|
Back to FAQ
Index
Understanding the Toon Boom Metaphor
Let’s begin with some basic concepts
that are part of the Toon Boom Studio (TBS) metaphor and try to put them in context
with Flash terminology as well as traditional 2D animation
terminology. In many respects TBS has been closely patterned to
follow methods and practices developed in classical photographic
animation. So a background in photographic animation (classical)
techniques is really beneficial.
TBS has timelines and exposure sheets. Flash has time lines.
Traditional 2D animation uses exposure sheets. The time lines and
exposure sheets in TBS are fully integrated and work together. A
TBS exposure sheet, like a traditional one, has rows and
columns. The rows are representational of frames also referred
to as exposures. (This is traditional terminology relating to a
frame of film which is also a photographic exposure.) The
columns are representational of elements which are the TBS
equivalent of layers in Flash.
The TBS time line has rows and columns. The rows are
representational of elements (layers) and the columns are
representational of frames (exposures). The rows of the time
line as often referred to as tracks.
Time line layering in TBS as in Flash is from the top down. So
elements (layers) at the top of the timeline are closer to the
viewer and elements at the bottom of the timeline are farther
away from the viewer. Layering in the exposure sheet is from
left to right. (This is a change from earlier versions of TBS
which were from right to left). One interesting difference in
TBS is that you can designate a type for an element that will
establish it as a foreground or background element or just a
normal element. Foreground elements are automatically put in the
foreground and background elements are automatically put in the
background although there can still be hierarchical layering in
the foreground group of elements and in the background group of
elements.
Flash has some terminology which can be confusing. TBS tries to
be more precise in maintaining a somewhat closer to traditional
2D animation terminology. TBS uses the term “cell” for what
Flash calls a key-frame, a blank key-frame, or a frame. The term
Cell being closely related to the traditional name for artwork
elements created on transparent acetate sheets. So in TBS a
drawing is referred to as a cell. So a cell is like a key-frame
in Flash. A blank cell is like a blank key-frame in Flash, and
an exposure is like a “hold” or “repeat” frame in Flash.
A frame in TBS is actually just
that, it is the equivalent of a frame of film which is a
composite of all the elements composed for that single picture.
So to add frames to a timeline you extend the number of
exposures that make up the timeline. As you place an element on
to the timeline you adjust the length of that element’s
exposures relative to its position on the over all time line.
You can slide it around to control its starting frame and you
can stretch it or shrink it to adjust the number of exposed
frames it needs. For those familiar with the timelines of most
non-linear editing systems or compositing systems this is a
similar metaphor.
Key-frames in TBS are used just like key-frames in a non-linear
editor or a compositing application. They are set on dynamic
elements to control their actions. (More on that in a minute)
In Flash there are different types of layers: (normal, guide,
mask) in TBS there are different types of elements: (drawings
which are vector art symbols, images which are bitmapped
graphics, sound, media which are multimedia files like SWFs,
camera, pegs, color transform effects, and clipping effects).
Pegs, color transform effects and clipping effects are dynamic
elements that are used to control other elements over time. Pegs
control changes in position, size, and angle over time. Color
transform effects control changes in color and opacity over
time. And clipping effects are used to control masking over
time. (More details on each of these later), but essentially you
can attach elements to dynamic elements and control them across
time using key-framed parameters and editable function curves
for each time variable parameter. They are basically for
“tweening” with lots of control. In case the term tweening is
not familiar to you, that is just having the render engine interpolate
(mathematically calculate) incremental changes between frames
across a sequence of frames between two defined keyframes. These
interpolation calculations are controlled by the applied
function curve for that keyed value for that sequence of frames.
Perhaps
one of the hardest adjustments for someone moving from Flash to
TBS comes in really understanding the separation of elements and
keyframes. In Flash elements and keyframes are merged on the
same layer and are so closely linked that most people learn to
think in terms of keyframes and lose sight of the elements
themselves. In TBS keyframing is separated from composition
elements and is thought of as operations or instructions for how
to manage the composition elements.
TBS allows for user defined color codes for each element type
which facilitates easy recognition of the type of element with
which you are working both in the timelines and in the exposure
sheets. There are also identifying icons next to the element
name as identification of the element type. You can attach notes
to elements and you can attach notes to cells. You can show or
hide elements not only in preview but also in rendering.
Back to FAQ
Index
|