Toon Boom Animation announced the release of Symphony. With features such as morphing, basic inverse kinematics and "glue" (automatic joint connecting) that enhance the paperless animation production process, Symphony enables studios to produce high quality digital animation. Advanced drawing and asset management tools combined with a seamless, integrated workflow saves significant overhead costs while adding value to their animations. Symphony also building on the advanced features provided by Opus and Concerto.
"Symphony culminates everything that has been done in animation technology by pushing further the boundaries of creativity and efficiency. This tool brings to the table high-tech features that will not only raise the quality of animation but also reduce significantly the cost of producing animation," said Joan Vogelesang, president/ceo at Toon Boom.
Nelvana, one of the world's leading international producers and distributors of children's programming and products, is the early adopter of this new technology and has used it in the production of the series 6TEEN and the pilot of GROSSOLOGY, which will be presented at MIPCOM 2004.
"In Toon Boom, Nelvana saw a company poised to raise the bar for 2D digital animation," added Scott Dyer, evp of production and development for Nelvana. "Our early involvement in Symphony, and the adoption of the technology for production and development, will enable us to increase the quality and expressiveness of our work while remaining cost-effective. We're thrilled to be using Symphony in our Toronto studios."
Demos are available at MIPCOM 2004, booth C1.05.
Symphony will be ready to ship in the first quarter of 2005 and will be available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.
Designated as Toon Boom Animation Inc. (www.toonboom.com), the company carries several leading animation products, including USAnimation OPUS, Concerto, Symphony and Toon Boom Studio. Toon Boom also offers consulting and training services dedicated to increasing animation production efficiency and quality. Concerto and Symphony, the most advanced solutions designed to meet digital and paperless animation production needs, are implemented in prestigious animation studios worldwide.
Nelvana Ltd (www.nelvana.com) is a leading international producer and distributor of children's programming and products. Nelvana is owned by Corus Ent. (www.corusentertainment.com), a Canadian-based media and entertainment company.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
