Harmony supports various 3d file formats such as FBX, Alembic, OBJ, and 3DS, with imported models able to be moved, scaled, and rotated on any axis. This is something often done in collaboration with another purpose-built 3d tool such as Autodesk Maya. The second kind of 3d integration, which is available in Toon Boom Harmony, is the ability to import and display 3d models. It is based, like many parts of TVPaint, to emulate a physical tool that was used for traditional 2d animation.” TVPaint’s user interface. Each plane has a specific depth and, consequently, its own speed in the eyes of the observer. Similarly, TVPaint has a multiplane camera feature, as head of communications at the company Benjamin Cerbai, explained: “This is not a 3d camera tool, but you can control movement of several planes with background scenery. This can be done without using any 3d models.” “Layers can be set along the z axis and the camera dollied across or trucked along the z axis, with the drawings at different depths moved to create a parallax effect. “Harmony and its predecessors have always had the third dimension, the z axis, on which the camera can be moved along and drawing layers can be placed at different depth,” said Toon Boom Animation’s director of marketing George Stamatakos. An artist demonstrates Toon Boom Harmony. An obvious area is perhaps via the use of z depth, or multiplane cameras, within the pieces of software. But they also offer several ways in which 3d animation can be done.

Two of the giants in animation software, Toon Boom Harmony and TVPaint, are well known for their 2d animation solutions. We’ve rounded up some of these tools that combine 2d and 3d workflows for artists who are seeking to broaden their stylistic and technical range.

Tvpaint vs toon boom