Learn to Animate

1. Download the latest release for macOS from Tahoma2D.org
2. In Finder, go to Downloads and double-click on the .dmg package to open
3. Drag Tahoma2D.app to Applications and release
4. Opening T2D the first time will result in a warning dialog about an unkown developer - quit the dialog
5. Open T2D again by right-clicking on the app and then choose "Open" from the context menu
6. Select "Open Anyway" from the new warning dialog going forwards T2D will open normally
7. Grant permission if T2D asks to access standard file locations such as Desktop/Documents/Downloads

1. Download the latest release Windows from Tahoma2D.org
2. Extract the zip file
3. Find the file called Tahoma
4. Double-click on Tahoma to open

Rooms can only be added in "Room Editing Mode" where the workspace is unlocked.

1. In the room menu (top), right-click on any of the room tabs and select "New Room" (a new room will be added to the menu)
2. Double click on a room name to rename the room to the name of your choice

Panels can only be added or removed in "Room Editing Mode" where the workspace is unlocked.

1. Add and Dock a panel:
   1. In the top menu, go to "Panels" and select the panel of your choice
   2. Grab onto the header of the panel
      • For horizontal bar panels, grab the left edge (be careful to miss the close button)
      • For other panels, grab the top bar
   3. Drag the panel to the boundary between panels where the selected panel should be placed (when the cursor lines up with the boundary line, a colored bar appears to show the potential placement)
   4. Release to drop the panel into the desired position
   
2. Delete Panels:
   1. Click on the panel's header/title area and drag the panel into a floating position
   2. Click on the top-right "X" to delete the panel
   

1. Left-click and drag the pane's header/title area into a floating position
   • For horizontal bar panels, grab the left edge (be careful to miss the close button)
   • For other panels, grab the top bar
2. As you drag, line up the curser so that it overlaps the boundary of the location you would like to place it
3. When a colored bar appears, release the panel pane (it should snap into position)

1. Go to Panels → "Reset to Default Rooms"
2. Close and restart Tahoma to see changes

Resizing a Panel

1. Make sure that the workspace is locked
2. Adjust the size of a panel by clicking and dragging on the dark boundary lines - either vertically or horizontally

Expanding Panels

The Viewer and ComboViewer panels can be mazimized to take up most of the program panel, while leaving the room menu visible.

1. Hover over the panel and press the back quote key `
2. Double-click on the panel header (top bar) of the panel

The Viewer can also enter "Full screen Mode", where the Viewer takes up the entire screen.

1. To make the Viewer full screen, hover the cursor over the Viewer and use the shortcut alt-F
2. To exit the Viewer from full screen, hover the cursor over the Viewer and use the shortcut alt-F

1. Add a command:
   1. Right-click on an empty segment of the command bar
   2. Select "Customize Command Bar"
   3. In the left column, search for the command you want to add
   4. Drag and drop the command to the desired position in the right column
   5. Add separators in the same way as necessary
2. Remove a command:
   1. In the left column, right-click on the command
   2. Select "Remove..."
3. Select "OK" when all customization is finished

Projects can be stored anywhere on the local computer or connected networks/drives. It is helpful to keep projects together in a single location for easy access and organization. In your computer's file browser (Finder on macOS), create a projects folder in the Documents directory - ie. Documents/Animations

The Sandbox is the default project when you open Tahoma for the first time. It is intended for experimentation, not for serious work. Since the Sandbox is stored within the Tahoma app itself, it can be accessed by other users of Tahoma on the computer. At the same time, that makes the Sandbox harder to backup then other projects.

New projects can be created when Tahoma opens, with the startup panel, or at any time through the menu (File &rrar; Project Management → New Project).

DO NOT leave the Sandbox as the active project for class assignments - it is not private and takes more steps to backup.

1. Choose "New Project" in either the startup window or the menu (File → Project Management → New Project)
2. Select the project location
3. Give your project a name
4. Press "Ok"
5. If using the startup window, give your first scene for the project a descriptive name and select "Create Scene"
6. If the project was created through the menu, save the default untitled scene to give it a descriptive name (CMD+S | CTRL+S or File → Save All)

The last active project is opened by default whenever Tahoma is opened. In a studio setting, animators might spend multiple years on a single project. In that setting, it saves time having that project open by default.

1. Using the Startup Panel:
   1. Click on "..." next to "Choose Project", and select a different project folder
   2. Select the scene you would like to load for this project or use the panel to make a new scene
2. Using the File menu:
   1. File → Project Management → Switch Project
   2. Choose a different project in the File Browser
3. Using the File Browser:
   1. In Tahoma, select the Browser Room
   2. On the left of the File Browser, find the project folder you want to open and click on the empty circle to the side of the name to turn it red

Loading a scene from a different project will change the active project.

