Harmony 22 Gaming: 2D animation and art tools for game development pipelines

8 March 2023

MONTREAL — Toon Boom Animation, the creators of industry-standard tools Storyboard Pro and Harmony, launched a specialized version of Toon Boom Harmony for game development. The new release, Harmony 22 Gaming, brings professional-grade 2D animation tools to the videogame industry, bridging the gap between animation talent and game engines, such as Unity. With this latest release, large studios and independent developers alike can incorporate traditional frame-by-frame techniques, sophisticated cut-out character rigs, as well as hybrid approaches into games of any genre.

Flexible tools for new production pipelines

Developed by a team with over 25 years of experience working closely with animation studios worldwide, Harmony 22 Gaming delivers the same advanced drawing engine, customizable vector and bitmap brushes, workflow tools and deformers that animators have come to expect from Harmony. This continuity enables game developers to recruit from the animation industry’s best artists, who are already familiar with Toon Boom Harmony.

“Gaming is by far the biggest sector of the entertainment industry, engaging a larger audience than TV, cinema and music combined,” said Harry Ravelomanantsoa, Product Marketing Manager at Toon Boom Animation. “We know that game developers around the world were already using Toon Boom Harmony for 2D animation in games. Releasing a version of Harmony with game development in mind allows us to directly address needs and workflows unique to this industry.“

A sample character rig, transferred from Harmony 22 Gaming to Unity using the new Harmony Gaming SDK.

Working closely with game developers

One of the game developers that relies on Harmony for 2D animation is Dlala Studios, the development house behind Battletoads (2020) and the upcoming Disney Illusion Island (2023). “We were very quickly pointed in the direction of Harmony,” said AJ Grand-Scrutton, the studio’s founder, while recounting his decision to focus on developing games with 2D animated characters. “Toon Boom has been a fantastic collaborator, listening to our feedback and helping us out when we need it. Whenever we’re looking to do any form of 2D animation, we know that Harmony will be our first port of call.”

In addition to Harmony’s animation and character rigging features, Harmony 22 Gaming introduces new sets of tools specifically tailored to game development pipelines. Developers can manage color palettes and swatches, removing the need to manually repaint or apply color adjustment filters when designing variations on enemies or creating adjustments for different environments. The new features also allow developers to create rigs for Unity using deformations, such as game bones, as well as skinning rigs for easier object swaps and costume changes. With cutout animation techniques, developers can use the same rig information for multiple animations and then take advantage of Harmony’s timeline markers to identify and export poses to the game engine, streamlining their animation workflow.

Manipulating Game Bone deformers built into the arms and legs of a character rig in Harmony 22 Gaming.

What’s new in Harmony 22 Gaming:

A comprehensive asset creation pipeline for games within a single application
Create rigs using deformations (such as game bones) and add skinning for efficient object swaps and costume changes
Export your animation to any game engine with Harmony’s EaselJS script, which maps each frame to an entries in sprite sheets
For cut-out animation projects, export raw game data with sprite sheets that contain only the drawing pieces used in your Harmony scene
Fully integrated with Unity through our Harmony Gaming SDK, providing access to skeleton information, drawing information, keyframe animation data, as well as deformations (bones and articulations only), cutters, transparency nodes, and timing columns

Interested in animating characters for your next game? Toon Boom Animation now offers professional services and support for game developers seeking guidance on integrating Harmony 22 Gaming into development pipelines. The Harmony Game SDK for Unity is available through the Unity Asset Store. Artists and developers can take advantage of a 21-day free trial of Harmony 22 Gaming by visiting toonboom.com/harmony-gaming. Visit Harmony 22 Gaming’s product page for information on features and technical requirements.

About Toon Boom Animation Inc:

Toon Boom Animation Inc.’s award-winning software is the global standard for animation, storyboarding and pipeline management. Storyboard Pro and Harmony solutions provide everyone from enthusiasts to professionals with the artistic freedom to create in any style and efficiently publish anywhere, while Producer provides real-time management for animated projects. Customers who chose Toon Boom animation software for the development and creation of their productions include Disney Television Animation, Amazon, Fox Television Animation, Nelvana, Toei Animation, The SPA Studios, Xilam and Boulder Media, to name a few. The technology is currently available in English, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. For more information, visit: toonboom.com