Use your iPhone/iPod Touch as Numberpad
Joeri has an interesting suggestion to extend your laptop’s keyboard using an iPhone or iPod Touch.
I saw this article on BlenderNation about using the iPad as a multitouch input device. Cool. So why not have a numpad on my iTouch for my laptop I thought?
And yes, this is already there for my macbookpro. I installed Numberkey connect on my laptop and downloaded the gratis app from the iTunes store. Connected, and now I can change views with ease, hooray!
Anyway, I thought I might share this with other Blender users.
System requirements:
- iPhone/iTouch OS 2.2.1 or later
- Osx 10.5 or 10.4 (wifi)
- Vista or XP (wifi)
cool. gonna try it for my imac.
Thanks for sharing the idea :)
Thats the most expensive numercial keypad ever!
Amazon do a proper Logitech wireless extension keypad for only 16 GBP…
McGuyver status lol Thanks for the info!
Haha! Nice idea!
nice mouse ;)
This is actually really useful for the laptop crowd. I have a Macbook Pro without a keypad. One of the things I hate is when I switch between my desk (with a separate keyboard and mouse) to just using my laptop by itself… I always end up having to enable laptop mode, and that messes with my muscle memory for where everything is.
Thanks for the tip!
Is there an Android version of this somewhere already?
If not I’ll write one…
For android there is http://wjholden.com/numpad/
iPad 500 euros
iPod 300 euros
USB mouse/keyboard combo 39.90 euros
Gloating about your sweet gadget combo : Priceless
May I suggest that someone put the “Buttons Window” inside instead? That would be sweet and maximize creen estate…
Guess what we really need is iPads in Blender:
http://vimeo.com/16513644
@ArjanPalm:
Windows only for the client :(
Sounds cool. I only see an error in your translation: “gratis” is the dutch word for “free”.
So it’s a free app, not gratis.
it’s kinda cool but impractical. there is no feedback on which button you were touching. you have to look at the screen to avoid touching the wrong button
all that happens is i change layers can i have help?
@aws357
of course nobody would by an iphone/ipad only to use it as numpad.
I own both ipone and numpad for my macbook, but sometimes I want to use Blender and only have my macbook without numpad with me. Or I have to use another laptop somewhere away frome home. then the app is helpful
Cool tips !
Is this Joeri a Whale ?
What a great idea! I also Blender away on my laptop, and put up with the lack of number pad. I have my laptop blender set to Emulate numpad, so I lose the ability to just jump to different layers by using the normal numbers 1-9.
Oh, and by the way, us Londoners use the word “gratis” a lot to mean free, but we don’t pronounce it in the Dutch way – “Graaatis” but much shorter and snappier – “grat-is”!
why so much propaganda on Apple products?
I don’t know how this related to blender ,,
if you are desperately need a numpad there are decent usb ones sold from just 6$
It’s just a neat idea, people. The man’s not suggesting you go buy an iPhone, especially just to use it as a numpad. He’s simply showing us something neat we can do, should we already own an iPhone, and just might could use this neat feature to solve a problem one might have. Of course, anyone who needs a numpad could just buy an external one, but that wasn’t the what the article was about. It’s all in the name of “neat idea you can try.” Sheesh! Lighten up!
And it can relate to Blender if you’re a notebook user like me, who gets tired of using the Function-key numpad on the notebook keyboard. As you all may well know, Blender just happens to utilize numpad features. Of course, I’ve long since bought an external USB numpad. But if I happened to have an iPhone already, I’d use it for its neat feature, too. It’s just a neat little solution for someone who may happen to own an iPhone (or Android, too, apparently) and may not have a USB numpad. Heck, I’d imagine people WITH iPhones will try this, just for the fun novelty of it.
No, thanks! My laptop has a numeric keypad.
Yeah i too spent Mega Bucks getting a laptop with a full sized Number Pad (which means it ain’t a mac)
If i didn’t have one I’d definitely use my ipod or iphone as a number pad, freakin sweet idea.
Also i like aws357’s idea of putting the button window or some other such auxiliary window in it. (perhaps things like the outliner, or colour picker etc….)
MAC’s dont have number-pads “LAME” how much did that mac cost?? :) HE HE over $1000
Someone needs to make a navigation app. I would love to have space navigator type movement from the phone. Or just a collection of navigation widgets from other apps that could allow movement…
So clever! Gotta try this.
