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Use your iPhone/iPod Touch as Numberpad

49
By on Fun

Joeri has an interesting suggestion to extend your laptop's keyboard using an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Joeri writes:

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)

49 Comments

  7. paryl on

    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!

    Reply
  10. aws357 on

    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...

    Reply
  13. Steff kempink on

    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.

    Reply
  14. anon on

    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

    Reply
  16. carlinhos on

    @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

    Reply
  18. madpsychot on

    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"!

    Reply
  20. blabeen on

    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$

    Reply
  21. Brian L. on

    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!

    Reply
  22. Brian L. on

    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.

    Reply
  24. Alltaken on

    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....)

    Reply
  26. Casey R Williams on

    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...

    Reply
  28. Johan on

    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.

    Reply
  29. terence on

    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.

    Reply
  30. oilbane on

    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

    Reply
  31. Ben Dansie on

    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.

    Reply
  32. Nathan Williams on

    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?

    Reply
  36. carlinhos on

    @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!

    Reply
  37. Nimblepix on

    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.

    Reply
  38. oilbane on

    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?

    Reply
  41. Having Numpad on

    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

    Reply
  42. Pascal on

    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

    Reply
  43. oilbane on

    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

    Reply
  44. joeri67 on

    "
    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

    Reply
  46. got a numpad without paying thousand dolla on

    @ 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

    Reply
  47. meta-androcto on

    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.

    Reply
  48. Joe Z on

    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.

    Reply

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