Positioning an Element Using the Layer Properties
Each layer has a series of parameters that can be modified to adjust the object's position. These parameters can be access in the Layer Properties view. In the Layer Properties view, you can type in a value rather than moving the object in the Camera view. These values can also be animated over time.
You can also access a layer's parameters in the Timeline view. Click on the Expand Parameters arrow and the Show Data View button.
It is important to understand the coordinate values in Harmony. Harmony's core is based on the origins of animation. In traditional animation, a scene's size and camera motion are calculated in fields. A field has a 4:3 ratio and measures 0.5 inch in width. A specific grid has been created for this purpose. It is known as a field chart. Harmony uses this unit of measurement as its coordinate system.
A field chart uses cardinal directions. The X axis is the east-west direction, the Y axis is the north-south direction and the Z axis is the forward-backward direction.
In Harmony, a drawing's pivot is located at the centre of the field chart, regardless where your drawing has been drawn on the page. Your drawing is the entire sheet of paper, not only the drawing strokes you have drawn on the page. This allows scanned drawings, imported images and paperless drawings to be properly registered together.
If you want to move your drawing in the upper left region of the camera frame, you would type in something like the following:
• | X Axis: -4 or 4W (4 West) |
• | Y Axis: 5 or 5N (5 North) |
If you want to move your drawing in the lower right region of the camera frame, you would type in something like the following:
• | X Axis: 3 or 3E (3 East) |
• | Y Axis: -2 or 2S (2 South) |
1. | Do one of the following: |
‣ | In the Timeline view, right-click on the drawing layer and select Layer Properties |
‣ | In the Network view, clicking the module’s square yellow button. |
‣ | Single-click or double-click on the layer. |
‣ | Press Shift + E. |
The Layer Properties dialog box opens.
The Enable 3D check box displays the 3D parameters in the Layer Properties—see Enabling the 3D Option.
2. | In the Position section, type in the desired values: |
‣ | X - Left/right or east/west |
‣ | Y - Up/down or north/south |
‣ | Z - Forward/backward |
As you type in the new values, the element’s position is updated in the Camera view.
‣ | Select the Separate option to enable the independent edit of the different coordinate fields or select the 3D Path option to enable the use of a 3D path function when animating your element—see Layer Parameters . |
‣ | In the (x) Axis field, type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to the desired position. |
‣ | In the (y) Axis field, type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to the desired position. |
‣ | In the (z) Axis field, type in a new Forward/Backward coordinate corresponding to the desired position—see Creating a Multiplane. |
‣ | The Function buttons are used to create function curves to add keyframes when animating. |
3. | In the Scale section, select one of the following: |
‣ | Locked: Resizes the element while keeping its ratio. |
(xy) Axis: Type in the horizontal and vertical scales value.
‣ | Separate: Resizes the element with independent X and Y scales. This allows you to squash and stretch. |
(x) Axis: Type in the horizontal scale value.
(y) Axis: Type in the vertical scale value.
‣ | The Function buttons are used to create function curves to add keyframes when animating. |
4. | In the Angle Z field, 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. |
5. | In the Skew field, type in a degree value between -90 to 90 for the skew angle. |
6. | In the Pivot section, type in the desired coordinate value to reposition the transformation pivot. This will change the permanent position of the pivot. |
‣ | In the (x) Axis field, type in a new East/West coordinate corresponding to the desired position. |
‣ | In the (y) Axis field, type in a new North/South coordinate corresponding to the desired position. |
Layer Properties Options
A drawing layer properties dialog box is composed of four tabs.
• | Transformation Tab |
• | Drawing Tab |
• | Advanced Tab |
• | Controls Tab |
Parameter | Description | |||||||||||
Element Columns |
Full Name: Select which element to connect to the module from the drop-down list of elements that already exist in your scene. Drawing Path: Displays the full path to the current drawing. |
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Timing Columns |
Name: Path to the file that you want to link to. Timing Column: Link to the column that contains the desired timing. Extension: When linking to a background file, enter its filename extension. Field Chart: If you are importing traditional animation, select the size of the paper on which the animation was drawn. |
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Art Layers |
Line Art/Colour Art Enabled: Lets you set layers as line art, colour art, or both. Line Art Type: Designates the layer as a Line Art layer. Colour Art Type: Designates the layer as a Colour Art layer. |
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Bitmap File Options |
When an image is created with an external software and that image has some transparency, there are several formats the software can use when writing the RBG channels. The purpose of the four import options for the transparency is for the 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 was used 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 in Harmony 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 and all the pixels are 100% opaque, itdoes not make any difference which option is selected. Colour: Controls the production of colour information from bitmap images. If this module reads 3 or 4-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether the colour should be read or ignored. If this module reads 1-channel bitmaps, this selection determines whether the channel should be read as colour. When this option is selected with 1-channel images, the resulting image will be a greyscale image. 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 from the colour values in the image. If the module reads a 4-channel image and this option is not selected, the alpha information in the image will be ignored. |
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Transparency Type
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In the drawing layer's Layer Properties dialog box, you will find an Advanced tab containing some very useful options:
Parameter | Description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alignment |
Alignment Rule: The alignment rule selections are intended to deal with drawings that were created on paper of a different size or orientation from the default alignment rule (set up in the Scene Setting dialog box) or imported bitmap images. The drawings are then scaled to match Toon Boom 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 scene alignment and scene settings.
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Turn Before Alignment: This option 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 the peg. This and the Alignment Rule are intended for drawings that were created on paper of a different size or orientation than the other paper in the scene, and requires alignment so as to be able to accurately treat them. |
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Flip Horizontal: Flips the drawing on the X-axis. |
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Flip Vertical: Flips the drawing on the Y-axis. |
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Clipping |
No Clipping: Select this option if you do not want to clip the images in this module before an effect is applied to it. |
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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 module without black entering into the composite as a 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 in frame—see Apply Image Transformation and Apply Peg Transformation. |
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Line Thickness |
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 the drawing. If you prefer the lines to remain the same size or become thicker at a different 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 the camera is not animated. To learn how to use this feature, see Camera Truck-ins and Line Thickness. Adjust Pencil Lines Thickness: Lets you work with pencil lines and adjust 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 brush stroke thickness, deselect this option. To enable brush strokes to work with the line thickness feature, you must first create central strokes in the Colour Art layer. The central strokes control the line variation of your brush 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 the same. 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 no change; 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 the existing 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. |
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Vector Render Options |
Higher quality images require more time to render and more system memory. Choose a lower quality if you are rendering a pencil test.
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Miscellaneous |
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The Controls tab contains animation control options.
Parameter | Description | |||||||||
Animation |
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Angle Limit Values |
Lets you set a maximum and minimum rotation angle for a drawing. This option is used mainly for a cut-out character when you do not want an elbow to bend too far in or out.
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Spline Offset |
In the X, Y and Z axis fields, type the coordinates of where you want to offset the visual 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 better with 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). |