Harmony Cutout Animation using Olive rig

[@midnightplum1760]

I love how you explain things! I'm terrified of learning harmony but watching you do it with such a chill attitude made me a little less scared!

[@StylusRumble]

Just start simple! Make a ball, practice moving it around, then add a tail. You'll be doing whole characters in no time :D

[@midnightplum1760]

@@StylusRumble thank you, ill definitley try that! and by the way, my animation teacher at my university recommended your channel during class two times this week!🥰

[@anyadocious]

I’m using Moho but I love how you show your animation techniques. Most of the videos for Moho are just showcasing final animation. I really appreciate these types of videos. We need more artist to share the process of keyframe animations! 💛💛💛💛

[@DylanVsTheWorld2003]

Good video. I'm on day two of learning Harmony, with my main experience in animation coming from Blender, and this helps me get started seeing that the work process is basically the exact same.

[@cheshirekat101]

"why is it people-shaped?" "COZ IT'S A PEOPLE" i died

[@kelsyum]

Honestly, best video out there explaining process. Thanks for the time and energy to post - this is so damn helpful.

[@willowprinceart]

Thank you so much omg. I'm rigging for an animation project right now and I am FUMING and frustrated and this cleared up so much for me. thanks again :)

[@StylusRumble]

Those first few rigs are a doozy for sure :)

[@apocaloso]

Just finished my Olive animation. A bit crazy but I had so much fun 😁 Anyway, your videos are really helpful and very enjoyable.

[@KitschHarris]

Thank you! Your videos have helped my animation immensely.

[@ReviewShark]

Man, I opened this thing a month ago and it was so much fun to learn from. It genuinely helped me improve my own rigs quite a bit, but hearing that this is only a medium complexity rig? I'm genuinely curious what a high complexity rig looks like, and also to know how afraid I should be.

[@StylusRumble]

High complexity mostly means everything is covered in envelop deformers, connected master controllers. But they can get even more elaborate. Onone show all the dresses sparkled, so they all needed particle systems. On Ever After High each character had a lot of pieces because of textures, frills- design stuff. It's not always"harder" stuff, sometimes it's just more stuff lol. We also had a programmer on staff that created automated hair bounce using customer nodes. Those took a bit of technical skill to set up, but made animating much easier.

[@ReviewShark]

Someone made animated hair bouncing with nodes? It's genuinely impressive just how much you can do with the nodes in this program. That still sounds intimidating, but that's awesome. I can't imagine how much more cluttered the screen can get with everything having envelope deformers though.

[@StylusRumble]

@@ReviewShark That studio had a lot of custom nodes created in house .It was cool. I'm not a huge fan of the 360 rigs. They can be really laggy- especially if the designs are complex. Mercury uses them though, and you can't argue with the results they have!

[@mari.art1999]

@@StylusRumble I'm currently working with a rig that is all master controllers and I'm having a very difficult time animating a walk cycle with it. Sometimes walk cycles make me want to revoke my animator card lol and it's supposed to be a cocky, pretencious walk, which means it's even harder 😥

[@StylusRumble]

@@mari.art1999 walk cycles are difficult. So to start, you shouldn't feel bad about the struggle. If you have an animation supervisor, you should let them know you are struggling. A really good Ani-sup can sketch you out some quick keys to help. Or, a decent one can at least reallocate their resources to give you a bit of breathing room. At the end of the day, go for simple keys and get all of that working before you push for personality. Then, you can save a version in case your exaggeration makes everything worse. Been there lol. It will get easier with practice.

[@meggines]

Thanks to Charles i found your channel . This is really helpful.

[@Nyorane]

Commenting to boost in the algorithm.

[@DanXmas]

worlds collide!

[@Munkaa]

Love these tutorials!

[@mansourfrance9991]

Thanks

[@papayoyo_art]

hola gracias por la claridad que entregas, te veo con el traductor aunque comprendo totalmente. gracias gracias gracias

[@robertolara3820]

Amazing!!!!

