Harmony 25 Release Notes

Harmony 25., build 23967 (2025-06-05)

New Features

Drawing Tools

Feature	Description
Pencil Retouch Tool	The Pencil Retouch Tool is a new brush-like tool that can raise or lower the opacity and increase and decrease the width of pencil lines by drawing over them. The tool has two modes: Adjust Thickness and Adjust Opacity . Each mode has four modes of operations: Increase, Decrease, Replace and Smooth. Increase: Increases the opacity or thickness of the portion of the pencil line that is touched. Decrease: decreases the opacity or thickness of the portion of the pencil line that is touched. Replace: Replaces the opacity or thickness of the portion of the pencil line that is touched, as if the user was drawing a new line. Smooth: The opacity or thickness of the line is evened out using the average opacity or thickness within a range around the cursor position. A slider allows the user to define the range around the cursor that is used to determine the average value. As the user moves the tool over the stroke, the average is taken from the sample area and applied where the circle touches the stroke.
Importing Photoshop Brushes	Photoshop Brushes from .abr files can now be imported into Harmony. It is important to note that Harmony and Photoshop brushes are not the same. Some parameters work differently between them and Photoshop has additional parameters that are not supported by Harmony. Brushes imported into Harmony may not behave exactly the same as they do in Photoshop. Photoshop brushes can be imported to the Brush and Eraser tools and are imported in Harmony the same way as Toon Boom brush presets are imported. From the Brush or Eraser tool Tool Properties view, click the menu and select “Import Brushes…”.

Animation

Feature	Description
Breakdown Assistant	The Breakdown Assistant is a tool to help cut-out animators create breakdown and inbetween poses from keyposes in Harmony. It does this by blending keyframe values from the previous and next keypose on the Timeline by a specified percentage. The percentages can be set to more than 100% to allow for antic and overshoot poses. It also can blend between the current frame and either the previous or next keyframes. This will result in the pose getting “nudged” closer to the key each time it is applied. The tool consists of three parts, the Breakdown Assistant toolbar: The Breakdown Assistant view: As well as keyboard shortcuts that can be assigned to its various buttons for a faster workflow.
Lock Timeline Ruler	The position of timeline scene markers and the scene length can now be locked to prevent accidentally moving them. The command is named Lock Timeline Ruler and is located in the Timeline Ruler’s right click menu.
Action Template Palette Preference	A new preference is available that lets you choose how palettes are managed when importing an action template into a scene. The preference named Action Templates is located on the Template tab of the preference and is set to Do Nothing by default. In this setting, palettes will not be copied to the scene when bringing an action template over frames in the right part of the timeline. This prevents accidentally polluting scenes with extra palettes.

3D Integration

Feature	Description
Image and 3D file Layer Support	Layer support has been added to the Library and Drawing Substitutions views for both multilayer image files and FBX files with animation layers. The Library view has a new layer dropdown box to easily switch between layers. This dropdown box can be hidden by pressing this button . The Library view will then function more like it has in previous versions of Harmony. The Drawing Substitutions view has been divided into two sections. The top Drawings section functions similarly to previous versions of Harmony and allows you to select the file that will be used at the current frame. The bottom Layers section is used to select which layer from the image file will be displayed. When used with 3d models, the bottom section will display the available animation cycles within the 3D file.
Set 3D Animation Timing	The new dialog Set 3D Animation Timing available in the Exposure menu allows you to fill the Xsheet to read animation from 3D models. To open this dialog, select a range of cells in a 3D model’s column the Xsheet, and use the Xsheet menu Exposure > Set 3D Animation Timing command.
Support for USDZ files	Harmony 25 now supports importing and reading 3D models in the USDZ file format.
Import/Export of 3D animation data	Animation data from 3D models can now be exported and imported from and to Harmony using ATOM, USDA and USDZ file formats. Importing and exporting animation data is done from the new Subnode Override node. This node is similar to the Subnode Animation node, as it’s used to create and store keyframe animation applied to the 3D model that is connected as input. 3D animation stored in this node can be exported using the export button to an ATOM or USD file. Animation, from ATOM or USD files can also be imported to this node using the Import button.
Import and Export of 3D Transformation.	3D transformation data from Peg and Elements nodes can now be imported and exported to and from Harmony in ATOM, USDA and USDZ formats using the File > Export/Import > Transformation command.

