next »

[Project Info]

Project Info

Author: Boonjin
Websites:

• Boonjin.com
  
• Smoothboard.net
  
• Smoothboard Wiki
  

[flyte]

First off.. well done Boonjin. I have yet to set up a wiimote white/smooth board but I will soon. We all appreciate your efforts!

A couple of minor suggestions for the user interface:

Why can't the 3 Mode radio buttons be collapsed into a combo box? It could help reduce the visual noise on an already busy dialog.

For the tab control within a tab control, (white board settings), I suggest for the inner tab control that you place the tabs on the bottom. (Not sure if you can do this with the stock WinForms tab control, but check it out).

Or, (better yet), consider breaking out the outer tab control, (whiteboard, presenter, wiimote) into a category selector, and then have a tab control within it where necessary. Exactly like the settings in firefox: go to Tools->Options and click the Advanced category. Then you have a tab control in there. Have a look at the attached screenshot.

Careful with bolding the "Show Settings" button. This immediately draws your attention to this button. Although accessing the settings is very important, consider your typical workflow (where people will have made settings that work for them already).

[praveen]

Hi..

I was following this conversation (thread) from a long time.

I got a new Wiimote and tested this software and the software works like a miracle... When the Multiple wiimotes version was made, I got another wiimote to test and It worked perfectly. I am from India, and my friends are new to Wiimote and to this kind of technologies and they are very excited when I was using my desktop monitor as a touch screen.

I have shown it to my teacher and he is also impressed. And he wants to use it in the classroom. But we are facing trouble while placing the Wiimote fixed towards the board (projected area) also we used two Wiimotes too (Thanks to Boonjin for his fabulous work) to cover the entire projected area without interference, but the placing of the wiimotes and calibrating every time we use them seems to be problematic.

If you can suggest any way to position the wiimote permanently either at board or at the projector so that we just have to calibrate the screen and not to adjust the positions of wiimote every time we want to use Smoothboard.

[boonjin]

First off.. well done Boonjin. I have yet to set up a wiimote white/smooth board but I will soon. We all appreciate your efforts!

A couple of minor suggestions for the user interface:

Why can't the 3 Mode radio buttons be collapsed into a combo box? It could help reduce the visual noise on an already busy dialog.

For the tab control within a tab control, (white board settings), I suggest for the inner tab control that you place the tabs on the bottom. (Not sure if you can do this with the stock WinForms tab control, but check it out).

Or, (better yet), consider breaking out the outer tab control, (whiteboard, presenter, wiimote) into a category selector, and then have a tab control within it where necessary. Exactly like the settings in firefox: go to Tools->Options and click the Advanced category. Then you have a tab control in there. Have a look at the attached screenshot.

Careful with bolding the "Show Settings" button. This immediately draws your attention to this button. Although accessing the settings is very important, consider your typical workflow (where people will have made settings that work for them already).

Thanks for your brilliant suggestion of following the firefox options window. I will try to create some icons and do this, hopefully together with the coming version.

Yeah, I have just 'un'bolded the Show Settings button as you have suggested.

For the 3 main modes to be inside a combo box, I will see how according to other feedbacks. (I am used to clicking directly on the option boxes)

Thanks!

[boonjin]

Hi..

I was following this conversation (thread) from a long time.

I got a new Wiimote and tested this software and the software works like a miracle... When the Multiple wiimotes version was made, I got another wiimote to test and It worked perfectly. I am from India, and my friends are new to Wiimote and to this kind of technologies and they are very excited when I was using my desktop monitor as a touch screen.

I have shown it to my teacher and he is also impressed. And he wants to use it in the classroom. But we are facing trouble while placing the Wiimote fixed towards the board (projected area) also we used two Wiimotes too (Thanks to Boonjin for his fabulous work) to cover the entire projected area without interference, but the placing of the wiimotes and calibrating every time we use them seems to be problematic.

If you can suggest any way to position the wiimote permanently either at board or at the projector so that we just have to calibrate the screen and not to adjust the positions of wiimote every time we want to use Smoothboard.

Hi!

Once you have found a good position for the wiimotes, and have calibrated the wiimotes in the application, you will not have to recalibrate or reposition the wiimotes. The calibration data for both wiimotes are saved and reloaded next time the application is opened.

Can you explain more regarding the need to readjust the wiimote when you use the Smoothboard?

Thank you!

[boonjin]

I have several questions regarding the upcoming version,
1) Should the calibration data saved together with each General Settings File?
2) Should the application auto save the settings when the application is closed?
   and the same settings will be reloaded in the next run, until the user loads another settings file?
3) If the application auto saves the current settings, should the application overwrite the originally made settings file or create a 'current' settings file to prevent the already configure settings file to be modified?

Some of the changes I have made,
Default IR sensitivity is WiiLevel5
Calibration sequence changed to, top left - top right - bottom right - bottom left.

[benpaddlejones]

Boonjin

1) Should the calibration data saved together with each General Settings File?

No only thing seperate from the settings file should be calibration data. That way users can share settings without inlfuencing their calibration data.

2) Should the application auto save the settings when the application is closed?
   and the same settings will be reloaded in the next run, until the user loads another settings file?
3) If the application auto saves the current settings, should the application overwrite the originally made settings file or create a 'current' settings file to prevent the already configure settings file to be modified?

