In the begining I want to apologize for my English, my name is Przemek and I’m from Poland.
I’m writing this post in two reasons.
First of all I want to say that I’m learning the traditional and 3D animation. I love both 2D and 3D and I love OS software. The first thing what a beginer in animation should do is train and learn himself in 2D animation, before 3D, and that so I decided to find software suited for this kind of animation.
Before I found Synfig Studio I was thinking about buying Toon Boom, which is leading 2D animation package out there.
First thing when I get here, to the home page, was reading the feature list, I must say that I’m very impressed, then I reed the manual. I’m still training on a paper and tablet but when my skills will go up I’m planing to get seriously with 2D animation and train more. 
Here is first reason I would like to thanks all developers for this software. 
Second thing, and here don’t get me wrong I want to discuss, a future of tools for the animation. Synfig have great tools but it needs a little work in managing the pipeline. I want to compare Synfig to Blender 2.50 which is still in development, in this version the whole animation system have been rewritten, the data structure and managing the data have been reorganize. The Animato project is something wonderful, the interface for Dope Sheet and Graph editor are now much more flexible and comfortable, we have access to any data for animation. I don’t want to talk here about recoding the Syngfig interface, this is not my goal, but I want to show some advantages of the new interface in Blender 2.50. Blender is very easy in manageing, it still have non overlaping windows opposite to Flash, Anime Studio and Synfig Studio. I’m not talking about single window interface but about those creepy floating windows, they are not comfortable, the artist have to loose time to managing the windows when he need room for some actions. But Blender now can rip off the selected view to create another window, this is good for work-flow in two monitors environment.
I’m writing all those things to realise that good work-flow is essential for animator, and Blenders suits it very good beter than other 3D apps (but Modo haves similar concept and is very good too), Blender goup haves a lot of experience with working in Animation thanks to two Open Movies projects.
OK enough of this, now the crazy part. I want to know what are you thinking about merging those two applications, I now that it sounds crazy but let me explain.
Merging those apps will have advantages for both. Synfig will get:
- full suport for all platforms (linux, windows, mac osx, solaris,…)
- ready to use interface suited for animation
- intuitive key maps (2.5x)
- macros (2.5x)
- lots of great tools
- composite nodes
- raster paint tools
- 3D view! Toon Boom haves this too, it was used in for example new Disney movie Princes and Frog
- tools for managing project, scene, pre-sets and library
- cameras (I haven’t find them in manual) and rotating the view thanks to them, I think that normal 3D view will not suit for 2D animation but there could be created a second views more like canvas but with 3D capabilities. For now I can’t have bigger canvas and see what is for example on a right to border, is harder to animate the camera.
- incredible particle system
- bones with constrains I know that they are in Synfig branches but combined with that whot Blender haves can be something incredible.
What Blender will get:
Ton Rossendaal is planing in 4th Open Movie Project to up grade VFX tools in blender. But in VFX is important directly working on a footage, with vector masks, effects and that sort off things, all is in Synfig Synfig is great in this area, with his mask and others it can be wesome for artist, something beautiful, and Blender haves only Node based compositing system, is very powerful but in most cases stack based system is quicker and easer to use just like in Synfig, combining those too can bring something extreme
That are my ideas, yes I know I’m a mad man, but Blender haves a lot of coders, artists, fans and solid ground for developing a animation package.