OpenGL and Performance

Feature	Description
Better OpenGL Effect Preview	The OpenGL view mode of the Camera view now supports the preview of additional effects as well as enhanced rendering of previously supported effects. The following preferences are available in the OpenGL tab of the Preferences to enable the preview of different types of effects as well as wetting the quality of the previews: Render Effects. This preference enables or enhances the preview of the following effects: Colour Curves Colour Levels Gamma Glow* Highlight* Increase Opacity Negate Shadow* Remove Transparency Tone* Transparency* * The preview quality of these effects is enhanced when this preference is enabled. Render Blurs. This preference enables the preview rendering of the following blurs: Blur (Blur Radial) Blur Box Blur Directional Blur Gaussian Matte Blur Unsharp Mask The following choices are available to adjust the rendering quality of blur effects: Best Quality Better Quality Regular Quality Better Performance Best Performance Render Blending Mode. This preference enabled the preview rendering of the Blending effect node. Render Realistic Cutter. This preference improves the preview quality of cutters by enabling support of semi transparent pixels in the drawing that is used as the matte.
Anti-Aliasing Quality Options	Two anti-aliasing modes are now available in the OpenGL tab of the preferences. The Quality anit-aliasing mode provides high quality anti-aliased results at the cost of the preview performance. This is the anti-aliasing mode that was used in previous versions of Harmony. The Performance anti-aliasing mode provides a lower quality anti-aliased preview while having little impact to no impact on playback and interactive performance. This anti-aliasing mode is new in Harmony 25.

File Data Optimizations

Feature	Description
Compact File Structure	In order to reduce the number of files stored on disk, a new scene format has been introduced in Harmony 25. The Compact File Structure saves drawings and palettes into a single file in the scene folder, reducing file count, optimizing storage space and reducing network transfer times. Other files in the scene folder have the same structure as before. To create a new scene using the Compact File Structure, select the Use compact file structure checkbox when in the New Scene dialog. A preference is also available on the General tab to define the default settings when creating a new scene when working in Offline mode. In Database mode, the default file structure used when creating new scenes can be set per Environment in the Control Center application. Scene can be converted to and from this new file structure from the Advanced tab of the Scene Settings dialog. Use the Compact button to convert the to compact file structure and use the Uncompact button to use the previous format. Note that scenes saved using this new file structure are not compatible with previous versions of Harmony.
Optimize Palettes	The new Optimize Palettes command in the File > Optimize menu can be used to merge or remove and delete palettes and colours that are not used in the current scene.
Optimize Drawings	The new Optimize Drawings command in the File > Optimize can be used to delete unused drawings and consolidate identical drawings, providing an easy way to reduce the file count of a scene.

Ember Functionalities

Ember functionalities are disabled by default in Harmony. Ember functionalities require an additional Ember license as well as enabling the “Enable Ember Functionalities” preference in the Advanced tab of the Preferences.

Improvements

General

• A Store Recovery Textures in Vector Files option has been added to Harmony's preferences. When disabled, copies of all associated textures will no longer be stored in TVG files. This can drastically reduce file sizes but it will make it impossible to recover the texture at full quality if it is lost. HAR-9602

Effects/Comp

• The 3D compositing algorithms have been updated to support 32-bit floating point rendering. HAR-8123

• The Anti-Flicker node can now render in 32-bit float. HAR-8799

3D

• B and Shift-B navigation shortcuts now work with 3D bones hierarchies. HAR-10016

• TB_MayaToXml.py has been updated to work with Python 3 which is used by Maya 2022 and newer. HAR-9579

• To improve and stabilize FBX imports, Assimp-FBX import library has been replaced with UFBX import library. HAR-10555

• The Insert Keyframe command (F6) now adds the selected bones to the Subnode-Animate and Subnode-Override nodes if not already exposed. HAR-10987

Nodes

• The Z buffer smoothing node has been updated with a new "Alpha Expand" parameter to help with antialiasing issues with images rendered by Blender. HAR-9826

• EXR files can now be written using DWAA file compression from the Write node. HAR-9771

• The following Port Filtering buttons are now available to be added to the Node View's toolbar: HAR-9856

  • Add Name to Port

  • Add Filter to Port

  • Clear Named Port

  • Copy Named Ports

  • Paste Named Ports

  • Eyedropper Port Filter

Import / Export

• There are now unique extensions for tool, brush and texture preset files.

