|
View previous topic :: View next topic
|
| Author |
Message |
Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 518
Location: Sterling, Virginia
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Derek
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 597
Location: Melbourne, Australia
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rob C
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 569
Location: Southern Connecticut
|
 Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 7:46 pm Post subject: |
    |
|
Just a little out of my price range.
_________________
Rob
www.robertcoolidge.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 518
Location: Sterling, Virginia
|
| Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 7:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| So was a Mac SE. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 829
Location: SW Ohio
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 5:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Matt wrote: | | So was a Mac SE. |
The TouchTable at $59,000 is greater than 50% of the annual billable rate for an FTE. The Mac SE was less than 4% when it was introduced.
I'm showing my age.... my first Mac was a 512K with a Beefeater power drive.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Derek
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 597
Location: Melbourne, Australia
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 6:13 am Post subject: |
|
|
I recall seeing a demo by someone with a Nintendo hand controller using the IR sensor to detect infrared dots on someones hands.. basically they had a low cost, interactive whiteboard.
If someone implemented that device/system, looking down on a large (50") LCD or plasma screen on its back, I reckon you could get the hardware happening for under $2000 (US).
The software for touch screen technology isn't that expensive so this system could be up and running for a whole lot less than $59,000.
So if you really wanted this thing now, you could probably get it happening for a fraction of the cost.
_________________
Tool Palette Guide
PowerCADD Preference Utility |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 518
Location: Sterling, Virginia
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
| yeah, it's the software that we need. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pbacot
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 954
Location: Northern California
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 6:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
I have most often heard a desire for a hands-on drafting board by people who do not use CAD. I doubt this will change CAD.
Pen based sketching screens are available now and might contribute to graphic art work. In CAD the pen on screen interaction can be useful for minor operations and freehand work. However running your pen over a full size screen is bound to be slower than other input devices. Creating better navigation control is the main point. I think these devices will shine most in interaction with documents and data, not creating them.
_________________
Peter B |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 518
Location: Sterling, Virginia
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 9:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I think if you had a chance to work on a computer screen with real-size, scaled drawings, your attitude might change. Who knows though. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pbacot
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 954
Location: Northern California
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 9:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
Matt,
I'm using a 30" display now, but I often have it zoomed in further than real scale. One may get more arm exercise reaching out and drawing a straight line, but I believe a mouse can do it more rapidly. I also think one has more control--although if is a matter of freehand and small touch up work, the hand-eye interaction would be helpful.
Peter
_________________
Peter B |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 518
Location: Sterling, Virginia
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 9:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
Peter, I'm using a thirty inch display now too. I got an iPhone a short while ago. The other day, for the first time in my life, I caught myself reaching with my finger toward my monitor to push a button and dismiss a dialogue box.
One of the consequences of abstracting our drawings into the ones and zeros in the computer is we no longer have any idea at all how large the drawing is. I think this is a loss of considerable magnitude.
I suspect there will be unanticipated advantages to reconnecting our hands with what they are making, I am certain I would benefit from this ability.
Why should tools this good only be accessible to people making war? Why not give them to those of us working on other things as well?
That's my only point. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
How Goes It
Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 393
|
| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 3:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
Large touch screens are not limited to people making war. Rather to those with the bucks. CNN has been using this large touch screen stuff for awhile. Other T.V. news or weather programs also.
But figure this --- with many or most current CAD setups, the right hand is on a multi button/scroll wheel mouse. The left hand on the keyboard. This offers fast access to many commands ALONG WITH ways to zoom & pan.
So far, the large touch screens have shown how fast & easy they can zoom, pan and rotate a doc. But I've yet to see them do a bunch of commands, with as few keystrokes as can be had with mouse buttons & left hand on a keyboard.
I guess a touch screen can have a way of bringing up a contextual menu from which you can select any one of a number of on-screen shortcuts. But this would add at least one if not two extra steps over that when using a left hand on a keyboard & right hand on a mouse (with numerous buttons).
Along the lines of what Peter said --- the touch screen may be good for viewing stuff, but not so hot for creating, at least at this point.
But It will be interesting to see what are the touch screen equivalents for mouse buttons and left hand key shortcuts, with particular regard to speed & number of keystrokes, when executing a command on one of these large touch screens.
Last edited by How Goes It on Thu May 14, 2009 11:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
patrickm
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 392
Location: santa barbara, ca
|
| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
| How Goes It wrote: | Large touch screens are not limited to people making war. Rather to those with the bucks. CNN has been using this large touch screen stuff for awhile. Other T.V. news or weather programs also.
But figure this --- with many or most current CAD setups, the right hand is on a multi button/scroll wheel mouse. The left hand on the keyboard. This offers fast access to many commands ALONG WITH ways to zoom & pan.
(snip...) |
During the last US election, Saturday Night Live poked fun at news organizations use of these touch screens (about a minute and a half into the clip):
http://www.hulu.com/watch/40678/saturday-night-live-update-freds-mapfix-it#s-p1-st-i4 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
John Cruet
Joined: 30 Apr 2004
Posts: 350
Location: Guilford, CT
|
| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 7:40 am Post subject: |
|
|
Still waiting for a touch-screen Mac 
_________________
John Cruet
G4/733 w/1028 mb RAM & OS 10.4.10, Classic-free, skuzzy-free (runs PC7)
MacBook Pro 2G Intel core duo 2 gig RAM & OS 10.5.4.
PowerCadd 8, WT 9
Canon iP710 printer
www.johncruet.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
How Goes It
Joined: 02 May 2005
Posts: 393
|
| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 11:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
| patrickm wrote: |
During the last US election, Saturday Night Live poked fun ... |
Great video Patrick.
Yeah these things start looking like a newsroom calisthenics piece of equipment.
Think I'll stick to my golf --- as bad as I am.
By the way, how did you fare on this last big fire? Was that thing getting anywheres near you?
Steve |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
blogger
del.icio.us
digg
slashdot
