User Guide > Getting Started > Scene Settings

Scene Settings

When you created your new scene, you set up the resolution and the alignment. However, if you want to change these initial settings later, you can.

To change the scene settings:

From the top menu, select Scene > Scene Settings.

The Scene Settings dialog box opens.

The different Scene Settings options are separated into three tabs.

Resolution Tab
Alignment Tab
Advanced Tab

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

Resolution

1. You can select your project’s resolution type from this area so it matches your intended output.
HDTV: High definition television delivers a higher quality image than standard television does, because it has a greater number of lines of resolution. To take advantage of the superior quality 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 drawing grid is fit into the camera frame. When working with 12 or 16 field drawing grids, the grid is a different aspect ratio from the camera frame. When you fit vertically, you fit the grid with the top and bottom of the camera frame.
film-1.33: Use this resolution setting for the academy film format that conforms to the standard 4:3 aspect ratio.
film-1.66: Use this resolution setting for the widescreen film format that conforms to the 16:9 aspect ratio.
film-1.66_Vertical: This is essentially the same as film-1.66. Refers to how the drawing grid is fit into the camera frame. When working with 12 or 16 field drawing grids, the grid is a different aspect ratio from the camera frame. When you fit vertically, you fit the grid with the top and bottom of the camera frame.
NTSC: This is the standard analogue television broadcasting system used in North America 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 television and computer screens, as the rectangular pixels are displayed at a different orientation.
Low: This format is ideal for videos destined for the web, where size and fast download of a video file might take precedence over quality.
2. Displays the scene resolution setting selection.
3. Displays the pixel dimensions for your resolution selection.

If you decide to type in the pixel dimensions, or use the up and down arrows to change the pixel increments, you will have to save your custom selection in order to make it active (4). It will then appear in the resolution selection list (1).

4. Click Save to save and create your custom resolution as a setting. This button becomes active when you create a custom resolution type (3).
5. The aspect ratio is the ratio between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the Camera framing. Each resolution setting has a preset aspect ratio that cannot be changed.
6. Select the frame rate for your project. The higher the frame rate, for example 30 fps, the smoother your animation will look, but the heavier it will become, the lower the frame rate, for example 12 fps, the choppier your animation may look, but the lighter it will be.
7. Use these options to define the FOV of the camera and how the drawing elements (and drawing grid) align to the camera. The drawing grid is always scaled proportionally to a 4:3 (1.33) ratio, therefore changing the Field of View setting may not show a visible difference if your project resolution is also 4:3, such as NTSC.
Horizontal Fit: The drawing grid is fitted to the vertical (side) edges of the Camera view, so that the width of the grid matches the width of your project resolution.
Vertical Fit: The drawing grid is fitted to the horizontal (top and bottom) edges of the Camera view, so that the height of the grid matches the height of your project resolution.
Custom Fov: After selecting this option, use the now-active field to the right to enter in a value, in degrees, of the angle that you want the camera cone to be. Increasing this value will make the camera cone wider (the angle is more obtuse), widening the FOV and making the grid and all elements appear farther away. Decreasing the default value will create the opposite effect.

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

Alignment Rules

1. The Alignment Presets give you two preset options:
4:3 12 Fields: Defines the units of your project to have a 4:3 ratio and sets up 12 of these units to run both vertically and horizontally in four cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment preset is visible in the FOV and drawing grids.
Square 12 Fields: Defines the units of your project to have a 1:1 or square ratio and sets up 12 units to run both vertically and horizontally in four cardinal quarters (NW, NE, SW, SE). This Alignment preset is NOT visible in the FOV and drawing grids.
2. In the Units Aspect Ratio fields, enter the aspect ratio of the grid you will use. The aspect ratio describes the shape of the grid unit. A square grid unit would have the ratio 1:1, whereas a grid unit of aspect ratio 4:3 is a unit with one side 1.33 times as big as the other side.
If the aspect ratio you want to use is 1:1, enter 1 in the Left/Right field (X-axis) and 1 in the Up/Down field (Y-axis). The default Aspect Ratio is set to 4:3 as it is the one used by traditional animators, who are accustomed to working with the grid system described above.
3. In the Number of Units fields, enter the number of horizontal, vertical and depth units for your scene’s grid.

Animators who prefer to work traditionally will understand the default setting of 24 units horizontal by 24 units vertical as it, once again, corresponds to the grid above. Twelve is a common setting for the field depth.

Those who prefer to work in pixels should enter the pixel dimensions (3) of their project. This way if you want to move something over 600 pixels you just need to type in 600 units.

4. In the Coordinates at Centre, you can enter a new coordinate for the centre of your scene.

By default, the (0,0) centre is set in the middle of the grid as shown in the grid above. If you want 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 of course unless you changed the number of units to match the pixel dimensions of your scene. Then you would enter negative half the width and positive half the height.

5. Click Save button to save your current Alignment settings and be able to select them later from the list.

The Choose Alignment Name dialog box opens.

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

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

The Advanced tab contains an option for Toon Boom Digital Pro release 7.3 and Animate 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 Animate 7.3 allowed smaller values on the Z-axis such as 0.0001. Since version 7.8, the Z-ordering calculation is now optimized and allows only larger values such as 0.001.

Related Topics 

Creating and Opening a Scene
Setting the Scene Length