  - .tbr: Toon Boom brush presets

  - .tpr: Toon Boom tool presets

  - .tbx: Toon Boom tips and texture presets HAR-10598

• The option to use DWAA compression when exporting EXR files has been added. HAR-9771

WebCC

• sendToBatchRender parameter has been added to the WebCC api. HAR-10846

Scripting

• Timeline::layerEnabled adds the ability to query the current enabled status of layers in the Timeline view. HAR-10665

• A parameter has been added to removeSoundColumn to control the removal of the sound file from the project folder.

  column::removeSoundColumn(QString columnName, bool removeSoundFile = false); HAR-10667

Linux

• To maximize compatibility 7zip is no longer packaged with Harmony and will need to be installed separately. System::find7Zip() has been added to the scripting API which returns the system or packaged path of 7zip that will be used by Harmony if it exists. HAR-10551

External Rendering

• An ‘All RenderBatch Nodes’ option has been added to the Cache Manager to allow all cache entries to be shown at once. HAR-10528

OpenGL

• The caching of multiple Colour Overrides nodes with the same or similar content, is now more efficient. HAR-10741

• The caching of multiple Art-Selector nodes of the same type and connected to the same source, is now more efficient. HAR-10657

Fixes

General

• There is a significant delay when switching back to Harmony from another application on Windows. HAR-10904

• Tool Preset import function does not work. HAR-10597

• The License Wizard links to documentation in the wrong language when using a language other than English. SB-3911

• Tooltips are missing for the button located in the lower right corner of the 3D Graph view. HAR-9901

• Editing a texture from the Colour view loads a non native file dialog. HAR-9806

• In MacOS, the initial save dialog of a database scene has an inverted cancel and save button layout. HAR-9438

• Enabling Show Strokes in some scenes can cause the application to freeze for several minutes. HAR-9943

• Onion Skin Coloured Outline display mode always shows all the drawings between the first and the last enabled visible switch. HAR-10594

• Coloured Outlines in Advanced Onion Skinning do not display the correct opacity levels. HAR-10428

• Onion skin does not work correctly when there is a composite node above the cutter's matte port. HAR-10890

• Onion Skin by drawing does not work properly for drawings before the current frame in the Camera View HAR-10592

• Colour recovery does not correctly load the palettes that already exist in the file system but are not in the palette list. HAR-9596

• The Set Thickness option of the Edit Pencil Line Properties dialog does not scale the pencil texture. HAR-10484

• Closing the Edit Pencil Lines properties displays "No such file or directory" in scenes where it has been previously used and has been reopened without closing. HAR-10483

• Some colour space dropdown boxes do not contain the colour space family name when using a custom ocio file. HAR-10411

• While the Layer Properties view is docked to the main Harmony window, non-docked views will lose focus when the node selection is changed. HAR-10383

• Node Caching toolbar is not available in non-English languages. HAR-11003

• Harmony crashes when running in batch mode and the language is set to either Japanese or Chinese. HAR-10814

• Deleting an audio track always deletes the audio file from the scene. HAR-10667

Drawing

• Applying an "Additional Tip Multiplier" with the "Edit Pencil Line Properties" tool will cause lines to become longer. HAR-6444

Effects/Comp

• The trails generated by the Radial Zoom Blur and Shine effects do not move when the Focus point is outside of the camera frame. HAR-9518

• Radial Zoom Blur has inconsistent blur sizes. HAR-10747

3D

• 3D-Kinematic-Output nodes do not work in headless renders. HAR-10811

• Harmony may crash when undoing changes to the Subnode-Animation node. HAR-9881

• 3D Rotation controls are inverted when SubNodes have a negative scale. HAR-10515

• Some FBX bones are not displayed as regular transforms and not bones in the 3D Graph View. HAR-10403

• Bones and geometry become misaligned when moved on a common parent SubNode. HAR-10393

