Database Structure

Harmony Server has a client-server configuration linked through a network. Although the user is working on a client machine, all of the data is saved on the server.

You can compare the Harmony Server structure to a filing cabinet. Every element is structured and follows a strictly organized hierarchy.

The following production structure hierarchy is used:

  • Environment: Production, project, feature film, series—see Environments and Their Structure
  • Job: Episode and sequence from each environment
  • Scene: Scene from each job
  • Element: Layers and columns from each scene
  • Drawing: Drawings from each element

Toon Boom Harmony Network Scene File Structure and Hierarchy

If you imagine the environment as a filing cabinet containing all the folders and information, then the following structure is used:

  • The job is a drawer in the filing cabinet containing all the folders related to the drawer’s topic.
  • The scenes are the folders contained in that drawer
  • The elements are the papers contained in the folder
  • The drawings are the information contained on the paper

A Harmony Server scene can only be saved inside the structure. This maintains structural organization so nothing is lost. By adhering to this structure, every user working in the database always knows where to find the scenes to work on.

Environments and Their Structure

Before you create or save any elements in your production, you should decide upon a project name. This should reflect the content or title. Use the name to create the project’s environment, where you will store all of your production elements.

For example, the environment could be called adventure_movie. An environment can be used for movies, series, commercials, student work database, etc.

For a series, you can create an environment with the same name as the series, such as smith_family. Then you can create a job per episode: smep_001, smep_002, and so on. Here is what the letters and numbers represent:

  • sm: The first two letters of the name smith
  • ep: Episode
  • 001: The number of the episode

For commercials, which are rather short, you can create an environment, such as commercials. Then you can create one job per commercial: toothpaste, soap, car, and so on. As commercials are short and do not require splitting into episodes or sequences, you can group them all in the same environment.

For a database of student’s work, you can create an environment and name it with the class or group name, such as gr402a. Then you can create one job per student: smith_john, robertson_jane. And then store the different student exercises in separate scenes under their job name.