[@MikeScottAnimation]

So useful thanks. May I ask how you spaced out the keyframes so quickly? Tried rewatching a couple times but once you had the key poses, u seemed to do a shortcut where u spaces them out on the timeline so fast with a shortcut? Or was it a video cut?

[@StylusRumble]

If you only use pegs you can push it back using shift and +. But it will mess things up if you have drawing subs. For this, I did space them manually- and I usually do just to avoid problems. But I always edit out the busy work.

[@dineshshringirishi5557]

awesome tips

[@karimeabudnunez2689]

Hi Tracey! This helped me a lot! Just one question: What is the hot key that you use to make the front leg convert it into back leg in the same position? (occurs the same with arms) Thanks a lot for this video :)

[@markgnarz5399]

So basically, no Animator Survival Kit style walks in Cut out. Unless I want to draw and inbetween hands/feet

[@StylusRumble]

You can do it, and there might even be a show where they're aiming for that. But most shows done in harmony are using it to be economical. You have to crack out 25 seconds a week, I've even done 70 seconds a week. Ain't no time for that. lol The best thing about cut out is you can do a competent functional pass and then, if you have time, plus it.

[@markgnarz5399]

@@StylusRumble Ah youtube, didn't see a reply till now. Thanks. I've heard its something like 11 sec/day. A friend is a lead animator right now, he's clocking insane days fixing animation as the studio only wanted to hire junior animators. I'm still too slow; going all out from the gate instead of breaking it down like this movement wise. Definetly not like classical animation. Similar methodology to 3d in a way though.

[@joelmayerprods]

Hi Tracy! Really love your videos thank you for making them :) I'm an animator from Switzerland who worked in kind of the Explainer Video business for the last 10 years. I have quite some experience with Toon Boom even doing projects with relatively simple rigs. I would really like to deepen my knowledge when it comes to rigging to eventually, hopefully, be able to work freelance as an animator in the TV animation field. Do you think i have to take any extra courses for that like i.e. the CG Spectrum 9 Months course or is that overkill? Or should i just go ahead and experiment on my own? Thanks so much and best, Joel

[@StylusRumble]

Definitely just jump in and start experimenting. Oli Putland has a book on his patreon that is great if you're a book-learner. www.patreon.com/Oli I learned most of what I know through trial and error at a studio, when toonboom was just taking off. We'd just do our best, and solve problems as they came up. For Harmony character animators, you really don't need much more than a functional knowledge of how rigs work. So if you can download a few gumroad rigs and animate some scenes, you know enough to do the job. The only advantage a course would have is if you need external motivation or scheduling.

[@muimotion]

Hi Tracy! Love your videos! I've recently started getting back into using TB. I had a question regarding the video. I see that when you click on an arm or a leg, you don't really choose the whole arm (but the upper or lower etc..) What is the hotkeys you use to quick select these elements? So that you don't have to manually go and choose the whole arm or leg etc...

[@StylusRumble]

once you click on something, the b key will walk you up the chain.

[@muimotion]

@@StylusRumble Thank you Tracy!:D

[@juliannalord5409]

Man these tutorials are a life saver for my animation class! But whenever I set keyframes Olives hands disappear. I've checked and the drawings are still there has anyone else experienced this? I'm super new to Harmony so it's probably something i'm doing but it seems strange. Thanks!

[@Usagis333]

14:13 Hello?😍 As a fan of your channel, I am eagerly watching your videos. While watching the video, I had a question, so I left a comment. I don't know the difference between tweening and not tweening. Isn't it okay to skip the tweening process? I wonder why you do it.🙄 Have a nice day today!😘

[@StylusRumble]

when I say "tweening" I mean using the computer's auto-tween feature. You can skip auto-tween altogether, but it doesn't make sense if you're trying to save time. For a lot of simple translate/ rotate it works fine. If you take advantage of what the computer can do to take away busy work, you have more time for adding cool stuff.