This assumes that you have installed Tahoma on your home computer. It is free and available for both macOS and Windows at Tahoma2d.org. After installing Tahoma at home, make sure your preferences are the same as what you have at school. Revisit the "Customize" section under the "Workspace" tab for recommended preferences.

1. Download your most recent, zipped, active project folder from Google Drive or your thumb drive
2. On macOS:
   1. In Finder, open your downloads folder and drag the file from Downloads folder (or your thumb drive) and drop it in a folder for your home animations folder (Documents/Animations)
   2. Double-click on the .zip file and the folder should uncompress/open
3. On Windows:
   1. In Windows Explorer (the file manager not the browser), go to the downloads folder
   2. Select the .zip file and drag it into a folder for your home animations folder (C://Documents/Animations)
   3. Right-click on the .zip file → Extract All
4. In Tahoma, use the startup pop-up to select your project and load the desired scene

New scenes can be created when Tahoma opens, with the startup panel, or at any time through the menu (File → New Scene or CMD+N | CTRL+N). New scenes will always be created in the active project.

Using the default untitled scenes can prevent auto-save from working, so unless you are just experimenting, always set a descriptive file name.

1. In either the Startup panel, or when saving an untitled scene for the first time (File → Save All or CMD+S | CTRL+S)in the "Save Scene" window, choose a descriptive scene name
2. Use the default size/resolution settings unless you have specific size requirements
3. Leave "Frame Rate" set to the standard 24fps
4. Select "Create Scene"

1. The Startup panel - choose a recent scene from the sidebar or choose "Open Another Scene" to select a scene from the browser
2. The program menu: "File → Load Scene" to choose a scene from the browser or "File → Open Recent Scene File" to choose a recent scene
3. The shortcut CMD-L | CTRL+L

Loading a scene from a different project will change the active project.

Due to the potential technology issues, you are responsible for backing up your work regularly. Technology can fail at any time so frequent backups are important to prevent loss of work. Remember it is your responsibility to always have an up-to-date backup if something goes wrong. It is recommended to back up in Google Drive, but feel free to use a thumb drive or etc. for backups if preferred.

1. Zip your project folder on macOS:
   1. In Finder, navigate to your animation folder (Documents/Animations/ or etc.)
   2. Right click on the folder for your active project and select "Compress"”"
2. Zip your project folder on Windows:
   1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to your animation folder (Documents/Animations/)
   2. Right click on the folder for your active project and select "Send To → Compressed(Zipped) Folder"
3. In a web browser (likely Safari or Chrome), go to Google Drive and sign in
4. Drag and drop the zipped project folder from Finder | Windows Explorer to a backup folder in Google Drive (you could also select "New" → file upload)

If you have backed up this project previously, you may want to use a different name for the new backup, or rename the old backup before uploading.

Raster Levels +—

Raster levels provide a digital drawing experience that is the most similar to modern drawing software. This is the default drawing level type.

Best for:

• painterly styles
• sketchy/expressive lines
• color blending & layering

Drawbacks:

• no automated features
• drawings/colors only editable by erasing, painting over, or copy/pasting over
• only one layer in each drawing
• only solid color fill options
• pixel based levels do not scale up well

Smart Raster Levels +—

Smart raster levels are color mapped so that painted colors (both strokes & fills) can be updated or animated.

Best for:

• cel shading
• sketchy/expressive lines
• animating or updating colors
• digitizing scanned artwork

Drawbacks:

• no automated animation features
• drawings only editable by erasing, painting over, or pasting over
• only one layer in each drawing
• color blending only available through compositing
• pixel based levels do not scale up well

Vector Levels +—

Vector levels use mathmatical formulas to keep track of data points that make up each drawing. This allows the drawings to be easily adjusted or resized at any time.

Best for:

• cel shading
• animating or updating colors/styles
• automatic animation features
• adjusting lines/shapes at any time
• grouping & reordering within a single drawing
• rendering at any size

Drawbacks:

• saves too much data to use sketchy lines
• saves too much data to "color in" with a brush
• color blending only available through compositing

Each level type has strengths and weaknesses - the type that works best in one circumstance may not be the best choice in another. Choose what makes sense for your aesthetic, workflow, and time constraints but don't limit yourself to just one level type.

Other Level Types

There are multiple ways to create new drawing levels directly in Tahoma. Creating levels with the Command Bar is often fastest.

The command bar is in the "2D" room by default, but can be added elsewhere through the panels menu.

