Re: Can I ask you a question about using sparsh-ui with the irbezel driver?

[Prasad RS]

Hello Raymond,

Yes it uses the  vpr libary  for serial port communication , since we could not find any other cross platform library for serial ports.

I have used VR Juggler 2.2.1 release and the specific library that it depends on is vpr-2_0.lib
Let me know if you have any issues.

Prasad

2009/11/29 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl>

Hello Prasad,

I would like to try out sparsh-ui with the irbezel driver. I found your e-mail address on one of the developer pages so therefore I send you this message. I could not find any other addresses in the downloads or so, so please excuse me when this is not correct.

As I said I would like to try it the irtouch driver which I found in the svn experimental directory. When I try to run it however, I get missing dlls. I suspect that you are using vrjuggler as base install. After all, you are from Iowa State and I used to work with vrjuggler when I was working at the (at that time) only CAVE in the Netherlands.

Is it correct that I need some vrjuggler installation? I would really appreciate your help with my irtouch bezel.

Thanks a lot in advance and warmest greetings from the Netherlands!
Raymond

--
Prasad R.S.

[Prasad RS]

If you want , i can upload the executable. Let me know if you can't manage to run it.

2009/11/30 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl>

Hello Prasad,

Thanks for your quick reply. I will get that version of vr juggler. At least, when the website is working because yesterday it was not reachable.

Best regards
Raymond



Prasad RS wrote:

Hello Raymond,

Yes it uses the  vpr libary  for serial port communication , since we could not find any other cross platform library for serial ports.

I have used VR Juggler 2.2.1 release and the specific library that it depends on is vpr-2_0.lib
Let me know if you have any issues.

Prasad

2009/11/29 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl>>

   Hello Prasad,

   I would like to try out sparsh-ui with the irbezel driver. I found
   your e-mail address on one of the developer pages so therefore I
   send you this message. I could not find any other addresses in the
   downloads or so, so please excuse me when this is not correct.

   As I said I would like to try it the irtouch driver which I found
   in the svn experimental directory. When I try to run it however, I
   get missing dlls. I suspect that you are using vrjuggler as base
   install. After all, you are from Iowa State and I used to work
   with vrjuggler when I was working at the (at that time) only CAVE
   in the Netherlands.

   Is it correct that I need some vrjuggler installation? I would
   really appreciate your help with my irtouch bezel.

   Thanks a lot in advance and warmest greetings from the Netherlands!
   Raymond




--
Prasad R.S.

--
Prasad R.S.

[Prasad RS]

Some of the points to be noted about bezel driver.

1)  Real multi-touch cannot be obtained from the bezel as it gives x and y co-ordinates separately which is due to a
    hardware limitation.

2) It works fairly well if there are non-simultaneous  touches by  more than two people, but the limitation here is that if they touch along the same straight line , it wont work because you get only one coordinate.

3) Even dual touch does not work if you place two fingers on the screen simultaneously as you would not know which x needs to be associated with which y.

4) it works reasonably well for two finger zoom , drag . Performance for rotate gesture even with two finer is somewhat questionable.To understand   why , try using the paint app in sparsh and do a full 360 degree two finger rotate on the bezel hardware. It may get confused  once the line between finger marking the center of the circle and the one marking the circumference become horizontal   or vertical.

5) we use the hardware for apps that don't require extensive use of rotate gesture or simultaneous touches.Apart from that I think the hardware is pretty fast and also nice to touch.


Hope this helps.

Prasad

2009/11/30 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl>

Hi Prasad,

Thanks, I have downloaded the installer, installed it and now the irBezelDriver seems to be starting ok. I don't have access to the frame so it crashes at the moment.

For the moment, could you please confirm if this frame will produce real multitouch instead of just dual touch? I am sorry to ask before trying out myself but I don't have access to the frame for a few days, but I am really curious about it.

Thanks a lot.

best regards
Raymond



Prasad RS wrote:

If you want , i can upload the executable. Let me know if you can't manage to run it.