Can this be a option?
   a) Automatically save changes
   b) Ask to save changes if changes made without saving (save, close without save)
   c) Do not save changes
If not able to make optional I think b) is the best default, it Covers all bases. The last settings file used should be automatically loaded.

Some of the changes I have made,
Default IR sensitivity is WiiLevel5
Calibration sequence changed to, top left - top right - bottom right - bottom left.

Can't wait!

Benpaddlejones

[boonjin]

Sorry for the delay in this release.

I have just released the latest wiimote whiteboard, Wiimote Smoothboard 0.4.5.
The whole interface is now redesigned and hopefully to be more intuitive for new users.

I have also corrected several bugs and annoying issues with the old version. Please help to test this version out so that we can have a stable version 1 very soon. Thanks!

Additional details and link to ZIP file here: http://www.boonjin.com/wp/2008/08/14/wiimote-smoothboard-045-beta

Later today, I will post some screenshots and basic instructions to get started with this new version.

Please post your comments here. Thanks!

[boonjin]

Wiimote Smoothboard 0.4.5 has a general settings file which affects the whole application. This will allow experience users to create specific settings for new users. The new users will just have to click on the specific settings file and all the required settings will be automatically loaded. In certain cases where the screen area is different, the user might have to recalibrate.

To create a new settings file, click on File->Create New Settings File. This will prompt you for the filename of the settings file. Please note that you will have to save the settings file in the Settings directory.

Configure all the required settings and please remember to click on Save.

When the application is closed and reopened, it remembers the exact settings that was last used. This will allow you to use the application without actually creating or using the general settings file.

[TANN-MANN]

Looking very nice indeed Boonjin,

I'll have some time to test it out this coming weekend and will let you know. I'm liking the new look.

[benpaddlejones]

Boonjin
AWESOME!

Just spent an hour trying to flow path the software. I can only find the following very minor points:

1. Main screen
   - Battery level at bottom of screen

2. Settings
   - Some elements have a black heading
   - Some have blue heading
Can this be consistently blue with activate check box in top left corner so each stands out and is seperated

3. Whiteboard/Presenter Ignor IR Source
   - Can each stage be marked Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, etc so is obviously a process.

I love how the settings files can be changed, and the global settings method. The general flow of the GUI is extremely user friendly.

I have a heap of work due in for my last unit of my masters, will take a few weeks to clear. I Guess uni has kicked back for you too. I suggest we give it time for users to locate minor bugs. I will slowly start the users manaual with the aim to have a published copy end september. How does that fit with you?

Benpaddlejones

[boonjin]

Looking very nice indeed Boonjin,

I'll have some time to test it out this coming weekend and will let you know. I'm liking the new look.

Thanks for the feedback!

[boonjin]

Boonjin
AWESOME!

Just spent an hour trying to flow path the software. I can only find the following very minor points:

1. Main screen
   - Battery level at bottom of screen

2. Settings
   - Some elements have a black heading
   - Some have blue heading
Can this be consistently blue with activate check box in top left corner so each stands out and is seperated

3. Whiteboard/Presenter Ignor IR Source
   - Can each stage be marked Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, etc so is obviously a process.

I love how the settings files can be changed, and the global settings method. The general flow of the GUI is extremely user friendly.

I have a heap of work due in for my last unit of my masters, will take a few weeks to clear. I Guess uni has kicked back for you too. I suggest we give it time for users to locate minor bugs. I will slowly start the users manaual with the aim to have a published copy end september. How does that fit with you?

Benpaddlejones

Thanks for the comments. I will try to work out the colours.

Yeah, the university's coursework is killing me. We will give time for people to discover the bugs. But I will really need feedback on this.

You can take your time with the manual.

Regards,
Boon Jin

[UndCon]

I just tested it on my brand new laptop - a Dell Latitude D830 with built in BT from Toshiba

Works like a charm, no problems pairing or anything

10+ on this one

I don't know if it is built in yet but a hotswitch for changing configs/profiles could be handy
( haven't had time to check it out that much)

If you work with multiple configs/profiles you can have 1 for presentation, 1 for Photoshop and so on...And on each of them you have specially dedicated buttons for the application in use


//UndCon

[boonjin]

I just tested it on my brand new laptop - a Dell Latitude D830 with built in BT from Toshiba

Works like a charm, no problems pairing or anything

10+ on this one

I don't know if it is built in yet but a hotswitch for changing configs/profiles could be handy
( haven't had time to check it out that much)

If you work with multiple configs/profiles you can have 1 for presentation, 1 for Photoshop and so on...And on each of them you have specially dedicated buttons for the application in use

//UndCon

Hi UndCon,

Thanks for the feedback.

For Wiimote Smoothboard 0.4.6, I have included a combo box at the main window which allows you to select the saved profiles.
Hopefully, it works as you have required.



Regards,
Boon Jin

[UndCon]

I poked around a bit in the GUI and found hot switches for various apps and some alternatives to the outside switches - very useful...


Now I have to give my IR-pen some more "ooomph" as the screen on my laptop is very matte and barely gives any useful reflection - I set up a tablet working space on my desk meanwhile

Everybody wonders why I have a 1 meter high tripod with a wiimote mounted onto it
(the downside of being in the middle of an open office landscape)

//UndCon