first tip you drew. You canchoose between Round or Flat style.
End: Lets you select the style of the end tip, which is the last tip you drew. You canchoose between Round or Flat style.
Join: Lets you select the joint style. The joints are where the line curves abruptly. You
could also define the Join style as the corner style. You can choose between Round, Mitre
and Bevel style.

Gives you the flexibility to change the style and thickness of your pencil lines even after they are
drawn. You can apply preset pencil stencils or create your own.

AddingPencil lines support texture. Once a pencil line is drawn, you can apply a preset texture or load
Texture your own. Textures are independent from pencil stencils.
to a Pencil Line
Adjusting When you select text with the Select tool, the tool properties will display the Text tool options on
the Text the bottom of the view. You can also press Alt + 9 to display only the Text properties in the Tool
Selection Properties view—see Text Tool Properties on page 637.

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Smooth Editor Tool Properties

Smooth Editor Tool Properties
When you select the Smooth Editor tool, its properties and options appear in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

SmoothingStyle

The Smoothing Style options allow you to smooth a portion of your drawing by tracing asmoothing stroke over the zone to optimize or by selecting an area of the drawing with
the Marquee or Lasso.
Note that by default, the Smooth Editor tool colour is yellow, it was changed to orange
for screen grab clarity.

Show Control The Show Control Points option allows you to show or hide the Bezier points around
Pointslines. When the Bezier points are displayed, you can see the result of your smoothing
and the number of points left on the curve. When it is turned off, only the original artwork
is displayed.
Minimum
This is where you set the minimum and maximum sizes of your drawing tool which will
Size and Max- produce the thick and thin effect on your stroke. This works with the pressure sensitivity
imum Sizeof a pen tablet.
This options is available while using the Brush SmoothingllSmoothness

style.

Maximum and Minimum Size: Defines the maximum and minimum width of thestroke.
Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to set the minimum and maximum size value.

The Smoothness impacts the strength of the smoothing result. The higher the value, themore points are removed and the smoother the curve. The Smoothness range is from 0
to 100; the default value is 20.

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ColourYou can modify the colour of the control points displayed on the artwork while working
with the Smooth Editor tool by double-clicking on the colour swatch.

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Stroke Tool Properties

Stroke Tool Properties
When you select the Stroke tool, its properties and options appears in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Draw Stroke as StraightLines

Enable the Draw Stroke as Straight Lines option if
you want the new strokes you draw to be a perfectstraight line. Disable the option if you want the stroke
to follow the mouse gesture.

Connect Line Ends

Enable the Connect Line Ends option if you want thestart or end point of your new stroke to connect toyour existing strokes to make sure no gaps are left inyour drawing.

Auto-Flatten Mode

When enabled, the Auto-Flatten mode automaticallyflattens the new lines created with the existingartwork as you draw in the Drawing or Camera view.
Brush strokes will flatten with brush strokes andpencil lines will flatten with pencil lines.

Apply to Line and Colour
Art

The Apply to Line and Colour Art option uses theconcept of Line Art and Colour Art layers. Use thisoption to apply an action such as selecting, resizing
or erasing a drawing on both Line Art and Colour Art
layers, as well as the Overlay and Underlay layers.

Smoothness

You can modify the central line smoothness of yourline using this option. This parameter smooths theinitial movement of your line. Increasing the value
will result in a smoother line with fewer control
points. Use the left and right arrows to increment thevalue by one full unit. Use the Up - Down slider toquickly increment the value.

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Text Tool Properties
Use the Text tool's properties to select the font type and other formatting options you want to apply to the text.
If you already wrote your text, you must first use the Text tool and select the text portion you want to format. You
can modify the parameters of an entire text box using the Select tool.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Font TypeUse the Font drop-down menu to select a font. OTF
fonts are supported.

Bold

Use this option to bold your text selection.

ItalicUse this option to italicize your text selection.

Left Alignment

Use this option to left align the paragraph.

Centered Alignment

Use this option to center align the paragraph.

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Text Tool Properties

Right Alignment

Use this option to right align the paragraph.

Justified Alignment

Use this option to justify align the paragraph.

Font SizeEnter a size for the text.

Kerning

Use the kerning field to modify the spacing between
letters and characters. You can select the Auto Kern
option to set the kerning automatically based on the
font’s predefined standard. A negative value decreases
spacing between each character, creating a letter
overlap and a positive value increases it.

IndentEnter a value in the Indent field to increase or decrease
the indentation on the first line of your text. A positive
value sets the first line of your paragraph farther to theright and a negative value sets it farther to the left.

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Line Spacing

Enter a value in the Line Spacing field to decrease or
increase the space between each line of text.

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Transform Tool Properties

Transform Tool Properties
When selecting the Transform tool, several options are available in the Tool Properties view.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Lasso

Sets the selection mode to Lasso. Click and hold Alt to temporarily
switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Marquee

Sets the selection mode to Marquee. Click and hold Alt to temporarily
switch between the Marquee and Lasso modes.

Peg Selection ModeIn the Camera view, the Peg Selection Mode limits the selection to peg
layers instead of drawing layers. This mode is useful when you havecreated a character rig using peg layers for each drawing. That way, you
do not accidentally select the drawing layer when you want to animate
on the peg.
When disabled, the Transform tool selects the drawing layers.

Snap and Align

Snaps the selected anchor point to any existing line while displaying temporary rulers as a guide that you can also snap your anchor point to.
Snaps your selection following the currently enabled grid.

Snap to Grid

Hide Manipulator Controls

The Hide Manipulator Controls button lets you hide the bounding box andmanipulator controls from the Camera view when an element isselected.
Flips the current selection horizontally.

Flip Horizontal

You can also select Animation > Flip > Flip Horizontal from the top
menu or press 4 or 5.
Flips the current selection vertically.

Flip Vertical

You can also select Animation > Flip > Flip Vertical from the top menu
or press 4 or 5.

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Rotate 90 Degrees CW

Rotates the current selection 90 degrees clockwise.

Rotate 90 Degrees CCW Rotates the current selection 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
Use the Offset X and Offset Y operation fields to enter specific values
and precisely reposition the selected shape.

Offset X and Y

1. X: Type a value in this field to reposition your selection along theX-axis.
2. Y: Type a value in this field to reposition your selection along the
Y-axis.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify thevalue in the X or Y value field.
Use the Width and Height operation fields to enter specific values toresize the selected shape with precision.

Width and Height

1. Width: Type a value in this field to resize the width of your selection.
2. Height: Type a value in this field to resize the height of your selection.
3. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify thevalue in the Width or Height fields.
4. Lock icon: Click the lock icon to lock or unlock the ratio between
the Width and Height values.
The Angle operation lets you to enter specific values and accurately
rotate the selected shape.

Angle
1. Angle: Type a degree value in this field to rotate your selection.
2. Up/Down arrows: Use the up and down arrows to modify thevalue in the Angle value field.

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Zoom Tool Properties

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

Parameter

ButtonDescription

Zoom In

Zooms in

Zoom Out

Zooms out

Zoom Tool Options
Zoom in the Camera or Drawing view.
Perform Zoom In
The keyboard shortcut is 2.
Zoom out the Camera or Drawing view.
Operations

Perform Zoom Out
The keyboard shortcut is 1.
Reset Zoom

Restores the current zoom level to 100%.