2009/11/30 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl>>

   Hello Prasad,

   Thanks for your quick reply. I will get that version of vr
   juggler. At least, when the website is working because yesterday
   it was not reachable.

   Best regards
   Raymond



   Prasad RS wrote:

       Hello Raymond,

       Yes it uses the  vpr libary  for serial port communication ,
       since we could not find any other cross platform library for
       serial ports.

       I have used VR Juggler 2.2.1 release and the specific library
       that it depends on is vpr-2_0.lib
       Let me know if you have any issues.

       Prasad

       2009/11/29 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl

       <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl> <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl

--
Prasad R.S.

[Prasad RS]

Hi Raymond,

Not really , its the way that is used in ir bezel , even a FTIR based
table uses a layer or ir light over screen.

Actually we have been looking for a good monitor based solution ourselves.
FTIR /Diffuse illumination based devices provide true multi-touch
solution. But they are not monitor based.

HP touchsmart provides some sort of multi-touch but they also have the
same limitations as bezel (but a little less pronounced).

Stantum (www.stantum.com) capacitive based screens provide a very good
multi-touch screen (about 15 multi-touch points on a 15" screen) but
they were really expensive when we bought it. You might want to check it
out.

Dell multitouch tablets provide good multitouch , but it might not be
what you are looking for.

Regards,
Prasad



Raymond de Vries wrote:
> Hi Prasad,
>
> Thank you very much for your detailed description, it's very helpful.
> Wrt the hardware limitation: is this really a irtouch h/w limitation,
> or is it a fundamental limitation when using ir light in such a
> configuration (= a 'layer' of ir light over the screen).
>
> If this is a irtouch limitation, which monitor-based solution would
> you suggest?

>> 2009/11/30 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl>>

>>
>> Hi Prasad,
>>
>> Thanks, I have downloaded the installer, installed it and now the
>> irBezelDriver seems to be starting ok. I don't have access to the
>> frame so it crashes at the moment.
>>
>> For the moment, could you please confirm if this frame will
>> produce real multitouch instead of just dual touch? I am sorry to
>> ask before trying out myself but I don't have access to the frame
>> for a few days, but I am really curious about it.
>>
>> Thanks a lot.
>>
>>
>> best regards
>> Raymond
>>
>>
>>
>> Prasad RS wrote:
>>
>> If you want , i can upload the executable. Let me know if you
>> can't manage to run it.
>>
>> 2009/11/30 Raymond de Vries <ree...@xs4all.nl

>> <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl <mailto:ree...@xs4all.nl>>>>

[Ryan Pavlik]

A few things to chime in:

If anyone's up for a bit of coding, Boost (through its ASIO library)
provides a cross-platform serial port access, and boost is pretty
popular and widespread. (Much more so than VPR, at least.)
http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_38_0/doc/html/boost_asio/overview/serial_ports.html

Furthermore, if you want a slimmer library, ASIO actually is
standalone as well, and I know folks using it (for net, not serial) to
great success cross-platform (win, linux, and I think mac).
http://think-async.com/Asio/asio-1.4.1/doc/asio/overview/serial_ports.html


If you're looking for another pre-made MT option, here's one I have
heard of (and is relatively low-cost for pre-built - just over $500
for the entire system) but have no experience with - a multitouch
tablet version of the EeePC netbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002U0KECM
http://theclevermonkey.blogspot.com/2009/11/asus-eee-pc-t91mt-500-multi-touch.html
(Or this one, for under 500 on sale: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GCR04Y
)

Hope this helps!

Ryan

[Prasad RS]

Hi
Thanks . I was thinking the same. Unfortunately when the code was written asio did not support serial communication.We use boost for sparsh c++ version , It would be a good decision to use asio in future.

Ryan Pavlik wrote:

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sparsh-ui" group.
To post to this group, send email to spar...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sparsh-ui+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sparsh-ui?hl=en.