Symbol issues

Hi,

I remarked several issues with symbols.

  1. The timeline command ‘Remove Duplicate Key Exposure’ does not work with symbols.

  2. The command ‘Right Click’ on the selected image in the simeline → ‘Drawings’ → ‘Mark Drawings As…’ → ‘Key Drawing’ does not work with symbols.

  3. The scripting function column.getEntry.(QString,int,double) does not work with symbols.
    This makes that the following scripts don’t work with symbols:

  • TB_PL_Duplicate_Timings.js
  • TB_StretchKeyFrames.js
  • TB_PL_Duplicate_Drawings2_columns_right.js
  • TB_PL_Copy_Drawing_Columns
  1. The scripting function getDrawingTimings(QString columnName) does not work with symbols.
    This is quite understandable as symbols are very different from drawings and as their timing information are not stored at the same place like those of drawings.
    On the other hand, the symbol timing information would become less relevant if one was able to get the length/duration of the symbol’s internal timeline.

Best regards

It should work if you go inside the symbol first to select the layer( s ) and apply the
action to the contents of the symbol. And yes, I know it’s not exactly the question
you asked.

The thing is that you don’t actually need to use symbols at all in Harmony.
Everything a symbol can do can be done with a group instead without the
need to first go into the symbol to edit the contents.

It should work if you go inside the symbol first to select the layer( s ) and apply the
action to the contents of the symbol. And yes, I know it’s not exactly the question
you asked.

Sure, but I unfortunately need to manipulate the keys outside of the symbols. (See explanation below.)

The thing is that you don’t actually need to use symbols at all in Harmony.
Everything a symbol can do can be done with a group instead without the
need to first go into the symbol to edit the contents.

Yes, I know. :slight_smile:
The only thing I use symbols for is to cycle animations without having to duplicate the keys of the inital animation itself.

Here are 2 threads dealing with this topic:
http://forums.toonboom.com/harmony/general-discussion/symbol-play-modes-time-remapping-module#new
http://forums.toonboom.com/harmony/support-and-troubleshooting/loop-walk-cycle-best-way#new

BTW, this is the reason as well why I made a feature request for a Time Remapping/Re-Expose Module here:
http://forums.toonboom.com/harmony/feature-requests/time-remapping-module

Fair enough and it’s pretty clear why you would like want such a feature.
You already made a feature request which is what I would have suggested.

Just for curiosity, are you currently duplicating the keys to cycle the animation
as a workaround? Be aware that you can also copy/paste timing from the Xsheet
without ever using keyframes (since this is the place where you can see the
drawing labels).

I’m not completely sure if I understood well your question. :slight_smile:
So, let me know if my answer doesn’t respond to what you wanted to know.

At present, I put the animation (of a character rig) that I want to loop into a symbol and repeat the range of the symbol’s ‘drawings’ representing the part to cycle.

This works. But, I end up with a layer filled up with a lot of equally exposed and equally looking symbol ‘drawings’.

That’s why I would have liked to apply the ‘Right Click’ on the selected image in the simeline → ‘Drawings’ → ‘Mark Drawings As…’ → ‘Key Drawing’ command to every start drawing of every new beginning cycle, in order to be able to visually identify them easier.