Toonz 2D animation software goes open-source
Toonz, the 2D animation software used on Futurama and many of Studio Ghibli’s movies, is to be made open-source, following the acquisition of original developer Digital Video by Japanese publisher Dwango.
The open-source edition, OpenToonz, which will be released on Saturday 26 March, includes a number of features developed in house at Studio Ghibli, which has used the software in production since the mid 1990s.
Digital Video will continue to develop its own version of the software, Toonz Premium, at a “very competitive price”, but will now primarily be offering commercial support and training.
We don’t usually cover 2D animation on CG Channel, but Cartoon Brew has a good overview of Toonz’ history, and the impact that it becoming available for free will have on the animation market.
Pricing and availability
OpenToonz – also known as ‘Toonz Ghibli Edition’ – will be released on 26 March under an as-yet unspecified open-source licence. The software runs on Windows and Mac OS X.
Read Digital Video’s official news announcement that Toonz will be made available open-source
Download OpenToonz from GitHub (Available after 26 March)