Yeah, replace ‘Emulate Numpad’ with an Iphone. The production speed (time to keystroke) goes up from milliseconds to seconds. Don’t think these kind of articles should be posted…or encouraged…or mentioned.
Sure it may seem like an expensive gadget when you can get a usb pad for so little, but I already have a touch and a notebook without a number pad, so why not use it as a keypad.
OS if you use an Iphone as a num-pad then a Mac keyboard must cost- what $500. – “LAME”
Mac book air $1000 netbook – “LAME”
PLEASE someone tell me what an $$Iphone can do that a Google Android phone cant – “LAME”
Apple is just a well branded Microsoft
Am I the only one still interested in phones that just call and message people? I’m old and fuddy duddy like that I suppose.
Thanks for the tip – very useful.
But the app doesn’t seem to be free (or gratis) – it’s $2.
Has it just gone up or is there a free version I’m missing?
Hi Ben,
no, you’re not alone, would you accept me on your gang?
Regards,
Raimon
Does anyone seriously try to use a laptop for Blender, day after day?
@Reaction
Yeah I do. I use it for my study everyday at school.
@oilbane and some others
I think, this is not the place for a flameware against apple.
Nobody was urged to buy a macbook or iphone or even only this app.
As a mac-user, I am glad to get this kind of information.
If it is not useful for you, just skip it please!
Joeri,
Thanks for posting this. It works perfectly for me.
I do work mainly on my iMac in my studio,
but having this handy for my MacBook is very helpful for those times
out at a coffee shop, or out on the porch, or on a plane, or where ever.
And since I had the iPod already, it was an easy decision to get this.
Carlinhos
I believe some one must question Apple. Mac desktop’s don’t have number pads? How much does a Mac desktop’s cost? Yes Apple is cool but why pay for cool when you can have more money to buy hardware….
Add your flame here ______________. And you did not answer my question what can an Iphone do that a android phone can’t?
it may work but it wont have the keyboard clicky feel so it might throw you off working from click to touch
Apple = LAME
cool thing for those who have none ^^
but i think its really hilarious that this so “!awesome” macbooks have got no num pad , hehe , dont you ? think about :p
Steff kempink said : “Sounds cool. I only see an error in your translation: “gratis” is the dutch word for “free”.
So it’s a free app, not gratis.”
You’re wrong. It’s a freeware which means gratis software or gratis app in short, you don’t have to pay for it.
Free app (as you wrote it) or free software means libre software, “with few or no restrictions”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_Libre
I have a number pad for my linux box and I did need to buy a $500 iphone and download an iphone app to use it. :)
Apple is soooo lame
”
Joeri,
Thanks for posting this. It works perfectly for me.
I do work mainly on my iMac in my studio,
but having this handy for my MacBook is very helpful for those times
out at a coffee shop, or out on the porch, or on a plane, or where ever.
And since I had the iPod already, it was an easy decision to get this.
”
That’s what I was thinking.
@oilbane
> Apple = LAME
Lol… And a nice productive day to you too.
Shame to see a blender user being so narrow minded. Blender is about sharing, not bashing.
@Freid
> Is this Joeri a Whale ?
:) Yes
@Nathan Williams:
I got the gratis version here:
http://itunes.apple.com/nl/app/numberkey-free/id310129994?mt=8
@Alltaken:
A content aware iOs extension would be super.
But I also agree with
@Casey R Williams:
Turntable or trackball on the iOs would be awesome.
When blender 2.5 gets a little stable these might plug right into a python port of blender.
@ joeri
i think oilbane would to tell us that buying a product that costs so unreasonable more dollar than equal products which even have num pads ( ^^ ) is a bit – ehm stu*id :d think about apple fanboys :d
there is a script in addons trunk called space_view3d_3d_navigation
it makes buttons in the toolshelf (T key in 3d view) to change views.
This is a very shiny interface and all, goes well with the MacBook theme, but I’d suggest AirMouse Pro instead. It has the same numpad feature, but for the same price, you also get a trackpad, full keyboard, accelerometer airmouse, scroll, right and left click, media controls (for OpenOffice.org presentations or music playback)… enough to use blender, or any other app, without even touching your computer. If you’re looking for Linux compatibility, HippoRemote Pro (also $1.99) works with any VNC system, and I *think* it has a numpad (but I’m not sure, I don’t own the pro version). Both work over wifi just like this app.
I just use a USB numeric pad for my laptop, XD but this certainly looks nicer.