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This week Ian and Ben come together to discuss the changes going on with Toon Boom Animation’s release of Harmony 12. But first Ian brings us some headlines.
NUKE Non-commercial is now available. FedEx, UPS Say They Won’t Ship ‘Ghost Gunner’ Machines. Toon Boom Launches Harmony 12 Product Family. You can fly in an R2-D2 ‘Star Wars’-themed jet this year. Two-year-old cryogenically frozen by parents.
Full disclosure: We are affiliate partners with Toon Boom. Meaning if you click through one of their ads on our site and make a purchase we get a commission. However, we sought out that partnership because we use and recommend their products to begin with. We’re also customers and are providing this coverage from that position.
The big story this episode is Toon Boom’s repositioning of Harmony to replace their previous lineup of Toon Boom Studio, Animate, and Animate Pro. Now you can get Harmony in 3 versions, Essentials, Advanced, and Premium. You can purchase a perpetual license as well as a subscription paid monthly or annually for both Harmony and Storyboard Pro. Check the FAQ for more information. Their support options have also changed to Kickstart (free with purchase), Silver, and Gold. It’s now easier for more people to have easier access to Harmony more affordably. If you have a previous version of Harmony or a comparable product from the old line you can upgrade easily.
Looking over the features of Harmony 12 we see the bitmap brush tool has been improved for better customization. Deformers have been made more straightforward and include new Game Bone deformers for building character rigs compatible with Unity. You can import 3D files in Collada and Alembic formats now. 3rd party OpenFX plugins are now supported for adding a multitude of new effects. There’s also a new light shading system where you can give 2D objects and characters volume to create highlights and shadows. On multicore machines rendering speed has been sped up 65% along with real-time visualization of deformers and effects.
A recent discussion in the animation industry is frustration with a perceived monopoly CalArts alumni hold. Ian and Ben comment on it, factoring in what different artists’ goals are and how they can obtain them. Does having a degree from on particular school really guarantee you more success? This leads to movie talk where Ben brings up the recent controversy over the latest spoilery Terminator: Genisys trailer and Ian shares the Superman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice trailer.
Finally our hosts hunker down for a round of horror movie trivia. Who will emerge victorious this week? Tune in to find out!
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