What is the difference between a copy, a clone and a duplicate?

Various elements in Harmony can have copies (clones or duplicates). Which one you should use can be determined by the intended use of the new element.

What is a copy?

A copy is technically a blanket term for a clone or a duplicate in Harmony. It is also used when referring to copy/pasting artwork and cells. However, clones and duplicates have important differences in their properties, so it’s important to be specific when you are looking for a certain result.

There are two different types of clones and one type of duplicate.

What is a clone (drawings and timing)?

This type of clone can be made in multiple ways. See Cloning Layers for more information.

This clone type makes a one-for-one copy that is linked to the original via drawings and timing, which means changing one will change any other copies. 

Examples of use include:

• Swapping a drawing substitution on one clone and having it change to the same drawing and timing on the other.
• Changing the animation on the peg of one and having it change the animation on the corresponding peg on the other.
• To have deformers update on all versions when animating or editing them on one. 

You could use this to create a shadow that follows a character, or to create a simple reflection in a pond. However, it is not ideal for most circumstances since it can result in animation mirroring or twinning, and pegs that are copied and pasted in a rig can cause issues in animation. 

What is a clone (drawings only)?

This type of clone can be made in multiple ways. See Cloning Layers for more information.

This type of clone makes a copy of the original that is only linked via the drawings. For instance, the cloned layers will share the same drawings, but they can have different timing. This means that animation will not be linked, but the substitution drawing libraries will be. Examples of use include:

• Updating or editing drawings in cloned parts of a rig which will update one when the other is edited. If a new drawing is added to one, it will add it to the other.
• Creating a crowd by cloning rigs, but each rig can have its own timing and animation.
• Cloning a colour palette to create a copy with the same colour IDs which can be used for alternative character colour palettes. See How do I make multiple palettes with different colours for a single character? for more information.

What is a duplicate?

You can duplicate elements in many ways. See Duplicating Layers for more information.

A duplicate creates a copy that is completely independent from the original and not linked in any way (other than the palette). Examples of use include:

• Using the copy as template for another character rig by replacing the artwork.
• Creating alternative designs of a character, like a zombie or werewolf version.
• Modifying hand-drawn special effects, like changing a water splash to a splash of lava.
• Duplicating a colour palette to make an unlinked copy of the palette with new colour IDs.

What can be cloned and duplicated?

Here are a few commonly used Harmony elements and whether they can be cloned or duplicated. 

Xsheet columns  (In the Xsheet view)	Clone (Both types): Yes. Duplicate: Yes.
Peg/drawing layers, deformers & groups  (In the Timeline or Node view)	Clone (Both types): Yes. Cloning/duplicating a group will apply the action to anything inside of it. Duplicate: Yes.
Drawing Substitutions/Frames  (On drawing layers in the Timeline view)	Clone (Drawings & Timing): No.  Clone (Drawings Only): Copy/paste will replace the frame with the copied drawing substitution, but will not create a clone. Duplicate: Yes, it creates a new substitution ID with the same artwork.
Animation keyframes  (On peg layers in the Timeline view)	Clone (Both types): No.  Duplicate: Yes, using copy/paste.
Effect layers/nodes (In the Timeline or Node view)	Clone (Both types): Yes, but only keyframed values are linked. Duplicate: Yes.
Colour palettes  (In the Colour view)	Clone: Yes. Colour palettes have a single cloning option which makes a copy of the entire palette and its swatches/IDs. Duplicate: Yes. Copied swatches are given new IDs in this case.