Toon Boom Harmony is a comprehensive and powerful 2D animation software that has established itself as the worldwide standard for 2D animation productions. Here’s a detailed overview of what the product does and its key features:
What Toon Boom Harmony Does
Toon Boom Harmony is an end-to-end 2D animation solution designed to support artists, animators, and studios in creating a wide range of animated content. It is versatile enough to handle various animation styles, from traditional hand-drawn techniques to modern digital and cut-out animation methods. Harmony enables users to create art and emotion in every style, making it an essential tool for producing high-quality animations for films, TV series, online content, advertisements, games, and more.Key Features and Functionality
Advanced Drawing Tools
Harmony boasts an advanced Drawing Engine that allows seamless switching between different drawing styles, such as brush to pencil, textured to solid, or bitmap to vector. The software includes Dynamic Brushes that can be customized based on parameters like pressure, tilt, or speed, providing a natural drawing experience.Symmetry Drawing Guides
The latest version of Harmony includes three symmetry drawing guides: Vertical Symmetry, Horizontal Symmetry, and Dual Axis. These guides mirror the strokes drawn by the artist, facilitating the quick creation of symmetrical characters and designs.2D/3D Integration
Harmony offers robust 2D/3D integration features, allowing users to import pre-designed 3D scenes and preserve their layers and depth. This integration enhances the animation process by enabling more complex and layered compositions.Animation Techniques
The software supports various animation techniques, including:- Traditional Animation: Sketching and cleaning up drawings on paper, then scanning, digitally inking, and painting them within Harmony.
- Paperless Animation: Creating drawings from scratch using Harmony’s drawing and animation tools.
- Cut-Out Animation: Creating character rigs that can be animated by moving, rotating, stretching, squashing, deforming, or swapping different body parts.
Additional Tools and Features
- Deformers: Tools for deforming and manipulating characters and objects.
- Bone Rigging: For creating and animating character rigs.
- Cut Out Animation Tools: Specialized tools for cut-out animation techniques.
- Node-Based Compositing: Advanced compositing capabilities using node-based systems.
- Special Effects and Particle Systems: Tools for adding special effects and particle systems to animations.
- Audio and Lip Syncing: Features for synchronizing audio with animation.
- Multiplane Camera: For creating depth and perspective in scenes.
- Storyboard Integration: Seamless integration with storyboarding tools.
- Collaborative Workflow: Support for collaborative work environments, including Harmony Server for studios.