[@TalkingWithNadsDar]

This was super fun, although I noticed when I started spacing out the up and downs I also got a limp that I not sure how to shake. Do you have any tips on how to eliminate the limps when keyframing? Thanks for everything btw, I'm coming over from Animate CC so I'm really enjoying all these ToonBoom cut out tutorials, sooooo efficient!

[@TalkingWithNadsDar]

OHP nevermind, I kept watching and you totally addressed it ahahah ALRIGHT, awesome video then :D

[@maurusmcam]

Thanks!!! ❤

[@aleksaharovsky]

Hey Tracy, quick question about something that's been poking me for a while. Why do TB riggers always use FK legs? It makes sense for arms but for legs is kinda double the work when animating

[@StylusRumble]

The #1 reason is the IK system in Harmony has always been terrible. So, until something functional comes along, this is what we get. There have been times when I needed to animate something like skateboarding that needed easy foot plants, I just removed the feet and put new ones on the board. Way easier to line up ankles than keep FK feet planted.

[@aleksaharovsky]

@@StylusRumble there’s a technique using two point constrains that works pretty well. I like the idea of having the feet planted + the freedom of posing the knee wherever I want . Fk legs is a nightmare hahaa

[@istorowaluyo979]

Thanks you....

[@0005ripl]

Hi Tracy thank you for the video, I downloaded the rig and I am having trouble opening my rig, I only get one layer in my timeline. If you could give me a answer to this that would be great. Thanks

[@arianepin]

Amazing tutorial! If I get to animate properly you character can i use it on portfolio?

[@danielaorbegosobracamonte8276]

great :D a question, know traditional animation would serve to make animated videos like this? or is it better to learn vector animation? please I will thank you if you can clarify it :)

[@arianepin]

Hello there! If I animate this wonderfull character, am I gonna be able to post it as portfólio, with the credits? Thanks!

[@StylusRumble]

You'll have to check on gumroad for the details of that. This rig belongs to Kyu-bum Lee

[@luka.grimov]

Hi! Thank you o much for this video! But i don`t understand what hotkey do you use on 3:30 to choose all the pegs above the foot

[@StylusRumble]

b will go up the chain of pegs.

[@luka.grimov]

@@StylusRumble thank you so much!!!!!!!

[@poojaparmar1846]

hi.. i'm totally new to toon boom but want to learn it.. i used this Olive rig but stuck while animating. can you tell how to animate this rig in an action where the character is moving or change the position. I tried but i guess i'm doing something wrong while making poses with this rig. while translating character's upper body in pose where its feet are on floor, whole character is getting mess regarding pivots. plz help me to get out of this...

[@StylusRumble]

I reccomend starting much simpler and just creating a few simple things yourself so you better understand how the rigs are put together. Jesse J Jones has some videos that are better for beginners. And Oli Putland has a book on patreon that goes through all the basics. My videos are made for interns and junior animators in the industry. So they are often frustrating or confusing for beginners.

[@poojaparmar1846]

ok.. thanks.. will go through it..

[@shonkorgop7320]

Hi Madam I learn a lot from your tutorials about toon boom , Please help I am facing a problem 1> I could not add voice over with this character 2> The play button is not working and toon boom version is 2020 what I use

[@Paxmet]

How do you think animating with rig model is easier than frame by frame

[@StylusRumble]

Animators don't need pro level drawing skills. That alone saves a bazillion hours of skill training. It's easy to adjust things on the fly, reuse pieces. Interpolation can take over a big chunk of the work. The down side is there's a technical hurdle for people to learn. For a skilled artist, posing takes longer. Setting up the rigs in the first place take skilled workers, and a big time investment. overall, the longer and more consistent something needs to be, the more advantage cutout has. For shorter pieces or something high action with a lot of dynamic poses or complex style traditional can have it's advantages.

[@Paxmet]

@@StylusRumble wooow

[@midnightplum1760]

can i ask why at around 11 minutes you switched to "motion keyframes"? what does that do?

[@StylusRumble]

Motion keyframes will auto-tween between your keys. Stop motion keyframes will hold between frames.

