The true pencil tools are a huge bonus for traditional cleanup and design work. And the textures look pretty authentic. The deformer tools look really great too.
I am curious if there is forward/backward compatibility between Animate Pro 2 and 3? The lack of compatibility with Harmony was a dealbreaker for me, and I have many projects done in Animate Pro 2 that I can’t afford to get locked out of if I upgrade.
-Mike
Since Animate 3 is still being billed as “frame by frame animation software” and Animate Pro 3 is being billed as “cut-out rigging and animation software”, I am confused as to what was taken out of Animate 3 to not make cut-out possible, or perhaps more difficult to do?
Also, in looking at the comparison chart, Animate 3 Pro has more frame by frame animation features than Animate 3 to boot. I’m so confused 
hI Pesto,
i think animate pro 3 is animate 3 + cut out animation n extra stuff…
Tony
Hi Pesto,
My understanding is that it’s a marketing tool directing people to the best software for their needs. I don’t believe any features have been stripped from Animate, and I believe you can still do cutout, or frame by frame in either software. Animate Pro has always been the best solution for cutout because of the the network view. It’s great for advanced character rigging and applying effects. Animate has a different way of rigging characters and applying effects but you can still do cutout with it. Just as you can still do frame by frame with Animate Pro. I think Toon Boom are saying, “Do you do cutout animation? Check out Animate Pro and how easy it is with the super duper network view!” Do you do frame by frame? Then the network view might be overkill for you, check out Animate".
I think V3 is the same as V2 for both but with some cool new features thrown in and a new look on the website. I’m downloading Animate Pro 3 now so I’ll let you know…
I started out with Animate and then went the upgrade route to AP2 and now to AP3.
I don’t think they removed anything from Animate at all and you can still do cut out puppets if you wish, it will just be more work as you still don’t have the network view. As far as frame by frame, I do think that Animate got a big boost in that department.
In the Animate 2 that I had I didn’t have:
Textured Brushes
Variable-width Pencil
A Textured Pencil
Shift and Trace
Annotation in the X-sheet Columns
Now with Animate 3 you get all of those things. So, yes, for frame by frame animators you do get more tools to work with. But you also don’t lose anything if you prefer to do some cut out puppets. You still have morphing, hierarchies, IK, etc.
And AP3 has the more advanced IK, advanced Morphing, Bone Deformers, and the network view to do cut out puppets better, faster. But this confusion that I see is that people think the products have somehow been split into an either/or proposition. You either have to make choice between doing just frame by frame with Animate 3 or doing just Cut Out style with Animate Pro 3.
So far to me, it looks like that is just a fallacy. Animate 3 can still do cut out puppets and Animate Pro 3 can still do frame by frame. As you move up the ladder you just get more features, from Animate to Animate Pro to Harmony.
-Mark
Reading the comparision chart in: https://www.toonboom.com/animation-software/compare-animation-software, I think, it solve all doubts and confusion for all topics here treated, directly by Toon Boom Animation.
Yoryo
Mike, if you ever choose to upgrade to Harmony, Toon Boom will convert all your Animate files to be compatible with Harmony. That’s what I did so I saved all my previous work.