Reset View

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

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Chapter 6: Toolbars
Harmony contains toolbars which, by default, are located at the top of the interface. Some views also have a toolbar
which you can reposition to suit your work style. You can show or hide toolbars, as well as customize it with thetools you use most often and hide the ones you don't.
Top Toolbars

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Advanced Animation Toolbar

645

Art Layer Toolbar

646

Control Point Toolbar

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Coordinate Toolbar

649

Deformation Toolbar

650

Display Toolbar

653

Easy Flipping Toolbar

654

Edit Toolbar

655

File Toolbar

656

Flip Toolbar

657

Game Toolbar

658Mark Drawing Toolbar

659

Onion Skin Toolbar

660

Playback Toolbar

661

Scripting Toolbar

662

Tool Presets Toolbar

663

Tools Toolbar

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Workspace Toolbar

667

View Toolbars

668

3D Graph View Toolbar

669

Node View Toolbar

670

Timeline View Toolbar

671

Xsheet View Toolbar

672

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Top Toolbars

Top Toolbars
Harmony has a series of toolbars that are added by default at the top of the interface. These toolbars can be
moved on the sides of the interface as well as within specific views.
All top toolbars can be added through the top menu Windows > Toolbars > desired toolbar .
Advanced Animation Toolbar

645

Art Layer Toolbar

646

Control Point Toolbar

647

Coordinate Toolbar

649

Deformation Toolbar

650

Display Toolbar

653

Easy Flipping Toolbar

654

Edit Toolbar

655

File Toolbar

656

Flip Toolbar

657

Game Toolbar

658Mark Drawing Toolbar

659

Onion Skin Toolbar

660

Playback Toolbar

661

Scripting Toolbar

662

Tool Presets Toolbar

663

Tools Toolbar

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Workspace Toolbar

667

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

How to access the Advance Animation toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Advanced Animation.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

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

RotateTurns a selected element around its pivot point.

Scale

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

Skew

Slants the selected element.

Maintain Size

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

Spline Offset

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

Reposition Drawing

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

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Top Toolbars

Art Layer Toolbar
The Art Layer toolbar lets you access the art layers. By default, only the Line Art and Colour Art are displayed. A
drawing is composed of two layers, a line layer and a colour layer. The colour layer is always placed under the line
layer. These layers are accessible in the Drawing or Camera view (using drawing tools). When you view the final
drawing, you will see the final composition of the lines and colours, not two separate layers.

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

Underlay

How to access the Art Layer toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Art Layer.
How to enable the Support Overlay and Underlay Arts option
1. Select Edit > Preferences ( Windows/Linux ) or Harmony Premium > Preferences ( Mac OS X ).
2. In the Preferences dialog box, select the Advanced tab.
3. In the Advanced Options section, select the Support Overlay and Underlay Arts option.
4. Click OK.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Preview Line Art andColour Art

Displays all Art layers.

Overlay Art

Makes the Overlay Art layer current.

Line Art

Makes the Line Art layer current.

Colour Art

Makes the Colour Art layer current.

Underlay Art

Makes the Underlay Art layer current.

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Control Point Toolbar
The Control Point toolbar displays parameters when you select a keyframe or control point in the Camera, Timelineor Xsheet view. You can edit keyframes and control point parameters, such as the continuity, bias, tension and lockin-time.

How to access the Control Point toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Control Point.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Frame

Indicates the current frame.

Locked in Time

Locks a control point in time, making it a keyframe.

Constant Keyframe Removes any interpolation and keeps the keyframe value constant up to
the next keyframe.
T

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

C

Continuity

Controls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by apoint.

B

Bias

Controls the slope of the path so it flows towards one side of the motion
point or the other.

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Coordinate Toolbar
T-ANIMCO2-001-001
The Coordinate toolbar displays parameters of keyframes or control points in the Camera, Timeline or Xsheet view.
You can edit keyframes and control point parameters, such as the position, scale and rotation coordinates.

For tasks related to this toolbar, see Coordinates and Control Points View on page 685.
How to access the Coordinate toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Coordinate.
Parameter

Description

Translation

The translation fields display the X, Y and Z translation values of the selected
layer. You can enter precise values to set the first frame and last frame position ofa layer. By default the Z value field is disabled. It will automatically become active
when the 3D option is enabled.

Scale

The scale fields display the X, Y and Z scaling values of the selected layer. You
can enter precise values to set the first frame and last frame size of a layer. By
default the Z value field is disabled. It will automatically become active when the
3D option is enabled.

Rotation

The rotation fields display the X, Y and Z rotation values of the selected layer.
You can enter precise values to set the first frame and last frame rotation of alayer. By default the Z value field is disabled. It will automatically become active
when the 3D option is enabled.

Skew

The skew field displays skew value of the selected object. You can enter aprecise value to set the skew of the object.

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Top Toolbars

Deformation Toolbar
T-RIG-007-009
The Deformation toolbar contains the various tools and options used to create a deformation rig. This toolbar isdisplayed in the default interface.
By default, the Deformation toolbar only contains the essential options. If you right-click on the toolbar and selectCustomize, you can add additional buttons.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Rigging Tool

The Rigging tool is used to create either a Bone or Curve
deformation chain. You also use it to set up the resting
position.
To learn more about the Rigging tool's properties, see
Rigging Tool Properties on page 625.

The Show Selected Manipulators and Hide All Others
Show Selected Manipbutton hides all manipulators displayed in the Camera view.
ulators and Hide All OthOnly the manipulators of the selected deformation node are
ers
displayed

Reset Current Keyframe

The Reset Current Keyframe copies the resting position,
the original setup of your skeleton before undergoing any
deformation, to your current frame. Once you have createda deformation chain, you can use the Rigging tool to adjust
the position and appearance of the rig to fit the element.
When the skeleton is in place, you can use the Reset
Current Keyframe button to reset the current frame position
to the resting position.

Create New Deform-

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ation Chain

create a new deformation chain on a same character. For
example, if you have drawings for the different views of yourpuppet (front, profile, back, etc.), you can use this feature to
setup a new set of chains for each angle without having tocreate completely different puppets.

Rename Transformation

The Rename Transformation option allows you to give specific names to your different transformation chains. By
default, chains are named Transformation plus the numberof the chain, such as Transformation 2. You can rename
these to identify them easier, such as front, side, back, andso on.

Transformation
Selector

The Transformation Selector drop-down menu allows you toassign an existing chain to a set of drawings. For example
you might want to reuse the front deformation chains foranother series of drawing.
When creating a new drawing, the Default Transformation is
assigned. While on the new drawing frames, from the dropdown menu, select a different chain to automatically assignit.
The Enable Deformations button allows you to display yourdrawings in their original state or with deformations while
creating additional drawings. Depending on the artwork youneed to create, you might need to refer to the other images
either deformed or in their original position.