1. In the Timeline (or Xsheet), left-click an empty cell (where you want the first frame to start) - or (Timeline only) - click on the first cell of an existing level
   
2. Left-click on the new level button for your desired level type in the Command Bar (one of the 3 leftmost buttons)
   
3. Make changes to the New Level Pop-up as necessary (most of the defaults are fine, unless you need to change the level type):
   1. Make sure to name the level very specifically (ie. Fred_head_profile), so that you can identify levels easily and quickly (avoid most symbols in the level names)
   2. "From" and "To" refers to the range (number) of frames you would like to add to the level (this can be changed at any time)
   3. "Step" refers to the number of times a frame is repeated consecutively (2 is the standard for smoother animation with a better pace)
   4. "Increment" refers to the number of each frame (ie. a value of 1 would result in frames numbered 1, 2, 3... while a value of 2 would result in frames numbered 1, 3, 5...)
   5. When your settings are adjusted as desired, select "OK" - or "Apply" if you want to make another new level directly after

New levels can also be created through the context-menu when right-clicking on a cell in the Timeline or through the Levels menu at the top of the program window.

Existing files can be loaded or imported from outside of Tahoma and from other Projects/Scenes inside of Tahoma. Loading a level creates a link to the existing file. Importing a level makes a copy in the Project's Extras folder. Whether you load or import external files can be set in Preferences.

You can drag & drop into the Viewer, Timeline, and File Browser in order to load or import files into your scene. The process is the same:

1. In the Timeline, right-click an empty cell (where you want the first frame to start) - or (Timeline only) right-click on the first cell of the existing layer that should display underneath the imported level
   
2. Drag your file from it's location (in Finder, desktop or etc.) to either:
   1. the Viewer
   2. the Timeline
   3. The Scene Cast (bottom right of the Browser Room)
3. Release your file
   1. If this is your first time loading a file, select "Import" or "Load"
   2. You can choose to always import or always load by checking "Always do this action" before making your choice
   
4. Make any adjustments to the level location in the Timeline if necessary

Alternatively, you can use the the File Browser to select your file and choose "Load", or left-click an empty cell in the Timeline (where you want the first frame to start) and choose "Load Level", or use the command from the Level menu at the top of the program window.

1. In the Timeline, left-click and drag the drag bar (on the left or top edge of the column header) to a new location
2. Release to drop the column into that new position

1. In the Timeline, click and drag across the layer or column headers to select multiple columns
2. Left-click and drag the drag bar of a selected layer/column (on the bottom or left edge of the header) to a new location
3. Release to drop the column into that new position

Moving Part of a Level Without Keyframes

1. In the Timeline, select the cells you would like to move (Left-click + drag)
2. Click, hold and drag the drag bar (on the left edge of the cells) to a new location
3. Release to drop the selected cells in that new position

Moving Part of a Level With Keyframes

1. In the Timeline, select the cells you would like to move (CMD-Left-click + drag)
2. Click, hold and drag the drag bar (on the left edge of the cells) to a new location
3. Release to drop the selected cells in that new position

Unlinking Frames

Entire Levels or just selected Frames can be unlinked from the scene.

1. In the Timeline, click and drag to select the frames you want to remove
2. Use the shortcut:
   1. Delete - to remove the frames while maintaining the existing placement of surrounding frames
   2. Cut (CMD+X | CTRL+X) - to remove the frames while leaving no empty space between surrounding frames

Deleting Columns/Layers

1. In the Timeline either:
   1. Left-click on the Layer/Column Header:
      1. Use shortcuts:
         1. Delete
         2. Cut (CMD+X | CTRL+X)
   2. Right-click on the Layer/Column Header:
      1. Select Delete
2. In the Stage Schematic:
   1. Left-click on the Layer/Column node
   2. Use shortcuts:
      1. Delete
      2. Cut (CMD+X | CTRL+X)

Once levels have been removed from the Timeline, they can be removed from the scene and from the entire project.

Removing Unwanted Levels from the Scene

1. In the Browser room, right-click in the "Scene Cast" (bottom-right)
2. Click on "Remove All Unused Levels"

Deleting Levels/Files from the Project

1. In the Browser room, find your unwanted level in the "File Browser" (top-right)
   1. Vector and Smart Raster levels will be located in the drawings folder
   2. Raster levels and imported files (.psd, video, audio & etc.) will be located in the extras folder
2. Right-click on the unwanted level and select "Delete"

1. In the Timeline, select the level (or frames) that you want to convert
   1. Click on the left edge of the frames to select the whole level
2. In the top menu, go to Level → Convert to Vectors
3. Adjust the conversion settings as desired
   1. Toggle on preview (the eye icon)
   2. Mode → Centerline
   3. If there are fills, make sure to check "Preserve Painted Areas"
   4. Other settings can be adjusted if necessary
4. Click "Convert"

