AM on iPad Pro ?

[a.quaihoi]

Hey all,

 

really off topic, but I just got myself an iPad pro and Pencil and was like hmmm . . . AM would rock on this thing, even if its just the modeller, I can only dream for now or can I

[robcat2075]

I actually inquired with Steffen a few years ago about this.

 

Short Answer...no.

 

To port A:M to MacOS required lots of custom code by Hash to reproduce functionality that A:M normally gets from Windows. Years of work.

 

To go to iOS, all of that and more would have to be redone all over again. Not practical today.

 

 

Also... A:M itself doesn't conform to the iOS style and interface guidelines. To pass that requirement would need a total rewrite. The expectation for prices on iOS apps is so low that it would never pay for itself.

[robcat2075]

If iPad Pro were to run OSX then, yeah you could run the Mac version, but that's not happening is it?

[Rodney]

I think the road forward with platforms like the iPad and mobile with regard to A:M may be more in the realm of project management than anything else.

For example: I'd love to see an app that we could use to manage materials... or organize our libraries (file management).

These are apps that don't require the internals of A:M but leverage the files anyway (even if empty as placeholders).

 

The fact that A:M files are text files also can be exploited.

Imagine for instance setting up a production in short form... swapping models in and out... setting up basic lighting preferences... organizing scenes... blocking out shots (with or without proxies)... setting up exposure sheets... cameras... initiating lipsync (i.e. setting up dopesheets).

 

There are a lot of things that can be done on other platforms and outside of A:M itself.

Almost every application has drawing programs for instance. Those can be used to sketch outlines of a story. generate textures, create backdrops...

 

We can't let the fact that A:M isn't everywhere stop us from collecting, organizing and developing resources for use with A:M.

 

I suppose the ideal cross platform app to me would be a Library Manager basically because it would just need to be able to move files around and (the harder part to code) display the icon preview image of the A:M file.

Once organized and optimized the Libraries could then be better utilized in A:M.

[a.quaihoi]

hmmm any ball park figure of a rewrite if I were to be able to get a hold of some software developers, humour me, I would really only think a bare bones modelling app similar to Autodesk 123D - just a modeller that works in patches, that could output in a proprietary format or hash format which could read the model back into AM on desktop, modeller without materials, basic lighting, no choreography, animation, bones etc etc. just a modeller, the management features sound promising too.

 

I was looking at the open source Jpatch which has the source code available under GNU Public release and can read AM model files and has modelling, materials, and other things aside from choreography - **suppose I could give the source files to developers, software engineers and basically say " make this work as an iOS app with saving out to iCloud Drive or direct transfer via iTunes etc " - how many people would be interested if I got a quotation from them ? Which I might do any way just to know ball park figures ?

 

Hmmm . . . looks like a AM modeller in the making to me . . . its written in Java which is similar to a few languages used in apps on iOS, couldn't be THAT difficult to translate with a small team, I have a friend of a friends cousins sisters husbands brothers nephews friend that knows a guy that knows a guy that knows some guys that could pull this off for a fee - anyone interested ? And by all means please take this idea if someone is inclined to pursue it, I'd be happy to chip in something or sign up ( prepaid ) for a paid version say up to $10 or $9.99 per iOS app license coz its worth it.

 

 

 

[Fuchur]

If you didn't buy an iPad Pro yet, consider a Microsoft Surface instead and you will be able to use it...

 

Other than that: If you get jpatch working, let us know . Would be very cool.

 

See you

*Fuchur*

[a.quaihoi]

Hi Fuchur, I already did get an iPad pro, jpatch is pretty solid running in java, just adding points is two step process, instead of like AM with continuous clicks, reminds me of how very early 3D apps used to work - more reconstruction instead of continuous construction like in AM, control points are plotted and curves are locked - pretty sure these would be easy to unlock, Java and LUA are pretty much the same thing with minor syntax changes - I might get the guys to have a crack at it once I've finished a few projects ;-) Stay tuned !

[pixelplucker]

I looked at the surface series, big drawback to them is they are throw away machines. Can't change memory or hard drive in them because they are soldered in. Also looked at the Cintiq Companion and I could get a workstation laptop in that price range. What I do use quite a bit is the Dell 13" 2:1 laptop 7000 series. Bang for the buck they are nice little machines and you can use a nice Intuos Pro tablet with them and still have some money to spare. Very capable machines with great battery life. They will run AM but you have to step back on the OpenGL. If you have another pc with AM on it you can use remote desktop and connect to it.