Enable Deformations
NOTE: Disabling deformations is only a display mode.
Although drawings will not appear deformed in the
Camera view, even in Render View mode, they will still
be deformed in the rendered images.
Matches the drawing name and drawing location path in theTransformation Switch node's Properties with the drawing
Associate Parent Trans- name and drawing location path found in the Drawing
formation Switch withLayer's Properties. For this button to work, a drawing node
Selected Element
connect to a deformation group, with a Transformation
Switch inside, must be selected—see Reusing Deformation
Groups for Multi-pose Rigs.
After you have created a deformation chain using Elliptic as
the Zone of Influence type, you can select your deformer
and click on this button to convert it to a Shaped type.
Control points will appear around the shape making it easy
Convert Elliptic Zone of
to customize.You can also convert the Elliptic zone ofInfluence to Shapeinfluence to a shape. Select Animation > Deformation >Convert Elliptic Deformation ROI to Shape. This will
create a much smaller initial zone of influence than if you
were to convert it directly to a shape.

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Top Toolbars

NOTE: You can also convert the Elliptic zone of influence to a shape. Select Animation > Deformation >Convert Elliptic Deformation ROI to Shape. This will
create a much smaller initial zone of influence than if
you were to convert it directly to a shape.
Convert to New
Drawing and Add
Deformation Chain

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

Remove All Keyframes

The Remove All Keyframes option removes all keyframeson the selected deformation chain.
The Show All Controls button lets you visualize the resting
position in red (Setup mode) and the active position(Animation) in green at the same time

Show All Controls

The Show All Regions of Influence button displays all
regions of influence in the deformers in your project. Notethat the deformer’s controls must be visible in order for its
zones of Influence to show. The regions will not be
displayed when a deformer’s zone of Influence is set toInfinite or Zero.

Show All Regions ofInfluence

NOTE: Region of influences are not available for Game
Bone deformers.

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Display Toolbar
The Display toolbar lets you select the different Display nodes available in the node system.

When your scene does not have a Display node, it is automatically set to Display All which uses the Timeline viewordering and shows floating nodes from the Node view. You can also set your scene to use Display All using the
Display toolbar.

NOTE: If you try to add a peg or other transformation layer in the Timeline view without having a layer selected,
an error message will display. Make sure to change to Display All. The peg layer will be floating in the Nodeview and will not be visible in the Timeline view. The Timeline view shows only layers that are connected to theComposite node.
If you switch to Display All, you run the risk of not realizing when you have floating nodes that are not connected
to your composite. For this reason, it is not recommended to work in Display All mode.

How to access the Display toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Display.

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Top Toolbars

Easy Flipping Toolbar
The Easy Flipping toolbar lets you rapidly flip through drawings in the Drawing view as is done with paper
drawings. In order for the features in this toolbar to work, you must be in the Drawing view.

How to access the Easy Flipping toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Easy Flipping.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Previous Drawing

Displays the previous drawing of your animation.

Next Drawing

Displays the next drawing of your animation.

SliderLets you flip forwards or backwards through yourdrawings by moving the slider.

Loop

Displays drawings in the first frame after you reachthe last frame of your animation.

Easy Flip

Automatically flips through the drawings based on
the FPS.

Preroll

Sets the number of drawings to be flipped throughbefore the starting drawing. The starting drawing isdetermined by the position of the red playhead in theTimeline view.

FPS

Sets the speed of playback in the units of frames per
second.

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

How to access the Edit toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Edit.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Undo

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

Redo

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

Cut

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

Copy

Copies selected objects and properties.

Paste

Places an object you cut or copied into the location you
select in a view.

Create Symbol

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

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Top Toolbars

File Toolbar
The File toolbar contains the common file operations such as New, Save and Open. These options can also befound in the File menu.

How to access the File toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > File.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

New (Harmony Stand
Alone)Creates a new scene while closing any scenealready open. The New Scene dialog box opens,
asking for directory, name, and resolution
information.

Open

Displays the Open Scene dialog box where you canbrowse for a scene file. You can open a new scenefrom the current one and the previous scene willclose.

Save

Saves all changes made to the opened scene,drawings, palettes, and palette lists.

Save As

Saves the current file with a different name and at adifferent location.
Saves the current state of a scene as another scene.
The Save As window prompts you for a new nameand a different location for this scene before saving
it. This will create a complete scene directory for the
new scene.

NOTE: The scene name cannot exceed 23 characters.
Import Images

Imports bitmap images which you can choose tovectorize.

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

How to access the Easy Flipping toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Easy Flipping.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Show Key Drawings

Displays key drawings when flipping through drawings.

Show Breakdown
Drawings

Displays breakdown drawings when flipping throughdrawings.

Show In-between
Drawings

Displays in-between drawings when flipping throughdrawings.

Show Retake Key
Drawings

Displays retake key drawings when flipping throughdrawings.

Show Retake Breakdown
Drawings

Displays breakdown retake drawings when flipping
through drawings.

Show Retake In-between
Drawings

Displays retake in-between drawings when flipping
through drawings.

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Game Toolbar
The Game toolbar contains tools for setting anchors and props, as well as exporting to sprite sheets and Easel
JS.

How to access the Game toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Toggle Anchor

Adds the Anchor parameter to the selected layer.

Toggle Prop

Adds the Prop parameter to the selected layer.

Export to Sprite Sheets

Opens the Export to Sprite Sheets window where
you can export your animation as sprite sheets .

Export to Easel JS

Opens the Export to Easel JS window where you canexport your animation as Easel JS.

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

How to access the Mark Drawing toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Mark Drawings.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Mark as Key Drawing

Identifies the selected drawing as a key drawing.

Mark as Breakdown
Drawing

Identifies the selected drawing as a breakdown
drawing.

Mark as In-between
Drawing

Identifies the selected drawing as an in-between
drawing.

Mark as Retake Key
Drawing

Identifies the selected drawing as a key retake drawing.

Mark as Retake
Breakdown Drawing

Identifies the selected drawing as a breakdown retakedrawing.

Mark as Retake Inbetween Drawing

Identifies the selected drawing as a in-between retakedrawing.

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Top Toolbars

Onion Skin Toolbar
The Onion Skin toolbar displays previous and subsequent drawings. When designing or animating, it is useful tosee previous drawings. By default, previous drawings appear in a shade of red and next drawings are displayed ingreen. In the Onion Skin toolbar, you can select the type of drawing to display.

NOTE: You can change the default onion skin display colours in the Preferences dialog box.

For tasks related to this toolbar, see .

How to access the Onion Skin toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Onion Skin.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Enable Onion Skin in Other Displays previous and next drawings in other layers
Elements
than the current one. In the Drawing view, use theEnable Onion Skin in Other Elements feature to see
the previous and next drawings of the layers visible
in Light Table mode.
Show Key Drawings

Displays all drawings marked as key drawings.

Show Breakdown
Drawings

Displays all drawings marked as breakdown
drawings.

Show In-between
Drawings

Displays all drawings marked as in-between
drawings.

Show Retake Key
Drawings

Displays all key drawings marked to be retaken.

Show Retake Breakdown
Drawings

Displays all breakdown drawings marked to beretaken.

Show Retake In-between
Drawings

Displays all in-between drawings marked to beretaken.

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

Name

ButtonDescription
Plays and stops the animation.

Play

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

Render and Play

Repeatedly plays back your animationindefinitely.

Loop

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

You can also select Play > Enable Sound
Scrubbing.

Jog Frames

Lets you scroll through the playback’s frames.

Frame

Lets you move the playhead by entering a frame
number.

---Lets you change the start frame by entering a
new value in the Start field.
Start--You can also click on Start button to set the startframe at the current frame.
Lets you change the end frame by entering a newvalue in the Stop field.

