About the Library & Templates

T-RIG-009-001

Using templates and symbols, you can share and reuse any elements you create in Harmony. The Harmony library lets you store several different elements such as puppets, backgrounds, animations and key poses and 3D models. In fact, anything you create in Harmony can be stored in the library.

The Library view is where you can store and reuse your artwork and animation in other scenes or build props and puppets.

The library is a storage centre for all production assets; the elements stored in the library are called templates. Although it is mainly used for cut-out animation, the library is also useful for paperless and traditional animation processes and 3D integration. The library can contain any asset used in a Toon Boom Harmony Premium production.

Using the library is as simple as dragging the content into the library to store your artwork and then dragging it to the Timeline or Camera view when you want to reuse it.

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. You also have the option to enable the Layer Selection mode where you can select from different layers contained in your element. You can change the drawing of your element by selecting it from the dropdown menu in the Layer Selection mode. 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. Scrubbing through the element’s layers is particularly useful for 3D models, EXRs or 2D image files that are separated into different drawing layers.

When working on the database, the structure of the library differs from when working on Harmony Stand Alone.

Harmony Database provides three default library folders:

Symbols: The only library folder containing symbols for your project. You can organize the symbols library folder using subfolders, but you cannot create a second library for your symbols. This library is local to your project.
Environment: A folder located inside the Environment folder. Every asset stored in this folder is accessible from any job and scene contained within this environment.
Job: A folder located inside the Job folder. Every asset stored in this folder is accessible from any scene contained within this job.

NOTE You can create a folder called library in the usa_db folder on the server to create a global library. Once the Harmony application is restarted, a Global library folder automatically appears in every user's library. Every asset stored in this folder is accessible from any scene, job and environment.