I was sitting around working on some things when I realized, I haven't really given any product reviews. And that's something aspiring cartoonists/animators that are just starting out wonder about. So I thought I would mention one that seemed really fancy when I first read of it.
If you're cartoon minded like me, you likely pick up Animation magazine whenever you can, and scour the net for all things related to the craft. If you do, you will have likely come across mention of Toon Boom Studio.
Toon Boom is a powerful program. It features bones and is capable of many different animation techniques. When I read of it Toon Boom sounded like the program I was looking for. Then I tried it out.
Before I continue I'd like to say it is really important to at least familiarize yourself with all of the basics of making a cartoon/animation happen. Since it's more than just drawing, you've got story boards, animatics, exposure sheets. there's a lot of things that go into keeping the entire project on track. Things that keep everyone on the same page
Now if you're a solo cartoonist, as many web cartoonists/animators are. Some of those things don't seem all that important . Until your ideas and planning get to the point where you realize you really do need to keep a more reliable record of your progress than your memory. It's very important to at least be aware of the basics. Especially you find like minded artists to collaborate with, because they don't have the convenience of knowing what you're thinking.
With all of that being said. Toon Boom Studio is, in a nutshell, the process of animation digitally reconstructed.
There is a time line and things some will find familiar if they've dabbled in Flash or anything else. That's where the similarities end. You cannot animate frame-by-frame with Toon Boom, not like with flash.
Toon Boom has and uses an Exposure Sheet like real animation. What an Exposure Sheet does is show you what animation assets and elements are in use for a particular scene. How many frames they're in, or length of a particular action lasts. You cannot do anything on the the time line of Toon Boom, unless you set everything up on the exposure sheet.
Toon Boom whether intentional or not, is geared towards paperless animation. They have a suite of products that are digital versions of aspects of animation, and ways of tying everything together so a studio can work digitally.
Which is all well and good if you happen to be a professional studio or students looking toward traditional animation, but want to be eco-friendly. And I think that's great.
However, for anyone just starting out Toon Boom is not the program for you. Unless you're specifically interested in being an animator. Then Toon Boom Coupled with the resource any and every cartoonist/animator should own The Animators Survival Kit Then you'll have a means of familiarizing yourself with things covered in the book.
Toon Boom is cheaper than Flash, but quite a meaty purchase unless you're really serious about being an animator. Definately try before you buy.
Posts