Stop--You can also click on Stop button to set the end
frame at the current frame.

FPS

Lets you enter a new value to change the speedof the playback.

---

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Top Toolbars

Scripting Toolbar
The Scripting toolbar lets you import and access scripts for automating actions and operations.

How to access the Scripting toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Scripting.
Icon

Tool Name

Description

Manage Scripts

Opens the Scripts Manager dialog box where you
can add scripts and functions to your Scripting
toolbar.

Stop Script

Stops the execution of a script launched from the
Scripting toolbar.

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

How to access the Tool Presets toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Tool Presets.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

New Tool Preset

Creates a new tool preset from the current tool settings.

Manage Presets

Opens the Manage Tool Preset dialog box where you
can update, organize, and delete existing presets.

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Top Toolbars

Tools Toolbar
The Tools toolbar contains all the main tools you need to work in Harmony. In the default workspace, this toolbar
located on the left-most side of the interface. A small triangle at the lower-right corner of a tool indicates additional
tools under the main tool. To access these tools, hold down the left mouse button until the additional tools appear,then select one.

You can display the Tools toolbar horizontally if you find it more efficient for your workflow. Be sure to restart
Harmony in order to see the new position of the Tools toolbar.
How to display the Tools toolbar as a flat (horizontal) toolbar
1. Do one of the following:ll

Select Edit > Preferences (Windows/Linux) or Harmony Premium > Preferences (MacOS X).
Press Ctrl + U (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + U (Mac OS X).

2. Select the General tab.
3. In the Options section, select the Flat Tool Toolbar option.

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4. Click OK and restart Harmony.

Tool Name
Select

Icon

Description
Lets you select elements from the Camera and Drawing views.

CutterLets you cut a drawing area to move, copy, cut or delete it.

Reposition All
Drawings

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

Contour Editor

Lets you add, remove or modify points on a vector line andcontrol them.

Pencil Editor

Lets you modify the thick and thin contours of a pencil line.

Smooth Editor

Lets you optimize contours and reduce the number of points on
a line.

Perspective

Lets you deform a drawing selection and alter its perspective.

Envelope

Lets you deform and warp part of a drawing using a gridenvelope and Bezier handles.

Edit
Gradient/Texture

Lets you modify the position of a gradient or texture colour
within a specific zone.

Brush

A pressure-sensitive tool for creating a contour shape with athick and thin line effect, as if created with a paint brush.

PencilA pressure-sensitive tool for drawing the final images, such as
character nodes, cut-out puppet and clean animation. Creates acentral vector shape.

Text

Lets you type text in your project using various fonts and text
attributes.

EraserA pressure-sensitive tool for precisely erasing parts of adrawing.

Paint

Lets you paint both empty and filled zones.
Ink

Lets you paint only the segment you clicked on between two
intersections to be painted.

Paint Unpainted

Lets you paint only empty zones. Lines and filled zones remainunchanged.

Repaint

Lets you paint zones except empty zones. Any zone that is not

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Top Toolbars

painted remains intact.
Unpaint

Lets you unpaint empty and filled zones.

StrokeLets you draw stokes, connect line ends and flatten lines.

Close Gap

Lets you close small gaps in a drawing by creating small,invisible strokes between the two closest points.

Line

Lets you draw straight lines which you can then edit.
Rectangle

Lets you draw rectangles which you can then edit.

EllipseLets you draw ellipses which you can then edit.

Polyline

Lets you draw polylines lines which you can then edit.

Dropper

Lets you pick a colour directly from a drawing.

Drawing Pivot

Lets you set pivots on a characters, drawings and symbols.

Morphing

Lets you control a morphing sequence by placing different typesof hints to help Harmony morph the animation the way you want
it.

Hand

Lets you pan the Drawing or Camera view.
Zoom

Lets you zoom in and out of the Drawing or Camera view.

Rotate View

Lets you rotate the Drawing or Camera view just like with a realanimation disc. Can also be used in Perspective view.

Animate Mode

Automatically creates a keyframe on the drawing layer. Used toanimate layers over time.

Transform

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

Inverse Kinematics

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

Onion Skin

Displays the previous and next frames of an animation. Usefulwhen animating cut-out characters.

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Workspace Toolbar
The Workspace toolbar lets you load other workspaces. The first time you start Harmony, the default workspace isloaded. Other workspaces are available such as the Hand-Drawn Animation and Compositing workspaces; these
display different views and toolbars. You can access these workspaces and any you create, from the Windows
menu and the Workspace toolbar.

How to access the Workspace toolbar
1. Select Windows > Toolbars > Workspace.

Icon

Tool Name

Description

Workspace List

Allows you to select an existing workspace.

Workspace Manager

Opens the Workspace Manager where you canorganize, display, and remove workspace from your list.

Save Workspace

When the Automatically Save Workspace preference isdisabled, the Save Workspace button becomes available. This allows you to manually save your new workspace configuration.

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View Toolbars

View Toolbars
Harmony has a series of view specific toolbars that are only available in a given view. These toolbars can be
moved only within their view.
All view toolbars can be added, as long as the view is visible, through the top menu Windows > Toolbars >desired toolbar .
3D Graph View Toolbar

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Node View Toolbar

670

Timeline View Toolbar

671

Xsheet View Toolbar

672

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3D Graph View Toolbar
The 3D Graph toolbar works in conjunction with the elements in the 3D Graph view.

ButtonName

Description

Enable SubnodeEnables the visibility of a subnode or selection of subnodes.

Disable SubnodeDisables the visibility of a subnode or selection of subnodes.

Make Properties Available

Creates transformation attributes for the selected subnode (makes it
animatable) and automatically creates a corresponding subnode layer
in the Timeline view.

Add 3D Kinematic Output

Adds a 3D Kinematic Output node under the 3D model (and Subnode
Animation node) and sets it to use the selected subnode's transformation values. You can use the 3D Kinematic Output node to movethe another layer in sync with the moves done on the 3D subnode.

How to access the 3D Graph toolbar
You can add the 3D Graph toolbar to the 3D Graph view by:l

Going to the top menu and selecting Windows > Toolbars > 3D Graph.

l

Right-clicking on the space at the top of the 3D Graph view and selecting 3D Graph.

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View Toolbars

Node View Toolbar

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Timeline View Toolbar
The 3D Graph toolbar works in conjunction with the elements in the 3D Graph view.

Button Name

Description

Set Ease TypeCreate Empty Drawing
Duplicate Drawing
Insert Keyframe
Delete Keyframes
Set Motion Keyframe
Set Stop-Motion Keyframe
Go to Previous Keyframe
Go to Next Keyframe
Add Key Exposure
Delete Key Exposure
Centre On Selection
Set Ease for Multiple Parameters
Create Keyframes On

Opens the Create Keyframes On dialog box, where you can set theoptions to create a new keyframe every x number of frames.

Fill Empty Cells
Paste Mode: All Drawing Attributes
Paste Mode: Keyframes Only
Paste Mode: Exposures Only
Add Prefix or Suffix

How to access the Timeline view toolbar
You can add the Timeline view toolbar to the Timeline view by:l

Going to the top menu and selecting Windows > Toolbars > Timeline view.

lRight-clicking on the space at the top of the Timeline view and selecting Timeline view.