[@Acme_the_rubberhose_dog]

sorry but how did you tween? What's the shortcut? i know t s a silly question but as a trad animator i feel lost

[@KupiboriK.3787]

СУПЕР

[@lovelylonerboy7156]

How did you get all the angles to be in sync when you move a body part?

[@StylusRumble]

I usually just eye-ball it or draw a guide. You can use the coordinates and control points tab to see exactly what your angles are, but that seems excessive. If it looks right, it's fine.

[@lovelylonerboy7156]

@@StylusRumble thank you but also at around 2:55 you said something about all key frames mode then you moved her leg and it moved at all angles. I’m not sure how to do that. Also these video are really nice you should keep making more

[@StylusRumble]

@@lovelylonerboy7156 There is a little stick man button that changes your animation mode. Yellow- the key you're on. Red- all keyframes Green- The range of keyframes you select with your onion skin. You can find more about it here: docs.toonboom.com/help/harmony-20/premium/motion-path/set-animate-current-frame-mode.html

[@hexwrench4433]

I get this odd feeling that invers kinematics doesn't translate well in toonboom.

[@StylusRumble]

They don't :D

[@mochacoffee3824]

i cant seem to import the file

[@guilhermeescobarmartins9398]

9:15 how do you space out the keyframes?

[@StylusRumble]

I'm just copy-pasting and moving them around manually with the mouse. there's no fancy tricks here.

[@DavidRa88]

[@ThePlanet4ryPerson69]

do you think i can be an animator using toon boom cutout that is not good in drawing?

[@StylusRumble]

I know plenty of guys with mediocre drawing skills, but it's hard to get into senior positions. Being able to do gestures and new hands when needed are very important. So those would be the best areas to focus on. You definitely don't need to be able to draw realistic anatomy or full city scapes like a comic artist.

[@ThePlanet4ryPerson69]

@@StylusRumble thanks for ur response. Ill just keep on practicing then maybe i can be better. Please keep on making tutorials it really helps me alot.

[@erinpret6655]

how do you import the rig?

[@StylusRumble]

You import templates through the library tab. Zebirdbrain has a good video on that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5TPpI2fZ6uKrrM

[@erinpret6655]

@@StylusRumble When I try to import my rig, it shows me my node view has the character and all its' parts but I can't actually see the drawing in the camera/drawing view. What am I doing wrong?

[@StylusRumble]

@@erinpret6655 I can only guess. Is the file unzipped before you import it? Also, try opening the character template file itself and see if the parts are in there. It could be a download issue.

[@erinpret6655]

@@StylusRumble I was so silly >^< I didnt realise the download link in your bio was an empty template. Thank you for your patience hehe~

[@StylusRumble]

@@erinpret6655 oh noo lol. I'm glad you figured it out XD

[@stickybonez]

This tutorial was alright, but you're way too fast in some places. Sometimes the video cuts and you've added more frames to the animation without explaining it. This can be very hard to follow for a beginner.

[@StylusRumble]

My channel is definitely targeted to intermediate animators by design. For beginner stuff, I recommend Frank Summers, Zebirdbrain, or Oli Putland (his Patreon book is the best text on the go.)

[@2inverse469]

This is not as helpful as I would have liked it to be. Getting stuck right at the beginning because nothing I see matches with anything you have displayed. It seems you have done a bunch of things prior to starting recording and forgotten and / or your preferences in the program change some things you've forgotten about. Not very useful for beginners. A lot of people are doing this too, learning this program is quite difficult due to limited useful tutorials and dated methods on their own website. You definitely should look into having your key strokes displayed, even if you have to struggle to get it working. Would definitely boost your view time.

[@StylusRumble]

That is by design, I'm afraid. I started this channel for junior animators in the industry and intermediate-level people. There are some great resources for beginners, Toonboom's learning portal, and on KZbin there's Frank Summers, Oli Putland (he also has an amazing book on his patreon) Tony Teach and ZeBirdBrain. I recommend starting with them :)