Setting up your Games Pipeline from Harmony to Unity

Looking to export assets created with Harmony to the Unity Game Engine? We are here to give you the info you need to get up and running in no time.

What you need to get started

First, if you haven't already done so, install Harmony on your computer. You can use any version of Harmony, including Harmony Essentials, to create your first game asset. We offer trial software so you can try it out for 30 days before you commit to buying it.

Next, download and install Unity 5. The free Personal Edition is compatible with our middleware. Download Unity 5.1.4 for the best results with our middleware if you plan on using OpenGL.

STEP 1 - Set up your Unity Project

1. Open Unity and create a new project.

2. Add our Middleware to your Unity Project:

   1. In Unity, open the asset store window: Window > Asset Store (Ctrl + 9, CMD⌘ + 9)

   2. Search for "Harmony Game SDK".

   3. Click the link to open the asset store page.
      

   4. Click Import to download the SDK.

   5. In the window that appears, click Import. Make sure you import the entire package. This is the default selection.
      

STEP 2 - Create your game asset in Harmony

1. Start Harmony and create a new project.

2. Create your asset. You can refer to the Guidelines and Resources section for things to remember while creating game assets in Harmony. If you just want to test the export pipeline, download the sample project of Wishling and open the scene project called "idle.xstage".

3. Make sure you save your scene before moving to export step.

STEP 3 - Export your asset

1. In Harmony, right-click the main toolbar and select Game to enable the Game Toolbar.
   

2. When you are ready to export, make sure your scene is saved and click the Export to Sprite Sheet icon.
   

3. Set your parameters for the export. The Save Path should be:
   [Unity Project Path]/Assets/StreamingAssets/HarmonyResources
   

   Note: The HarmonyResources folder is created automatically when you import the Harmony Game SDK.

STEP 4 - Import your asset to Unity

1. Go back to Unity to import your asset.

2. Click GameObject > Harmony > Harmony Texture Object.

3. Select the folder that contains all the files that compose your asset and click Choose. You must select the folder, not the individual files.

4. The Create Harmony Camera dialogue appears. Click Create to create the Harmony Camera.

5. The second window prompt is to bind the Harmony Camera to your Main Camera in Unity. Click Create again.

BONUS STEP - Play your animation inside Unity

If you want to see your asset in action, follow these steps.

1. Click your asset name in the Hierarchy panel.

2. Click Add Component.
   

3. Search for "loop".
   

4. Select LoopOne. This will add a script to your asset that will loop your first animation clip.

5. Click Play.
   

Additional Information

This section provides more information about using Harmony for games. The main objective of these guidelines is to help you during the creation and the export process of your asset for game.

Harmony Tools Supported for Game Assets

Harmony offers a broad range of advanced tools for drawing, animating, compositing and special effects. Here's the list of tools supported for the gaming pipeline.

Drawing Substitution - Allows you to swap between multiple drawings for the same element in your scene.

Cutter Effect - Enables you to cut out a portion of an image using a matte drawing.

Note: Make sure to never use more than one level of Cutter. Using multiple levels can cause some unwanted issues with your export.

Game Bones as deformers for your rig - Very similar to the Bone deformation in Harmony, the Game Bones allow you to create a skeleton structure in which a parent bone moves child bones. The difference between the two is that the Game Bone deformation is optimized to export to game engines.

Kinematic Output - Enables you to hook a separate element that you want linked to the deformation chain but not be part of the deformation, such as a hand to an arm or an arm to the body.

Other types of deformers

Tools like Morphing, Curves and Envelope Deformers can be used, but you'll need to bake it out to drawings so they're interpreted properly during export. This will make your sprite sheet heavier because each baked drawing will be added to it.

Looking for more guidelines or Documentation?

• About Gaming in Harmony

• Guidelines and Resources

• Export Harmony Animations to Unity

• Troubleshooting