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View Toolbars

Xsheet View Toolbar
The Xsheet toolbar contains the common timing operations such as Add Column, Delete Column, Clone Column,
and so on. These options can also be found in the top menu.

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Chapter 7: Views
The Harmony interface is composed of different views, each one designed for a specific purpose. You can modify
the location of the views by adding a new view as a tab or as a window. You can also swap the location of a view.
When a view is active, a red rectangle appears around the view. Keyboard shortcuts and top menu options areassociated with the active view. If a menu option is greyed out, it means it does not apply to the layer, drawing orother type of selection or the option does not apply to the active view.
3D Graph View

674

Camera View

675

Colour View

681

Coordinates and Control Points View

685

Drawing View

688

Function View

690

Integrated Help View

692

Layer Properties View

693

Library View

695

Message Log View

697

Model View

698

Node View

699

Node Library View

701

Perspective View

704

Script Editor View

706

Side View

708

Timeline View

710

Tool Properties View

717

Top View

718

Xsheet View

720

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3D Graph View

3D Graph View
When a 3D model is selected, the 3D Graph view allows you to view a list of the subnodes composing the 3Dmodel, arranged in their hierarchy. You can select a subnode from the list. When a subnode is selected, you canmanipulate it with the Transform tool, disable or enable it.
If your 3D model is connected to a Subnode Animation node, you can also animate the selected subnode, add its
properties to the Subnode Animation's properties in the Timeline, or connect it a 3D Kinematic Output node to it
so that its animation can be applied to another element.

How to access the 3D Graph view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > 3D Graph.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select 3D Graph.

SectionDescription

3D Graph menu

Access commands through this menu—see 3D Graph View Menu.

3D Graph toolbar

See 3D Graph View Toolbar.

3D model subnode display area

Displays the parts (subnodes) of the selected 3D model. Selecting the
Subnode Animation node of a 3D model will also display the 3D model's
subnodes.

Selected subnode hierarchy path

Displays the subnode's parent hierarchy chain within the 3D model.

Search bar

Use this field to search for a specific subnode within the 3D model.

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

How to access the Camera view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Camera.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Ico- Sectionnbutton and select Camera.

Description

View
Menu

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

Editing
Stack

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

CameraView
Toolbar

The Camera View toolbar contains all the tools and options you can use in the Camera view todraw, animate or set up the scene. The toolbar can be displayed or hidden by right-clicking on it
and selecting or deselecting the Camera View toolbar—see Camera View Toolbar.
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Light
Table

Camera View

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

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

CameraMask

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

Safe
Area

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

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BBox
Selection StyleWhen you select an object in the Camera view with the Transform tool, a bounding box always
appears around the object and the artwork is tinted in fuchsia, red or yellow. Enabling this option
will only keep the bounding box and remove the colour tint.

OutlineDrawings that are locked in the Timeline view (cannot be selected in the Camera view) are
Locked displayed as wireframes.
Drawing
s

Reset
View

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

Zoom
Menu

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

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Camera View

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

RenderView
Mode

The Render View Mode button swithes the Camera view to a fully rendered display showing thefinal image of the current frame. If a modification is done to your current frame or if you move to adifferent frame, click the Update Preview button to update the display if your preview does not
update automatically.The Render View Mode display lets you see the final look of your frames
including effects and antialiasing. You cannot play back your scene in Render View Mode. To see
your scene fully rendered and to play it back, you must press the Render and Play button in the
Playback toolbar.

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Matte
View
Mode

The Matte View Mode button switches the Camera view to a matte display showing the alphachannel of the elements in your scene. The transparency level ranges from 0 to 100 percent. Zeropercent is completely transparent and represented by black and 100 percent is completely opaqueand represented by white. Everything in between these extremes has a transparency level
somewhere between 1 and 99 percent and is represented in various shades of grey.
l

Depth
View
Mode

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

The Depth View mode displays images in a relative white to black gradient scale. The object(s)closest to the camera are displayed in white and the object(s) furthest from the camera aredisplayed in black. If the position of the last object changes along the z-axis, that object will still
remain black, so long as it retains its position as the object the farthest back. It does not matter
where that object is in 3D space, it just matters what its position is relative to the other object inthe same space. The objects closest and farthest from the camera set the range of the white toblack scale. All the other objects fall somewhere in between.

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Camera Viewl

To access the Depth View mode, click on the Render View button and select Depth View
from the drop-down menu.

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

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

Frame
Number

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

Selected The colour swatch displays the currently selected colour in the Colour view.
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Colour View
The Colour view is where you create colours and palettes and import existing palettes into your project. The Colour
view is also necessary for drawing, painting and creating colour styling.

How to access the Colour view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Colour.

lFrom any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Colour.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the commands and options that you can use in
the Colour view to manage colours and palettes.

Show/Hide
Palette List View

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

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Colour View

Add Palette

The Add Palette button lets you add a new palette to the bottom of yourpalette list.

Remove Palette

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

Link Palette

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

Order Palette List

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

Edit Palette Mode In Harmony Server, the Edit Palette Mode button lets you get the rights tomodify the palette. The palette files can be locked to avoid accidentally
modifying the palette.
Add Colour

The Add Colour button lets you add a new colour swatch to the bottom of yourcolour list.

Remove Colour

The Remove Colour button lets you delete the currently selected colour
swatches. If the colour swatch is used in your project, the Delete Colour
dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the operation. Click OK to
confirm the operation or Cancel to cancel it.

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Zones painted with colour swatches which have been deleted will turn red,easily identifying them so you can repaint them with another colour swatch.

Add Texture

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

Set Current Brush The Set Current Brush Colour button let you set the currently selected colour
Colourswatch as the colour used by the Brush tool. If you select a new colour in the
Colour view while using the Brush tool, the Set Current Brush Colour swatch
will be updated.
Set Current Pencil The Set Current Pencil Colour button lets you set the currently selected colour
Colourswatch as the colour used by the Pencil , Polyline , Ellipse , Rectangle andLine tools. If you select a new colour in the Colour view while using any ofthese tools, the Set Current Pencil Colour swatch will be updated.
Set Current Paint
ColourThe Set Current Paint Colour button lets you set the currently selected colour
swatch as the colour used by the Paint tool. If you select a new colour in the
Colour view while using the Paint tool, the Set Current Paint Colour swatch
will be updated.

Link/Unlink Three The Link/Unlink Three Colours button lets you link the Set Current Brush

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Colour View

Colours

Colour, Set Current Pencil Colour and Set Current Paint Colour swatches tothe currently selected colour swatches in the Colour view.

Colour Swatch
Name

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

Two colours can have the same name.
Colour Swatch

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

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Coordinates and Control Points View
The Coordinates and Control Points view displays the parameters of keyframes or control points selected in the
Camera, Timeline or Xsheet view. You can also see the same information in the Coordinate and Control Point
toolbars.
In this view, you can edit keyframes and control point parameters, such as the position, continuity, bias, tension andlock-in-time.

How to access the Coordinates and Control Points view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Coordinates and Control Points.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Coordinates and Control Points.

Parameter

Description

Name

The name of the function curve to which the select point is linked.

Position
Separate

Modifies modify the X, Y and Z coordinates independently. When this option isdeselected, all three parameters are linked. If one is deleted, all others will also bedeleted.

