Our group just upgraded to 8.5 and it is really a swift package. Near everything I had issue with in 8.0 (and this was a small list) is fixed in 8.5. The whole handling of frames is 100 times better and the ability to drag the 'tails' of a frame out as well as the X-Sheet support is a godsend.
I have long searched for the perfect tool and I honestly believe TVPaint is it for me. I love it's *feel* when you use the brushes and draw. Nothing really can compare to that and I find myself returning to it again and again (over my other animation packages).
I know Flash and vector based programs aren't a fair comparison but I have used Flash 5-CS3 almost exclusively over the last 7 years because of the tools they've had. Vector drawings aren't really my thing but they work well for the comp and layout work I've been doing.
Lately though, TVPaint gets booted up more often just because it's so damn fun to draw in it.
My only question is where I can download the SDK so I can do some more scripting for the team? I got the SDK for 8 from Nicolas, I believe? I plan on writing an assortment of tools and some of the new layer features are part of my planned scripts for the team.
Thanks for all the support and the amazing program!
-Tim
