garageCube

I used MadMapper for my first live gig this last weekend, and for the most part everything went smoothly, great software. I did find one frustrating issue when arranging quads in the output view though. Since I was using a laptop screen and had limited resolution, I had to zoom WAY in every time I wanted to adjust a corner point with any sort of precision. Dragging when zoomed out all the way moves the corner points in very coarse increments so when you're making those final adjustments to get things lined up it becomes very tedious.

Here's my request:

When I click and drag with the right mouse button, the corner points should move in 1/10th pixel increments (or some other very fine amount, maybe make it some dynamic multiple based on current zoom level?). This would make it much faster to do fine adjustments without having to zoom-in, zoom-in, zoom-in, drag, zoom-out, zoom-out, zoom-out (over and over).

It would be even better if this behavior was universal to all dragging operations (moving source rectangles, rotating, moving mask points). But even if it was just the corner points of quads in the output, it'd be a BIG help.

Thanks! You guys are making some awesome tools.

you can select a handle (corner) and use the arrow keys for precise nudging.

That's a good tip, but it doesn't really solve the problem.

Even with the keyboard, the increments of movement are always in whole pixels. This translates to very coarse adjustments if you are zoomed out (especially on smaller monitors).

My request is to be able to move corner points at a fine degree of precision with relation to the output resolution, not the presented resolution of the UI (which changes based on zoom level).

movement is always 1 pixel with the keyboard, so you'll gain precision according to your zoom level.
It seemed like the most convenient way to implement variable precision pixel nudge.

That explanation makes sense, but I want to make sure I'm being clear in this wish-list request:

What I'm asking for is to move corner points in very small (less than one pixel of the output resolution) increments regardless of zoom level. That way when I am zoomed out looking at the whole layout, I could move a corner very precisely without the need to zoom in. Zooming in just to get more precise control is what I'm trying to avoid since it gets cumbersome with many surfaces and a small laptop screen.

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On a side note: before I found madmapper, I actually created my own very simple/crappy mapping tool in Processing and I implemented the behavior I'm describing here. It was really useful for making fine adjustments quickly so that's why I wrote up this request in the first place..

Sounds like your issue is - a small laptop screen, as you stated. The zoom level for moving in increments works great for me. Zoom in if you want to be more precise. Try it on a bigger screen?

I appreciate the response, but "get a bigger screen" isn't really a solution.

Once more:

The issue I'm struggling with is that for every detailed adjustment, I have to click the "zoom in" button many times, make the adjustment, and then zoom back out (over and over and over...). If I could move points with extremely fine detail from the zoomed-out view, it would save significant time and head-ache when I'm setting up for a show.

I've taken the time to prototype this concept with a simple java applet I made in processing (note: I had trouble getting the applet to load in Chrome but safari worked fine). Please (especially you madmapper developers..) take a look and see what you think..

http://benpurdy.com/mouse_demo/


Short version:

In the left-hand view, position the gray box over the red box 10 times, you can zoom and pan with the keys just like madmapper to do fine adjustments. After 10 times it will show you some data about the test. Try it with left-click drag and keyboard ONLY, then try it again using the right-click-drag for fine adjustments without zooming.


Long version:

The goal of this demo is to line up a gray point with a red target point. The gray point represents a quad corner point, and the red point represents the exact location for the corner point so it looks good on the stage (or wherever you're projecting). The applet has a split view, the right-hand view represents your view of the actual projected content, it's always centered on the target point and is fully zoomed in. The left-hand view is a simulated madmapper editor, you can drag, zoom, pan, etc. You can only interact with the left side of the applet since that's the editor.

Keyboard control works like madmapper (arrow keys move the view when the point is not selected, and move the point according to the zoom level when the point is selected). The plus, minus, and equals keys will zoom in, out, and reset just like madmapper. You can also use the little icon buttons with the mouse.

However, you can also use right-click-drag to move the gray box in very tiny increments, which is exactly what I'm asking for in this thread.

My challenge for anybody reading this: perform the test a few times and see how much faster it is when you use the right click drag.. Then imagine if madmapper worked just like that for moving points, rotating, scaling, etc.


Here's what I get:

no right-click-drag:
120 seconds
302 keys pressed (!!!)
43 mouse clicks

using right-click-drag:
44 seconds
0 keys pressed
26 mouse clicks

To compare, that's a 36% increase in speed, infinity reduction in keyboard input, and 60% fewer clicks.

to zoom quickly, you can either use the two finger thing from apple if your mac is setup with this option or, press the command key and scroll wit your mouse or two fingers.

That's a good tip regarding the trackpad, it's certainly an improvement over the zoom keys. I use a normal mouse to adjust the corner points but I will use the trackpad for zooming/panning now.

Thanks for listening about this request and I hope you'll still consider it for a future release.