Cumulative Z

When a layer is parented to other layers that are moved forward or backward on
the Z-axis, the currently selected layer's Z position value may not be accurate
since its parent will also have an offset on the Z-axis. The Cumulative Z value is acompilation of all the Z-axis offsets to give the real Z-axis offset value related to685

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Coordinates and Control Points View

the (0,0) centre.
Scale

Separate Scale

Modifies the width and height values independently. When this option is selected,
the width and height are locked to the same value, forcing the scale to be on a 1:1
ratio. If the option is deselected, you have the ability to squash and stretch yourlayer at will.

Rotation
Angle

The rotation angle value from the permanent pivot of the element.

Skew

This is the skewing value.

Skew

Control Point and Keyframe
Frame

The frame at which the select point is set.

Locked in Time

Indicates whether the point is locked to a specific frame (keyframe) or only locked
to a specific position and the curve can flow through it freely as other points arebeing added, moved, or adjusted (control point).

Stop-Motion Keyframe

When this option is selected, the keyframe is set as a stop-motion point. Thismeans that there is no automatic interpolation created between the selected point
and the next one. The layer will maintain its position until the animation reaches
the frame of the next point and will then jump to the new position. Deselect thisoption to generate interpolation and get the layer to progressively move to the next
position.
Controls how sharply the path bends as it passes through a control point or
keyframe.

TensionControls the smoothness of a transition between the segments joined by a point.

Continuity

Bias

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Drawing View

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

How to access the Drawing view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Drawing .

lFrom any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

Sectionbutton and select Drawing.

Description

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View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options
that you can use in the Drawing view to draw,
animate and paint.

Drawing Area

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

Zoom Menu

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

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

Tool Name

The Tool Name field displays the name of theselected tool. If you temporarily override a drawing
tool using a keyboard shortcut, the tool’s name will
be highlighted in red. You can temporarily override atool by holding its keyboard shortcut without the Alt
key. For example, the Select tool shortcut is Alt + S.
If you hold down the S key, you will switch to theSelect tool. When you release the key, you will returnto the tool you were using.

Frame NumberThis field displays the current frame of the animation
you are working on.

Cursor Coordinates

This indicates the position of the your pointer in thedrawing area.

Colour Picker

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

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Function View

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

How to access the Function view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Function.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Function.

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

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3. To select the functions you want to edit, select them in the Function list.
Parameter

Description

Function List
When selecting a layer in the Timeline view, all the corresponding functions are
displayed (if any). Select the functions you want to see and edit, and hide theones you don't.

Display Toolbar

Allows you to modify how the editing area is displayed. You can hide the grid, disable the synchronization with the current frame, reset the zoom level and normalize the function display by stacking them one over the other to compare themregardless of their value range.

Current Frame

Displays the current scene frame.

Selected Keyframe Value

Displays the value of the selected keyframe.

Display Advanced Parameter
Values

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

Keyframe, Velocity and Interpolation Options

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

Function Types

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

Value Scale

Displays the value range for the displayed editing area. It can be referenced toknow the value of a keyframe.

Selected Keyframe

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

Bezier Handles

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

Function Curve

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

Frame Scale

The Frame Scale displays the frame range for the displayed editing area. It can bereferenced to know the current frame of a keyframe.

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Chapter 7: Views

Integrated Help View

Integrated Help View
Use the Integrated Help when you are unsure about what a certain menu item is or the function of a specificpreference in the Preferences panel,
If you keep the Integrated Help window open for the entire duration of your work session, then you can use theforward and backward arrows to scroll through a history of the help information that you called up during yoursession.

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

From the top menu, select Windows > Integrated Help.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

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

NOTE: To know more about the parameters displayed in the Layer Properties view, see Nodes.

How to access the Layer Properties view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Layer Properties.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Layer Properties.

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Chapter 7: Views

Layer Properties View

How to access the Layer Properties editorlDouble-click on a layer in the Timeline view or a node in the Node view.

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

l

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

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Library View
The Library view is used to store elements such as animation, drawings, backgrounds and puppets to reuse indifferent projects. You can also use the Library view to create and store symbols.
To reuse an element from another project, you must create a template from your drawings. A template is a mini
scene that you import in other projects. A template has no link to the original scene. When you create a template, thefull content of your selection is copied in the template.
Additionally, the Library view's Drawing Substitution panel allows you to quickly change the current frame's
exposure to one of the existing drawings in a layer. This is especially useful for animating a cut-out character's
mouths, hands, eyelids and other such body parts which typically contain several drawings to choose from.

How to access the Library view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Library.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Library.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The Library menu lets you access commands related to
the Library view, importing .swf movies and Illustrator
files, add a new folder, and refresh the library’s content.

Preview Window

The Preview window lets you see the content of thecurrently selected template or symbol in the
Template/Symbol list.

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Library View

Preview Playback

The Preview Playback button lets you play back thecontent of the selected template or symbol if it contains
more than one frame. Press the Play button to play backthe preview.

Library Folder List

The Library Folder List displays all the folders linked to
the Library view.

There are two default folders:llSymbols: This folder is the only folder containing
symbols. You can organize it by adding subfolders
inside.
Harmony Premium Library: This is a default
folder found on the hard drive in your user documents. This folder can contain templates, but nosymbols.

You can link new library folders to the Library view andorganize them with subfolders.
Library Search tool

When working on a movie or series, you will probably end
up with many templates and symbols in your library.
Using the Search tool, you can quickly find the templates
and symbols in your folders.

Template/Symbol List

The Template/Symbol list displays the templates orsymbols contained in the selected library folder. You candisplay the templates by right-clicking the symbols’
thumbnails and selecting View > Thumbnails.

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

How to access the Message Log view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Message Log.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Message Log.

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Chapter 7: Views

Model View

Model View
T-ANIMPA-004-004
Once you have a fully painted drawing, you can use it as a colour model and load it in the Model view. Thisdrawing can be used and loaded in any of your Harmony scenes.
Once a drawing is loaded in the Model view, you can use the Dropper
tool to select a colour from the modeland use it to paint in the Camera or Drawing view without having to pick the colour from the colour palette.

How to access the Model view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Model.

lFrom any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Model.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options
that you can use to manage models.

Model View Toolbar

The Model View toolbar contains all the tools andoptions you can use in the Model view to navigate
through and manage models.

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Node View
T-HFND-010-002
In the Node view, you can connect effects and compositing nodes to form a network, also known as a node system.
This view is very useful for rigging puppets, creating advanced effects and having a clear view of complex scenes.
The organization and order of the nodes determines the flow of data during the compositing process and how youranimation elements will be composited.

How to access the Node view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Node View.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Node.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options that you can use to
manage the node system.

Editing Stack

The Editing Stack menu displays the names of the symbols and theirhierarchy when you are editing a symbol. You can click on the different
names to go back up to the different parent symbols or the top/current
project.

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Node View

Node System

The main area of the Node view is where you can add and organize
different nodes to represent a scene.

Navigator

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

Search Toolbar

The Search toolbar lets you find and match a node in the project. The
search is not case-sensitive. Once you have entered characters in the
search field, press Enter/Return to validate and find the pattern in thenode names. If successful, the node is selected and centred in theview. If many instances are found, use the Previous and Next buttons
to cycle through each node.

Group Navigation

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

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Node Library View
T-HFND-010-003
To add effects or other types of nodes to the Node view, you must first find them in the Node Library view.