• FBX files with a Z-Up axis are imported with an incorrect orientation. HAR-10385

• Maya render fails after using the Reset command on a selection made in the 3D Graph. HAR-10196

• 3D Assets flattened with a flatten node are not layered properly on 3D composites. HAR-10184

• FBX model with ufbx_node that is both a ufbx_mesh AND and a ufbx_bone does not import properly. HAR-11015

Nodes

• Eyedropper Port Filter is available when an out port is selected, but should be disabled. HAR-9980

• A drawing's deformation wireframe is sometimes visible in onion skinning when it is attached to a Colour Override node. HAR-9756

• Cutting a cable above a waypoint does not actually remove the link between two nodes. HAR-9626

• The Matte Resize node's default version is 1 but it should be 2. HAR-10672

• Toon Boom Bitmap drawings connected to a Colour Override node are not selectable in the Camera View. HAR-10488

Import / Export

• PNG and PSD exports read ICC file for every file written instead of caching it. HAR-10670

• PSD files with a single top level group fail to import. HAR-9789

• The alpha mode of PSD files exported by Harmony is not compatible with Photoshop. HAR-5558

• The button “Open the Folder Containing the script” in the “Export to After Effects” dialog does not work in Windows. HAR-10059

Library

• It is not possible to unlock (release rights) on a library folder that is mounted from a network drive. HAR-10476

• Dragging and dropping some templates can cause Harmony to crash on M4 Mac Computers. HAR-10691

• When a Template is edited, its thumbnail does not update. HAR-10425

• The Library View's rename shortcut key doesn't work. HAR-10293

Xsheet

• In WIndows, Harmony crashes when typing diacritical marks on their own in an Xsheet cell and then hitting enter. HAR-10535

Rendering

• The internal software rendering cache of a previously rendered frame is sometimes incorrectly cleared which causes Harmony to render the frame again when displayed even if there were no changes in the scene. HAR-10006

• Render threads can sometimes become deadlocked on M4 Mac Computers. HAR-10689

• Rendering scenes in batch mode takes significant time to start if OpenFX plugins are used and that Harmony’s preference folder does not exist. HAR-10596

Scripting

• QUdpSocket::bind() is missing from the scripting api. HAR-10627

Python

• OMC::DrawingVectorLineStyle always returns the y value to be the same as the x value for Vector2d attributes. HAR-10706

• Loading a Harmony project in an External Python Interpreter causes it to crash on exit. HAR-9891

• Saving a Harmony project from an External Python Interpreter strips out OpenFX nodes from the scene file. HAR-10951

External Rendering

• The RenderBlenderBatch and RenderMayaBatch nodes are missing translations in their Layer Properties. HAR-11002

• The Cache Manager fails to load when Harmony is in Database mode. HAR-10900

• RenderBlenderBatch node renders fail in Database mode in Windows HAR-10899

• RenderBlenderBatch nodes no longer applies values to ‘Empties’ when rendering HAR-10682

Timeline

• Dragging and dropping drawings in the Timeline view will create clones of external palettes. HAR-5430

• Increase and Decrease Exposure commands don't work on empty frames when "Animate using Animation Tools" is disabled HAR-8855

• "Paste Mode: Exposure Only" does not work in non-English languages. HAR-11005

• The "Set Ease Type" drop down list in the Timeline view closes immediately and prevents the selection of presets in macOS. HAR-11087

OpenGL

• Modifying a drawing that is part of a morphing sequence does not update immediately in the Camera view. HAR-10429

Linux

• RenderMayaBatch and RenderBlenderBatch renders print an error about the socket being closed when the render is completed. HAR-9949

• The dropper tool in the colour picker always picks pure black on some systems. HAR-9978

• The Help > About menu option in the Service Launcher causes it to crash. HAR-10536

• Rocky 9 fails to load default Python Libraries. HAR-10521

• Service Launcher button becomes grayed out after choosing not to run WebCC without rabbitMQ. HAR-10977

• License Wizard unable to activate local license because Client Activation crashes. HAR-10520

Known Issues

Linux

• Translations do not work in Rocky Linux. HAR-11115

• Changing the selected Animation layer of a 3D model, when a subnode has been transformed, will clear subnode transformations. HAR-10821