Volume Object Node

The Volume Object node allows you to define which parts of your rig constitute a single volume to which shading should be applied. For example, if you need the arm, forearm and hand of your character to be shaded together, you can connected all the nodes that constitute these body parts to the same Volume Object node, and the shading will be applied to these parts of your rig as if they were a single object.

NOTES

Even if you want to apply shading separately to a single drawing, you must connect a Volume Object node under that drawing.
If you create separate Volume Object nodes for parts of your rig that are attached together, you may see bumps in the shading where the joints overlap.

Volume Object Properties

NOTE Volume Object nodes are connected to a Normal Map or Surface Map node to be composited together. You can define the parameters of each volume in your rig in the properties of the Normal Map or Surface Map node to which they are connected.

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 can be 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, in the Volume Creation section.
ID	This is the identity number you assign to a drawing or a group of drawings that will 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. 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 Volume	During the generation created by the Normal Map node, the shape of the drawing or group of drawings identified with the same ID will be recognized to create 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 the same baseline value. Because this setting is closely tied to the adding/curving option called Intensity (0-100) (accessible in the Volumetric Colour Information of 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.