 

At one time there was a RD desktop app for ios to windows but they "fixed it" and now it doesn't connect. I was able to use AM on my iPad via RD and it worked ok but I have the mini so squinting was necessary. Not sure if that has bee "fixed" again. I'll check and see.

[robcat2075]

If Jpatch is in Java... shouldn't it already be able to run in a browser on an iPad?

[a.quaihoi]

AHA ! I just gave my developers a copy of it and said " let me know how much time etc. to convert this with some tweaks to iOS / Android from this Java " - lot of tech out there to address this . . . so we could have it run in browser on HTML5 abstract or go the whole yard for a native experience

 

" Google's open source J2ObjC translator, meanwhile, takes Java code and translates it to Objective-C source code, Apple's code of choice for iOS devices. Google intends for the translator to accommodate non-UI code, such as application logic.

 

Two other companies, Vaadin and Codename One, have services enabling Java developers to get their applications on Apple's devices. Codename One performs cloud-based cross-compilations from Java to C/Objective-C.

"The Java development/debugging is done entirely locally, but when building for the device, the cloud portion does all the heavy lifting," says Shai Almog, CEO of Codename One.

Vaadin offers a Java framework for building Web applications for iPad. A Java abstraction is provided on top of HTML5. "

[a.quaihoi]

I looked at the surface series, big drawback to them is they are throw away machines. Can't change memory or hard drive in them because they are soldered in. Also looked at the Cintiq Companion and I could get a workstation laptop in that price range. What I do use quite a bit is the Dell 13" 2:1 laptop 7000 series. Bang for the buck they are nice little machines and you can use a nice Intuos Pro tablet with them and still have some money to spare. Very capable machines with great battery life. They will run AM but you have to step back on the OpenGL. If you have another pc with AM on it you can use remote desktop and connect to it.

 

At one time there was a RD desktop app for ios to windows but they "fixed it" and now it doesn't connect. I was able to use AM on my iPad via RD and it worked ok but I have the mini so squinting was necessary. Not sure if that has bee "fixed" again. I'll check and see.

True Pixel Pucker, but in all honesty, I just upgraded my iPad now from a series 2 so it was def worth the money I paid for it for its uses, and remember that am runs fine on very low spec machines and the iPad pro specs are pretty good so I'm just interested at the prospects of it running sure there are tablet pc's and even macs, one of the issues is that I have all my graphics software Adobe etc. licensed on Mac and I dont have the space for setting up a PC just for AM at the moment like I used to and doing things in graphics apps / am is required and becomes a pia on two machines if you're working solitary - mind you it works great on mac but to also have a modeller on iPad for me would be great to chip away at a design almost anywhere, its just my system setup - mac centric

[nemyax]

Java and LUA are pretty much the same thing with minor syntax changes

Java and Lua have nothing to do with one another. The closest thing to Java is C#.

[a.quaihoi]

ahhh my mistake I read the wrong info on some sites - true

[pixelplucker]

You should try a virtual machine from your ipad to your Mac then. Should be possible to run AM that way. I have the mini2, nice little machine and even bought an arm for it so i can have it like a magnifier for small work replacing my magnifying lamp.

[largento]

I've got Astropad on my Mac and my iPad Pro (the 12.9" version). Astropad lets you use your iPad to control your Mac. You designate an area of your screen and it appears on your iPad and lets you control it with your fingers (or Pencil).

 

I've been using it like a Cintiq and it works surprisingly well. A pink line is drawn from your Pencil which gives you a latency free sense when you're drawing on the screen.

 

I just tried it with A:M and you'll definitely want to use your pencil. Selecting tiny control points with a fat finger isn't great. It's certainly not the same as having a native app, but if you were so inclined to want to make it work, you could probably do a fair amount.

 

I tend to use Astropad when I'm sitting at my computer just to draw things with the pencil into an app.

 

You can check it out here: http://astropad.com/ It's not free, but you can install the Mac app on any other Mac. I've done that so I could use it at a freelance job.