Hi ,
The part that really need to be improved in TBA in my opinion is the drawing tools …
I was trying to do the same drawing on TBA and on Celsys Retas Stylos HD (Demo) and I figured out that TBA could use some tools such as :
- a curve tool
- a join line tool
- a width change tool
- a line smooth tool (not just a parameter but a real tool)
I think those tools are A MUST and are really a time-saver … 
curve tool = contour editor
join line tool (this really annoyed me at first i can’t understand why) = but i found if you cross lines in contour editor mode they will create a lot and you can delete the excess points. A long way from ideal but better than nothing.
Width change tool = select then go to tool properties and you can edit the width. (you may need to convert you object to line if your working with brush strokes to make this work but you can convert back after)
I don’t really get why you need a smooth line tool if it is just to make the line more round, isn’t that what the contour editior is for?
curve tool = contour editor : FALSE …
The contour editor tool of TBA allows to edit contour … I’m talking about a REAL CURVE TOOL … meaning a tool that allows you to draw a curve quickly , as oposed to a general tool like the contour editor …
Give it a shot on Manga Studio or Retas Stylos HD Demo and you’ll probably understand what I’m talking about…
Join line and and width change tools are really easy to use too on those 2 software because they are like an eraser tool … you just have to pass over the line(s) for the effect (joining or changing the width) to be applied …
Same thing for the smooth line tool … if your hand is shaking or if you just wanna smooth a line for some reasons , you dont have to go through the boring process of moving points … you just pass over the line (just line an eraser tool) and the line is smoothed …
It’s much userfriendly than having to move points …
Like I said , I drew the same thing on both software and I definately could see the differences …
and 3D objects importation would be REALLY nice as well 
The last one has been mentioned on the forums as coming on the next version.
A feature I think would be pretty cool is
1.) A scene manager (super important)
2.) Ability to open toonboom studio files, flash files as well but difinitly toonboom studio files
I read it’s a plugin and it will be for DIGITAL PRO and HARMONY … I read that on the toon boom blog …
Nothing was mentionned for Animate …
To clear some things up:
Curve Tool: Have you tried using the Polyline tool? If you click and drag you can create curves quite easily.
Smooth Tool: There is a smooth tool available in Animate Pro. One thing you could do in Animate is when you’re using the brush or the pencil tools, there are smoothness options that you can enable that will automatically smooth your lines as you draw.
3D Object Import: This will not be a feature of Animate. This is a feature of Harmony only, and is as of this moment still under development. It is a plugin only. For those Harmony users who are interested in this tool, they should contact support directly so that we can discuss their needs.
We will take the suggestions for drawing tools under advisement.
~Lilly
Toon Boom Support
Hi Lilly,
Yes I’ve already used the polyline tool and it’s not as powerfull and fast as the curve tool I’m talking about … So far the quickest way on TB is to draw a line and then use the contour editor …
The problem with the smoothness option on Animate is that it will smooth the whole line , but if I wanna smooth just a piece of a line , I cant … that’s why a smooth tool would be nice…
And it’s a shame that the 3D importation is only scheduled for Harmony …
Thanks…
I couldn’t agree more, I would love to have it for animate. I thought it was coming for animate :-[
:-[ right …
It’s unfortunate :-[
Hi, I am new to Animate and have noticed everyone talking about Animate 2 as well as wishing for 3d import or plugin? My first question is why isn’t 3d import available for Animate. Second question is do you have any prices on upgrading to Animate 2 when it is released?
Simple feature request. “Reverse lock” or "solo editable lock"
Basically i want a feature that with a single click makes only that layer editable.
At the moment I am locking every layer with a shortcut then unlocking the layers I want. Would be really good to do this with just one click.
Also it would still apply for the rule if you have a collapsed stucture and you select it, it would make the whole structure editable.
TheRaider, have you tried the “Lock All Others” feature? This locks everything except the layer (and its children) that you’re working on.
As for why the import 3D model will not be a feature of Animate, it is an advanced tool and will be available for our professional product (Harmony) only.
~Lilly
Toon Boom Support
nope I didn’t know there was one.
I will look it up in the shortcuts and add one.
Thank you!
da23
I know you feel the drawing tools in manga studio or retas are better but they really arent man! I’ve tried all those programs and currently am using manga studio and I know all the tools you are refering to. I was battleing for a long time which software gives the best “inking” results. I thought manga studio did at first because it was so amazing and smooth, and all those tools. But then I went back to toonboom products for testing and comparing and found my end result tends to actually look better as far as the CLEAN look. The smoothing process in toonboom products is superior!
I know you like the curve tool in manga studio, I did too but i found it slow compared to just drawing the lines yourself with auto smoothing on.
The join line tool…to me that seems like the close gap tool, they are like exactly the same to me.
width change tool is pretty amazing in manga studio. I think u mean like if you want a certain corner to be thicker or thinner on the line, and not just change the entire line width all together right? I dont think animate can do that. But the results I got from manga studio werent all that great. Like I would try to make a corner lines of the nose or chin thicker at the apex, but it didnt look like I was hoping. the concept is amazing but I dont think that tool was too pratical in the actual RESULT it gave you. Might be better off with just drawing the thickness yourself.
Line smooth tool, again man your better off just auto smoothing the lines as you draw. If you got 1000 frames to ink, and you gotta smooth tool each line on each frame its gonna take forever. Your better off using the auto smooth function found in manga studio, flash, and animate that smooths the line as you draw