Re: [LAD] pixmap based knob widgets and theme integration.

From: Patrick Shirkey <pshirkey@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Tue Sep 28 2010 - 23:10:09 EEST

On Tue, September 28, 2010 7:15 am, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
>
> On Tue, September 28, 2010 6:35 am, Olivier Guilyardi wrote:
>> On 09/28/2010 01:59 PM, Patrick Shirkey wrote:
>>
>>> There is a couple of things about knobs that don't translate well to a
>>> mouse and are still fairly cumbersome with multitouch.
>>>
>>> I can't get away from the feeling that knobs on a screen are as bad as
>>> screws. They just don't translate intuitively.
>>
>> Well, I recently tried the TouchOSC iPhone app, which allows you to
>> build
>> custom
>> UIs by assembling knobs, sliders, buttons, etc... and assign them to OSC
>> messages.
>>
>> The knobs are just brilliant, it's very intuitive I think. It's touch
>> though,
>> not multi-touch.
>>
>>> Wouldn't it be more productive to find ways to make sliders more
>>> visually
>>> expressive?
>>
>> An interface full of sliders can be confusing and ugly. Knobs + sliders,
>> that
>> brings balance I believe.
>>
>>> They are perfectly suited to a single point cursor and multi touch.
>>
>>> For example instead of a knob why not have an inset light strip in the
>>> shape of a half circle? ie. a curved slider. It will take up as much
>>> space
>>> as a knob but can be easily manipulated with mouse or finger.
>>
>> Isn't that what Thorwil's designs, already discussed, propose? They
>> precisely
>> are circular sliders *and* level meters. The exact same thing goes with
>> TouchOSC.
>>
>
> I missed the earlier discussion, sorry.
>
>
>>> With a 3d space sliders can be made to do some amazing things. In
>>> addition
>>> there are other control options that become available like pinch, tap,
>>> swipe and shake gestures.
>>
>> Pinching... That's interesting. But pinching usually requires a large
>> widget/element, such as a photo, web page. If the widget is too small,
>> you
>> won't
>> get as much precision as a single-touch slider, be it circular or
>> linear.
>>
>
> It doesn't have to be. You just need to start with at least one point on
> the widget. In fact it could work well with a mouse too.
>
> The widget could look something like a circle with a cross in it. When you
> click and drag up the cross opens up and when you click and drag down the
> cross closes. This would provide a circular image with a
> rectangular/slider single axis movement.
>
>
>>> Why constrain ourselves to a concept we know is a pain for the user if
>>> it
>>> is also gonna be a pain for the developer to implement? If we are going
>>> to
>>> go to all that trouble why not make it something the user will truly
>>> appreciate and increase their productivity.
>>
>> Yes, but the productivity of a musician isn't only about tools
>> efficiency.
>> It's
>> also about inspiration, which isn't necessary rational. That said I
>> agree
>> with
>> you about innovation, a creative UI might exactly be what a creative
>> person need.
>>
>> Actually, I work a lot on Android these days, and I reckon there's lot
>> of
>> new
>> possibilities with touch interfaces. And that's right, do this with a 3D
>> scene,
>> and now you got something :)
>>
>
> Yes, I'm drooling at the possibilites ;-)
>
>

I just thought of another method in this vein. Pinch to increase volume
ans as the volume increases the widget becomes extruded... Tap to decrease
volume and double tap to mute.

Or on a similar note, stroke two/three fingers repeatedly to increase
volume. Pinch and hold to decrease ;-)

-- 
Patrick Shirkey
Boost Hardware Ltd.
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Received on Wed Sep 29 00:15:05 2010

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