When you create a new project in Harmony, the default node system that appears in the Node view looks similar tothe one below.

Notice how layers are connected to your scene's composite. For an effect to work, it must be connected as anintermediary between a layer and its composite, as if it was made to filter the layer's drawing information before it
reaches the composite.

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Node Library View

How to access the Node Library view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Node Library View.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Ico- Sectionnbutton and select Node Library View.

Description

View Menu The View menu contains all the tools and options that you can use to manage the NodeLibrary.
Node
Library
View
ToolbarIn the Node Library View toolbar, you can change how the nodes are displayed. You candisplay nodes as icons, as a textual list or as icons with their names and a description.

Node Categories

The Node Library view is conveniently divided into several categories retaining the related
nodes.

Category

Description

3D

Nodes related to working with 3D models within Harmony.

CombineNodes for combining images.

Deformation

Nodes needed for building a deformation chain, as well as advanced effects such as Foldand Auto Muscle. The Deformation category is divided into the Bone and Distort categories.

Favorites

Nodes most commonly used. To add nodes to the Favorites category, select any node fromany other section and drag it onto the Favorites category.

FilterEffect nodes, such as blurs. This category is subdivided into the following categories:
Adjust, Blur, Colour Correct, Isolate and Stylize.

Generator

Nodes that create an image, such as a gradient or colour.

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference GuideGroup

Nodes for grouping, like Group nodes and Multi-Port-In nodes.

Misc

Various nodes including External, Note, Script and Visibility.

Move

Nodes for changing elements over time, like Peg nodes, as well as certain transformations.

OutputOutput (Export) nodes such as Crop, Display, Scale-Output and Write nodes.

Particle

Nodes needed to construct complex particle systems. This category includes a series ofexamples of particle effects and is subdivided into the following categories: Basic,
Examples and Modifier.

Plugins

Plugin nodes.

Shading

Nodes for light shading.

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Chapter 7: Views

Perspective View

Perspective View
T-HFND-008-016
The Perspective view is used during scene setup. It allows you to see a multiplane scene’s orientation. The
Perspective view is similar to a 3D display, as it lets you rotate the scene through all possible angles tounderstand the spacing between the elements. You can also position and rotate your layers and the camera
inside the 3D display to achieve some 3D setup and camera moves.

How to access the Perspective view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Perspective.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Perspective.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options
that you can use to work in the Perspective view.

Editing Stack

The Editing Stack menu displays the names of thesymbols and their hierarchy when you are editing asymbol. You can click on the different names to go
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top/current project.
X Control

The red circle rotates the view on its X axis.

Y Control

The green circle rotates the view on its Y axis.

Z Control

The blue circle rotates the view on its Z axis.

GridThis is a perspective (3D) grid reference.

Axis Reference Arrows

The axis reference arrows let you maintain your orientation when navigating in the Perspective view.

Show/Hide Camera

Shows or hides camera frame in the Perspective
view.

Reset View

Resets the pan, rotation, and zoom of the Perspective view.

Reset Rotation

Resets the rotation of the Perspective view.

Zoom Menu

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

Layer Name

This field displays the currently selected layer anddrawing name.

Tool Name

This field displays the currently selected tool.

Frame NumberThis field displays the currently selected frame ofyour animation.

Colour Swatch

This field displays the currently selected colour in thepalette.

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Script Editor View

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

How to access the Script Editor view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Script Editor.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Script Editor.

Parameter

Description

Script list

On the left side of the Script Editor view, all existing script files are listed andcan be modified in this view. The script format is JavaScript. Click on a file todisplay its content in the Script Content window of the view.

Script content

On the right side of the Script Editor view, the contents of the selected script706Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

are displayed and can be edited.
Search toolbar

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

VerifyThis function verifies the syntax of the currently displayed script and lists any
errors found.

Save

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

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Side View

Side View
T-HFND-008-015
The Side view is used mainly for multiplane scenes and to position elements in 3D space. It allows you to see ascene’s stage from the side. This lets the camera cone and spacing between the elements to be seen.

How to access the Side view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Side.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Side.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options
that you can use to work in the Side view.

Thumbnails

A thumbnail of each drawing layer in the scene. The
order of the thumbnail images is based on eachelement’s FB position in the scene space. You can
see a representation of the FB position of each layer
in the camera cone.

Camera Cone

The camera cone represents the camera’s position
and field-of-view (FOV).

Axis Reference Arrows

The axis reference arrows let you maintain your orientation when navigating in the view.

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Show/Hide Camera

Shows or hides camera frame in the Perspective
view.

Reset View

Resets the pan, rotation, and zoom of the Perspective view.

Zoom Menu

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

Layer Name

This field displays the currently selected layer anddrawing name.

Tool Name

This field displays the currently selected tool.

Frame NumberThis field displays the currently selected frame ofyour animation.

Colour Swatch

This field displays the currently selected colour in thepalette.

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Timeline View

Timeline View
T-HFND-006-002
To set your animation timing, you will mostly work with the Timeline and Xsheet views. It's extremely useful to
become familiar with the Timeline view, how it works, and its interface.
The Timeline view is the main view used when adjusting the timing of drawings, adding keyframes and ordering
layers. The Timeline view displays layers, effects, sounds, keyframe values, scene length, layer names,
drawings, keyframes, timing, and frames.
The Timeline view allows you to read your timing from left to right. It represents the scene’s elements in theirsimplest form. You can also see the layers and their names, as well as the drawing’s exposure. The drawing
name is displayed when you place your pointer over the drawing’s exposure.

How to access the Timeline view
Do one of the following:

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From the top menu, select Windows > Timeline.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Ico- Sectionnbutton and select Timeline.

Description

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options that you can use to manage models.

Model View
Toolbar

The Model View toolbar contains all the tools and options you can use in the Model view tonavigate through and manage models.

Enable/Disabl The Enable/Disable All button lets you show or hide layers.
e All
When you deselect a layer in the Timeline view, the corresponding column is hidden in the
Xsheet view. When a column is hidden in the Xsheet view, the corresponding layer isdisabled in the Timeline view.
To disable a layer, click the layer's Enable/Disable All button or press D.

To enable a layer, click the layer's Enable/Disable All button or press A.

Solo

The Solo button lets you view drawing or sound layers in the Camera view. You can enable
this mode on multiple layers. When the Sole mode button is deselected, everything is visible
in the Camera view. When one or more layers are soloed, only those layers appear in the
Camera view.

Onion Skin

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

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Timeline View

Lock/Unlock
Layer

The Lock/Unlock Layer button lets you prevent the selection or editing of a layer in the Camera view. To select some of the layers without selecting others, in the Timeline view, lock thelayers you do not want to select. When a layer is locked, its name is displayed in red.

In the top menu, there is a series of locking options. Select Animation > Lock > select one of
the following:l

Lock: Locks the currently selected element.

l

Unlock: Unlocks the currently selected element.

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

l

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

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

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

Change Track The Change Track Colour button lets you change the colour of the exposed frames; thisColourhelps you to quickly locate a layer in the Timeline view. Click the Change Track Colour button to open the Select Colour window and choose a new colour. You can modify the colour for
any type of layer, such as group, peg, drawing, and effects.