1. For Raster levels drawn only with black:
   1. In the Timeline, select the level (or frames) that you want to convert
      1. Click on the left edge of the frames to select the whole level
   2. In the top menu, go to Level → Convert to Vectors
   3. Adjust the conversion settings as desired
      1. Toggle on preview (the eye icon)
      2. Mode → Centerline
      3. Other settings can be adjusted if necessary
   4. Click "Convert"
2. For Raster levels that include colors:
   This does not give an exact copy of the drawings but instead creates outlines around the different strokes of each drawing
   1. In the Xsheet, select the level (or frames) that you want to convert
      1. Click on the left edge of the frames to select the whole level
   2. In the top menu, go to Level → Convert to Vectors
   3. Set mode to outline
   4. Toggle on preview (the eye icon should be yellow)
   5. Adjust the conversion settings as desired
   6. Click "Convert"

1. In the Timeline, left-click + drag to select the cells in the Vector level that you want to simplify
2. In the top menu, go to Level → Replace Vectors with Simplified Vectors

1. In the Timeline, left-click + drag to select the cells in the Vector level that you want to convert
2. In the top menu, go to Level → Vector to Smart Raster

1. In the Timeline, select an individual frame from the vector or smart raster level you would like to convert
   1. In the viewer, use the select tool to select the entire drawing
   2. CMD+C | CTRL+C to copy
2. In the Timeline, select the corresponding frame in the raster level
   1. CMD+V | CTRL+V to paste
3. Repeat for as many frames as you want/need to convert

The Timeline's horizontal orientation is based off of modern digital animation and video editing. The compact size can allow more of your resources to be seen and can be more familiar.

The Timeline exposes specific frames from your levels (individual resource files) in horizontal layers. Each layer holds at least one level, though sometimes there may be more. In the Timeline, levels span horizontally across one or more cells. The more cells a level spans across, the longer the level exists in the animation.

Drawings in a level are sometimes displayed out of order in the Timeline. A single drawing may be utilized multiple times in the layer. Sometimes certain drawings in a level may not be exposed at all in the layer or scene.

The Timeline has an additional "Zoom in" or "Zoom out" capability to either contract or expand the cells of the Timeline horizontally. At its most compact, the Timeline is able to display signifigantly more cells without the need to scroll horizontally.

Visually, the cells in a single Timeline column (from each visible layer) are combined to form a single frame. When this happens, layers on the top are visually in front of layers on the bottom. Frames/cells/columns on the left of the Timeline take place at the beginning of the animation while frames/cells/columns at the end of the Timeline take place at the end of the animation.

The Xsheet and it's vertical orientation is based on traditional animation's exposure sheets. With the Xsheet view it is often easier to visually identify resources & to reorder them.

The Xsheet exposes specific frames from your levels (those individual resource files) in vertical columns. Levels span vertically across one or more cells, instead of horizontally. The more cells a level spans across, the longer the level exists in the animation.

Drawings in a level are sometimes displayed out of order in the Xsheet. A single drawing may be utilized multiple times in the column. Sometimes certain drawings in a level may not be exposed at all in the column or scene.

Visually, the cells in a single Xsheet row (from each visible column) are combined to form a single frame. When this happens, columns on the left are visually behind columns on the right. Frames/cells/rows at the top of the Xsheet take place at the beginning of the animation while frames/cells/rows at the bottom of the Xsheet take place at the end of the animation.

• layers/columns can be locked/unlocked to prevent or allow further editing; they are unlocked by default
• preview and render(export) visibility is on by default
• camerastand visibility (what you see in the viewer) is on by default
• additional visibility settings (these will not be visible in render/preview)
  

  

  • color filters can be added to visually separate your levels
  • opacity adjustment

1. Selecting a single layer/column
   • Click on the layer/column icon or name in the header area
2. Selecting multiple layers/columns:
   • Left-click and drag across consecutive thumbnail icons or layer/colum names
   • Cmd-click on the icons/names to select non-consecutive layers/columns
3. Selecting a single cell:
   • Left-click on the cell
4. Selecting multiple cells:
   • Left-click and drag across the cells
5. Selecting all cells in a layer/column:
   • Left-click on the left edge dragbar of a cell

1. Move the entire layer by clicking and dragging the top edge of the layer name
2. Move the entire column by clicking and dragging the top bar with the column name
3. Moving selected cells
   • In the Timeline:
     • Click and drag the top edge drag bar to reposition the cells and drop them into a new location
   • In the Xsheet:
     • Click and drag the left edge drag bar to reposition the cells and drop them into a new location

• add new levels
  • Vector Levels
  • Smart Raster Levels
  • Raster Levels
• set the number of steps
• repeat selected frames in a column
• create sub-xsheets
• enter a sub-xsheet
• exit a sub-xsheet

1. Add a command:
   1. Right-click on an empty segment of the command bar
   2. Select "Customize Command Bar"
   3. In the left column, search for the command you want to add
   4. Drag and drop the command to the desired position in the right column
   5. Add separators in the same way as necessary
2. Remove a command:
   1. In the left column, right-click on the command
   2. Select "Remove..."
3. Select "OK" when all customization is finished