OpenToonz

OpenToonz is a remarkable open-source animation production software. Based on the software 'Toonz' developed by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy, it has been customized by Studio Ghibli and used in the creation of their works for many years. This software offers a range of features and capabilities that make it a valuable tool for both professionals and amateurs in the animation industry. One of the key advantages of OpenToonz is its open-source nature, allowing anyone to modify the source code freely. This enables users to tailor the software to their specific needs and contribute to its ongoing development. The software has been used in various aspects of Studio Ghibli's production process, including ink and paint, color design, and digital composition. It has also been customized within the company to better suit their production style. OpenToonz comes with unique features that have been developed based on the input of production staff. For example, the scanning tool 'GTS', which was developed in Studio Ghibli, specializes in animation and enables efficient sequence number scanning. It is compatible with 4 types of scanning and allows for the saving of scanning settings for reproducibility. In addition to the scanning tool, OpenToonz offers a range of other functions. Digital painting is supported with anti-aliased lines, and the data of paintings is independent of the palette, making it easy to work with provisional colors. The filming functionality includes both an xsheet and a timeline interface, allowing for easy synthesis of effects using the GUI with a node tree. Images can be handled with the real scale considering resolution, and more effects can be added using plug-ins. Another notable feature of OpenToonz is the Effects Development Kit (SDK) developed by Dwango. This SDK allows for the creation of plug-in effects for image processing, enabling video expression researchers to receive swift feedback from on-site workers by developing and releasing their outcomes as plug-in effects. Some of the effects available include the automatic changing of picture styles using deep learning technology and the production of affected incident light like those in classic works. OpenToonz is also compatible with both raster and vector images, and it supports the interconversion between the sequence image of the colored binarized TGA and the OpenToonz format to ensure compatibility with existing workflows. It has a localized Japanese version available, and users can download OpenToonz, GTS, effects, KumoWorks, IwaWarper, or XDTS Viewer via a PC browser. For users, there are start-up manuals and other resources available in Japanese. The system requirements for using OpenToonz comfortably are specified for both Windows and macOS. If users encounter any defects or problems, there is a Google group where they can seek solutions, and there is also a forum for developers and video researchers in GitHub. Overall, OpenToonz is a powerful and versatile animation software that offers a wealth of features and possibilities for animators and creators.