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Add Layers

The Add Layers button lets you add new layers to the Timeline view. When you click the Add
Layers button, a menu appears displaying the layer types available. You can add several
different types of layers:lCameral

DeformationlDrawingl

Generator

l

Group

l

Transformationl

Effectsl

Sound

Delete Layers The Delete Layers button lets you delete the currently selected layers in the Timeline view.
Add Drawing
Layer

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

Add Peg

The Add Peg button lets you add a peg layer to the timeline. If several layers are selected, apeg is added and parented to each layer.

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

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Timeline View

Show/Hide
Functions

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

Parameters

The Parameters section lets you add, remove or modify a keyframe at the current frame. You
can show or hide the Parameters section by clicking the Show/Hide Parameters button.

Add Keyframe Adds a keyframe at the current frame.
Delete Keyframe

Removes an existing keyframe at the current frame.

Hand Cursor

Lets you change the current keyframe or drawing exposure. When you hover the cursor overthe value, the hand cursor appears. Drag left or right to change the value. Or double-click on
the keyframe value and enter a new value.

Previous Key- Lets you navigate through the previous keyframes.
frame
Next KeyframeLets you navigate through the next keyframes.

Show Function Menu

Displays the Function menu where you can link a layer to an existing function or create a new
function.

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Keyframe

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

NOTE: To delete a keyframe without deleting the drawing exposure, go to the Timelineview and select the keyframe to be deleted and then select Animation > Delete Keyframe from the top menu or press F7.

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

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

Drawing
Exposure

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

The exposure’s colour can be changed. To pick a new colour, click the Change Track Colour
button in the corresponding layer.
View Modes

The View Modes button lets you streamline the process of working with elements in theTimeline view. There are three different view modes you can choose to work in. With eachmode you select, certain elements may or may not be visible in the Timeline view. Dependingon your workflow, this can be useful for quickly hiding elements when you want to focus on
specific ones. To select a view mode, use the drop-down menu in the bottom-left corner of
the Timeline view.

Show/Hide
Additional
Links

The Show/Hide Additional Links button lets you display links associated with a layer. For
example, if you connect a mask to more than one effect such as a Tone and a Highlight, you
can see these connections in the Additional Links section, as well as links to composite
nodes.

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Zoom

Timeline View

The Zoom tool increases or reduces the width of the frames in the Timeline view. Move theslider right to increase the width or left to reduce it. You can also press 1 and 2. Reset thezoom by click the Reset Zoom button.

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Tool Properties View
T-HFND-004-002
The Tool Properties view contains the most common options and operations related to the currently selected tool.
When you select a tool from the Tools toolbar, the Tool Properties view updates.
For example, if you choose the Select tool, the Tool Properties view will display the options and operations related toit, such as Snap to Contour, Apply to All Drawings, Flip Horizontal, and Flatten.

NOTE: To learn more about the options appearing in the Tool Properties view, see Tools Properties on page543.

How to access the Tool Properties view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Tool Properties.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

button and select Tool Properties.

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Top View

Top View
T-HFND-008-014
The Top view is used mainly for multiplane scenes and to position elements in 3D space. It allows you to see thescene’s stage from above. This lets the camera cone and the spacing between the elements be seen.

How to access the Top view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Top.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Top.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options
that you can use to work in the Side view.

Thumbnails

A thumbnail of each drawing layer in the scene. The
order of the thumbnail images is based on eachelement’s FB position in the scene space. You can
see a representation of the FB position of each layer
in the camera cone.

Camera Cone

The camera cone represents the camera’s position
and field-of-view (FOV).

Axis Reference Arrows

The axis reference arrows let you maintain your orientation when navigating in the view.

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Show/Hide Camera

Shows or hides camera frame in the Perspective
view.

Reset View

Resets the pan, rotation, and zoom of the Perspective view.

Zoom Menu

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

Layer Name

This field displays the currently selected layer anddrawing name.

Tool Name

This field displays the currently selected tool.

Frame NumberThis field displays the currently selected frame ofyour animation.

Colour Swatch

This field displays the currently selected colour in thepalette.

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Chapter 7: Views

Xsheet View

Xsheet View
T-HFND-006-003
The Xsheet view lets you read the timing vertically, displays the drawing layers as columns, and shows thedrawing’s name. You can also see the functions and keyframes of the motion paths in the Xsheet’s function
columns. The value of each keyframe is shown in the Xsheet view; these are displayed as black squares in theTimeline view. The Xsheet view contains more detail than the Timeline view, and is faster and easier to read.

How to access the Xsheet view
Do one of the following:l

From the top menu, select Windows > Xsheet.

l

From any of the other views, click the Add View

Icon

button and select Xsheet.

SectionDescription

View Menu

The View menu contains all the tools and options that you
can use to manage columns and timing.

View Toolbar

The view toolbar contains all the tools and options you canuse in the Xsheet view to manage columns and timing.

Xsheet Main Section

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

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When using advanced compositing and animation
techniques, unconnected functions (motion paths) also
appear in the main section. Unconnected functions meanthat some motion paths are not attached to any particularlayer.
When you reconnect functions to a layer, they are stillvisible in the main section.

Functions Section

The Functions section is used for more advanced
techniques. This section displays the functions (paths)
related to the selected layer in the Timeline view. By
default, the Functions section is hidden.
In the Xsheet view, click the Expand button located on theright side of the main section. Click on the same button tocollapse it. You can also use the Show Column List buttonin the Xsheet View toolbar. If you select a drawing column
in the main section of the Xsheet view, the function
columns will not be displayed. You must select the layerfrom the Timeline view.

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Xsheet View

Column List Section

The Column List section allows you to show and hidecolumns in the Xsheet view. When you hide a layer in the
Xsheet view, it is also disabled in the Timeline view.

You can use the Column List to hide individual columns or
hide an entire column type (drawing or function) from the
Xsheet view. By default, the Functions section is hidden.
In the Xsheet view, click the Expand button on the right sideof 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 toolbar.
Go to the Xsheet view menu and select View > Show
Column List. Click the Expand button on the right side of
the Functions section to display the Column List section.

Column Header

Each column available in the Xsheet view has a header

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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. Thismenu contains the command affecting an entire column
such as renaming, changing the default colour, or deleting acolumn.
The tooltip that appears when you hover at the top of each
Xsheet column shows the folder path to the source
drawings for that column.

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

Current Drawing

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

Current Frame

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

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Xsheet View

Drawing Exposure

In the drawing columns, you can see the drawing names
and their exposure. You can use any alphanumeric symbol
to name your drawing. When a drawing is exposed overmore than one cell, a vertical black line is displayed toindicate the continuity of the exposure. When there is no
drawing in a cell, the cell will be blank.

Frame Numbers

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

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

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

Current Frame Display

At the bottom-right of the Xsheet view, you can see thecurrent frame number, as well as the column containing thedrawing currently displayed in the Drawing view.

Functions Column

The functions columns are displayed in the Functions
section of the Xsheet view. They represent the motion androtation you applied to a drawing layer. Only the function
columns related to the selected layer are displayed.

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Harmony 14 Premium - Reference Guide

A function column can also be related to an effect. Selecting
the effect layer shows you the corresponding function
column in the Xsheet view.
The function columns display the position value or effectvalue 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.

Increase/Decrease
Exposure

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

Overwrite/Insert Modes

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

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